August 17, 2021

If Not You… Who?

“Before you were born, I dedicated you.”

Do you know what the basis is behind all conspiracy theories?

• Is it that someone controls all our tech?

• That someone controls all our minds?

• That someone has put chips inside all the bananas, so now we have chips inside us, that are telling someone, somewhere, the blood pressure levels of every person on earth so that they can put this information to dastardly purposes! *gasp here for dramatic effect*

No.

…Well, sort of.

The basis behind every conspiracy theory is the idea that somebody, somewhere, knows all the secrets about life.

This person is a danger to us because none of us have a clue about life. The idea that somebody out there actually knows the secret to life, and isn’t telling us… Well, that sounds like a pretty powerful, pretty evil person.

I’m not an evil mastermind, and I don’t have all the secrets to life… but I do have one. And it’s kind of THE one. In fact, it’s very existence destroys any basis for wild, overblown conspiracy theories…

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind, and all your strength;” and “‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31)

I used to play the comparison game constantly, and I didn’t even realize it was happening. I thought others could do anything I tried to do better than me. I thought if I didn’t evangelize, someone else would. I thought if I didn’t defend Christ, someone else would. I decided it was enough to just feel love for God - I had abandoned Him in my mind, and thus, I did so with my actions. I had failed to love Him with my whole strength. The love in my heart wasn’t true love.

If you truly love God in your heart, you love Him in every thought. And if you truly love Him in every thought, You love Him with your every action.

The Lord has dedicated you to a unique, unrepeatable life. No matter if you don’t have life figured out. No matter if you’re not as good at something as the next person. No matter if you don’t want to do it.

NOBODY has it figured out. NOBODY wants to do the hard stuff. NOBODY is as good as God, and yet, He chose you to do His work. Your imperfect attempts please Him more than if He did it Himself.

So if He’s called you, are you going to listen?

August 3, 2021

While staying at Heart Ridge retreat and cultural center in the Blue Ridge mountains, helping to clean up and prepare for retreat groups and camps, I’ve been talking with Jesus, and recently, we were discussing the subject of ‘home.’ Not only have I been learning how to trust in the Lord more, and find joy in the everyday moments, but he has been revealing to me the nature of home and husband.

Before I set out on this trip, there was an attractive young man in my circle of friends that I was starting to get distracted by. I wanted to know if this was THE man. You know what I’m talking about. When you meet a godly man, who exemplifies the virtues you’re looking for, all you can think is “Is he the one?” And before we know it, our feminine hearts have jumped 5 years in the future, when we already have 10 children, living on a farmstead in the middle of nowhere, with goats and a vineyard, and a large homeschool co-op community.

Poor man. Does he have any idea what goes on in our womanly hearts? All he’s done is volunteer to lead prayer.

So anyhow, recognizing this tendency in myself, I started to bring this man to prayer. I started asking Jesus, “What do you want me to do about this guy? Is there anything you want me to do about him? What about him?”

And Jesus started responding back to me with questions. “Do you see Me when you look at him? What is it about him that is attractive to you? Where am I in this picture?”

I wasn’t in the mood for questions. I wanted answers. So when I realized Jesus wasn’t about to give them, I turned to his mother. “Mother,” I said, “what about this guy? Jesus won’t answer me.”

She answered me with a visual prayer. In this prayer, I was a five-year-old child, petulantly asking to go play with another child. But Mother Mary scooped me up, and asked, “Where are you going, little girl?”

“I want to go play with that boy, he looks nice.”

“I want you to stay and play with Jesus” she told me.

“But what about that guy? Isn’t he nice?”

“He’s nice,” said Mary, “but we’re leaving in five minutes, and I need you where I can see you. Now go play with Jesus.”

In this beautiful visual, Mary showed me several truths about my journey, which I’ve kept close to my heart all this time.

1. Number one. She wants to keep me close to her.

2. Number two, I am still a small child in so many ways, and Jesus wants to teach me how to play.

3. Number three, it was not the time for a man in my life. There was a journey to make first.

I’ve learned on this journey that when it is time for a man to come into my life, I will not be desperate about his entrance. I will not be trying to figure out, “WHAT about him? What about HIM?”

As I keep my eyes on Christ, He will step aside when we are BOTH ready, and the time has come in God’s plan.

I’ll finish with a visual prayer my spiritual mother told me once, which has brought me so much insight. Right now, as a single woman, imagine Christ beside you as a shadow. Everywhere you go, he companies you, and one day, a man will enter into your life. On your wedding day, this will step into that shadow of Christ, and become Christ for you. His hands will be Christ’s hands, his feet Christ’s feet, his heart Christ’s heart, and he will seek to do the Lords will, for your good, and the good of your children. Christ does not abandon you, either now as a single woman, or in marriage. When a man is in love with Christ first, and you next, he is Christ in your married life, as much as you are the church to Christ.

And so I am abiding in the Lord’s timing, trusting that as I do his well in each moment, each day, I am walking the journey that is bringing me closer and closer to the man who will win my heart, and step into the shadow of the Lord.

July 27, 2021

Me: Ok Lord, what do you want me to write about?

The Lord: Me

He loves it when I write to Him, write about Him, and just when I write. Lately, I’ve been filling my life with other tasks, and He keeps redirecting me... Write, Elizabeth. Write of me, of life, of love...

Me: As you wish.

Is Love a Choice?

“I never really believed in magical love,” my friend said, “until I fell into it.”

Have you ever fallen in love? In conversation recently, my friends and I came to the realization that to fall in love is not a choice. In fact, if it were a choice, it would cease to be love.

