Ever walked through the sliding doors of an H-E-B and wondered why the vibe feels a bit different than your average mega-retailer? It isn't just the tortillas or the "Combo Loco" deals. A lot of that DNA comes from a man who was once groomed to run the whole show but decided his real office was a rugged canyon in the Texas Hill Country. Howard E. Butt Jr. was the heir apparent to the H-E-B grocery empire, yet he became one of the most influential figures in a movement you’ve probably never heard of: the "faith at work" movement.
He didn't just inherit a name. He inherited a dilemma.
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Born in 1927 in Kerrville, Howard Jr. was checking groceries by age 12. By 21, he was managing his own store. His father, Howard Sr., had built a powerhouse from the $60 his grandmother Florence started with in 1905. But Howard Jr. had this nagging sense that the sacred and the secular weren't two different worlds. He didn't want to be a "Sunday Christian" and a "Monday businessman." He wanted them to be the same thing.
The Billionaire Preacher Who Refused the Crown
Honestly, it’s kinda wild when you think about it. Most people in his position would have just taken the keys to the kingdom and called it a day. Howard Jr. did serve as vice chairman of the board for decades, and he was vital to the company's growth. But in the late 1960s, he effectively handed the day-to-day reins of H-E-B to his younger brother, Charles Butt.
Why? Because he was obsessed with the idea of the "laity"—the regular people.
He realized that if you only think "ministry" happens inside a church building, you’re missing 99% of where life actually happens. He started the Laity Lodge in 1961, tucked away in the Frio River Canyon. It wasn't your typical church camp with itchy blankets and bad cafeteria food. It was a high-end retreat where CEOs, artists, and scholars could sit in the dirt and talk about the "high calling" of their daily work.
He was essentially the original "work-life balance" guy before that was even a buzzword.
What Howard E. Butt Jr. Got Right About Mental Health
One thing most people get wrong about "successful" religious figures is they think they have it all together. Howard Jr. was different. He was shockingly open about his struggle with clinical depression.
In the 1950s and 60s, especially in the "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" culture of Texas business, you just didn't talk about that. If you were a leader, you were supposed to be a "velvet-covered brick"—strong and unyielding on the inside, gentle on the outside. (That was actually the title of his most famous book, The Velvet-Covered Brick).
But Howard Jr. admitted he wasn't always a brick. He sought psychiatric help when it was still a major taboo in evangelical circles. He’d tell people at Laity Lodge that his faith didn't make him immune to pain; it gave him a way to walk through it.
- He partnered with Billy Graham for the Laymen’s Leadership Institute.
- He recorded thousands of 60-second radio spots called "The High Calling."
- He hosted theologians like Henri Nouwen and N.T. Wright at his lodge.
- He served on JFK’s first Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity.
The Legacy of the Frio River
If you ever get the chance to drive out to Leakey, Texas, and see the H. E. Butt Foundation property, you’ll see the scale of what he built. It isn't just about the grocery business. The foundation has served nearly a million people through its free camping programs for underprivileged kids.
Howard Jr. died in 2016 from Parkinson’s complications, but his voice still pops up on radio stations across the country. He always had this folksy, calming tone. He wasn't trying to convert you in sixty seconds; he was just trying to remind you that your job as a plumber, a teacher, or a middle manager actually mattered for something bigger.
Basically, he believed that "church work" is done whenever we do our jobs with excellence and love for the people around us.
How to Apply the Howard Butt Philosophy Today
You don't have to be a billionaire or a theologian to use his playbook. It’s pretty simple when you strip away the big titles.
- Stop Dividing Your Life: Your "work self" and "home self" should be the same person. If you're a person of integrity in one, be it in the other.
- Be Transparent About the Hard Parts: Howard’s honesty about his depression helped thousands of other leaders feel less alone. If you're struggling, talk about it. It’s actually a sign of strength, not weakness.
- Create Space for Quiet: He spent a fortune building a "Quiet House" at Laity Lodge because he knew we can't think clearly if we're always busy. Find your own version of a canyon—even if it's just a 10-minute walk without your phone.
- See the Value in the Mundane: Whether you're stocking shelves at H-E-B or writing code, that work has inherent dignity.
Howard E. Butt Jr. could have been just another wealthy executive. Instead, he chose to be a bridge. He connected the world of money and power with the world of spirit and soul, and Texas (and the business world) is better for it.
Take a moment this week to look at your "to-do" list not as a set of chores, but as a series of opportunities to serve the people around you with the same excellence he championed.