Rick Green [00:00:07] Welcome to the intersection of faith and culture. It's the WallBuilders Show. Thanks for joining us. Interesting topic today. We're always taking on the hot topics of the day from a biblical, historical, and constitutional perspective, and we often talk about being true biblical citizens, where we don't take the Bible into only certain areas of the culture, but we take it into every area of the cultural, no matter what God's called you to. Rick Green here with David and Tim Barton. And David, I remember years ago, you even telling me you talked to a kid about If you've got to call them to make video games, then go make good video games that have good values. Well, the arts and entertainment and those types of things, we don't typically think of as mission fields, but they actually are. 

David Barton [00:00:45] Yeah, they absolutely are. And they were at the time of the Founding Fathers. Amazing how many Founding Fathers were involved in the arts to some degree, including signers of the Declaration, like Francis Hopkinson, who was quite a musician, invented musical instruments, just so many areas. The Founding Fathers were skilled in, a number of them played musical instruments were quite good in classical music and the arts. So, they, they were really kind of the well-rounded person back then. You know, they could do all sorts of stuff, whether it was military or whether they needed to be intellectual or whether they needed be fine arts or anything else. It's amazing how well-rounded they were. And we just haven't been in that same place for a while. It's like everybody has to specialize in something now. And it's really kind of hard to get that Renaissance kind of person anymore. 

Rick Green [00:01:36] Well, and even on the literary side, guys doing things that have, you know, aren't just a nonfiction book but could be creative or even our guest today, gathering prayers of, of people across the country and publishing that so that the people can see it. So it's just kind of cool to see that we're almost leaving no stone unturned. And our guest today actually does collect art and has a gallery in Houston and so very involved in that area and it's the art that, that reflects our faith. 

Tim Barton [00:02:05] Yeah, one of the things that we had the privilege of doing, man, was it last week we talked about The Great Awakening? It was a couple months ago, I guess, when we talked the new cartoon, David. There are some really cool things happening right now. And of course, whether we talk about music or anything now in the arts industry, there's a lot of stuff happening. God is on the move. And I remember not long ago talking to someone It was a little concerned saying, hey, you guys, like Seven Mountains because obviously they're inside of Christianity, like everything, there's politics, there's sides and well, if somebody says something, I'm not sure I like that. Well, here's what I think and I believe, and so this, this guy said, Hey man, I I'm sure like the Seven Mountains thing. You guys talk a lot about like going to these different areas. And I said, well, hang on. I'm, I'm getting into some kind of doctrinal treatise of the Seven Mountains. If, because you could argue like, are there more than seven mountains? Are there eight mountains? Are there nine mountains? The question is, has God called us to take the skill, giftings, and talents given us and go into the areas of culture? And we talk about mountains, the Seven Mountains kind of thought is that there are seven mountains of influence, whether it be family, church, politics, medicine, education, right? However, and this is why I say there could be eight or nine, depending on how you break these down. The idea that as Christians, we ought to be engaging with all of these, not just saying, hey, you know, as Christians really, we, we just need to focus on family and the church. And even though absolutely we should be really good with the family and the church to then say, well, we abandoned education, we abandon government and politics, we, we abandon culture and media and fine arts. And however else you want to go down this list, that is not a biblical mandate and it does seem like that in the midst of what we've been calling a revival and God willing, a, another awakening happening, part of what happens in those revival and awakenings is when people take their faith, they're activated in their faith and they engage in the different areas of culture. The time when there's been revivals and there haven't been awakenings and God has poured out a spirit in incredible ways. And yet the church has tried to keep most of God's move inside of the church and it hasn't impacted culture. In the First and Second Great Awakening, what made them so unique and different where when God was on the move, they took what God was doing and they lived it in their daily life. They applied it to everything they were doing. And that also means the pastors were teaching on how to apply it in every area of life and culture. And so not to get caught up on certain terminology, I would say, let's look at the Bible. Are we supposed to take our faith and whether we're in the medical field, whether we're in education, whether we're an engineer, right? I mean, go down the list, whether you're working in oil or you're a firefighter, you're a police officer, you're at dentists, you are a nurse, you are a chiropractor, whatever you do, should you take your faith with you? Or is your faith something that you're supposed to only engage with when you go to church, whenever that is. And then other than that, you leave it alone. Well, the obvious Bible answer is no, God wants to be part of everything. In fact, there's nothing in the world over which God does not say Mine, right? God is sovereign over all. And part of what encourages me guys, is we are seeing more and more people that are engaging in so many incredible ways. We're seeing it more in the politics and government arena we've ever seen. We're, we're seeing actually so many good TV and, and movies coming out. And Dad, I wanted to say than we've seen, but I feel like Hollywood used to do a really good job. So, this might not be more than we've ever seen, but maybe. maybe more good movies than we've had from the Christian side in decades. There's some really great ones coming out and it's really clear that God is on the move and many people are getting it and applying it in very relevant ways, which is making a difference in culture. 

