Will you tell us what it was like growing up in your family (when you started homeschooling, how many siblings, etc.)?
I am the second of six children, five of whom are boys. Our house was rambunctious growing up, but I never sensed that my parents wanted anything different. My mom showed a lot of patience and perseverance. We started “homeschooling” when my older brother Cal was ready to start school, but I don’t think there was ever a time that my parents weren’t teaching in some manner.

I loved the things that boys are known for: fishing, camping, wrestling with brothers, playing guns, computer games, airplanes, and especially doing things with my dad. Cal and I joined a Boy Scout troop with another friend when we were old enough. That was a large part of my life through high school and I eventually earned my Eagle Scout. In all of our activities my parents drew out spiritual applications and encouraged us to grow closer to the Lord through difficulties. Seeing God move directly on several occasions greatly deepened my faith.

What are some of the highlights of your homeschooling experience?
Being able to set my own schedule for the day. Most of my study was on my own, and the sooner I finished, the sooner I could do stuff I really wanted to do. Beyond that, I loved the ability to learn from many different environments, not just the traditional classroom. I spent time working on a farm and attended several music courses in another state. I can play the piano for my church to this day because of those courses! Adventurous camping trips with the Boy Scouts and piano competitions were also highlights.

I’ve always been impressed by your ability to connect with people of all ages and backgrounds, and your heart for sharing the Gospel with them. What suggestions do you have for those who would like to grow in these areas?
I remember being scared to hand out Gospel tracts to people, let alone talk to them about Jesus, and the burning in my heart knowing that in a sense, I was “ashamed” of the Lord – or at least that my fear of people was greater than my love for Him.

I had several profound experiences and mentors that God used to shape this area of my life. The first was a mission trip to Mexico at the age of 15. It was on this trip that sometimes I didn’t even pass out a tract because I was scared to do so. But I watched my pastor, several men from the church, and my brother Cal boldly talking to people and giving them tracts, and slowly I gained the courage to do so as well. Two years later when I returned to Mexico, I was even more convicted of the need to tell people about Jesus. Often now, my motivation in striking up a conversation with someone is almost entirely to direct the conversation to spiritual things and be a witness of the Lord.

In between my trips to Mexico, one of my friends had the vision to start a door to door witnessing effort in my hometown. He teamed up with our church pastor and a couple of the men from the church to bring the vision to reality. During the year and a half or so that we went out once a week, I learned more about talking to people than I had in the 16 years to that point. Seeing older men and their reactions/responses and knowledge of the Bible had a huge impact on me. I knew that I needed to be like them to be an effective witness for the Lord. As each Tuesday would roll around, it was also a huge motivation to confess anything I had not gotten right with the Lord or other people. I could sense an enormous difference spiritually if I was not right with the Lord before going out witnessing. That was another important lesson imprinted on my heart from those times.

Here are a few practical suggestions for those who want to more effectively share their faith with others:

1) Start somewhere. Try to find someone who has experience, and then just do it.

2) Prepare key verses ahead of time and memorize them.

3) The Scriptures are your most powerful weapon; don’t be afraid to use them! Intellectual reasoning has its place, but using Scripture is always your best “weapon.”

4) If you don’t know the answer to someone’s question or argument, make it a point to find the answer. You may or may not be able to go back to the person, but someone else may bring it up and you better have done your homework after the first time!

Now that you’re married and have children, what are your thoughts and plans for their education?
My wife and I are going to homeschool our kids. We want to be the people most involved in our children’s development, upbringing, and education, and homeschooling fills that desire better than any other option at this point.

Your family has recently launched some home business ventures. Will you tell us about them?
We have several branches of our fledgling home business. When our first child was born, I built him a changing table that doubles as a dresser. It is one of our most used pieces of furniture – even now with three children! Because of how much we like ours, I’ve built several others since then and am offering the same design for sale. I can also do custom work if someone wants a different design. I also build and sell doll furniture, and my wife, Tiffany, makes tutus in a variety of colors and sizes.

