A couple evenings ago one of my friends, Marie, came by and we did a photoshoot. My best friend, Jason, is really good at photography, and we keep trying to find subjects he can practice on… and I tag along because it's fun.

Gambit: an opening remark intended to secure an advantage for the speaker

And now that you are all supremely interested and feel that I know what I'm talking about, I will shatter that myth.

Because the word I was looking for this morning was actually: Gamut-a complete extent or range.

But other than gambit, the only other word I could think of was gauntlet, which also isn't right. Though, when I came in this morning, I felt that the gamut of my experience was a gauntlet because the gambit of an email I sent yesterday was wrong.

Luke turns on his computer and discovers that the email he sent yesterday had the wrong subject line. Luke thinks to himself, 'Self, this is less than ideal. Good thing it only went to 28,000 people...'

Luke proceeds to struggle to focus for the rest of the day while everyone scrambles to figure out how to make it right.

Which is the other possible title for today's post:

D'oh! The Turning of a Big Ship

Sonlight isn't huge as far as corporations go, but we are bigger than when my mom and dad pretty much did everything back in the day. Then, if something like this had happened, my dad would write an apology and send it.

Done.

Today it's a little different. We get a bunch of feedback, have a writer synthesize that down, get it approved, tested, tweaked, coded, and finally sent...

The good part of all this is that we can be methodical, careful, get wise counsel and ultimately help more people. But it's certainly slower than if Sonlight were a one man band.

We're no longer a sailboat that can tack--hmm... turns out it's actually "beating"--its way up a stream, but we can help many, many more people get to where they want to go.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

I have a sensitivity to wheat. If I eat something "wheated" then something goes wonky in my body and I suddenly have difficulty responding to negative situations appropriately. But I didn't figure this out until I was in college.

And it took a while for me to believe that wheat did, indeed, throw me off.

In fact, it wasn't until a year of not eating wheat had gone by that I could feel the shift if I had any. And there were enough times when I ate wheat without realizing it--and freaked out; only to discover that, say, Teriyaki sauce contains wheat--that I came to accept the fact that I have a sensitivity.

But before that, I was pretty sure it was just a negative placebo. An excuse. Life was just really horrible when I had an "episode"--the wheat, just a convenient scapegoat.

My distrust of my body's signals was due in large part to the fact that I know placebos work. People really do get better taking sugar tablets they believe are a wonder drug. Which, I guess, further indicates how right my mother-in-law is: We know so little about how our bodies work, there are many things the medical world just doesn't know yet. Like, what's up with wheat sensitivities.

This morning I came across this very short paragraph about educational placebos, and it got me thinking. Give it a read; I'll wait.

...

Much like my wheat sensitivity, I don't think education is a placebo. But there is something to be said for the mystery of how education works. Everything from radical unschooling to the most strict and mass-produced of public educations have lead to some wild successes as well as dismal failures.

How? Why?

<shrug>

What this does mean is that homeschooling is a fantastic option. Perhaps not a panacea, but also not a placebo. And homeschooling with Sonlight could be just what the doctor ordered...

(figuratively speaking, of course)

 ~Luke Holzmann
A Friend, Not A Doctor

Three posts on marketing today: one, two, three.

And me?

Well, I have a few thoughts bumping around, but nothing solid.

Amy Bayliss' post further indicated the need for me--and my best friend, Jason--to get our book out (raise your hand if you knew I was working on writing a book). Dana Hanley's post made me think of my gamer wife (who plays World of Warcraft, Sims, and FreeCol, not Barbie's Disney Musical Dress Up Shopping Pony Show III). And my dad's post contained a very interesting video link that was, well, interesting. And I'd be interested in your thoughts (especially if you have a rebuttal, which I will then ask you to send to Perry <smile>).

But all that has almost nothing to do with the rest of this post.

I'm part of Sonlight's Marketing Team. And that sometimes feels very odd to me because... well, most of the time I really dislike marketing. I've read and listened to many marketing "gurus" who spout off their "surefire ways to make a trillion dollars in your PJs from home in less than six minutes, your money back, guaranteed" with such amazing steps as:

1. Sit at home in your PJs
2. Do a ton of market research to find a product you can sell for a trillion bucks
3. Create said product
4. Find a person to buy it
5. Sell it to them by using things that motivate them to action (be very specific)
6. Reap the rewards 6 minutes later

It could just be me, but I don't resonate with that kind of thing.