David Barton [00:06:12] You know, Tim, based on what you were just saying too, it's interesting that while there's some opposition in the Christian kind of community to the Seven Mountain thing of taking influence in all those areas, the other side has already got that nailed down. You know, progressives don't say, oh, progressives we don't do medicine or we don't do media. We don't do entertainment. We don't do education. They take it into everything. They're evangelizing everybody to their crazy worldview because they think you should go into those areas. And how strange it is that we say, well, we're not going to compete in those areas. We're, we just going to give all the institutions over to the wackos and let the progressives have it. You know, how crazy is that to not even compete for the mind, the hearts, the souls, the talents of individuals that God has made and created and that he wants to use. So it is, it really is a non-thinking kind of problem that we have to, to consider that if you know the enemy you're up against and you really think going to defeat him by you staying home. And not getting involved out on the battlefield where the fight's going. That that's just, it's not even logical. So, you know, hopefully, and we're going to cover some of that today, even, uh, with the stuff and Rick, as you said, even with fine arts, you know, the, the paintings, the industries, and man, did we have some great painters and sculptors and other things in previous generations and that's gotten away from us now. We kind of let AI do that for us. So, we don't, and Tim, I guess you and I were in DC last week talking to one of the White House leaders about a number of sculptures that they're having done right now in marble. They're going back to erecting sculptures, going back putting up classic kind of statues. It's gonna be great. 

Tim Barton [00:07:50] Yeah, one of the things I'm so excited about on, I think Dad, you might help me remember, is that May 17th, I think is when they were saying, part of this time of prayer, part of the monuments, that they're gonna have up probably for the 250th, but they're going to try to have them up for the time of the prayer, is even some of the influences in America that come from the Bible. Whether that be Moses, obviously, Jesus, obviously. But even guys like Nehemiah, which was exciting to us, the one who rebuilt the wall, or the Apostle Paul, the Apostles Peter. Names that were obviously influential in American history and American literature, et cetera. And the fact that they're actually working to put those on display in Washington DC for the American public to come see, it's so encouraging. Again, I'm telling people, I wish you could know some of the things that we know and, in the meetings, and conversations we get to be part of, because we hear and see so often how God is on the move and really great things are happening. And maybe even we'll hear more of that today with our interview with our friend. 

Rick Green [00:08:52] Firstfreedomart.com that's the website we're going to be sending you to after our interview today with Elizabeth Carlisle, a really cool topic today. And, and I, and guys, I'm the last guy in the world that should be talking about art, but I have heard a lot over the last couple of years, just about how Christian, Christian influence in the arts. You end up with the, you know, amazing, like you're saying, David, sculptures or even the architecture of buildings and that sort of thing. And every time you remove it, like when you go to these communist areas, everything so blah and bland. And so, like anything else, the gospel makes things shine and brings the light and dispels the darkness and art is one of those areas we definitely need that influence to be back in that arena. Firstfreedoart.com is the website. We'll be right back. Elizabeth Carlisle's got a new book out and it's actually a collection of prayers. But we're also going to talk about the art as well. Stay with us. You're listening to the WallBuilders Show. 

