Apr 15 2009
Make plans for your whole family to attend the 20th Annual Louisiana Earth Day in Downtown Baton Rouge this Sunday, April 19, from noon to 8:30 p.m. Click on the icon below to find out all the fun, earth-friendly details:
Mar 26 2009
This morning I awoke to a Baton Rouge that is both soggy and beautiful. Sometimes life is like that. Rains come and fall all over our lives. As the showers fall or the storms rage, we aren’t quite sure whether to feel anxious or encouraged. Changes are coming, as they inevitably do, but no one asked our permission first. We can feel both peaceful and melancholy at the same time. The rains stop and we venture out of our cover. Enjoy the fresh earthy scents. Pull a couple of weeds that have been loosened by the deluge. Drink in the rich hues of green around us.
The day itself seems to be thoughtful – mournful, sad, contemplative, anticipatory. A good day for pouring fresh rich coffee and drinking it slowly. Read some Frost or Dostoevsky or Whitman or Nouen or some other writer who invites you to slowly hear and consider their words.
A day made to be encountered slowly and reverently. Not to be rushed and ignored, but lingered and savored.
Aaaaaaahhhhh…
Wonder what today will bring.
Even as I consider the last, I hear the fresh rainfall, which God mercifully held aloft until I reached my office. Open the blinds to my window looking out on the grass and trees and pond and rustic red barn. Wonder what could ever have compelled me to close the blinds yesterday. Although I have not yet spent time today in God’s Word, I have spent time drinking deeply of His well of life, seeing and hearing and tasting and smelling and feeling Him and His wonderful creative redemptive Truth all around me.
Ever have a day like that? We would love to hear about it.
Feb 07 2009
Well, I hope you have already gotten some helpful insight into some places to bring more peace into your life this week. Today I want to share one of my very favorites. As with all the other practices on my list, this one adds up slowly to a wonderful cumulative effect of greater peace. However, today’s tip is really the only one that consistently offers immediate results of increased serenity and inner calm. Ready?…
4. Take time for quiet meditation. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to quiet meditation. Different people find different types of quiet contemplation and stillness to be soothing and calming. In fact, sometimes the same person needs different types of meditation on different days.
Prayer. Devotional reading. Journaling. Intentional resting. Listening. Meditation on a word or phrase. Quiet viewing of natural or artistic beauty. Practice slowing your breathing and heartrate. These are just a few powerful examples of ways to slow down your body and mind, inviting calm and peace to bathe and refresh your spirit. What other methods have you experienced that really helped to slow and calm you (even if you haven’t practiced them in a while)? And why haven’t you practiced them in a while?
You don’t have to become a monk or a nun to incorporate regular times of quiet meditation into the rhythm of your life. Anyone can find half an hour a week for this essential practice. I’ll bet you could even find fifteen minutes a day, if you are willing to cut down or cut out some of the time and energy drains in your typical routine. How much time do you spend watching TV? Facebooking or on MySpace? Playing video or computer games? Are you noticing how much time you give to screen viewing every day? If you find it unsettling, decide to take charge and be a more savvy investor of your time! (For more on this issue, I highly recommend “Amusing Ourselves to Death” by Neil Postman.)
That daily commute that seems to be a never-ending battle to arrive two and a half minutes earlier? Slow down and enjoy the ride. Listen to music that soothes or encourages you, and really let yourself hear the music. Rather than cursing that knothead who just cut you off, spend time praying about how you want to improve as a person in one of your key life roles. I recently purchased a cd of sounds recorded from the beautifuly Atchafalaya Basin in South Louisiana during three distinct seasons of the year. I save that bad boy for those days when I’m really bent in a twist. Straightens me right out and soothes my soul!
We live in such a busy, driven, stress-filled age and culture! I love the way Hal Runkel puts it. He says it is really fairly easy to follow the old saying, “Don’t just stand there, do something!” Sometimes the harder and better approach is to “Don’t just do something…stand there!” Thanks for that, Hal. Good stuff.
Now, go find a quiet spot out there in God’s good creation and just enjoy it for a few minutes…
Aug 31 2008
Just a quick note to let everyone (who isn’t a Facebook friend) know we are staying in Baton Rouge and bracing for Gustav, as of 9:30 Sunday night. My family, along with my fellow South Louisianians are grateful for your prayers. I’ll be posting again as soon as I can after the storm passes.
With Hope, Roger
UPDATE 6:35am, Labor Day – Getting windy around here, but so far no big deal. From watching the excellent news coverage on WAFB, I am extremely impressed with how well our state has learned its lessons from Katrina and Rita – from state officials to local officials to the terrific citizens of South Louisiana. From what I can tell, Cajun Country is as ready as possible for whatever Gustav brings our way.
