Who Are You?

I've got a question for you:

Do you like questions?

If you don't, I apologize for asking. 

If you do, then this is the blog post for you!

Here's the dealio, yo: I really want to get to know you. I want an idea of who my faithful Bucketeers are and what they're like. Right now, I sort of feel like I've been shoved on a stage that is illuminated by blinding lights, and I don't recognize a single person in the crowd. It's kind of sad, really.

In order to get to know you a little better, I just have a few questions for you. And because I would never ask you to do something I wouldn't, I'll answer them for you as well.

Editor's note: This is the second time I've done this, but I promise the questions are different this time!

1) Imagine this: You won the Mega Millions jackpot of $500,000,000 dollars. What's your first move? Personally, I would pay off my mom's (and in-laws'!) houses; they've given us so much - it would be silly not to give back to them.

2) Looking back, what has been the highlight of 2012 for you so far? Personally, this is a toss-up. It's a tie between getting accepted into the Master's Program I applied for and finding a place to live after this school year for dirt cheap (about $150/month cheaper than any apartment we could find!). 

3) Looking forward, what do you hope will be the highlight of the remainder of the year? This is a toughie. When I think about the future, I see a lot of possibility. I could start writing a book, I could get my lungs into better shape, we could start looking into starting the adoption process... The possibilities are endless. 

4) If you had to choose one "guilty pleasure" song to listen to on repeat today, what would it be? Personally, I love the song Kyrie. There's a million different versions of it, so I guess I'd have to choose the version from The Sing-Off, season 2, as performed by On the Rocks.

5) Do you follow Life Before the Bucket? How long have you been following? What's your favorite part about it? Any improvements that could be made? This doesn't apply to me so much, but if I could make an improvement, it would definitely be the layout. Ever since my template broke a couple of weeks ago, The Bucket has been nothing but dreary, drab grey. So if you have a "template guy," give me his name!

6) This is your free-for-all question. Tell me anything else you want me to know about here. Well, the reason I'm doing this post today is because I'm all kinds of sick this morning. It is no good. So there's something you didn't know about me!

I'd LOVE to hear from you. I don't care who you are, where you're from, what you look like, or whether you've showered this week. I want to get to know you! Whether this is your 100th time visiting or your 1st, whether you comment regularly or not - you are important to me.

So let me hear about who you are! Feel free to add/take away from any questions here - after all, I can't force you to answer each question. Take as little or as much time as you need. I'll be anticipating getting to know each of you a little better! I can't wait!

Don't let this blog post be in vain! I want to hear from you now, more than ever, so I can get to know you! Leave me a long, juicy comment telling me about yourself, or if you prefer, e-mail me! Either way, let me know about who you are!

This was *sort of* a repost from September, 2011.

Leap Day

Another heads up: We still want you to write a guest post for us!  Check out this post for more information and then shoot me an e-mail with your ideas!

So I hear today is Leap Day.

Are you doing anything special to celebrate the "extra" 24 hours?

Or will today be like every other Leap Day you've experienced, sentenced to mediocrity and forgetfulness?

I, for one, want today to be unforgettable. After all, it's not every day that you get an "extra" day to live.

Of course, we all know that today isn't really a bonus day of our lives at all. Leap Day doesn't magically give us an extra 24 hours every 4 years to add to our lives. It's always been there - we just haven't taken advantage of it.

But let's imagine for just a moment...

What if we were given an extra day to live?

Would you spend your extra day partying?

Let's say that God (or science, or whatever) tells us exactly the number the days we have left to live. And the source telling us this is correct 100% of the time. But then... surprise! You get an extra day tacked on the end!

That would be a great feeling, wouldn't it? To know you get an extra 24 hours to enjoy all that you'll miss when you're time is up. What a reward!

So here's my question for you: what would you do with your extra day? 

If you were really given an extra day to live (and not just a fake one, like Leap Day), how would you spend it?

Would you... test drive your favorite car? Loot your favorite store? Fly to a resort to enjoy your last day?

Or would you spend time with your family? Reconcile a broken relationship? Confess your unspoken love for someone?

You're free as a bird - but with one stipulation. Unlike most exercises similar to this one, money is an object. You'd have as much as you'd expect yourself to have made by the end of your life.

Feel free to be creative and think outside of the box on this one. I can't wait to see what you come up with!

... ... ...

Questions: If you were given 24 extra hours to live, how would you spend it and why? Why would you choose that way over another?

Did you enjoy this post? If so, I'd appreciate you subscribing to Life Before the Bucket and sharing it with your friends. Thanks a million for reading! 

Trust and Reason

Do faith and reason coincide with one another? Or are they diametrically opposed?

This, my friends, is the discussion we've been having in one of my classes for over a week now.

What's worth noting first, though, is that we decided that a better word for "faith" is most likely trust. We get trust. Faith is confusing and can mean a lot of things. And though trust can be ambiguous, it's more clear-cut and closer to the meaning we desire when we use the word "faith."