I intend to defend this position, since as a Catholic, we are often told: “love is a choice.” I do actually believe that. So if falling in love is not a choice, but love is, what does that mean?

Now, I want to make a distinction before I go any further. There is a difference - impossible to describe though I will try - between falling in love and infatuation.

If you have been in love, then you know what I mean without my trying to describe it to you. And if, so far, you’ve only experienced infatuation, then no description can truly communicate the concept of love.

Some Clarifications:

Neither love nor infatuation is a good or a bad thing, in and of itself. Both partake of goodness, and both are a necessary and beautiful aspect of the human experience. Both can also be perverted. But love is higher - in the order of being and goodness - than infatuation.

• Infatuation engages the senses and emotions, driving out every other reality.

• Love engages the entire person: mind, body, and soul, and leaves command of the emotions.

• Infatuation makes the person selfish, even if she doesn’t mean to be, for she is so full of the other person and the good feelings she’s experiencing, that she has a hard time seeing other people.

• Love brings the person out of herself and able to see people, beauty, and good things in abundance, for she sees suddenly the futility of little things, and begins to engage with reality on a deeper level.

• An infatuated person sees their beloved in everything. Anything, even the littlest thing, reminds them of their beloved.

• A person in love looks for aspects of their beloved in things of quality. They seek to go deeper into beauty, goodness, and truth. Knowing that their beloved is a thing of precious quality, they seek for themes of precious quality in all around them.

• Infatuation either leads to love, or dies away into oblivion.

• Love endures, even if it changes. It either changes it’s tone into a lasting affection, fades away into a pleasant memory, or else it lasts until ‘death do us part.’

• Infatuation does not change the person, other than to bring sometimes transitory happiness and stress.

• Love, on the other hand (while not automatically making him a better person), calls the lover to a higher virtuous standard. He suddenly recognizes and adores virtue, and has the powerful motivation to be a better person for the sake of his beloved. Love transforms.

The Choice

So why is it that although love is a choice, falling in love is not?

To be ‘in love’ is not a choice, but choice is still involved. When I and my friends have fallen in love, we noticed the common theme of Resistance. Every one of us resisted the idea of accepting that we were ‘in love.’ To fall in love is unnerving for the very fact that we do not choose to fall into it. Would you choose to fall into a pit? No. To fall is an unsettling feeling. It makes your stomach drop, your heart pound, your life change direction (literally - we go from traveling horizontally to vertically). For this reason, the expression ‘falling in love’ is very appropriate, for it is an unwilling fall.

To be in love is the choice. It is to accept Joseph Campbell’s Call to Adventure, and to embrace that life is about to take an unexpected and potentially disastrous turn. To be in love is to accept that there is a higher reality in life than oneself. It is to recognize beauty and goodness, and to seek after deeper understandings of these realities. To be in love is to ascend in mind and soul.

In God’s inneffible wisdom, He has allowed us to experience this call through the presence and companionship of another person in romantic love. He could have left us with Him alone, for He is, after all, Love itself. But in the Garden, he decreed that it was not good for man to be alone, and so he created a helper fit for him, and in Adam’s moment of awakening to see Eve, he was struck into declaring his love and his joy. It was Adam and Eve’s call to grow deeper into God through knowing and discovering the other.

“Do not arouse, nor awaken love, until it so desires.” This awakening is outside of our control. It seems as though the love itself is a living entity, coming to life and fluttering outside the doors of our hearts, begging for us to let him in.

Will we choose to let him in?

My friend, when he spoke of falling in love, of now believing in magical love, was speaking of this total self-effacing love. It makes one want to live forever with the person, if they can, or else die to prove their love. It is the celebrated love of Romeo and Juliet, of Victoria and Albert, of Christ and the Church. It happens in a moment - in one instant of existence - and it changes the trajectory of one’s entire life. One instant, we are our regular self, trying to figure out who we are and what we’re meant for in this life, and the next: everything else is eclipsed. Nothing small can enter our world any longer. Not, that is, unless we choose to deny our call and shut the door on beauty, truth, and goodness. For this arousal, this awakening of love, is in truth a call to the highest realities of life: to enter into the Love of God himself, who is alpha and omega, the beginning and the end.

This love may lead to marriage, or it may be a stepping stone on the journey. But I encourage you that when you fall into love and you open your door to let it in, you have done no harm. You have chosen beauty, truth, and goodness, and if you invite the Lord in, you will ascend to know Him in his Higher Places. You will ascend to see the Lord in his house of Glory, where He waits for you.

Do not despair of ‘magical’ love. Do not seek to arouse it. And most of all, when it comes, do not deny it entrance.

July 21, 2021

Creating according to the Natural World, and God’s plan for creation.

We are called to switch our thinking from ‘how can we dissect this, and create something new?’ to ‘what is the original design, and how was it fashioned to operate?’

We must move from wanting to always change, manipulate, and control, to respect, understanding, and design.

There is nothing wrong with changing the make-up of a thing in order to use it to better purpose, or even a different purpose, but we must first understand the original purpose itself.

If a certain chemical comes from a pepper, we must understand the whole pepper, and respect how each piece adds to the perfect design in which God created it. Then, we can ask, “How am I called, as a good gardener or steward of the land, to cultivate this product, and help it to be the best it can be?”

In the end, the results may look very much the same. But by beginning first from a place of respect, our negative impact upon the earth will be greatly lessened.

July 18, 2021

Heart Ridge is not my home. But it IS my current sphere of activity.

Right now, I am like Ruth, working in the fields, gathering the sheaves that are dropped by the workers. But one day, I will marry Boaz and be mistress of all.