UPDATE Deux 9:40am, Labor Day – Pretty major wind gusts around here, but Gustav looks to be taming to a level Baton Rouge will easily weather. A big limb did come cracking down from the neighbor’s tree right across the street – thankfully bringing no property damage. That tree looks like it may fare worse before this is over, but it looks to be the only one in jeopardy that I can see. We’ve decided watching “The Challenge of the Superfriends” is a higher priority than watching the news at this point, if that tells you anything. The worst has yet to hit, but we’re thankful to be expecting a much more reasonable worst than what folks thought a couple days ago. Keep the prayers going!
Late morning.
Late afternoon – same tree.
UPDATE Three – 4:15pm Labor Day – Okay, I’ve got a whole new respect for hurricanes now, and we just saw “cat 1″ gusts in Baton Rouge. This has been a wild day. I’ll post more pictures when I can, but let’s just say the previous two were just a foreshadowing of what our neighborhood now looks like. Thankfully, no damage to our home, vehicles, or selves, or to any of our neighbors that I can tell. Next door neighboor will definitely need a re-roof job after the storm, but looks like he only lost shingles. Thanks for your prayers. We’re hoping for restored power ASAP. 
UPDATE Four – Friday, September 5 – I was finally able to upload a few pictures from after the storm. I wish I’d made the effort to get more, better shots of everything. But I guess I had a few things on my mind.
Our live oak survived, but not without injury.
In the background is the “honey tree” I mentioned on the air which had a beehive and seven or eight full sheets of honeycomb inside. It was a very large water oak which we have been nervously watching for years during heavy storms and mercifully fell into the yard and street without damaging any homes but the one within its cavernous hollow trunk. It supplied a tasty afternoon snack and breakfast for the morning after the storm, but not without some stings.
There is something to be said for the four year old response to a hurricane: 1. Help clean up for a little while. 2. Celebrate what remains by climbing the nearest intact tree. 3. Run and splash barefooted in the puddles with all your might.
Apr 15 2008
Click on the image to watch part 1 of “The Lorax” a television presentation of the classic Dr. Seuss tale of being a friend, rather than an enemy, of planet Earth. (Parts 2 & 3 are also available from this YouTube video page – the whole show is about 35 minutes or so.)
Here are just a few helpful “Green” links to help you celebrate Earth Day and hopefully begin some lifelong, life-giving, Earth-renewing habits:
Christian Environmental Organization Links
Your Green Partner,
Dr. Roger Butner
Aug 02 2007
(Friday morning) Just a little preview for this week’s post.
Tomorrow I am going out with my best buddy to a big stretch of woods, and we are going to shoot our shotguns. It isn’t any particular hunting season right now, so we’ll just shoot pine cones and dead limbs and such. I got my Remington 870 12-gauge for my 33rd birthday in February, my first ever real gun (the Daisy BB gun of my boyhood wasn’t too dangerous, except to the occasional backyard security light). I was inspired to get a firearm after reading through “The Way of the Wild Heart” by John Eldredge. I still haven’t even fired it once! My friend, on the other hand, grew up hunting in the woods of North Louisiana. So, we’re going out together for a manly experience of shooting harmless forest debris to enjoy our friendship and to give me the feel for firing my gun…
(Sunday evening) Well, my friend and I both survived our testosterone adventure firing lead shot at inanimate objects in the woods on Friday afternoon. I’ve had a busy weekend, and not much time to offer deep reflection on our experience, and so offer any particularly rich life lessons to my website readership. Sorry, that’s life sometimes. For now, I will simply note three important rewards of the little gunpowder excursion:
1. We had a blast! (actually 50 of them) The whole gun experience and the conversations we shared driving out, in the woods, and driving back – all very enjoyable.
2. I found out I am a pretty darn good shot. That was very meaningful to me, as my father was an excellent shot in the years of his early manhood as a soldier and officer in the United States Army. I never really seemed to inherit any of his skills or know-how with tools and such. This turned out to be a very important connection for me to my Dad. I wish he could have seen me. I can’t wait to tell him about it and show him a couple of my “trophies.” (No, we didn’t shoot any animals. I don’t think the piece of paper or empty shotgun shell felt a thing when I obliterated them.)
3. Call me a redneck or whatever you will – I feel a bit more manly today, knowing I can handle a shotgun with no problem. Thanks, John Eldredge. I needed that.
Jun 05 2007
Last Friday I had an opportunity to take the son of some good friends of ours with me for an afternoon at the Bluebonnet Swamp. They are basically family to us, so he is like a nephew to me. I was looking forward to the afternoon for several weeks, since we first discussed the possibility. He is always a lot of fun. He is a very smart boy, and, frankly, you never know what he is going to say. However, the truth is, I really felt like I was doing something for him more than he would be doing anything for me. He loves bugs and critters and wildlife, and had never been to the Bluebonnet Swamp. This was an opportunity for me to share something with him that he was sure to love. Little did I know how much I would learn from him!