So do trust and reason go hand in hand? Do they fuel one another or compete with each other? And if both can exist, should one come before the other?

These are some of the questions we've been challenged with.

However, since I attend a fairly conservative Christian university, most of the thoughts expressed on the subject at hand are in one accord (generally speaking). There's always a few outliers, but for the most part, I only hear one side of this story.

So this is where you come in, my fellow Bucketeers. We all come from different walks of life. We're all different ages and live in different places, and have been raised in different ways to believe different things. Thus, I'd like to hear your thoughts on this.

After a few people comment with their thoughts, I'll chime in with my thoughts on the matter, but for now, I want to leave it up to you.

... ... ...

Questions: So, what are your thoughts on the matter? Do trust and reason go hand-in-hand? Why or why not? And if they do, which comes first (if either)? Also, if they don't agree with each other, which is more important to have concerning people and God?

Did you enjoy this post? If so, I'd appreciate you subscribing to Life Before the Bucket and sharing it with your friends. Thanks a million for reading!

Continuing in Simplicity

I started asking for recommendations for a Master's program yesterday. I don't wanna grow up!

Have I ever told you that I'm thankful for you? Because I am.

I'm beyond thrilled to have the opportunity to share this space with some very wonderful people. Without you, it wouldn't be worth it.

That, though, has nothing to do with my post today. I just wanted to let you know!

Instead of jabbering on today, I want to, once more, keep it simple.

I didn't really mean to make this a semi-regular thing, but I love hearing your thoughts and getting to know you. It's important to me!

So here's the deal. One simple question. To prod your mind. To get you thinking. So I can know you a little better, and maybe you can know yourself a little better, too.

Today's question?

Do you prefer prayer or solitude, and why do you think that's the case?

Simple enough. No ifs ands or buts about it. Just answer the question in the comments section with however you perceive it, regardless of how you feel. I'll be answering there at some point today as well, just so you know!

Keep it simple, my friends.

Digging through the Bucket: Who Are You?

Alright, ladies and gentlemen, Bucketeers of all ages. This post is for you. I found it while going over some old posts and was surprised at what I learned last time I did this, so here I am again. If you answered these questions last time around, feel free just to give me a brief update on where life is taking you right now! Enjoy!

I've got a question for you:

Do you like questions?

If you don't, I apologize for asking.

If you do, then this is the blog post for you!

Here's the dealio: I really want to get to know you guys. I want an idea of who my faithful Bucketeers are and what they're like. Right now, I sort of feel like I've been shoved on a stage that is illuminated by blinding lights, and I don't recognize a single person in the crowd. It's kind of sad, really.

In order to get to know you a little better, I just have a few questions for you. And because I would never ask you to do something I wouldn't, I'll answer them for you as well.

K.I.S.S, Part Dos

I saw The Dark Knight for about the 100th time yesterday, and I still love that movie.

Ah, it's one of those days. A Monday that's disguised as a Tuesday. Tricky, tricky stuff.

On account of this, I want to keep today's post short, simple, and sweet.

First of all, I'd love it if you checked out yesterday's post because I forgot it was Labor Day and didn't just post something that said, "Happy Labor Day - I'm too lazy to blog!"

Secondly, since we all know that today is really Monday, I want to present you with our second edition of...

Keep it Simple, Stupid.

(No worries - "Stupid" here refers to me, mostly.)

So, just like last time, this post is easy. Easy for you. Easy for me.

Just one question for you to consider today:

What worries you most in life and why?

That's it. Simple as that.

Think, reflect, answer.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

One Question

This sickness is kicking the crap outta me. If you're into praying, I'd appreciate any long/short/quick/impromptu prayers you could say for me. Thanks in advance!

Today, I'm not feeling my best. But I want to leave something for you here, because I love you and don't want you to think I've abandoned you. So today, I've got one simple question for you:

If money were no object, where would you be and what would you be doing right now?

My answer?

Hopefully I'd be in a hospital, getting my lungs fixed. I realize it's a process, but hey, if money is no object, then maybe things would get done a little quicker. Ya know?

Let me hear your thoughts and answers to this question! Would you do something crazy? Or would you be somewhere vacationing? Or helping out somewhere? No answer can be wrong! Leave a comment and let me hear about it or e-mail me!

Who Are You?

My wife just set off to run 6 miles. She's a beast.

I've got a question for you:

Do you like questions?

If you don't, I apologize for asking.

If you do, then this is the blog post for you!

Here's the dealio: I really want to get to know you guys. I want an idea of who my faithful Bucketeers are and what they're like. Right now, I sort of feel like I've been shoved on a stage that is illuminated by blinding lights, and I don't recognize a single person in the crowd. It's kind of sad, really.

In order to get to know you a little better, I just have a few questions for you. And because I would never ask you to do something I wouldn't, I'll answer them for you as well.