Hello! Sorry about that gap in posts! We’ve had lots of things happening here in the Knox Camp. This picture sums it up:

If it’s not immediately evident: in the background are solar panels and in the foreground is a baby!

Over the past year, my husband and I have been “going net zero.” It’s a long, long story that I will let Andy tell, but we’ve done everything from changing our light bulbs and adding insulation, to watching as drillers put 180-foot-deep holes in our small DC yard for a Ground Source Heat Pump, and installers put 9.7KW of solar power on our roof. It’s been a big project (as most home improvement projects are) but we’re almost finished. When all is said-and-done we should be net-zero: producing as much energy as we consume.

And in addition to that, over the last 9 months I was cooking a little person inside me. Everett joined us in the second half of October. We’re all getting to know each other, and we’re even starting to sleep a little!

So that explains my long absence. But I’m getting back in the saddle with writing – keep your eye on the blog for more posts!

Here’s one more picture of him from the other day, when he was being particularly charming:

I just signed a contract with Russell Media to publish my book!

Long story short: I’ve been working on a book for the last year and a half. It sprang from an inspired idea at a stop-light, turned into a small-group Bible Study at my church, and will now be released in book form in early 2013.

Women from the original small group in the fall of 2009. (Thanks to Sarah Soliman for the picture!)

The working title is Women in the World and the book is for professional Christian women – it’s to help us realize the value of the work we do. It’s to help us learn how to live out our faith in our entire lives, not just in church or small group.

It’s an honor to have this opportunity. I’m also thrilled that the book is being published while printed books still exist! I’ll get to see my name on a jacket! :)

I’d love your help! Here are some things you could do:

• Tell other people! Forward this blog to women you think would be interested in it and benefit from it!
• Pray for the women who will read this book. The Barna group says that 27% of professional women leave the church. I’m writing this book for women to feel encouraged in their faith and their work and to know that their work matters to God.
• Send me any articles, thoughts or contacts you think would pertain to this issue. I’m still researching, interviewing and completing my thoughts. elizabeth [at] elizabethknoxonline [dot] com
• Pray for me. This is a big challenge, and I want to make sure I do it well!

Thank you’s
The list of people I need to thank is loooong. So many of you have encouraged me, prayed for me, been excited for me, given me needed advice and insight.

Some specific people I need to thank over-and-over include:
Rebecca Gilmore, Gayle Jacobs, Angelyn Shapiro for each sharing your unique gifts with me through this process. Thank you to my morning (and one evening) Bible Study groups who’ve provided encouragement and stories for this writing. Thank you to all the women (and a couple of men!) who have shared your experiences with me through interviews. Thank you to my husband, Andy, who has been continual support and encouragement and has helped me make writing a priority. Thank you to Russell Media for taking this chance on me!

About Russell Media
Russell Media Services provide all of the necessary tools for a successful communications and transmedia publishing strategy for a cause organization. Many of their books such as Our Souls at Work, Left Right & Christ, and Wisdom and Wonder are right in the Faith/Life niche. Definitely check them out!

Soli deo gloria,
Elizabeth

It is not right for the Church to acquiesce in the notion that a man’s life is divided into the time he spends on his work and the time he spends in serving God. He must be able to serve God in his work, and the work itself must be accepted and respected as the medium of divine creation.”

Dorothy Sayers from “Why Work?”

Have you ever played a sport? Did you like your coach?

Since most of us (as adults) no longer play organized sports, the word “coach” takes on a different meaning. Do you have a goal you want to reach? Do you have someone who is helping you figure out how to get there?

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I have this feeling when I get something new: a new car, or a new outfit, or a new journal…. I’m excited because it’s so cool and I have great plans for it, but I’m unsure when to actually start using it (driving it, writing in it, wearing it). I want it to be “just right” and I’m afraid if I screw it up in the beginning (wreck the car, write something awkward on the first page, etc), it’ll be screwed up forever.  This – my first blog post – is even more intimidating.

As I thought about starting a blog, several reasons to abandon the idea came to mind:

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