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.

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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!

I Enjoy Being Alone

Last week was a pretty solid week in my book.

So glad I don't look like this... yet.

Turned 22 on Tuesday.

Didn't go bald the day I turned 22. Whew.

Worked hard on my "big" (read: not nearly as important as it seems) senior paper.

Enjoyed some good ol' Sabbath rest.

Yup. Solid week, indeed.

You know what one of my highlights was, though?

I got to spend a night alone. 

Yup, you read that right.

Alone. Meaning me and no wife. And in case you're confused, I'll say it again: my wife left, and I enjoyed it.

Sounds like we're having a rough time, eh? Maybe a "rocky point" in our marriage, which I probably deserve after saying that our marriage isn't that hard? Why on earth would I enjoy it when my wife leaves me?!

Well, we break the rules, remember? We're always like this.

I'll be honest - I'm always a little giddy when my wife decides she wants to spend the night with her friends. Usually, it means that I'm at home alone for a night. I don't throw wild parties or go on crazy adventures. Typically, I'm a bum (which just makes me all the more glad I'm married). However, I'm a bum that can do whatever he pleases, and that's the key.

Nights alone bring fulfillment to the introvert within me.

This is definitely an accurate representation of
me sleeping alone.

I enjoy doing whatever I want. I like having the bed all to myself (I'm a closet bed-hog). If I want to have steak or hamburgers for dinner, I can have them and not worry about the thoughts and feelings of another person. And if I want to watch low-budget documentaries or cheesy sitcoms on Netflix, I'm free to do that as well.

I can also choose to stay up late with friends, or go to bed early. Or maybe drink a cup of coffee entirely too late and stay up all night reading, surfing the internet, or playing games. It's a recluse's paradise, and I rarely share it.

However, if that were all there was to nights alone, they wouldn't be worth it.

Frankly, I love my wife. If you haven't gotten that impression around here, then you've missed something. So while I say I enjoy nights alone, what I really mean is that I enjoy a night here and there by myself, but only if my wife comes back the next day.

I can't help it - I'm a sucker for the girl I married.

I may enjoy eating whatever I want, but I love her cooking.

I may find solace in watching a movie or show alone, but it's better when she's by my side so I can pick her mind about what's going on (even if I annoy her from time to time).

I can play all the games I want, but frankly, I can't play most board games by myself.

And hey, I love having an entire bed to myself. But it's boring when I go straight to sleep without any talking, reading, or praying with my wife.

I enjoy waking up with her by my side.

And truthfully, I wouldn't trade a million nights alone for a single day with her. The introvert in me has to die hard, because I'm crazy about this girl and she destroys every notion in my mind of ever living alone.

So while I enjoy being alone (and even treasure it from time to time), I enjoy being with her more - and treasure it all the time.

... ... ...

Questions: Do you enjoy having nights to yourself? What do you do when you're alone for a night? Would you ever consider living alone for an entire lifetime?

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

image credits (respectively): YOdesigner and Nafrea - sxc.hu

My Feathers Have Been Ruffled

This is a repost that challenged me as I read it again. Enjoy!

The other day I was perusing my infinite list of blogs, reading, enjoying myself, and probably drinking coffee, though I can't be sure (so don't quote me on that). Nothing too earth shattering arose, and I was okay with that. Until I read through K. Syrah's latest post over at Shoes Never Worn: "The Indie Writer/Indie Author."

Darn you, K, for ruffling my feathers.

(She does that sometimes, so if you're into that sort of writing, you should really check out her blog.)

Anyway, K was writing about being an Indie author, and ended her post with a quip that made a lot of sense to me, but made me kind of mad:

Of course, I say that because at this moment, money isn’t an issue, and if one has a full belly, and all the bills are paid, it’s easier to be righteous.

Now when I say that K made me mad, I really just mean she rattled my cage. Because frankly, I'm dealing with this right now, and I was mad that she brought it up and threw it in my face, as if it were no big deal. Don't mind the fact that it's completely illogical for me to be mad at her - after all, she has no clue that this is something I'm wrestling with right now.

Here's the deal: I've really been struggling with trusting God in my finances. This is something I've always taken a little pride in, because I don't want to care about money, so I let God take care of it. Typically, our budget doesn't add up and more goes out than comes in. But at the end of the day, we find ourselves blessed by God for trusting him with our cash.

Lately, though, things have been getting a little tighter. And suddenly, I start wondering. I start doubting.  

Does God care? 

Did I do something wrong? 

Is there a certain ritual I need to perform to fix all of this?

And suddenly, I want to take matters into my own hands.  

You see, that quote I posted from K really shook me because I've found myself beginning to back down from what I so firmly believed when I "had a full belly and all the bills were paid."

I've always believed in God's provision and frankly, He's always one-upped me when it comes to finances, always doing more than I could ever expect. However, lately, it seems like God has all but disappeared from managing our money. And suddenly, I want to stop giving radically. I want to start saving back our money, keeping it for ourselves, instead of supporting our beautiful Compassion children.

But then I'm reminded of my calling:

Give to those who ask.

Don't turn away from those who want to borrow. 

Don't store up treasures on earth.

Don't worry about your life.

Don't worry about tomorrow.

Give, God says. Don't worry, He reminds me.  

Give. Don't worry.

I guess it's no coincidence that when Matthew pens those words, he talks about radical giving first and then says not to worry. It's like he knew what his readers would be experiencing as they read his admonition to give without hesitation.

I want so badly to be able to keep giving and enjoy it. And I'm trying. I haven't given up on God, and I guess I've just come to terms with the fact that God is still taking care of me. I'm just being selfish and I want more. Because, obviously, I deserve better. I'mentitled to his blessings. He owes me.

Wrong. Double wrong. In fact, that's all a bucket of lard.