Rick Green [00:10:51] Welcome back to The WallBuilders Show. Thanks for staying with us. Elizabeth Carlisle with us, new book out Americans Who Pray, Uniting a Nation in Faith and Freedom. Love the title. Elizabeth, thanks for joining us today. 

Elizabeth Carlyle [00:11:02] Thanks for having me, Rick. 

Rick Green [00:11:03] So this you're, you're an art person. Well, you've been in a lot of management positions as well. And, and, and you know, but I mean, to have both the business side and the art side makes you very weird. You know that, right? Like that's so unusual. 

Elizabeth Carlyle [00:11:16] Kind of like a unicorn, yes. 

Rick Green [00:11:17] Yeah, no doubt. Well, tell us about the book. So, what, I mean, obviously we're in the 250th. It's a great time to be reminded of what made America great in the first place. So, what made you want to do this particular book? 

Elizabeth Carlyle [00:11:28] Well, I'm actually a lawyer by training. And so, I've studied the United States Constitution. I love history and I've studied the founding of our nation. And when I walk in the door every day at First Freedom Art, I see a print of the American masterpiece, The Prayer at Valley Forge. It's the painting where Washington is kneeling in the snow clasping his hands in desperate prayer, just feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders. And I started to wonder, Rick, like, what can I do? You know, I'm just a middle-aged wife, mom, an executive. I can't go to war, but what can I do? And I started praying, and I started writing down those prayers. And then I had the idea of, hey, there are other people who probably feel like I do. And so, I asked 80 inspiring Americans, actually more of them, some said no, but 80 said yes to writing a prayer for our nation. And all of those prayers are combined with mine in this book. 

Rick Green [00:12:23] So you're basically taking what the Founders did to make the nation great, and most people don't realize how much Prayer played a role in who we are, which is why I love the fact you chose that painting. Just so you know, part of the reason I love the cover, when I was a state rep in Texas, the painting behind my desk was that painting, so that was. Yeah, so when I saw your cover, I was like, oh my goodness, kindred spirit, this is gonna be great, so. Anyway, but, but you're, you're doing a different twist on this. So rather than sharing some of those prayers from back then, you were saying, hey, what are our prayers today? That's, that's kind of the way I'm taking it. 

Elizabeth Carlyle [00:12:58] Well, I'll tell you, Rick, my company actually owns the original and the copyright to that American masterpiece. 

[00:13:04] You're kidding me? 

Elizabeth Carlyle [00:13:05] No, it has been such a wild ride in my career, and I have loved it. And so, yes, I took some of the prayers from back then. I mean, we should draw on the history of our nation and the faith of our nation. Even from long ago, we should learn from it, but we should keep it up. We can't forget it. We have to keep praying. And so that's what I did. 

Rick Green [00:13:28] I had no idea you actually have the painting itself. That it's cool. I was honestly, I remember, I don't remember how many years ago it was. Some, some series put out by Hollywood where they totally twisted that moment and they made it like this goofy, weird thing where Washington's like praying to some mentor of his, totally made up like, like ridiculous. And I was so upset because you know, most Americans don't know any of the stories, right? I mean, that's why we do what we do here at WallBuilders is to bring that stuff out. 

Elizabeth Carlyle [00:13:55] Thank goodness. 

Rick Green [00:13:56] But they always twist it, right? 

Elizabeth Carlyle [00:13:58] They do. 

Rick Green [00:13:58] We love it when people take back ground in these different arenas of the culture, like the arts, right. The arts have been so ignored by the church and by people of faith. So, we thank God for you and for doing this and taking that arena back. I'd love to know more about your company. So, tell us more about, I know we're supposed to be talking about the book. 

