Based on the story of the Old Testament prophet, the Elijah Project is a tool that encourages individuals to realize something is amiss, reflect on what is going on, reconcile what is misplaced, rest and re-engage in life.
“Meet My Maker” moment. As she looked in the mirror, she said, “Oh my goodness, I don’t want to spend the next 10 or 20 or 30 years feeling like this: tired and old and angry too. Resentful that God wasn’t having things work out the way I thought He should.” At the time, Polnaszek would have no idea how this small moment in time— maybe only a few seconds or a minute or two at the most—would drastically impact the next several years of her life. As Polnaszek reflected on this moment, she began to realize the blessings in her life as well. “As long as I can remember, I walked with the Lord,” she said. “I actually accepted Jesus when I was four. I’m a pastor’s kid. I grew up in church and happily served in church. I went to Christian college, I went to seminary, and I ended up marrying a guy who was actually in the business world—because that was part of our agreement. And then a year after we got married, he was called into ministry. He went into full-time ministry, and so I became a pastor’s wife. I would say, overall, I have enjoyed that.” She had prayed for a husband and children, and God had blessed her with both. However, this undeniable thought kept poking through the surface: “There has to be a different way to do this thing called following Jesus as well as raising kids and being married and actually enjoying the life that God has given me.”
Inspired by Elijah
As a therapist, Polnaszek had spent a lot of time listening to other people talk about their struggles and then offer advice and suggest helpful tools. She thought, “What are the tools that we need? Not when you necessarily need to go to therapy but you definitely need some tips in your thinking?”
She began to recount some of the things she did in her counseling practice and over time, she developed what later became known as “The Elijah Project.” “I had heard the story of Elijah tons and tons of times,” Polnaszek said. “Usually the story you hear is the part where he is on Mt. Carmel. I hadn’t heard the part where after that amazing miracle happened, Jezebel threatens his life, and he runs and then tells God he’s had enough. ‘Just take me.’” That last thought—where Elijah told God that he had hit a roadblock—resonated with Polnaszek and her situation. She began to work through her thoughts and as the process developed, she wrote down what she was experiencing and then began to share this with others. Instead of just being a personal therapeutic exercise, Polnaszek soon discovered that what she wrote resonated with others—a lot. So she wrote “The Elijah Project,” a workbook that walks through the story of the biblical prophet. She was invited to a women’s group three years ago and shared the workbook and Elijah’s story with what she called “a contemporary spin.” After the meeting, Polnaszek told those gathered that they could pick up the workbook on the way out if they were interested. Every one of them was gone. Since then, the project has taken off. “We spend a little time talking about who are we, what are we bringing to the table, what are things that are going well, things that aren’t, how are we doing, how are we feeling,” she said. “The workbook has some artistic activities [as well].” Polnaszek hopes the workbook provides encouragement and validation for those struggling with the same life issues she experienced. “What we are feeling right now is not
new; this is something that people have struggled with for a long time, and God was still present then and He is just as present now,” she said. “You just have to be able to stop long enough to see where He is working and where He is moving.”
The movie
The story might have ended there. However, a fortuitous meeting, a phone call and a close relative turned this nice local story into something that has nationwide potential. In June 2013, Polnaszek’s sister and brother-in-law, who are both in the movie business, were in a meeting. One of their producers believed that 2014 would be a big year for faith-based movies and asked Polnaszek’s sister if she would be interested in working on such a project. Her sister said “Yes,” but she wanted to call Polnaszek because of her faithfulness and insight into the Christian community. After the phone call, Polnaszek agreed to serve as a consultant and give feedback as to whether she thought the Christian community would be interested in a certain project or not. She was to receive and evaluate scripts with that in mind. By the end of the first week, however, Polnaszek pitched the idea of “The Elijah Project.” She told them about the workbook and the classes she was teaching and how she was encountering many people who were approaching middle age and wondering if this is what life is all about—and where does God fit into the mix? “Could we write a story about someone who has been going through the motions?” Polnaszek said to the decision makers. She pitched the idea of telling that story through the perspective of someAugust 2014 | REFRESHED
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