I need nothing more. I deserve nothing better. His blessings are his to give, not mine. And God owes me nothing. In fact, I'm sure it's the other way around. I owe him. A lot. Everything, in fact. And so I keep giving. I keep trusting. I keep hoping. And along the way, I'm trying not to worry, because, hey, what good has worry done any of us anyway?

... ... ...

Questions: Did that quote from K hit home with you? Can you relate to my struggle here? Or do you struggle with trusting God for other things, beyond money? What are you having a hard time trusting God with today?


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

Treasuring the Sabbath

So a few weeks ago, I mentioned the book 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker.

You know, the very Jen Hatmaker who is ruining my life.

Yeah, that one.

Well, today I want to continue talking about this book, because it's messed me up (the newest catchphrase at our school).

We started the book with the last chapter, which sounds weird to begin with, but don't worry - it only gets weirder. The chapter we started with was about stress. For the last month, we have been pausing seven times a day for prayer, to remember who we are and whose we are.

Okay, so I sucked at waking up at midnight. Super sucked. So maybe it was more like six times a day.

Now I haven't decided if I'm going to keep pausing now that I'm out of the stress month. Something tells me I might need to, though, because the next month we're doing deals with food.

Here's the thing though: I really like food. And my wife. She's not only beautiful, but she's a great cook too - and I didn't even know that when I married her! Heck, I don't even think she knew it!

But to go an entire month only eating seven foods?

Eek. Necesito mucho... prayer.

Anyway... that's not actually what I'm here to talk about. Sorry for wasting the last 3 minutes of your life.

You see, I love the concept behind this book. We have too much crap. We need more space. Less stuff. More peace.

But as I continue on this journey to revolt against excess, I'm starting to see beyond the less and to the more. Less of me. More of Jesus.

This has most evident to me in our intentional practice of honoring the Sabbath.

I had several excuses before the last month as to why I didn't honor the Sabbath.

Excuse 1: That's Old Testament. Get outta here with that.

Mrs. Hatmaker, in her infinite wisdom, trashed that excuse from the get go with this passage of Scripture. She then proceeded to ruin my second excuse.

Excuse 2: Jesus broke Sabbath all the time. WWJD? Break it!

Makes sense, right? I thought this was an airtight argument until I read this. And then I realized something:

Crud, I'm not the Lord of the Sabbath, like that Jesus guy. Heck, I'm not even Lord of... anything!

And then I was out of excuses.

Enter in the Sabbath - an intentional day of rest. From sundown on Saturday night until sundown on Sunday night, we have rested with purpose, celebrating through Communion and worship with people around us who like Jesus like we do. We even lit candles while we ate and busted out our fancy wine glasses that haven't been touched since our wedding.

And let me tell you - I love me some Sabbath now. However, there is one, itty, bitty, tinsy, winsy thing that I forgot to mention. No working on the Sabbath. None. I don't even read books for school that I enjoy. Instead, if I want to read, I choose something to read for pleasure, for rest.

As a college student (and a working American in general) this complicates things a little. Regardless of how sacred the Sabbath is, Monday still means work. And for us, that still means homework. This hits on something, though, that the Old Testament talks about. You see, the Israelites observed the Sabbath, but in order to rest for 24 hours, they had to work overtime to collect food for the Sabbath.

Yup, you heard me right: the Sabbath actually calls us to work harder.

We're not talking about taking a couple extra hours of overtime during your 5 day workweek, either. 

No, when God commands rest on the 7th day, he implicitly commands something else:

Hard work... for each of the other six days of the week. 

Six. Not five. Not five and a half. Six. That means Saturday. And that means not resting on Saturday, but preparing for Sunday, when true rest can occur. It's been painful, to say the least. Kalyn and I both have huge exegetical papers due at the end of the month, so working on them (along with all of our other homework and housework) for six days is brutal.

But when that Sabbath sunset rolls around... Oh, it's beautiful. It's marvelous. And I wonder why I would ever want to ignore it.

So beyond denying myself, I learned something new this past month: a better work ethic than I ever thought possible. We aren't only called to work a 9-5 for 5 days a week. We're called to work our tails of for six days so that we can rest on the seventh.

Now I realize that the week is just beginning and that it may seem daunting, but won't you try it with me? Take the Sabbath to heart and follow what God instructs and implies.

You'll be surprised - your body will fall into a natural rhythm and it won't really seem that different. In fact, you may find yourself more well rested than you ever were before. Of course, it makes sense when you consider that true rest after doing good work was God's idea in the first place.

... ... ...

Questions: Have you ever considered taking part in Sabbath rest? What are your thoughts on working hard for six days while taking off the seventh? How would better resting benefit you this week?

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

Win of the Week

Well, fellow Bucketeers, it's Friday.

And around here lately, that's meant one thing: sharing your win of the week.

I'm all about building community, so sharing our victories for this week is important to me.

Here's mine:

This week, my win involves a speaker that came to our school. It was most definitely one of the most popular events we've ever had, because the speaker, Shane Claiborne, is something of a phenomena.

Truth be told, though, I hadn't heard of the guy until I heard he was speaking. So I wasn't sure what to expect. 

What I found, though, was reassuring. Shane talked to us about being Jesus with skin on. About meeting the world's pain. And so much more. And I plan on sharing what I learned with you next week.

What was most reassuring, though, was the fact that I've been where Shane is at for a while. My faith has become less about me and more about making life easier (and better) for those around me. It was like God was reassuring me: "You're on the right track; keep going."

That encouragement was much needed, especially as I'm beginning to get bogged down with papers and reading assignments. It reminded me of what's important, and that has very little to do with any assignments I'm trying to finish right now. Regardless of how important the papers I'm writing may seem, they're not worth breaking my neck over.

So that, my friends, is my win of week.

What about you? What was your win of the week?