Elizabeth Carlyle [00:14:17] That's great. We can talk about all of it. 

Rick Green [00:14:19] But tell me more about what you guys are doing. And I asked that question forgiving you for being a Baylor law grad. I'm a UT law grad, so I have to get some digs in somewhere. Go ahead.

Elizabeth Carlyle [00:14:32] That's okay Rick. I'll pray for you. 

Rick Green [00:14:33] Thank you. 

Elizabeth Carlyle [00:14:33] Well, our company just has the distinct honor and pleasure of owning the personal art collection of Arnold Friberg, and he is the artist who created the beloved, "The Prayer at Valley Forge", which is on display in Washington, D.C. at the Museum of the Bible, where half a million people get to see it every year. We have other paintings by Friberg as well, patriotic pieces, Western, some biblical art, but of course that painting is the one that captures the heart and soul of America. 

Rick Green [00:15:06] Oh man, can people see your collection? You're in Houston, right? Are you in Texas still?

Elizabeth Carlyle [00:15:11] I am in Houston, Texas. And while we don't have a gallery, we have been honored to display our art all over the United States. Friberg’s "Abraham Lincoln" has been on display at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. "The Winter at Valley Forge" has been at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. We have one of Friberg’s Mountie paintings at the Booth Museum of Western Art, which is a Smithsonian affiliate. And we're about to have a 36-piece exhibit later in 2026 of his art. So, what we do is we seek to share this beautiful art with the world. And so, we actually even have the painting of the Queen that Friberg did that's currently in the United Kingdom. And it's been to the Houses of Parliament, you name it. So, we loan our art for people to be able to enjoy it. 

Rick Green [00:16:01] Well, I am headed to DC next week for some meetings and I'm gonna go, one of them's at the Museum of the Bible. 

Elizabeth Carlyle [00:16:08] Yes. 

Rick Green [00:16:09] And so I'm going to go get a picture with your art and I'll send it to you. 

Elizabeth Carlyle [00:16:13] Send it to me. 

Rick Green [00:16:14] So tell me about the prayers and offline, I'm to ask you if there's any art you'd like to display at Patriot Academy in Constitution City, Texas, where we have our own legislative hall. We've got a mock-up of the Texas house. I'd love to put some of his art there. 

Elizabeth Carlyle [00:16:28] We would love it. 

Rick Green [00:16:29] Let's talk about the prayers. What would be some good examples to share with our audience? 

Elizabeth Carlyle [00:16:35] Well, what I did is that one of my favorite ones is actually by Dr. Ben Carson and I was doing a bunch of online research and read a prayer that he prayed at a cabinet meeting. And so, I just reached out to him to see if I could reprint it. And he said, of course, and I'll do you one better. I'm going to write another one for you. And I think his is called, you know, disagreements don't have to make us enemies. And I love it. I love that uniting factor. We have prayers from Saturday Night Live star Victoria Jackson. And it's precious, just has her own flair. We have Lance Burtman and Andy Pettit, Major League Baseball players, and on and on, just a wide variety. 

Rick Green [00:17:14] You, you just ruined the book for me. I love Lance Berkman, but he, that home run against the Rangers in the world series in 2011 or 12, where I hold it against him to this day, he's a great man of God, Berk is fantastic. I love that. I didn't, I had no idea you had him in there as well. That's so cool. So, you got sports figures, you got political figures. What would you, and I don't know if this is a fair question. Is, is there a recurring theme? Like, in other words, is it, because it's the 250th and because we need our nation to come back to God. What would you describe is that the recurring theme? 

Elizabeth Carlyle [00:17:51] I think the recurring theme is unity. You know, when we turn on the radio or we go on social media, we see people not listening to each other but yelling at each other all the time, and I think that a uniting factor is prayer. We don't all have to believe the exact same thing as long as we are praying to the same God and saying, hey, let's unify together. Let's find some common ground, and that has been just the common thread through most of the prayers that were submitted. 

