September 19, 2016 (Monday)
Last week Howard E. Butt, Jr. died at age 89. The Butt family is known primarily for the grocery business, but he was known by most people as a preacher.
I accepted Christ at age 11, but my family did not go to church, so neither did I until the summer before my senior year of high school. I went back to church, rededicated my life and became reacquainted with the Christian life. I had the help of a strong group of young people my age. One of the things we shared together that summer was attendance at a City-Wide Youth Revival in the Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston. The speakers that week were all the pioneers of the new youth revival movement. Howard E. Butt, Jr. was one of them.
When I started in college at Baylor, he had graduated and gone on to the seminary. While I was a student, he preached at chapel one day. I remember his opening remark, “It’s good to be back at good old Baylor High.” (A humorous statement but Seminary students looked upon college courses as less difficult). I remember his sermon that day, “Is Christ at Home in Your Heart?” He was about 22 years old. The message compared our heart to a house. Christ is invited into our “house,” and He examines each room. The living room is where we meet with our friends, the study is filled with books of all kinds-what are we reading?, the dining room reveals our appetites and desires. Other rooms are discussed. There is a remote closet filled with leftover stuff from our previous life. Christ demands the key to that closet but we stubbornly refuse. And on the sermon went. It was interesting and intriguing. I never forgot it. In fact, I tried to preach it a time or two. I noticed in my search for a copy of it today on the internet that others–some well-known–have preached it and published it, claiming it as their own, but I heard it before they got started in ministry.
Howard E. Butt, Jr. was a part of the family business, but gradually moved on to major on spiritual concerns, becoming head of the Laity Lodge, where businessmen from everywhere were made aware of the spiritual side of life. He wrote books. He was friend to Billy Graham, who considered him qualified to preach in his place when needed.
First of His Well-Known Books
He opened up to others, revealing his weaknesses as well as his strengths, and helped many people overcome difficulties in their lives.
He was unique.
A rich man who loved God.
Jesus said that was very rare indeed.