Even though I love casually strolling along the path through the swamp and woods when I go by myself, for some reason I felt compelled to move along more quickly with my buddy there. I guess I wanted to be able to show him all there is to see. To put it simply – he went at a much slower pace. At first, I felt a bit frustrated. As Willy Wonka put it, “There’s so much time and so little to see! Strike that. Reverse it.” Continue Reading »
May 14 2007
My wife and I recently spent a weekend away together at the Parish Hermitage. Our time there was all that we hoped it would be. God’s Spirit breathed into us just what we needed at this time in our lives. And it all started with a storm.
As we stopped for an early lunch of burgers at Riverside Patty on the way out to St. Amant, we knew the dark, foreboding cloud-cover meant a big storm was on the way. We had barely made it through the doors to place our order when the bottom fell out and we got a downpour like nothing I’ve experienced in years. We both agreed it was fitting for our mood – somber, heavy-hearted, weary, and burdened. The storm really seemed the perfect way for us to begin our retreat. We made it safely to the Hermitage, dashed into our guesthouse, and sat out on the patio, taking in the fury and the beauty of the storm. As we sat together, considering and discussing what God might be preparing to teach us, I realized He was already speaking to me through the storm. I heard several important life lessons about storms as I sat there with my wife and God:
1. When the storms of life rage intensely, it is good to have shelter with someone you love and trust.
2. Storms don’t just bring danger. They also bring new life.
3. Storms have a way of cleaning away trash and debris from our lives.
4. Storms are very good at interrupting our plans and making us stop and just be.
5. Storms never last forever.
6. Storms make us aware of our own weakness and God’s power.
7. Heavy storms never leave the landscape like they found it. Some things break and fall, while other things are uncovered and rise up.
8. There is a time for seeking shelter, and a time for stepping out to face the landscape.
As you encounter the storms of your life, I sincerely hope you will reach out to God and receiving His loving shelter and guidance. Sometimes that reaching out includes reaching out to another person God has provided for you. If you need someone to be there in your storm, feel free to call on me.
With Hope – Roger
ps – Click here to read my previous post, “Surviving the Storms in Life.”
Apr 23 2007
Well, I knew Earth Day 2007 was coming this week, but I didn’t realize it was yesterday. When it dawned on me today, I felt a bit disappointed I had done nothing to officially mark the day – although I continue to work at being mindful of caring for our planet, people, and resources on a daily basis. But then, I realized my family actually celebrated the day about as effectively as anyone could. On Saturday and Sunday, my wife and son and I were gathered with a group of other families from our church, having our annual family retreat at Camp Smiling Acres. And if you ask anyone who attended, they will tell you where my son was the whole time – on the big pile of dirt. So, I guess we really did have a great Earth Day awareness activity. With no television in sight, out in the natural beauty of camp, we celebrated with him as he conquered the “mountain.” And it gave me a deep sense of hope and contentment, knowing my son is more enthralled by a big mound of earth than by the latest toy and gaming gadgetry. All it cost us was a couple pairs of socks! (Trust me, anyone who could have brought those socks back to whiteness deserves their own infomercial.)
Mar 03 2007
Today in Baton Rouge is glorious! The temperature is balmy. The sky is blue and clear. The breeze is gentle. What a delightfully refreshing Sabbath!!! As I write, hundreds of teens and adults are gathered at our church’s facilities experiencing an annual youth rally, appropriately titled “Renewal.” The weather being so amazing as it is, I finally got around to setting up my new hammock in the backyard yesterday. My in-laws gave it to me for Christmas, and I have been eager to spend time relaxing in it and soaking up God’s blessings. I spent about a half hour in it yesterday, reading the first chapter of an intriguing novel given to me by a brave young woman as a way of saying “thank you.” After finishing the chapter, I decided a nap would really be the way to go. I had finished my day at the office on Friday at about noon, as is my general practice. It was now 2:30, and the hammock and overhanging arms of the oak tree were gently lulling me into slumber. Aaaaaahhhh. Two hours of tranquility gently swaying to the breeze on my new hammock wrapped in my old LSU blanket.
Today my son, a delightful three year old with pale blonde hair, adorable dimples, and an irresistable twinkle in his eye, invited me to go get on the hammock with him. We got in and out, pretended to sleep and snore, swung and tickled and had fun. But my son, in his innocent wisdom, found the real treasure in the backyard today. It wasn’t the hammock, great as it is. He figured out what makes the hammock great – the creation in which it is surrounded. The leaves!
He began to frolick about in the leaves, scooping them up and kicking them around. As fun as it was watching him, I still didn’t get it. I thank God He sent my son to help me out of my slumber and into the wonder of life. My son grabbed my hands, began tugging on me, chanting “Pull! Pull!” He wanted me to dance and play and experience the wonder with him. I did. It was great! But, he’s three and the moment passed quickly. He was on to his swingset and slide, which are set up under the outermost branches of the oak. However, now that he had invited me into the wonder of God’s creation, I wasn’t going to miss this opportunity…
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Dr. Roger D. Butner