Rick Green [00:18:22] What about the, on the, on the earlier prayers, like, what would you say in your research for this? Well, let's just take Washington, since he's on the cover, what, what were some of his prayer moments or prayers about what was going on that you think actually influenced his decisions or some of the things he did? 

Elizabeth Carlyle [00:18:39] You know, I think for George Washington, for me, and I've read a lot about him, I mean, I can't compare to you, of course, but it's just his humility in approaching the throne of God and knowing that he's not really the one in charge. He can be brave based on his faith in God, but he is not the one who's in charge of the ultimate outcome. And so, as I've written about Washington and studied him, and then there are lots of presidents sprinkled through there. They all understand. They're not in charge. They may have their moments where they think they are, where their personal agenda trumps God's plan, but ultimately, I think deep down they understand that. 

Rick Green [00:19:17] I love that's, you know, Elizabeth, that's, you know, the servant leadership. You have to start from that place of, of humility. And even here at Patriot Academy, what we do is with the kids, when they're in the chamber, I have a bunch of big blown up, you know of some of the paintings that are in the rotunda, the U S Capitol. And one of the ones is, is him residing. And so, when he, you, when Trumbull depicted that, it was so important to show that, you know, like you're saying, he knew it wasn't me as a person. God moved through all of this. I'm going to go back home and be a farmer. I'm doing this for myself. I did it for the country. And then of course he does it again as president. I mean, that is, I think just the fact that you use that word humility. Without prayer and without that recognition of who God is, we don't have that. We become absorbed with ourselves. That's part of our problem. Like we're yelling at each other exactly because of that, what you just described. So, good stuff.

Elizabeth Carlyle [00:20:07] Well, I'm hoping that Americans will join me. I hope that they will buy the book and instead of sitting down and firing off something on a keyboard, that they'll open the book and use that book as a starting point to approach the throne of God about an incredible country that He can use for His glory. 

Rick Green [00:20:25] Amen. Well, speaking about the book, what's the best place to get it? 

Elizabeth Carlyle [00:20:28] You know you can get it at ChristianBook.com, Amazon, Barnes& Noble, Books-A-Million, Thrift Books, Walmart, Target, wherever books are sold. 

Rick Green [00:20:36] All right, Elizabeth, thank you so much for doing the book. Thanks for picking that piece, and so cool that you're letting the Museum of the Bible display it, and I look forward to seeing it next week when I get out there. Appreciate you coming on. 

Elizabeth Carlyle [00:20:49] It's our pleasure. Send me a pic. 

Rick Green [00:20:50] All right, you got it. That's Elizabeth Carlyle, the book. Let me make sure I get the title right, Elizabeth, because you got a great subtitle. Americans Who Pray, Uniting a Nation in Faith and Freedom. God bless you, thanks for coming on WallBuilders. 

Elizabeth Carlyle [00:21:01] Thanks a bunch! 

Rick Green [00:21:02] Stay with us folks, we'll be right back with David and Tim Barton. 

Rick Green [00:22:11] Welcome back to The WallBuilders Show. Americans Who Pray is the name of the book and tit's a collection of prayers. Ben Carson and so many others sharing in there. And I guess, guys, we'll have to still promote it despite the fact that there are two Houston Astros that, that wrote prayers in the book. I don't know if she got any Texas Rangers, but you know, maybe, maybe if we give away a copy of the book, we could add some, some Rangers prayers from all those kids that had the Jesus Won shirts on a couple of years ago, when we won the World Series one time versus the Astros, how many times, I'm sorry, I, I I'm going to get depressed. Guys, what'd you think of the...What'd you think of the prayers book? 

Tim Barton [00:22:46] Well, Rick, let me remind you, first of all, that that's still a Texas team. 