I am called to learn here, and grow. I am called to discover what it means to “gather sheaves,” not in an impoverished way, but in a way of learning how the Lord provides, the kindness of others, and the growth of my own heart.

I will be stretched here.

I already have been.

The beauty of this place captivates me, and it’s potential excites me… Meanwhile, what am I called to do?

July 15, 2021

What’s your route this time?

It’s more up in the air than before. I headed out from Springfield to Shawnee National Forest (southern tip of Illinois. I could see Kentucky across the Ohio River from my campsite.) on the 9th of July, and expected to stay 1 day, but stayed 4. Then I drove to Chattanooga Tennessee for one overnight stop, and then to my friends’ house in South Carolina. Now I’m headed to a Catholic retreat center an hour and a half away, in the Blue Ridge Mountains, to stay for an indeterminate amount of time, and help them out. I’m also working to get an event set up in Nashville Tennessee, and potentially Louisiana. So we’ll see where God takes me in August. 🥰

July 12, 2021

St. Joseph, I am your biggest fan!

I am listening to a talk, I forget by what speaker, about St. Theresa of Avila, and he is proclaiming your manliness, your willingness to adventure, your sturdiness! And I am literally cheering aloud. No one can acclaim you loud enough to please me. He referenced a painting about you leading the Holy Family into Egypt, and I cannot but wonder whether it is my painting - the one I love. For you are manly in this story. A leader, a sturdy protector - an adventurer going out into the unknown. How I love you!

Oh silent protector. Walk beside me everywhere I go. I will cling to your hand, a willing little child, following wherever you lead.

Father, my heart is so full of love and joy. I do not want to cease speaking to you. I do not want to go to sleep. You have sat down beside my bed, allowing me to prattle on a little longer about my love for you, rather than admonishing me to close my eyes. Where are we going next? Oh, papa, do more work in my soul. It is so gentle, so kind, so loving. How nurturing a presence you are!

I cannot imagine you in any perplexity or difficulty! How did you not know you must take Mary into your home? You know everything, oh good father, you must have known that.

You are so far above me that I am like a little child looking upon her wise father, thinking that he could not - oh no, never he - have ever been a child like me!

The speaker continues on, speaking of Theresa, but I am only half-listening. My mind has switched track to you. Please guide me as you guided her. She began this devotion to you. Allow me to carry on this tradition, please. Oh please, allow me to spread devotion to you. May our relationship extend to others. May I teach others how to speak to you, how to listen to you. This is not a mere year of St. Joseph, is it? Please, allow it to be a lifetime! How easy to come to Jesus and Mary, when we come to them through you! You wish everything for their best. You guard them unlike any other protector. You guide them into the very best ports. You turn even a stable into a palace.

Show me, please, how to love them as you loved them. Thank you for including me into their inner circle, for I know that you have veto power to send me away. But no. You choose to let me be a fourth wheel in your perfect family structure. I, who am so much more a sinner than yourself, you have allowed me to be with Mary and Jesus, those sinless two, who put even you to shame. Oh papa, thank you! In their presence, I receive such love to give to others. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Your home is here, in Carl [my van]. I have come to be your servant. If I must give my life and blood for you, I will give it willingly. Lead me to the persons and places you wish me to bring you. Thank you. Amen.

Please, stay with me until I fall asleep. I must clean my car, take and apply my medicine, and do my story. But I do not want you to go. Stay, until I fall asleep. You sit in a corner of my nursery, in a rocking chair made by your hands, and quietly read your book. I understand from this action that I am free to do whatever I wish, but you will be watching over me. Thank you for your paternal protection. Amen.

July 10, 2021

There is an intense thunderstorm raging outside. I cannot sleep through the noise, and I am worried, because an electronic transfer that I put through 2 days ago has yet to appear in my account. My cell signal is spotty.

And yet…

I am physically safe. St. Joseph has assured me that I am operating on a budget - when I get money, it’s time to move on, and when I don’t, I stay. I do not need to worry about having too little. I am concerned about my next stop: I will probably drive through rain tomorrow, if I receive the funds for gas, and the camping spot is a little difficult to reach. Will it be too dangerous, with all the rain? And if I cannot move on, will I spend another night in rain? I don’t know how well I will sleep, or if I will have the battery life to last that long, without running my car. But maybe, I just need to read during the day, and pray at night, if battery power runs low.

The final thing is that I left the tent uncovered last night, with a few items inside. A water bottle - no problem there. A bag of food - soggy, but should be mostly ok. And my journal + Count of Monte Cristo. They will probably be unusable now, which makes me sad. I love my journal from Emily, and I hope it’s ok… but I don’t see how.

Morning after…

The sun sure does shine brighter in the morning, and that’s not just a figure of speech!

My journal is salvageable. My tent is drying. The transfer hasn’t gone through, and now it’s the weekend, so guess I’m hanging here for a few days. All God’s timing. I feel safe, secure, and even though I had a scare with the brake light on the dashboard, nothing feels wrong with the brakes, so I’m just going to drive over to Elizabethtown to purchase some brake fluid this evening, and see if that solves the problem. I currently have $19.36 in my account. Enough to buy fluid, ice bag for the cooler, and $10 worth of gas. Oh yeah. Living free, and on a budget!

This is what happens when launching a full time business from nothing, but it’s NOT gonna happen much longer! I’m signing 6 students for my Catholic Creators Course this month. With the first release discount, that is $4200 income for this month. All students are paying in full - some are on payment plans.

I am speaking into this with trust, with thanksgiving, and with joy. I know God has given me this knowledge and talent to share with others. So I trust Him to send me the clients who need this. Thank you Lord Jesus that I am forming creative leaders for your kingdom!