I also just don't "get" the idea of getting the word out so more people will buy. I resist "hard sales" and "cold calls" and talking up your product in a "salesy" way. I hate most sales copy I read--it just feels pushy and insincere to me, in the most falsely sincere way. And I think I have very odd views of marketing in general. And even when I wrote good copy for my production company's website, I didn't get any clients. So, what am I doing here?

I'm connecting with people so I can do my best to help them.

And that is something I love doing. And that's something Sonlight is big on: Letting people know how we can help them. Not making money--though that is essential for us to keep doing what we're doing--but helping homeschool families around the world. Helping you educate your children. And I can get behind that.

I love doing it.

And if I have to post videos of an attractive young woman talking about everything Sonlight gives you in an Instructor's Guide... well, I'll do it, even if it is an obvious marketing ploy of using youth and beauty to sell the0 product <smile>. [the videos aren't very clearly marked; click on any of the little links under "Relax and enjoy homeschooling your children"]

By the by, that "attractive young woman" in the videos is Laura Lee, one of our copywriters. She is currently in the hospital giving birth to her first child. Please be praying for her and the baby.

Thanks!

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

'What am I, 12?'

I ask myself that every now and again.

Because I feel that way every now and again.

And I think I've been this way since I turned 13.

I'm insecure. I get bogged down. I'm immature.

Yesterday was one of those days. I struggled to write my post. And after I hit "Publish" I almost went back to add:

ETA: This is a lame post. Feel free to skip. Sorry for wasting your time.

And, as if to prove how far off my preconceptions are, I got fantastic comments that were totally encouraging.

And I read Lysa Terkeurst's latest post which reminded me that half of my insecurity stems from trying to prove that I'm better--or, at least, equal to--other bloggers. 'My thoughts matter! I'm important! Believe in me!'

How quickly I forget that I have specific gifts and talents and I need to use to bless others, not try to make myself look better. You'd think I'd remember a lesson that I first wrote about back in 2006. But no. No, I like to compare myself to every measuring stick that's taller than me. I want to hear not just that I'm "doing enough," but that I'm rocking!

And, being as narcissistic as I am, I'm guessing you're feeling the same way about some area of your life. If that is, say, homeschooling, stop comparing yourself to those who finish a Core in 6 weeks and then move on to differential calculus with their seven year old. Those kinds of tales, while impressive, are usually just depressing because then I wonder what I was doing at that age (search for "composer")...

That's why I much prefer to read stories from people who are successful but not superstars. They're encouraging because I could see myself get there with just a little more time and effort.

And you can too, it just may take a little time and effort.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."

~Lord of War (there is language on the quotes page)

I strive to be a good man, but I rarely act.

In fact, just this weekend I chatted with my best friend about a political hot topic: Abortion. Since I read blogs of all persuasions, I was giving him some of the reasons that I've read recently that come from "the other side."

After a while he looked at me and said, "Where are you coming from with all this? You state these opposing views but you never say where you stand. What are you getting at?"

I said, "The current arguments are getting us nowhere. It's the same with homosexuality and a bunch of other issues: People just aren't discussing this because they're calling each other names. I want to find a way where we can keep talking."

"That's the difference," he replied. "The other side is coming from such a different worldview/perspective that we can't talk. And that's not going to stop me from trying to get involved at a legislative level to get our nation going in the right direction."

That was sobering to me. And the point is well taken. But...

But these are my friends, people I care for, fellow bloggers who are really smart, good people... they merely look at the world from a completely different perspective. And while I firmly believe their perspective is flawed/wrong, they're not going to see it my way, especially if I keep using phrases that point out the "evils" of their way of thinking.

And even if I did speak up, does it help?

I read a post earlier today that demonized a popular Christian figure. I left a comment that I thought was well reasoned, backed with Scripture, and gave another view. I'm not sure how it will be received, and I doubt the comment will be published. And, ever since posting my response, I've wondered: Should I have just kept my mouth shut? Am I helping anyone (especially Sonlight) by challenging people to think through their ideas?

I write such responses because I want to be active on the blogosphere, but does it help people think through things better? Is it helpful?

Presuppositions. Pet ideas. Hidden agendas. Assumptions. All of these allow bad ideas to prevail, which then, in turn, allows evil to prevail.

Even if you can come up with rock-solid logic that cuts to the heart of the issue, the heart of the issue doesn't matter. Evil still prevails.

Much like religious discrimination in our nation.

May your family continue to strive to be good, have the wisdom to know when and how to act, and may we all rest in the grace given to us while evil continues to prevail. Because, yes, evil prevails, but it doesn't win.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father