Joanie Butman
Joanie Butman is the author of several collections of faith essays, including Heart Murmurs, Table Talk, and The Issue Room. Her most recent book, I Don’t Buy Green Bananas, describes her journey through a cancer diagnosis, treatment and recovery. All proceeds from her books help support various charities.
Her blog, Cawfee Talk, was launched in 2012 as part of the Choose Wisely campaign. Her weekly essays discuss everyday life and how the simplest choices are often our most impactful. Joanie claims no particular expertise and describes herself as ordinary. As she says, “Even the ordinary face extraordinary challenges and experience moments of extraordinary clarity and purpose. We can all learn from each other when we are honest and open enough to reveal our struggles, our failures and our victories.”
She has no credentials, qualifications, or accomplishments to list other than a sincere love of Christ and a firm belief in the redeeming power of God’s love and grace.
She can be contacted at JMBCHOOSEWISELY@GMAIL.COM
Joanie's Books
I DON'T BUY GREEN BANANAS!
Is there an upside to cancer? There is if you're Joanie Butman. In her latest collection of faith essays I Don't Buy Green Bananas (center stage with cancer), Joanie takes on her biggest challenge yet: a cancer diagnosis. Facing a terminal illness hasn't dampened her faith or her sense of humor. She takes us along on her "road trip with God," through her diagnosis, surgery, and recurrence of her "tribble"- the name she affectionately calls the tumor discovered in her abdomen. Throughout her journey, Joan learns the true meaning of the scripture "Do not be afraid, for I am with you," and experiences the peace and joy that come with accepting God's wil. "I can say with confidence that you will find delight in anything you do for Christ, whether it be washing dishes, changing diapers, or battling cancer. " All proceeds from I Don't Buy Green Bananas go directly to the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR). CIBMTR is an organization of international scientists who share data on their blood and bone marrow transplant patients to improve the success of these procedures.
THE ISSUE ROOM
Let's face it, we all have issues. If you don't think you do, then you've just discovered one of yours. Visit The Issue Room and enjoy some yoga for the soul as Joanie stretches our hearts and minds to embrace our issues with a new appreciation for their purpose and place in our lives. "They keep me connected to God in a way that wouldn't exist but for that issue. When you face issues you can't overcome alone, your need for God becomes a stark reality, which ultimately causes your desire for Him to grow stronger." In Joan's newest installment of faith essays, she shares fitness secrets for battling our most stubborn trouble spots. All proceeds from The Issue Room go directly to The Exchange Club of New Canaan, which is a group of men working together to make their communities better places to live through programs of service in Americanism, Community Service, Youth Activities, and their national project, the Prevention of Child Abuse.
TABLE TALK
Are you tired of fad diets and empty chatter that leave you unfilfilled? Do you crave more heartfelt conversations along with more carbs? Then pull up a chair and sample some of Joanie Butman's original "soul food" in her new book, Table Talk: Food for Thought That's Easy to Swallow! Her menu includes calorie-free thoughts on everything from motherhood to window cleaning, with faith as the main ingredient." This latest collection of essays from the author of Heart Murmurs is sure to delight your senses, fill your soul, and provide plenty of dishing to savor. So if you like your "soul food" served with a side order of smiles, come and sit at the kitchen table of Joan's heart and visit for a while...All proceeds from Table Talk go directly to FOCUS, the Fellowship of Christians in Universities and Schools, whose purpose is to share with independent school students a life rooted in God that is real, adventurous, intellectually sound, and eminently practical.
HEART MURMURS
Are you a God-Buff? Or does the topic of religion give you the "HeBGB's?" Either way, you'll find inspiration in Joanie's Heart Murmurs. A series of essays that began as testimonies given by Joanie at her Bible Study group, Heart Murmurs celebrates everyday spirituality by exploring topics such as forgiveness, worry, plastic surgery, and putting up the Christmas lights. Avoiding the "in your face" approach to Christianity, Joanie uses humor and a hefty dose of humility in her reflections on Scripture. Whether you're a God-Buff, a Bible Babe, or anyone whose heart could use a lift, Heart Murmurs will bring a smile to your face and warmth to your soul. All the proceeds from the sale of Heart Murmurs go directly to PURA VIDA for Children, a non-profit organization whose mission is to care for homeless children in Costa Rica.