Ooh… random thought. God gave me male friends to teach me how to coach occasional male students. With all the conversations Christian and Isaac and I have, plus my experiences (good and growth) with my brothers.

July 5, 2021

Notes for My First Talk

Who Am I and Why Am I Talking to You Today?

Build my business

Surrender

Inspire

I can inspire you, not by sharing all the bad things in my own life, but rather, but encouraging you to do what I have done. Rather than focusing and narrowing in on all the ways God hasn’t shown up for you the way you want him to, instead, praise Him for his blessings.

Write 10 gratitudes in the morning.

Notice 3 things at night that He showed up for you during the day:

1. I wonder what wonders God has in store for my life?

2. I wonder how God worked that out?

3. Look for God, Open yourself to gratitude, and to Trust in God

   Trusting in God

Place to place, person to person

• It’s not about the numbers, its about the quality of the interaction

Men and Women Profit differently

Men: Push forward to create. “By the sweat of their brow” they earn their daily bread, and the daily bread of their family

Women: Surrender themselves to the providing of others, in particular God, from whom they receive everything.

Quote: From “For Women Only” about St. Paul’s evaluation of men loving and women surrendering.

Women do not naturally surrender: it is a trait we develop, and when we engage in surrender, we are far more fulfilled than any success we gain on our own

If you find yourself pushing, you are banging your head against a brick wall. God is your lover, and he wants to give you everything you need.

Men do not naturally work: it is a trait you develop, and when you work, you gain far more satisfaction through that activity than if someone just gave you something.

Now, quick caveat: these are the deep needs of men and women, but we are all human. Men still desire and delight in gifts, and women still desire and delight in work. But those activities should be supplementary to our deep, made-for activities.

June 28, 2021

As Catholics, we have failed our culture…

• How have we failed her?

• What can we do better?

• How do we overcome the cultural divide?

• easily, for the divide no longer exists. The problem has become so chronic, that there are Catholics inundated in these art forms which are saturated with hate

Out of the pain of the neglect of the church, new art forms have arisen: break dancing, hip hop, coming of age novels, rap, grinding, modern art, contemporary art, erotic novels, and more.

But these forms of art are not all bad. They incorporate aspects of the human experience that are good, and worthy of being celebrated… yet, they have developed in the culture at large without celebrating it, for they have lost the whole picture of what it means to be human.

This wholistic approach to mankind has been entrusted to the safeguarding of the church, yet the church has failed to step up and teach it.

The Catholic church, for the last seventy years (at least), has neglected the cultural education of its members. In fear, it has shrunk further and further away from the development of art in the wider culture, and allowed that development to take place without guidance.

If members of the church have gotten involved at all, it was in order to stifle new artistic development, which has only resulted in greater distortion of the truths these art forms seek to express.

When members of the church - and when I say members, I am referring to anyone who, in their involvement in the development of the imaginations and creativity of others, do so in the name of the church (thus, priests, bishops, and religious, but also lay members of the church who officially or unofficially carry her standard as their banner into the world) - step into the creative sphere and claim, “This new art form is wholly of satan,” they do more harm than good. They have proclaimed this because they recognize and see the distortion taking place… but they have failed to recognize the truths contained in these expressions.

It is not demonic to rebel against poor family structure… it is human. It is not demonic to seek love and acknowledge it does not exist in a chronically broken home environment… it is awareness.

This is the root of most of these art forms. A rebellion against something bad. However, without guidance, these individuals (and I will call them youth, though please understand that I am referring to a youthful lack of formation, and not a specific age range)… these youth, then, have unwittingly and confusedly conflated the evil they found in their own past into an evil of the good as well. Marriage, love, sex, religion, God, happiness, education… the basic tenets of what is true, good, and beautiful have been twisted in their minds into something that generates pure evil. And since this evil refuses to acknowledge or love them, they have found only solid evidence of their case.

And just to clarify: Do these art forms have demonic influence? Yes. Are those who practice them indulging despair, rage, loneliness, denial, etc? Yes. But this is not where they stop, or even, where they originate.

• free expression

• community

• ‘art is a healing process’

• communication is key (they are not allowed to throw tantrums at home, so they throw them in public. And still, no one listens)

Here is where we, as Catholics, should hear their cries for help and answer them in their own language. This is the tower of babel, and just as the original babel was a monument of art erected to the heavens, thus do we find babel in our own culture and art.

The thing that ought to bring us together, knit us across cultural divides - beauty itself - has become the very barrier that keeps us apart.

June 15, 2021

[incomplete…]

The trees that are leafless still make a purple haze in the distance and in the relief of the forefront, bright lilac and purple apple blossoms.

Judy Mann was driving through northern Illinois to visit her brother, who lived in the smallish city of Lisle. There hung in the air above her head a purple cloud of guilt to match the landscape, which no amount of miles could escape.

Without warning or delicacy, her life had taken an unfortunate turn last week, and she had escaped dodge as fast as possible. Only, it wasn’t Dodge. It was Princeville. And quiet, unassuming Princeville, her home for the entire 28 years of her life, was abruptly not home.

This was spring, when life was supposed to be full of hope and new beginnings, but right now, it felt like the end of everything. So it felt to her, but as my skeptical reader is aware, the beginning of the story is never the end, and the tragedy that catapults our protagonist into uncharted waters is precisely the reason we have chosen to open this particular volume. Judy will not become the woman she is meant to be without this tragedy of her past.

But don’t worry reader. I am not arbitrarily introducing this tragedy into her life just to catapult her into some exciting drama. I would not dare to insult your intelligence by such an action. No, this tragedy is real - more real, in fact, than Judy, and her struggle with it will define what sort of woman she becomes.

