About Thomas Lift:
Our names are Ronja and William Butler, and we are the owners of Thomas Lift, LLC, which is our small business of over 20 years. William is a nationally recognized artist and designer, and I (Ronja) was an attorney for 10 years. Since then, I have been the CEO of Thomas Lift, LLC.
William and I are grateful to God for our marriage of over 30 years and for our two precious sons (both wonderful young men). We both grew up in Iowa, and lived in Des Moines, IA, for many years. As we embraced our faith in Jesus and desired to serve God where ever He called us, William and I (with our sons) followed God’s clear call to Camden, NJ, in 2011. We sold our home and donated most of our possessions as we started our lives anew in the inner city of Camden.
We knew no one when we first visited Camden. Yet God introduced us to incredible people in Camden who are now family to us, and we were blessed to live, work, and serve in Camden for 12.5 years. We lived in a leased 900 square foot row home loving our neighbors which included families, students, professionals, and drug dealers – all in the same block. Nearby, we had a leased gallery and studio space for William’s art. We started an art crawl for the city, and opened our doors to countless tours and to all who wanted to enter (everyone from those living on the streets, to Camden residents, to dignitaries and celebrities). During these many years, God expanded our hearts and wisdom as we prayed daily for God’s peace, love, and protection to surround all in Camden and as we worked/served with countless wonderful people and entities in Camden and the region.
When working in Los Angeles in 2021 (William created live art for a lovely wedding), we experienced a heart-tug similar to how we felt when we visited Camden, NJ, for the first time 15+ years ago. Therefore, William and I prayed, asked God for confirmation, and then donated most of our possessions in Camden once again so we could follow God’s clear plans for us to be in Los Angeles. In November of 2023, God called us out of Camden and into a new journey where we are mobile for the Lord living/working/ministering out of a 19’ sprinter van (van life) in Los Angeles and in other cities across the U.S.
Our hearts are burdened for those suffering, and we believe, God willing, we can help make a difference. As we are in our van full-time, we meet numerous people each day from all walks of life (varying from those who live on the streets or in a vehicle to those who are celebrities). Typically, we are blessed to meet more than 10 people each day where we have a meaningful conversation with each. We share William’s artwork as well as God’s love, peace, and hope with all we meet. We pray we are the hands and feet of Jesus as we minister and help all those around us. Mostly, we are in Los Angeles. Yet, for work, we travel in our van to other cities too. Each day, in each location we are led, we intentionally pray boldly for the people and places of that city and region. We seek to follow Jesus wholeheartedly, and it is a privilege to be on this journey.
Thank you for connecting with us. Come along for the ride as we drive our sprinter van and share via vlog God’s stories of wonderful people and places in Los Angeles and throughout our nation. We are excited to share these stories and to also share some encouragement along the way. Please view our vlogs here (and you can subscribe too): www.youtube.com/thomaslift
We thank God for His amazing love and grace for each of us. Also, we have been tremendously blessed by many that without their love, prayers, and support of our small business, our work and ministry would not be a reality.
Thank you for your support. God bless you and all your loved ones.
The Purpose for Our Work and Ministry:
We strive to follow God’s leadings, to walk in love and humility, and to help empower people. We are inspired by Isa. 61 and Luke 4 (the words of Jesus) which state:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the captives free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
More about our small business, Thomas Lift, LLC:
Thomas Lift is a socially conscious small business creating inspired art and design as a brand of love and justice. William is an established, nationally recognized artist. He creates beautiful and inspired commissioned, studio, live, and digital artwork as well as designs, and his paintings have been purchased from coast to coast. William’s artwork is luminous and layered embedded with themes of love and hope. He brings more than 30 years of experience as an artist and a graphic designer to each painting.
We are thankful to each person and organization who has purchased William’s studio artwork and/or commissioned William to create a custom work of art. We are honored to partner with incredible entities and individuals with William’s artwork and design. We are grateful for the support and for being connected to great communities throughout the nation.
To purchase William’s original paintings as well as fine art reproductions of his original artwork: www.thomaslift.com/studio
If we can assist you with your art & design needs, please let us know. Purchases of William’s artwork, fine art reproductions, and other work support us in our van life and in our work and ministry.
We strive to live simply and give generously. At least 10% of our sales and fees received for all art and design is given back to help and empower the enslaved, orphaned, and economically disadvantaged.
Our Passion for Love & Justice:
Our hearts break for the people in this world struggling to survive. Each day, at least 30,000 children die – many due to the lack of basic needs. In addition, over 50 million adults and children around the world endure the horrors of slavery, either by forced prostitution or forced labor, with this being a multibillion-dollar industry worldwide. Every 30 seconds, a child is sold as a sex slave somewhere in the world, and about 2 million children are being trafficked as sex slaves today. These atrocious evils must be stopped.
The pain and despair impoverished and enslaved people experience is horrific. We founded our small business,Thomas Lift, LLC, to help raise awareness of the slavery and hurt in this world and to strive to make a difference by working to restore lives and communities.
We work in conjunction with many incredible people and entities across our nation to help bring hope and restoration to those suffering and in need. Let us all become informed and involved in supporting those suffering and enslaved. Let us partner together in helping to effectuate love, justice, and restoration in our neighborhoods, cities, nation, and across the world.
Speaking & Consulting:
To inquire in regard to William and Ronja’s speaking engagements or consulting, please contact us.