Another branch of our business is all-natural, handmade goat’s milk soap. Goat milk soap is naturally moisturizing and free of chemicals. We started using it to alleviate our son’s eczema. After seeing it completely clear up his skin irritations, we were convinced it was a good product and became distributors. We don’t have this on our website, so the best option for more info on pricing, fragrances, etc. is to e-mail us at chiffanys@gmail.com.

Our website is chiffanys.com. It’s still new, so we don’t have everything up yet, but we will be updating it in the coming days.

In what ways do you think homeschooling contributed most to your life now as an adult?
My relationship with the Lord is at the top of the list. I wouldn’t have the depth of relationship with Him if it weren’t for my years of homeschooling.

Secondly is my love for learning. This wasn’t always the case, but as I matured I grew in my desire to learn, and homeschooling gave me the tools to do it.

Finally, the character that my parents sought to instill in me has proved invaluable in my workplace. Seeing the fruits of being honest, responsible, and hardworking has opened opportunities I would not have had otherwise. I am glad for my home school background and feel that it gave me an edge in my faith in God, purpose in life, learning, and work ethic.

My good friend, Grace Williamson, and her inspirational team have done a superb job putting together a collection of articles, reviews, and tips for writers. She even includes a few quotes from yours truly on the Bulletin Board topic, Why Write?, along with thoughts from two other young writers – Tim Sweetman and Rachel Starr Thomson. You will also find an informative interview with author and writing mentor, Caleb Breakey.

If you haven’t visited the Generation Impact online magazine before, you may want to click through the archives. You’ll find it chock-full of interviews, articles, reviews, and more – by homeschool graduates, featuring homeschool graduates, and designed to encourage homeschool graduates (and others!) to impact their generation for Christ!

My parents met during college and married a few years after my mother graduated with her teaching degree. She taught in private and public schools before and shortly after they were married, but she has spent almost all of her married life as a stay-at-home mom. Her humble willingness to sacrifice so much has been a tremendous blessing for our family. My father provides well, leads us, and prioritizes his family well above the many activities that a lot of men highly value in our culture.

My parents, especially my mother even before marriage, were influenced by some of the pioneers in the homeschooling movement. They came to understand the God-ordained blessing of children and the necessity of training and discipling us for service to Christ, His Kingdom, and the people God brings into our lives. As their vision has grown and matured, they have been more and more deliberate each year to positively equip their children, by God’s grace.

Just the other day someone questioned me on homeschooling and suggested potential reasons why my family decided to homeschool. He asked if I ever challenged the decision my parents made or whether I was just stuck with the idea – and if I would consider alternatives, such as public schooling, for my own children. Suffice it to say that my parents were convicted of their God-given responsibility to train their children in real-life, day-to-day, home-based personal discipleship. I am so grateful for this, and I stand firmly upon this conviction as my very own. At the same time, we always appreciate opportunities to learn more over time concerning the biblical purpose, content, and method of education.

What are some of the things you appreciate the most about being homeschooled?
Where do I start? Homeschoolers are out of the mold. We can and must expect much of ourselves as we build upon the authority of Christ and His Word in all areas of life. Our parents, siblings, and other families around us can nurture and reinforce discipline and early maturity day-by-day. If we are consistent with our principles, we are not peer-focused, and we don’t pressure ourselves to conform to the mediocrity and apathy of the world.

Homeschoolers have so much potential for excellence – to shine, even in the midst of cultural darkness, as brilliant lights for Christ. Our vision has been and must continue to be multi-generational faithfulness and discipleship. Through homeschooling, we have avoided a lot of negative worldly influences, even as we have become equipped to serve and make disciples in the world.

Homeschoolers have great opportunities to learn at their own pace, explore new things, and pursue fields of study to prepare for their life’s work. My parents always placed great emphasis on equipping us with the basic tools of learning so that we could teach ourselves throughout life. We have learned to learn, and we love to learn.

I have experienced the wonderful opportunity to develop lasting, deep, precious relationships with my siblings. Without homeschooling, I don’t believe this would have happened. We love each other and would rather spend time together as a family than go our separate ways. We are not highly peer-focused and peer-dependent, but we can enjoy rich, meaningful friendships with others outside our family.