In spite of her pain, she could not help but admire the scenery as she neared her brother’s home. She had pulled off the highway an hour early to get gas, and opted not to return to it, so she had taken the backroads. She was glad she had. Instead of passing occasional large, square business buildings of stone and glass, with monotonous, overgrown foliage in between, she took in the well-manicured houses, meridian gardens, and old, brick downtown businesses. These were cities where people took pride in their home, and something in her heart responded. Maybe the people living inside these houses took pride in themselves… and their families, too.

She pulled into her brother’s apartment complex.

June 1, 2021

Why a Renewal of Our Dying World?

The Problem

Do you see depression and sadness everywhere you turn? Whether from family death and fear of illness, the toll of remaining solitary and indoors for over a year, or deeper roots that stem from far beyond any 2020 pain... whether from abortion, contraception, human trafficking, or fear of your business being sued... whether from churches closing their doors, sacraments taken away from the faithful, or constant growing scandal within our hierarchy...

These, and many others, are real and ever present sorrows, and they lead us to question, ‘what if...?’

• What if the ones I love die from illness?

• What if I act uncharitably?

• What if the world turns into a living hell?

• What if the Catholic church falls apart?

• What if I can no longer gain access to Christ?

And for creators, Satan is able to twist those ‘what if’s’ into even more specific lies...

• What if my talents aren’t something others can appreciate?

• What if my gifts aren’t enough to save the world?

• What if no one buys the things I make?

• What if I can’t pierce the darkness with my light?

When we live in ‘what if’s,’ we live in doubt. When we live in doubt, we live in inaction. When we live in inaction, we do not live at all.

The Solution

Turn those ‘what if’s’ into ‘I wonder how’s’...

When we wonder how, we change doubt into awe; we open the door in the windows of our souls for God’s solutions to flood in.

When we wonder how, we make room for miracles.

This was the difference between Zachariah and Mary. If you doubt, turn to the opening chapters of Luke’s Gospel. When Gabriel proclaimed the good news, Mary asked how, and Zachariah asked ‘Are you crazy?’

We all know what happened to each of them.

• I wonder how God will provide

• I wonder how I can be charitable

• I wonder how God will save the world

• I wonder how God will save the Church

• I wonder how Christ will make himself available to me

Do you see??? The light these questions bring! It is empowering, because we are no longer relying on our own strength, our own understanding. As James admonishes in the first chapter of his Letter, we are immersing ourselves in the strength of God’s solutions.

For artists, ask these questions instead when you become plagued with ‘What if’s’:

• I wonder how my talents can serve others

• I wonder how my gifts will contribute to the salvation of the world

• I wonder how the Lord will reveal to me my audience and market

• I wonder how my work will pierce the darkness with light

The solution is Christ. The solution is trusting that he gave us talents, gifts, and creativity for a reason, and it is not for us to question the gift, but rather, how we use it. Not whether we should, but how we should. 

We are created to believe that God has already saved the world. We are created to hope for His solutions. We are created to contribute our gifts to the world.

We are created with three little words in mind: Faith, Hope, and Love.

May 14, 2021

Hello beautiful friends, family, and world!

If you like to travel, or know a young woman who does, please keep reading.

I am looking for a traveling buddy for a US roadtrip I want to take this year, from July 1st to Aug 31st. I’m looking for someone who would be a good fit with me temperamentally, and would LOVE the adventure of loosely planning the trip, but also totally open to spontaneous side trips and occasional rough living. We would be reveling in beauty, hiking through mountains, and maybe Kayaking, maybe not. (I mean, I would love to Kayak, but this is my first road trip, so I’m also interested in safety, and only taking on what we can swallow. So maybe as extreme as Kayaking, maybe not! :D)

I’ll be starting near Springfield IL, and venturing out probably East first, then tackling the great Midwest and West.

But there’s more to this than just a road trip.... If you are a Catholic creator and love the way of beauty, or know a young woman who is yearning for these things, please keep reading.

I am the founder of the Flight House, a company dedicated to providing support and collaboration with Catholic artists across the English Speaking world, especially those who’s work is not necessarily Catholic at first glance.

As part of this mission, I am taking my work on the road to connect in-person with Catholic artists in the US. My goal is to stop near certain cities to bring Catholics together into a meeting that combines intellectual pursuit, creative enterprise, networking, and probably some ultimate frisbee. :D

I will be documenting this trip through Instagram and Youtube Videos, and I am inviting you to be a part of that online presence. My #1 goal this trip is to inspire Catholic creators, fill them with joy, and break down the idea that we are in this alone.

Often, we must be alone to create. But we don’t need to stay alone. We create in order to unite: to connect with others, to find someone who proclaims, in the words of C.S. Lewis, "What! You too? I thought that no one but myself . . .” ― (his definition of friendship in The Four Loves)

I can’t pay you. We would split all travel costs 60/40 (gas, camping sites, motel rooms). And you would be responsible for your own food. By joining me on this trip, you are not becoming an employee or affiliate of the Flight House, though I’ll be honest, it would be awesome if this was a segway into that next step!

If you’re ok with the above, and with living on a budget for 2 months, I can guarantee you that this is going to be an adventure! If you have any ideas, suggestions, exciting thoughts around what else we can do on this trip, I want to hear them! I want to make this a true collaboration.

Let’s meet over Zoom, and see if we would be a good fit together. Please email me at ElizabethBernadetteRussell@gmail.com. If you’re reading this and you already know me, give me a call!

Simple Breakdown:

You’re a perfect fit if...

