It is Friday morning. You're out running an errand. You pass a little church with a marquee out front. The sign has a cute little saying. You know, something straight out of GodSpeaks.com.

Or maybe not.

Perhaps the message is more abrasive, disturbing or even downright wrong.

Ugh.

The good news is that Matt from The Church or No People just posted an interview with someone who was fed up with such signs [NB: mild language]. Joel's insights are right on the money:

The crummiest thing about the church is that we’re all still in the process of sanctification, and not yet glorified.

I found the interview to be a worthwhile read. I came away with a reminder that I'm still incomplete. I still have a long way to go.

Just like this blog.

I've been a "professional" blogger for almost a year and a half now. I'm missing elements such as meta data (whatever that is). I still haven't figured out why my header looks wrong in IE. And my current blog grade is a failing 26/100.

Incomplete.

We all are. There are opportunities for improvement and progress in every area of our lives: Blogging, friends, marriage, homeschooling...

The beautiful thing is that, much like the little church with the lame sign, we have a community around us. We don't have to go at this alone. We shouldn't. So if you're feeling particularly incomplete today, take advantage of the resources available to you. I'll list just a few.

Luke's Top Five Resources for Homeschooling with Sonlight:

1. Sonlight Advisors
2. Sonlight's Facebook page
3. Sonlight's Forums
4. Homeschool Conventions
5. and, of course, this blog.

We are all incomplete. But by working together we can rest on the strengths of others. We can learn from those who have gone before us. And we can share our insights as well.

I urge you: Get involved!

After five years of posting about poor church signs, Joel has recently become more involved in his church. And he says in his interview that life is awesome now.

And I'll take an awesome incomplete life over an incomplete one.

I'd love to hear your recent homeschool insights, experiences or questions/struggles if you're willing to share!

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Surrogate Father

Sonlight has--to my knowledge--an unmatched guarantee in the homeschool marketplace. Buy one of Sonlight's packages. Use half of it. If you decide you don't love it, send it back. We'll refund you the cost of the program.

Incredible.

In other words: Try Sonlight. We'll cover your "trial run" if Sonlight's not for you.

But I'm interested: Did you find Sonlight's Love to Learn Guarantee helpful? Did it encourage you to try Sonlight? Or does it feel like some kind of "too good to be true" scam thingy? Did you even know Sonlight had such a guarantee?

I'm interested in your thoughts for three reasons:

1. I would love to get some testimonials about this.
2. I'm interested in your thoughts.
3. December 1 brought about some changes...

Don't worry: Sonlight's guarantee is still very much in effect. It's just as strong as ever. But the Federal Trade Commission has enacted some "clarifications" as to how companies--especially company bloggers such as myself--can use comments, user feedback and testimonials.

Unfortunately, for all the buzz I'm seeing about the December 1 "change," I can't find it on the FTC site. Which is more than a little frustrating. So I've been reading second-hand information.

I'd like your first-hand impression of Sonlight's guarantee. I invite your comments.

Afraid to post your comment because of the FTC?

Don't worry. They seem to care about the blog owner, not the commentors. I'm taking the risk. Not you. ...much like Sonlight's Sonlight's guarantee.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Surrogate Father

Home

I wore that shirt as we headed home yesterday.

I'm a homebody. And ever since college I've defined home as "anywhere I have my computer setup and connected to the internet." So the shirt totally applies.

I also love what I do. There was more than one occasion amidst the stress of travel and the cacophony of 8 children and 9 adults that I turned to Brittany and said, "I could be at work right now!" And I have a computer at work. And it is connected to the internet. I feel at home here.

The vacation was good. I got to "bond" more with the girls. But that was difficult as well. Bonding with children takes more patience than I often have. My conclusion: Family vacations are wonderful things. But there will be times when you wish you could just go home.

This would be the perfect time to talk about how there's no place like home for learning. This would be the place to praise homeschooling. Here is the opportunity to put home education on a pedestal. There's no place like home!

But I'm not going to.

It's entirely possible that prior to children your definition of home was "peace and quiet;" "a place to unwind after work;" "time spent with my spouse." But no more. Children decimate that. And being on vacation with two little ones just drove that home for me.

Homeschooling is hard. There are days and times when it really doesn't feel worth the trouble. Just like vacationing on the beach with 8 children under 7.

But no matter how horrible it gets, homeschooling is worth it.

Just like vacationing on the beach.

Because, really, there's no place like home.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Surrogate Father

I used to quip that I could write faster than I could read. And it was almost true.

I've been a fairly good typist ever since I taught myself by attempting to write a mystery novel at age 10 or so. I got to 83 pages of single-spaced text. That's when I went back to read what I had written. Horrified by my pathetic prose, I abandoned the project.

But reading blogs has forced me to learn how to skim. So my reading speed has much improved. I hope the same is true of my writing. That said...

While burning through hundreds of posts in my RSS reader this week, I saw a recurring theme: Major problems within public schools. Things like poor mental math ability, Hollywood in the classroom, and the lack of acceptance of those who are different [NB: that last post has mild profanity]. Stories like these cause me to pause. 'What's changed in the last few years? Was it like that when I was a kid?'

I am not a proponent of a "the world's getting perpetually worse" mentality. I think such a perspective ignores human history. But there are certainly shifts in culture. What is acceptable and proper ebbs and flows. So it is entirely possible that this is a low point--or a shift downward--for our nation's public schools.

If you find your students in similarly less-than-ideal educational environments, perhaps it's time to consider a home education. Yes?

Absolutely. Yes.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Surrogate Father

P.S. I am going on vacation next week. I won't be back until a few days into December; at which time I will need to skim quickly to try to catch up with the thousands of posts I'll have missed. Have a wonderful time of thanksgiving! And I'll see you next month.