As I have discovered great resources – books, lectures, websites, etc. – I have continued to learn throughout life. “Homeschooling” might be a misnomer – the system is really a lifestyle that doesn’t begin and end with the ringing of a bell like a “school.” Rather, it is about having a close relationship with Christ our Savior, understanding His Word, applying it to everything as His disciples, and doing this in the context of personal relationships and caring for others as disciple-makers.

You seem to have a real love for studying and learning. Do you have any tips for parents or students on how to cultivate such an attitude?
One powerful element of any training, I believe, is expectations. My parents gave me opportunities to learn, and they expected me to take full advantage. We are all too often impacted by the low expectations our culture places on young people. Homeschoolers have a unique and God-blessed opportunity to give their children avenues of exploration. Instead of confining them to a strict program, let them take something apart, see how it works, and then figure out how to put it back together. Let them come up with a business idea, market it, and see how tough yet rewarding and fulfilling it is to sell something for a profit.

I can’t point to a specific time in my life when this occurred, but as I matured there was a clear transition away from prioritizing video games, excessive involvement in sports, peer dependence, and other distractions. As my “stop doing” list grew (to borrow from Jim Collins in Good to Great), I set about new, worthier endeavors such as reading great books, listening to lectures from great men, studying Scripture, and so forth. I still have much to learn and I don’t always optimize my time like I should. But I believe we all have so much God-given potential if we will just start expecting great things and getting rid of the distractions.

What advantages do you see homeschooled students potentially having over their government-schooled peers in effecting long-term cultural change?
Our advantages completely depend on what we do with the tremendous abundance that we have been given. Jesus said that to whom much is given, much is required. Occasionally, people tell me they wish that when they were my age they could have had what I now have. This helps me reflect with gratitude on those things I often take for granted. At the same time, if I quit progressing today, I am much worse off for having squandered the rich treasures of blessing God has abundantly given me.

Our challenge, as one of my friends says, is to do what we can, where we are, with what we have. Some people assume that if they don’t have “ideal” foundations – not growing up in a Christian, homeschooling family, for example – they might just reach a plateau. They feel like they can’t move beyond where they are, and it will be up to the next generation to pick up the baton and progress a little further. I submit that this is not biblical thinking; we are commanded, no matter how great or small our advantages, to be wise and faithful stewards. Even if we feel like we have been given little, we are also told by Jesus that if we are faithful we will be trusted with much.

Homeschoolers must have a long-term vision that extends even well beyond our own lifetimes. We must seek to be disciples and disciple-makers of Christ. We are fools if we rest on our laurels rather than building and moving beyond where we are now and what we have now. I recently had a conversation regarding whether people can have an impact in the public schools; even as I challenged the other person to consider the inherent impossibility of systemically changing the establishment, I was challenged to consider what I am doing to positively impact others. Am I content to be separate from everyone else, or am I taking active steps to fulfill the Great Commission as I follow the Lord and teach others to obey all of Christ’s commandments?

You’ve been involved in a wide variety of opportunities and ventures since graduating from high school. What are some of the key things you’ve learned along the way that might be helpful to other young people considering their future course?
I have experimented a lot, that’s for sure. God has blessed me with wise counselors, and I have done well to heed them. I have had to mark up the times I unwisely did my own thing as “learning experiences.” That’s the first lesson learned – honor those in authority over you, and heed the counsel of older, wiser people when you make big decisions.

Over the years I have pursued traditional college and nontraditional schooling (accelerated distance learning). I have sought internships and a variety of work experiences for companies in Texas, Tennessee, and Kansas. Along the way I have seen the truth from Proverbs confirmed: in all labor there is profit. I have not been afraid to try new things and get a lot of experiences along the way.

Someone told me to fail small, fail fast, and fail forward. When you experience new things, you are bound to mess up. I have seen that it is best, relatively early on in life, to learn from my mistakes, be humble, and move forward. I have a vision for being a wise steward, and part of this entails entrepreneurial activity. To be entrepreneurial means I have to take risks, learn along the way, and always be ready to readjust my course. I have learned not to expect anyone else to “hold my hand” through life. I am called by God to stand up and take personal responsibility for using the talents, time, energy, and resources He has entrusted to me.