Rick Green [00:22:50] Yeah, you're right. 

Tim Barton [00:22:52] So, Texas still won. 

Rick Green [00:22:52] It's Houston's third part of Texas, though, really. I mean, do we really count Houston as part of Texas? 

Tim Barton [00:22:58] It depends on if they're winning sports championships or not, I think, and who they're playing. But I mean, Rick, as, as we're joking about this, you're talking about Hall of Fame, professional athletes who are contributing on a spiritual faith level to encourage Americans to activate their faith. This is like a Good News Friday. This is incredible. The things, again, that are happening across this nation. And certainly, when you're talking about the arts and my goodness, when you talk about the, the painting of George Washington, iconic. But this is the kind of things, if people knew our history, recognize the hand of God, the hand of providence throughout our history. The people of faith. And now again, seeing when you have modern leaders and heroes, people of faith, reminding and calling people back to God and to activate their prayer life, it's so encouraging to me. 

David Barton [00:23:54] And by the way, I'll point out that the guy who painted that famous painting of "Washington Valley Forge", Arthur Friberg was also the painter for Cecil B. DeMille in the great Golden Days of Hollywood. 

Rick Green [00:24:06] I was just pulling that up, David. 

David Barton [00:24:07] So movies like The Ten Commandments. 

Rick Green [00:24:07] I was literally, I was just looking at that. I didn't realize that. So yeah, there's a picture of him with Cecil B. DeMille on that website, firstfreedomart.com. And so, it was like, Ten Commandments and Ben-Hur, those kind of things? 

David Barton [00:24:22] Yeah, Ten Commandments, Ben Hur, all of that. He would do the, the graphics for them early on. And then they would try to make the costumes look like his paintings. And so, you know, whether it was Pharaoh or whoever it was, Friberg was really kind of the art director for much of that, and so that was a skill he had. And we know him for his iconic painting, but there's so much more that he did. But I love what Elizabeth said too, about using prayers that have already been prayed. I mean, the Founding Fathers website, wallbuilders.com. We've got so many founder prayers up there. Go back and pray prayers that work. They worked two centuries ago; they still work now. Go back even to instance, look up Abraham Lincoln's prayer at the White House. Look up the D-Day prayer. Look up George Patton's prayer at Battle of the Bulge. Look up these famous prayers and go back and find them and repeat them and use them, they're great. 

Tim Barton [00:25:09] Well, Dad, was one of the things too, that used to be a recommendation, but before we had the Coach Kennedy decision, the US Supreme Court, which overturned Lemon, which now gives the freedom to religious liberty and religious expression once again. Before that was there, when people were being shouted down for suggesting that maybe we should pray or remember God, one of things we would tell them often, and this was especially true for state elected officials, is, just go back and say, hey, I want to take my minute, my two minutes, three minutes, whatever it is, and I want to read something from John Hancock. I want read something from George Washington. And you could just read those proclamations because the faith was so evident. And Dad, to your point, some of these were these prayer proclamations were considered the turning points in some of the significant moments that were battles or wars in American history, where when the people prayed, God showed up and things changed. Some really cool stuff that you can find at the WallBuilders website to find those prayer proclamations. 

Rick Green [00:26:06] Alright folks, so two websites today. Go to wallbuilders.com. You can see some of those proclamations. Then you go to firstfreedomart.com as well. Firstfreedomart.com special thanks to our guest, Elizabeth Carlyle for coming on and you know, trying to, trying help these country boys get a little bit of culture, you know? Now this was great to have this topic today. There's so many areas, every single area of the culture as Tim was saying at the top of the program, there shouldn't be an area of culture we leave out and not be involved in. And whether you want to call it seven mountains or a hundred mountains, let's be out there involved in everything. And everybody listening today, you've got a role to play as well. So, make sure that you're taking the gospel into your area of expertise. Thanks so much for listening to The WallBuilders Show.