1. You’re a young, single Catholic woman

2. You like adventures in the great outdoors!

3. You like roadtrips and camping

4. You like connecting with Catholic creators and thinkers

5. You like collaborating over ideas and thinking outside the box

6. You’re looking for something different, creative, brave, and exciting!

7. You want to make a difference in the Catholic world

8. You love Jesus above all else, and want to visit Cathedrals, shrines, grottos, etc

9. You’re not camera shy, podcast shy, or SM shy (or at least, not too shy to do it!)

May 14, 2021

The Flight House Management is Changing

Hello friends! We’ve been doing some shuffling over here at the Flight House lately: encountering deeper discernment and direction.

Tim has discerned to step down as Co-Founder. Realizing that his heart abides more in the creative pursuits, and not in the administerial work, he will be moving on to other activities. I’m sad to see him go, but know that the Lord is moving through all of this, and bringing great fruit into this next stage in both our lives. Thank you Lord Jesus for the new and exciting things that are right around the corner!

I’ll be keeping you apprised of new developments, but rest assured the Flight House is still moving and grooving. I’ve been taking active steps to complete the course, and you can actually hear more about that in the latest podcast episode. If you only have a short amount of time, I HIGHLY recommend listening to the first ten minutes. It’s a deep dive into where the Flight House is already helping others, and what we will continue to bring to you as we move forward.

Please keep us in your prayers - and keep an eye out for an exciting update tomorrow!!!

May 8, 2021

Walking with Jesus. Where is Jesus walking with you in your life right now? How are you finding him in your creativity? Creativity is, at its root, an ability to look beyond the formats we have put in place for how this world ought to function. Creativity is opening ourselves the muse - to the spirit – and for Catholics, that Spirit is Holy. That Spirit is Love that pours outward from the Father and the Son. We find our center, our ability to walk the creative way, there in the divine light of the Holy Spirit. Is he walking with you today? Are you letting him infuse the creativity that you are seeking to accomplish in your projects, your work, and your downtime? Are you letting him open your eyes to a world larger and Holier than your own? Come Holy Spirit!

May 3, 2021

The True Victory

Lord, money is money is money, and resources can come from anywhere, because your treasury is abundant. So show me what the true victory is here tonight, after we receive funding for our mission.

I see you now, jumping for glee that you cannot contain, snickering because of the blessings that you are sending that we cannot see.

What are the blessings? What is the victory?

My belief. The belief of these beautiful women. Our faith has set us free.

No matter the obstacles thrown at us, no matter the difficulties that arise... we believe!

The harder they try to stamp us down, the higher we rise!! They CANNOT put out the light that is Christ, for Jesus has already won the Victory. What is the victory? The RESURRECTION and the LIFE!!

The victory is, that despite the evidence the enemy tries to throw in our faces, we still believe in the power of the resurrection. NOTHING can keep us down.

Not the apparent lack of resources.

Not the disbelief of others.

Not the waiting.

NOTHING. For Christ is GREATER than all.

Credo! I believe!

April 29, 2021

I’m 28! I wonder what this year has in store for me...

Lord, what will grow this year in my life? What will be the trials that prepare me for Heaven? What are the joys that allow me a taste of it?

I glory in you! Thank you for Apr 29th, my favorite day of the year. Without it, I would not be here.

“What’s your favorite date?”

“I’d have to say... April 29th. It’s not too hot, not too cold. All you need is a light jacket!”

Lord, thank you for all my AMAZING friends and family! Thank you for your love, your gifts, your mother Mary, my home, and all the beautiful food you put in my tummy. Jesus, I am passionately in love with you. Thank you for that gift.

Thank you for Courtney, for Ina, for Maria and Tesi, for the Wille Family, for my beautiful friends in Catholic Lisle Community, for Carolyn and Richard, and Sophia, Andrew, and Violet. Thank you for Sarah, Nathan, and Joan. Thank you for Christian, Isaac, Tim, Dennis and Abbi, John Paul, Andrew, Rebecca, Thomas, Anna, Joseph, and my beautiful parents!

April 13, 2021

Hey dear! So, Tim’s going to be out of town the week of April 26th to 29th, and I was thinking I wanted to host something during that week, but then I realized I would love to do a mini Woman School retreat! I’ve been wanting to do that for sometime, combining how Woman School addresses wholeness and self-image with discussions of JPII, the female saints, prayer life, etc. I would host an hour and a half event each night, 7-8:30, Mon-Wed, with a talk to start us off, and then a discussion. It’ll be free, though I’ll be starting a 6-month Woman School group as a spin-off to it, for those who want to go deeper than just a three night event. Ladies can come for one night, or all three, depending on availability, and I can announce the themes of each night, so people can choose which sound most interesting.

I wanted to bounce this off of you, and see if it sounded interesting? And, if you’re free Tues or Wed, how would you feel about possibly giving a talk? 10-15mins. Your choice within the topic of Femininity and Self-Worth (ie, who we are in God’s eyes).

February 15, 2021

What is Art?

Etienne Gilson once said that ‘Art is Making.’

A character, Eliot Spencer, from the TV Show “Leverage” says this, ‘It’s not just food. Alright, some people could look at it and see just food, but not me. I see art. When I’m in the kitchen I’m creating something out of nothing, you know what I mean, and sometimes I crush it, sometimes its crap, but either way, it makes me feel something.... This is my art.... It’s like letting a stranger in your head, just for a second, and you allow them to feel what you’re feeling.”

Craft

In both these contexts, Eliot and Etienne are speaking of creating as a ‘craft.’ I have no desire to minimize the importance of craft - it is a beautiful and necessary practice. But the question arises whether there is a distinction between ‘craft’ and ‘art’, in a real and tangible sense.