Can you tell us about your new website and what your vision is for it?
I am excited to do so! My friend, Mark Stubblefield, and I recently launched a site that is part of a larger, long-term vision for Christian journalism. Our initial project is http://eventbloggers.com/ where we will cover a variety of conferences and events. Next year, Lord willing, we will launch http://providencereport.com/ to provide an avenue for disciple-making, equipping, encouraging, and informing the body of Christ about what is happening around the world. We want to advance the good news of the Gospel and the providence of God in ruling over all men and nations. Our vision is to provide a distinctly Christian resource for journalistic excellence so that families have a trusted place to go for news, commentary, and interaction with others concerning the big events and issues of our time.

Any additional comments you’d like to share?
Thank you, Natalie, for this interview and for giving me this opportunity to share. We have such a great Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and I want to glorify Him alone for everything good He has done in and through my family and me. I encourage my fellow homeschoolers to stand firm, be bold, and move forward as faithful disciples and stewards. Homeschooling parents are my heroes because they teach and lead Christ’s followers who will multiply the resources and disciples of God’s Kingdom for the remainder of history. Never forget, even in times you are tempted to be discouraged in the midst of darkness and confusion, that God shines His bright, brilliant light through you as you seek and serve Him wholeheartedly.

Lea Ann Garfias, of the Whatever State I Am blog, has been running a series of posts called, “Ask the Grad.” In each post of the series she features a homeschool grad, including an article written by them about their homeschooling experience. I’ve really enjoyed reading the posts by and about other homeschool grads and appreciate Lea Ann graciously featuring me this week. You can read my latest article, Homeschooling for Life on her blog. Here’s a brief excerpt:

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” Those enduring words penned by Charles Dickens in the middle of the 19th century encapsulate perfectly how I feel about my homeschool experience. My best memories are replete with mischievous escapades with my five younger siblings, middle-of-the-year family vacations, freedom to pursue areas of interest, volunteering in the community, outings with other homeschool families, attending the annual convention, and family discussions around the dinner table. My worst memories bring to mind frustrations over difficult math assignments, squabbling with my sisters over who had to take the first piano lesson, my Dad’s imposed physical fitness regimen, and feeling weird in circles of public-schooled peers. But you know what? This is the stuff of life… >>read more

Kevin was a very gracious and comfortable host, making the interview a lot of fun! In addition, he’s written a kind endorsement for my book, Pajama School:

Pajama School is a warm-hearted, exuberant, and thoughtful story of nurtured life in a homeschooling family, and a little more life after homeschooling!

~Kevin Swanson

You can click here to access the interview and either download the audio or watch the video. We discuss the contrast between home education and public education, post-high school options, the counter-cultural socialization of homeschoolers, characteristics of my mother, and the philosophy of wearing pajamas to school.

Where did the idea for the storyline come from?

After starting with two others and eventually scrapping them, Joel said that they settled on a simple concept – an escape and pursuit theme. They built the story around the Old Testament Cities of Refuge that were a foreshadowing of what was to come with Christ.

How did you acquire the skills to produce the film?

When I asked this question, Joel interjected with a slight rewording, “You mean, ‘How are we acquiring the skills…?’” Their family saw this project very much as a learning experience, often stopping filming along the way to learn new skills that were needed in order to continue. What one might realistically expect to accomplish in six months took them two years because of this approach.

Amelia told how one of the drawbacks of the long time frame was that by the end of the filming they had almost outgrown their costumes! The kids took it all in stride, though, and obviously enjoyed the process very much. And in spite of their young ages, each one is becoming well-acquainted with the film industry and is learning skills that will serve them well the rest of their lives. Brendan was especially excited to share about his oversight of the mic, a very essential component in good filming!

