I’M AN IDEA ARCHITECT, CO-FOUNDER, FAITH LEADER, FILMMAKER and AUTHOR.

I co-founded Emotect ai, Blue Lobsters Creative, and the Miracle Year Project. I serve as a Co-Pastor in Marin Country, California with my wife Lynn.

I’m an award-winning documentary director and producer. Lost Boy Home tells the story of a Sudanese “Lost Boy” who returns to South Sudan to search for his parents. The Last Songwriter tells the story of streaming’s impact on songwriters and stars Emmylou Harris and Jason Isbell.

I love exploring new ideas and am excited about two books I will be publishing in 2026, Write Human: A Field Guide for Creators in the Age of AI and Life Equations: Formulas for a Life that Adds Up.

I have degrees from Cornell University and Princeton Theological Seminary. Fun facts, as a child in Nairobi I was almost eaten by a lion; as a teenager I took games off a future Wimbledon champion; I gave a TED talk in Oxford on finding 3 blue lobsters in 48 hours; and finished 7 marathons before street sweepers closed the course. I’m married to Lynn Barger Elliott and we have three grown children who inspire us every day and live in Chicago, San Francisco, and New York City.

Books

May 2026

Write Human: A Field Guide for Creators in the Age of AI helps writers, thinkers, creators, and communicators who want to use AI wisely without losing the wonder, courage, and deep humanity that true communication requires.

Why this book? Why now? We are living in the time when human creativity is joined by a partner that never tires, never forgets, and never stops responding. Artificial intelligence can now sit at the desk beside every person seeking to communicate and be a proofreader, collaborator and muse. But it is important to remember AI cannot thirst for water, hunger for a meal, or gaze in awe at a sky full of stars. It can mimic an experience, but cannot live one.

This book explores the evolving space between what an algorithm can generate and what only a human can create and provides a new roadmap for what it means to write human in the age of AI.

February 2026

Some formulas change how we see the world: a² + b² = c² revealed a hidden harmony in space. F = ma showed how motion responds to force. E = mc² collapsed matter and energy into one radiant truth. Each of these equations captures something vast inside something small—proof that a handful of symbols can explain how the universe holds together.

This book explores another kind of equation: formulas for a life that adds up. Formulas reveal the patterns behind our choices. Our relationships. Our work.
Our leadership. The ways we search for meaning.

Each life equation is paired with a reflection question, next step, and brought to life through artwork designed to spark insight, imagination and purpose.

Easter: 21 Stations

A book of poetry, art, and photographs that offer a guide to the spiritual life.

Download Easter – 21 Stations

“Reminiscent of the work of Mary Oliver, Alan Lightman, and Wendell Berry, Elliott’s poetry and photographs teach, surprise, delight, and turn the reader of this book into a pilgrim who is changed, challenged, and enriched by embarking on this sacred journey.” – Amy Richter, Antimony: a Novel

Middle of the Maze : Five Secrets to Finding Your Way

LOST BOY HOME, narrated by Sam Waterston, premiered at the Palm Beach International Film Festival and tells the story of a Sudanese “Lost Boy” who returns to South Sudan to search for his parents. It won a Best Shorts Award and was featured at the Africa World Documentary Film Festival.

Watch Lost Boy Home 

THE LAST SONGWRITER, premiered at the Nashville Film Festival and won an Audience Award. Starring Garth Brooks, Emmylou Harris and Jason Isbell, it spotlights the struggles of songwriters to make a living in the age of streaming.

Watch The Last Songwriter 

Video

TED TALK – TED GLOBAL

In Oxford I spoke about encountering three blue lobsters in forty-eight hours and what that might suggest about the possibility and reality of miracles.

THIN PLACES – ST. PATRICK’S FOOTSTEPS

This video chronicles a trip to Ireland and walking in St. Patrick’s footsteps!

MUSIC VIDEO

Excited to share a music video I produced of Kari Lynch’s inspirational song “Better Than Today.” The song was co-written by myself and Kari and produced by Brian Vander Ark known for his hit song “Freshman” recorded by the Verve Pipe.

A Few Fun Pics