We can craft many things: couches, food, clothing, etc - which are both practical and beautiful. And then we have art which is not practical: paintings, novels, film, theatre, etc. And these things are sometimes beautiful, sometimes terrifying, and yet, can all be called art.

vs. Art

What distinguishes art from craft, other than the fact that it is impractical, and how can we clarify that distinction?

This is the question that arose in a conversation I was having lately with one of our patrons. We both attended the same small Liberal Arts college, and read The Art of the Beautiful, by Etienne Gilson, and as an artist herself, she said his definition of art never truly satisfied her.

The deeper we delved into the topic, the more we realized that art is what ‘cannot be fully captured in any other way; it is indefinable; beyond what we can capture.”

Let me explain.

The Meaning of Life

Catholicism inevitably entered into our conversation at this point, and for good reason. As Catholics, we are fortunate that we can sometimes take short cuts in these types of conversations.

Instead of trying to work our way solely from the bottom of the argument: art, to the top of it: the reason for art, we can sometimes jump to the reason and work our way back, encountering the fullness of the question somewhere in the middle.

Because we know that the ultimate aim of anything on earth is a deeper union with God. That’s the easy answer, the cheating answer, in a sense, to anything we ask. So sometimes, if we get stuck, we can jump there and ask, “How does art pursue and bring us deeper into God?”

As creators, we were then able to apply our own experience to this question. When creating art, we are trying to meet ourselves and God within the work. Art combines the human experience with the Great Mysteries.

By Great Mysteries, I mean questions such as:

• How can God allow Suffering?

• Who is God?

• What is the Incarnation, and why was it necessary?

• Why did God create me?

These are questions to which we can apply Catechism answers, but unless we know our infinite God in His totality, then we can never fully understand them.

Not only does art ask these questions, it seeks to answer them. On some fundamental level, since we are created in God’s image, we can answer them, and often the answer is not something we can put into words or a direct image translation. The artist is hinting at a reality she herself does not understand.

But the artist feels that reality, and seeks to encounter it through the greatest act of a human being: creating. The act of creating is part of this question and answer process, just as much as the final artistic work.

And after the work is created, we can, as Eliot said, let ‘a stranger in your head, just for a second, and you allow them to feel what you’re feeling’. And this feeling, for an artist of impractical artwork, is awe, confusion, joy, passion, and succor.

February 9, 2021

Personal Information for GIVEN Interview and Followup

First Name: Elizabeth

Last Name: Russell

City, State: College/University: Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts Degree: Liberal Arts, with a Concentration in Philosophy

The GIVEN Institute Alumnae Interview

Job Title: Writer and Entrepreneur

Organization: The Flight House

State of Life: Single

Headshot or similar type of photo (please attach a high-resolution photo)

Please share a little about yourself - feel free to include a fun fact!

My name is Elizabeth Russell. I am a published author, woman’s life coach, and entrepreneur. I am in-waiting for my future husband, devoting myself in the meantime to living for Christ, under His beautiful spousal protection. I live with my brother in the suburbs of Chicago, IL, where I coach women who are pursuing creative careers, play CatholicSports, host a Woman’s Bible Study, build a community and course to support Catholic creators, and intentionally build beautiful and enriching friendships. Quarantine can’t keep us down!

I am the oldest child of ten: 2 sisters and 6 brothers, one of whom is our angel in Heaven. My parents have been happily married for 29 years. My mom stayed home and homeschooled all of us, classically and with a lot of literature, and my dad taught us what it meant to run your own business, provide for a family, and still find time to lead Rosary every night, and watch Star Wars together.

Fun Fact: I published my first book of poetry this past year, in December, called A Song of 2020. It’s a celebratory song to God of thanksgiving for the growth and joy I found in 2020.

Describe your professional work. How were you led to this? What are you passionate about?

I have undertaken several endeavors, all of which flow naturally in and out of each other. I consider myself, first and foremost, an artist. And in the word’s of JPII, “as Genesis has it, all men and women are entrusted with the task of crafting their own life: in a certain sense, they are to make of it a work of art, a masterpiece.” I am fundamentally an artist over my own life, and I bring this into every sphere. My particular gift of artistry is words, in which I rejoice! I have two fantasy novels, Halfbreeds and Trinian, and many more in the works, plus my aforementioned poetry book, A Song of 2020. All are available on Amazon.

I am also a creative career coach for women. I help artistic and out-of-the-box women through the process of discerning their dreams, applying their skills, and embracing their God-given talents. I challenge each woman to see beyond the economy and structures of this world to live in God’s economy, and to ask where, specifically, He is asking her to live in the world, but not of it.

I am a podcaster. Along with my friend Ina Castillo, who lives in Denver, I co-host the podcast Womanhood Redeemed. Ina and I discuss topics around what it means to be a woman, to suffer, to live joy, to deal with imposter syndrome, etc. Our tagline is “living the practical aspects of authentic femininity in our everyday lives.”

I am an entrepreneur. Along with my brother, I am taking my love of nurturing artists into building a course to direct those who have a desire to follow their dreams, but don’t know where to begin. This course inspires, and teaches the tools for creating consistently, promoting, and profiting, all from the ‘pursuit of beauty’ perspective, which is uniquely Catholic.

Finally, I am the Conference Coordinator for the organization Freedom After the Trauma Conference. This conference is the fulfillment of a dream for Courtney Leong, my dear friend and a spiritual mother to me, who strongly desires to transform the world’s narrative around trauma. So many people in our world believe the the traumatized are broken beyond repair, but we not only refuse to believe that, we have seen evidence that it is not true! In Christ, healing is not only possible, it’s transformative. We are building a conference that will teach the world how to show up for the broken, bring them healing and understanding, and help them venture forth into the light. Right now, we are in the stage of talking to investors so we can further our reach, and you can check out our work at Freedomafterthetrauma.com, where you can find our current content around transforming the world’s narrative.