The off-set time devoted to learning skills consisted of building a library of books dealing with every aspect of producing a film and studying them intently, participating in on-line classes, and getting insight from others in the field. One thing they realized and accepted is that they couldn’t do everything in one film. It was important for them to retain focus and do what they could do well. For example, in The Runner from Ravenshead,  a static camera is used almost exclusively due to the equipment limitations the Steege’s faced. They acknowledged this limitation and then worked with it to their full advantage.

How did the children prepare for their roles?

The Steege’s started out by giving their children a copy of the script, reading it together, and then working with them to memorize the lines. According to them, “It didn’t take.” Recording the lines in an audio format so that the kids could listen on their own and at night in bed proved to be a much more effective learning strategy. Most of the rehearsing was parent-directed, but even when they were playing sometimes they would be rehearsing lines or scenes with each other.

Lisa also mentioned that when she and her sister were growing up they memorized Scripture passages and put hand motions to them, then recited them in front of large groups of people. She carried on this practice with her own children so that they would get accustomed to memorizing and being able to recite things in front of an audience.

All of this training has proved very effective, because each of the young cast members did a fabulous job interacting during the interview and contributing valuable bits of information. And their presence in front of the camera is superb as well!

How long did it take to produce the film?

The filming was sporadic, as it was 100% dependent on the weather. Consistent lighting was a major consideration that affected filming hours as well. During the actual filming, 70% of the recorded audio had background noises – most notably due to the flight path right over the filming location. For this reason, the Steege’s opted to record all of the audio separately. As you might expect, it was a challenge to balance working too much on the film (which would burn everyone out) and taking breaks that were too long (which would result in loss of focus and memory).

What are some of the major deficiencies in the Christian film industry today? How did you seek to avoid those with The Runner from Ravenshead?

There’s still a pervasive feeling of poor quality because most Christian films have a small operating budget. Without the funding, you’re not going to have as many professionals working on the project. In The Runner from Ravenshead, the Steege’s wanted the name of Jesus to be prevalent, but not over-the-top. Although Joel asserted that there is a place for all types of Christian films, they aim to make theirs engaging and meaningful without resorting to a preachy feel. People go to watch a movie for fun, not to hear a sermon. As a filmmaker, though, you want them to leave not only entertained, but also with a sense of hope and the idea of something bigger.

For some time now, I’ve felt like one of the hindrances to quality acting in independent Christian films is that acting is still not perceived by many Christians to be a legitimate career choice. While great strides have been made in many of the technical aspects of filmmaking, I’ve observed very little emphasis on acting. When I posited this to the Steege’s, Joel readily agreed. In fact, he said that at a recent film festival, one of the producers who spoke said that if he had a $50,000 budget, he would spend $40,000 of it to get one good actor!

What was the hardest part about the production?

Undoubtedly trying to do the project while simultaneously having to learn so much of the “nuts and bolts” of the field itself. Particularly with some of the technical aspects of filmmaking, there is a steep learning curve, making it hard to move forward until you’ve developed a better working knowledge. Harrison is one of the ones responsible for rendering and said that he felt like editing and piecing everything together was the most challenging part of the production.

What are some of the key things that you learned along the way?

Amelia expressed that she had learned a great deal about acting. Lisa added that all the kids learned a lot about how to be relaxed in front of the camera. There’s a lot of tension on the “hot seat” and it’s amazing how every one of the other kids can be reciting the lines effortlessly while the one in front of the camera flounders. Apparently this same phenomenon plagues even the most experienced actors and actresses! Clint Eastwood avoids using the term “action” altogether when the cameras start rolling because of the negative reaction it generates from those on set.

Brendan pointed out that he especially enjoyed learning how to do the mic. And Lisa said that endurance was a major emphasis, too, as they sometimes spent long hours working and re-working scenes to get them just right. Obviously there are frustrations and irritations along the way, but by-and-large working on this film project has been a wonderful adventure for the whole family. Addison concludes with, “We’ve got a long ways to learn!”

What advice do you have for other aspiring filmmakers?

Without hesitating, Joel exclaimed, “Go make a movie!” There’s nothing that beats hands-on learning. If you have the opportunity to work with a mentor, that would be great. A lot of learning the craft, though, involves trial and error. You have to know when to use the “tried-and-true” formulas and when to break them.

You also have to realize going into the project that it’s big. Good quality productions are hard without good quality people. Don’t expect to produce your best movie first. It takes time. After all, you’re trying to learn and replicate the quality that you see in films where people have devoted their entire lives to honing their skill in a particular area. So keep a learner’s attitude and be patient.

The Steege’s dream is to continue doing this long-term as a family. And if their productions keep getting better from here on out, I can’t wait to see what they come up with next!

Here’s a peek at the 20 homeschool grads that contributed to Thank You!:

Kevin Swanson – Generations with Vision
Amy Puetz – AmyPuetz.com
Rachel Starr Thomson – RachelStarrThomson.com
Candace Allgood – Sonbeams
John Notgrass – JohnNotgrass.com
Lea Ann Garfias – Whatever State
Jana Kornfeld – A Time 2 Write
Jonathan Lewis – Homeschool Enrichment
Katherine Loop – Christian Perspective
Rachel Ramey – Titus 2 Homemaker
Daniel Mills – Salem Ridge Press
Mary Evelyn McCurdy – Christian Musical Theatre
Matthew Lewis – Homeschool Enrichment
Abby Kelly
Natalie Wickham – Pajama School
Eleonore Kappenman – Kap and Pen
Samantha Jarrett – Sammer’s Stuff
Emily Topp – Homeschool CPA
Amanda Read – AmandaRead.com
Eric Novak - Cross-Eyed Blog

The e-book is priced at $7, but is available until the end of June as a free download, so grab it now while you can! After June, 2010, you can purchase it at AmyPuetz.com.

It is with a great deal of excitement that I announce the launch of a new project that has been in the works for many months. My friend, Grace Williamson, has entertained a vision for some time of starting an organization that would feature the work of homeschool graduates. Her desire is to encourage young people to impact our generation for Christ. Thus was borne: Generation Impact.

With the artistic skills of Molly Williamson, and the web design prowess of Haley Williamson, the Generation Impact website is constructed as an on-line magazine that includes “an interview with a homeschool student or graduate who is using his or her life to impact our generation for Christ; a movie, music, or book review; polls; and thought-provoking articles by various authors.”

In this inaugural issue of Generation Impact, you’ll find an inspiring article about the life of Daniel and its application to our lives, a review of the movie Homeschool Dropouts, a poll about whether you would homeschool your children, and an interview with yours truly (Grace did a marvelous job of sifting through my ramblings from our in-person interview to put this together. There’s a reason I prefer writing over speaking! ).

I hope you’ll visit the website, grab a banner for your website or blog, and check out the Generation Impact Facebook Page to support Grace in this exciting new endeavor that is sure to be a blessing to many young people and their families!

What aspects of homeschooling did you like the best?
One of the aspects I liked best about homeschooling was the flexibility it allowed us. In the fall/winter, my Dad is less busy with landscape work, so we’ve combined business trips with family vacations and have visited many places in the United States. Although living a flexible lifestyle isn’t always easy, I couldn’t describe how much I’ve enjoyed the benefits of homeschooling and self-employed life. After all, what better way to learn about history than to visit the actual place where it occurred!

When and how did you decide to launch your own design business?
After graduating from Wichita State University in 2008 with a Communication major and Graphic Design minor, I launched my own graphic design/marketing business, called TJ Design. However, I’ve wanted to own my own business for many years. My parents encouraged me to major in communication partly because it was a degree that would give me practical skills that I could use in a number of career areas.

While at WSU, I learned more about career options for communication majors – public relations, marketing, journalism, and more. I still desired to own my own business, but hoped I could work for an organization for several years first. After graduation, I interviewed for an entry-level marketing position for a non-profit. Although it seemed like the perfect job, God had something else for me. That summer, I prayed for direction and God led me to buy a new Mac computer and launch my business. I have already had many blessings from this decision!

What things have you learned from working with your Dad’s business that have been helpful in starting your own?
Flexibility is a key aspect of owning your own business. I’m continuing to develop this in my life, even after working for GKI Groundskeepers for many years!