What are the personal strengths that you’ve been given and how do you utilize them?

My strengths, as I have been told by others, are warmth of presence, a good ear to listen to the heart of others, dedication to my passion, and my words, especially in writing.

What women inspire you, and why?

Courtney Leong is at the top of this list, for sure! She has come out of such darkness, and has, in turn, led me out of mine. This probably belongs in the mentor section, since she is my personal strategist, but she also greatly inspires me! January Donovan is another mentor who inspires me. I have spent the last year going through her Art of Being a Woman Masterclass, and to say that it changed my life feels like an understatement. I learned truths about living I never even imagined before, and the tools to make those truths a reality in my own life.

Both these women, who are so radically working to transform culture right now, make me think of the female saints of old: St. Catherine of Siena, Hildegard of Bingen, Mother Teresa, Elizabeth: the cousin of Mary, and Mary herself. These shining examples of womanhood inspire me to be a saint, and to continually give Christ my own Fiat.

Finally, all the women I coach are huge inspirations to me. The openness of their hearts, their willingness to dedicate their lives and dreams to Christ, and their ease of coachability inspire me so much! It’s beautiful to watch them bloom in our sessions, and outside them!

Are there friends and mentors that you depend upon? How do they support you?

January and Courtney, as I mentioned above, for sure! Also, Amanda Ditchik, who has patiently walked with me as my health coach on a journey of physical healing this year; and Emily Blasdell, another alum from GIVEN, who has been my business planner since February of 2020. My business had not yet begun at the time. I had a vague idea that I wanted to coach women, but didn’t know yet where that would take me. That was when we met. In spite of never meeting in person (which is actually true of all the people I’ve mentioned so far, except January, who I met once while visiting Ave Maria, FL), she has been a bulwark as I continually plan and replan my life mission.

My long-time friends, Carolyn and Sophia, although we mostly only connect over the phone, have me as a jewel in their heavenly crowns. Both provide such needed and unique support, and I value their friendships beyond words, for it is grounded in Christ, and the desire to be saints.

Finally, I have recently been forming beautiful friendships with Catholic women in my area. This gift of in-person friendship is new to me since college, and fills me with joy for the present and hope for the future. Doing things in community, going on errands for one another, watching movies in the evening, and playing loads of card games, has been a blessing beyond my wildest dreams!

What is the best advice/encouragement you’ve received about vocational discernment?

“Don’t be afraid of what you want.” I was told this by both my strategist and spiritual director in the same day, so I took it strongly to heart! Our desires are guideposts to our dreams. Let’s say you want children, but are afraid you’re called to be a religious sister: don’t be afraid of that dream. Step into it. Imagine yourself as a mother, and then ask Christ what He is seeing. It’s a dialogue of the imagination; an immersive conversation, wherein Christ will lead you gently to His plan for you, and reveal how He is satisfying all of your desires.

Prayer is essential for everyone, but especially for women who are active in the life and mission of the Church. Do you have any favorite devotions or prayers?

St. Joseph has been my go-to this year. My brother and I named our home and business after him: The Flight House, after the Flight Into Egypt. I often pray to him, asking him to give me the tools for building my business, surrendering my life, and transitioning in this time of building a new life. My favorite book is The Soul of the Apostolate, by Dom Baptiste Chautard, and my favorite form of prayer is envisioning my soul as a garden, and conversing with Christ in that inner world, usually while washing dishes at the end of the night.

Do you have a favorite inspirational quote?

It changes everyday, but right now, it’s the one I quoted above by JPII, or really anything from his Letter to Artists: “as Genesis has it, all men and women are entrusted with the task of crafting their own life: in a certain sense, they are to make of it a work of art, a masterpiece.”

What were your key takeaways from the 2016 GIVEN Forum?

Inspiration. I had no idea so many amazing women could exist in the world at one time, let alone be changing the world like they were. They opened my eyes to what it means to be both compassionate and inflexible.

I also connected far more deeply with the belief that Christ was calling me to a vocation that was unique. I had yet to learn how to hear His voice, but I felt His call strongly while in adoration that weekend.

What was your GIVEN action plan? Describe its mission, audience, and impact.

My GIVEN action plan came out of a desire to build intentional female community, and teach all women that they are beautiful, unique, unrepeatable: that they are the Beloved of Christ. I laid out a plan for forming women in discipleship, living out inner beauty, and entrusting everything to God.

I began that mission, after 2016, by hosting young women’s tea meet-ups at my apartment. However, my health deteriorated and I moved back with my parents. For 3 years, I worked part-time from home, and seldom saw others. It wasn’t until February of 2020 that I regained my purpose and joy, and reconnected with my GIVEN action plan, though that was unconscious. Without realizing it, I began to live my action plan.

I was coaching women on self-worth, and taking the Art of the Being a Woman Masterclass, wherein I was learning how to value myself and others, and heal from wounds that had been distancing me from Christ. All this to say that, when I uncovered my original action plan from 2016, while moving boxes as I once again moved out of my parent’s home, I laughed and cried. I had not realized how completely Christ had satisfied my desire to connect with women and teach them His love.

The impact has been enormous, and I am so grateful to GIVEN for helping me shape those desires in my heart all that time ago. It confirms for me that this is not a passing desire in my heart. I am on fire for women’s transformation! It is my mission to help women heal and use their talents to the glory of God the father!