Relationships are also a key aspect to an effective business. As a business owner, the trust relationship you have with your client is so important. Your job is to nurture that relationship – not in a false, demanding way, but in a genuine, caring way. My parents have modeled this in their client relationships for GKI Groundskeepers.

You are one of the most creative people I know! Do you have any secrets for developing creativity?
Always be a learner. To me, that’s both an important life skill and a vital key for developing creativity. By exposing yourself to new ideas/information, you can follow trends, develop new skills, and so much more. It takes a certain amount of vulnerability to develop creativity, because you must accept the fact that you’ll never be done growing. But isn’t that what our lives as Christians should be here on earth as well?

What are some ways to learn something new?

• Take a class – at a local college, county extension office, art museum, etc
• Visit your library or bookstore frequently
• Google
• Take a field trip to a local business
• Try a new restaurant
• Invite friends over and exchange ideas
• Get a notepad and invent your own company, product, and marketing plan
• Start a morgue file – a collection of your favorite ideas
• Research, research, research

Learning shouldn’t just stop at exposure, though. It should influence you and how you act or think – even if what you learn is how not to do something. I think that one of the things that most hinders creativity is fear of failure. It’s also something I can struggle with at times. But without trying – and learning – from your positive and negative experiences, you won’t learn anything new. Thomas Alva Edison once stated about his efforts on the light bulb, “If I find 10,000 ways something won’t work, I haven’t failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is often a step forward…”

What are your favorite kinds of projects to work on?
One of the things I enjoyed learning most about at WSU was the psychology of marketing. In other words, what is involved in a consumer’s purchase decision? What is it about the copy and/or design of a product/advertisement that makes people buy the product?

This has been a perfect segue to owning my own business. As a designer, I listen to a client’s needs and then work to find a design solution that meets those needs. In my job, I must not only have the design sensibility to solve the client’s need, but also to have the technical computer skills necessary to execute that solution. As I come up with design ideas, I’m constantly learning how to make that idea happen – how to make the final product (print or web) look the way I want it to. Brainstorming for ideas is probably my favorite part of any project. Finding the technical solution is something that’s exciting and challenging all at the same time…but that’s what keeps my job interesting!

Graphic design is a field that a lot of students seem interested in. What advice would you offer those who want to hone their skills in this area?
The most important thing you can do is to seek the Lord and His direction for your life. After all, He is the Creator of the universe – the original Designer. Exodus 35:30-33 has special meaning for me as a graphic designer. Moses is talking to the Israelites about the tabernacle and says, “…‘See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts – to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic craftsmanship…’ ” (NIV). Clearly, God was the one who gave this man the design skills he needed to help complete the tabernacle. And He can do the same for us today. Pray that God would give you His wisdom, knowledge and skill to use your talents and abilities for His kingdom. He will!!

Can you give us a synopsis of the documentary you’ve put together: Forbidden History – Dinosaurs and the Bible?
Forbidden History: Dinosaurs and the Bible covers written history, archeology, and eyewitness accounts that prove dinosaurs and man have always existed together. It explains what happened that caused the recent extinction of most dinosaurs only a few thousand years ago and what happened to the surviving dinosaurs. Also, there is brief discussion of the accuracy and trustworthiness of the Bible followed by a look at the over thirty references to dinosaurs mentioned in this historical record. At the end, the viewer is presented with the fact that God is going to come again and judge the world. The law that leads to judgment is discussed and then salvation in Jesus Christ is presented as the only way to be saved from the judgment to come.

When did you first become interested in dinosaurs?
I think that most everyone has a bit of a fascination with dinosaurs, but I first became interested in how they fit in with human history when I listened to a lecture by creation scientist and educator, Dr. Kent Hovind. From a young age, I was taught that the dinosaurs died out millions of years ago, and I just assumed that this was really what happened.

What prompted you to investigate their connection to the Bible?
I really started looking into their connection with the Bible because of supposed “mythological” creatures mentioned in the King James Version, which is one of the oldest (1611) and most used versions of the Bible. The supposed “mythological” creatures mentioned are: Dragon, Behemoth, Leviathan, Cockatrice, and Fiery Flying Serpent. When I found out that the word “dinosaur” did not come into existence until 1841, I thought that it stood to reason that these words which all have to do with different types of ferocious reptile creatures could be references to now extinct creatures that we call dinosaurs.

You have documented some incredible findings in your DVD! In the course of your research, was there anything you learned that especially surprised you?
The thing that surprised me the most was the hundreds, if not thousands, of similar dragon stories, myths, and legends from around the entire globe that are routinely dismissed as primitive imagination. All of the cross-cultural stories carry the same thread – huge vicious reptile creatures that were usually considered a menace to man. My work of discovering more of these stories is far from over. The Forbidden History website will be an ongoing life work to chronicle each and every reasonable dragon story in history. The site is just beginning and is a work in progress.

Why do you think this is an important issue for people to understand?
Today, children in most schools are taught as plain fact that the earth is millions of years old and that the dinosaurs died off millions of years ago. They are taught this because it supports the theory of evolution, which is the predominantly held scientific view. They are not shown all of the evidence and therefore cannot make an unbiased decision about what they believe. Many of these children may never consider the Bible because they hear something like…”the Bible talks about dragons and cockatrices…see the Bible is just a book of myths and stories.”  The Bible is the most important book that has ever been written; Satan knows this, and he wants to discredit the Bible.

What implications does it have?
The implications are very serious. First, everyone should be permitted to make unbiased, open-minded decisions about what they believe. If you don’t have all of the facts in front of you, this is not possible. I believe that when presented with all of the evidence (on both sides) one can easily come to the conclusion that the earth is only 6,000 years old, dinosaurs have always existed with man, there was a global world-wide flood that wiped out nearly all life, Darwinian evolution is absolutely impossible, and God created everything just as the Bible says.  Ultimately, the scientific and educational system of the world hold onto evolution and deep time theories because the only other alternative is special (supernatural) creation as spoken of in the Bible.

How long have you and your wife been homeschooling your children? Was this DVD a family project?
We have been homeschooling our children from the very beginning, so that’s about 17 years. The DVD was not really a family project, however, my family offered me a lot of support in many ways. They watched many clips and edits throughout the process of producing the video. They helped me with editing and spell checking toward the end of the project, and they encouraged me greatly throughout the entire project.

How long did it take you to complete the project?
A total of 18 months. 7 months research, 3 months script writing, and 8 months video and audio editing.

What tips would you offer to other filmmakers who are interested in producing documentaries?
Lay out a step-by-step plan and then follow the plan. There are a lot of good tools (even free tools) out there for making simple video documentaries. Microsoft PhotoStory 3 is a great free beginner program for using still photos to develop a video. Audacity is a free open source audio recorder which is what I used for my documentary.

Start simple with a short 5-10 minute video and publish it on YouTube. Then try another with more content. After you have some experience, a program like Sony Vegas Movie Studio, which costs around $100, would be great tool.

The best tip that I can offer is: Don’t waste your life. We only have so much time here. Use it to the fullest for the Lord. “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus” Colossians 3:17.

How can interested families order a copy of the DVD?
At this time there are two ways that you can get the DVD. The first is to visit our website at: http://www.forbidden-history.com/dinosaur-movie.html. You can watch the film for free at this link. The second is to contact me directly. You can contact me by e-mail. If you send me an e-mail with your address, requesting a DVD, I will send you one free of charge. If you want multiple copies to give away, just let me know. Also, feel free to reproduce the DVD yourself. It is copyrighted, but permission is granted to make unedited duplicate copies to be given away without charge. In the near future, there will be an order page on the website as well.

Any additional comments?
A friend and I have a ministry for evangelizing the lost. We regularly give away a lot of our DVDs, gospel tracts, and booklets. Your prayers are greatly appreciated. Any donations go directly to the purchase of gospel tracts, booklets, and DVDs for free distribution.

I would encourage everyone to get the following text book:  In the Beginning: Compelling Evidence for Creation and the Flood. This book is a hardback science textbook which is one of the best resources available if you would like to have a deeper understanding of the evidence for creation.