Calling All Writers!

I had this elaborate post related to basketball from this past weekend worked out in my head... and then I scratched it.

So, in lieu of boring you to death with basketball metaphors, I have an announcement:

We need more guest posts for the "Living to the Fullest" guest post series! 

This series has become wildly popular over the last few weeks, and I'd like to keep that momentum going. Sadly, I'm almost out of posts, so the series may die (if not helped by you!) just as it's getting going.

So, if you have a computer (which you clearly do), and you have a brain (which I'm less sure of, but still almost certain about), then you can contribute!

The criteria is rather simple. E-mail me a guest post, or even just an idea for a guest post. If it relates to the topic and I enjoy your writing, you're in!

So that's that. Why are you still here, then? Get to writing and e-mailing me!

Thanks a million!

Saturday Showdown

It's time for Round 2, fellow Bucketeers.

Round 1 was a success, with Rebekah ousting Caleb to become the first ever Saturday Showdown Champ. And as a small reward, she received two weeks of free advertising here on Life Before the Bucket!

Our competitors for Round 2 are just as good - I promise. Here are the rules:

I'll provide you with links and snippets of two blog posts from the past week that I really enjoyed (for whatever reason). I'll present them to you, and then we'll put them up for a vote. All votes must be in by sundown in Manhattan, KS on Sunday (the 1st in this case). The winner will be featured for two weeks as the current Saturday Showdown Champion (so... free advertising!).

Sound simple enough? Alrighty! Let's get ready to rumble!

This week, we've got two very different stories of service. Vote for the one that resonates most with you!

Contestant #1 - "Walking a Mile with a Meth Head" by Christian Piatt

Emmanuel shows up on our front porch about once a week. His name means “God with us,” but if there’s anyone on the planet who appears to have been forgotten by the Divine, It’s him. He stands at about 5’4″ and has maybe a handful of teeth left. when he speaks, I catch about half of what he says, but there’s a childish innocence in his eyes that betrays the years of hard living he has endured since then.

Contestant #2 - "Remember:: Spaghetti Day" by The Hendrick Family

We remember this day every year by eating Spaghetti, retelling the story, and thanking God for mercy. I don't know why there is so much suffering in this world. I don't know why babies sit in hospitals with teary-eyed mammas by their sides or why mercy and healing seem to stay just out of reach. I don't know why my baby is whole today when other mothers with sick kids probably prayed more, fasted more, read their Bibles more, and were over-all better woman than I ever hope to be. Yet their babies suffer on.

After you've checked out both of these blog posts, be sure to vote in our poll! (Refresh the page to see current results after you vote)



So there you have it! Who is going to be our next Saturday Showdown Champion? It's up to you, my friends.

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After you vote, be sure to leave a comment telling us why you enjoyed the post you picked!

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 

Win of the Week

It's just been one of those weeks.

It seems like everything I touched broke this week - my fridge, my laptop, and, as you know, my blog.

Not a week I plan on remembering.

But it is still Friday, which is always cause for celebration around here, because we share our Win of the Week with each other!

Now, like I said, I had a pretty rough week. For a few days, I didn't feel like I could catch a break. But the week is over, and I think my "bad stuff" streak is coming to an end.

Luckily, this week, despite how rough it was, flew by at about a million miles an hour. That, in an of itself, is cause for celebration. Plus, it means we're only a month away from graduating!

But my real win of the week is something rather small and insignificant, in the grand scheme of things. You see, when I have bad days, I try to look for the little things to cheer me up - a kind word, a relaxing moment, or a funny meme on the internet. 

That 'little' thing for me this week was my wife's amazing cooking. On Tuesday, she made us Chickpea Pot Pie, which I loved and devoured, despite never having chickpeas before. Then, on Thursday, she made us Penna Rosa with Shrimp & Spinach - a sort of imitation recipe of Noodles & Company, and it was to die for.

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

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!  

Houston, We Have a Problem

Well, this is awkward...

My blog is, how do you say... broken.

My least favorite thing in the world

Apparently whoever was hosting the image for the background to this design closed their account or moved the image. So far, I haven't been able to track down where I originally got my template from, so I'm left with these rather alarming black and white exclamation points and no background.

So if you're reading and see one of these exclamation points, don't worry. It's more painful for me than it is for you. And I pinky-promise it's not some kind of bug attacking your computer.

If any of you know a good blog-design site or person (for cheap - I don't make any money off of this blog), I'd definitely welcome your suggestions!

So, instead of reading an awesome post, you should consider writing one for Life Before the Bucket! I'm running pretty low on guest posts for our "Living to the Fullest" series, so if you've been thinking about submitting an idea for a post, now is the time to do it!

In the meantime, I'll be waiting to hear from you and working on finding a new blog template.

I hope you have a fantastic Thursday! Let me know how your day is going in the comments section!

It's Not Easy

Note from Adrian: This is our next installment in the "Living to the Fullest" guest post series. Today's post is from a writer who wishes to remain anonymous. Please be sure to be encouraging as you thank and leave feedback for this person for their contribution.

(Want to write a guest post for Life Before the Bucket?)
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This blog, I am well aware, is a “Christian” blog. The author of it is an active member of the Christian community. The readers, I’m sure, are the majority Christian. This makes me a minority here. I am a white, middle class female, so being a minority is something that is fairly new to me. I’m still figuring out the ropes of how to live when most of the people around me are on the other side of a very serious life decision. One thing I’ve learned in my five years of conscious atheism is that it’s not easy.

For most of the time I’ve been open to myself about my religious beliefs, I’ve lied to others about them. I’m still not completely open with everyone about my lack of religion, hence the anonymity of this guest post.
It’s a scary thing to show someone a very important part of yourself, knowing that they will most likely judge you and possibly shun you. I’ve had people tell me that they thought less of me for being an atheist. I’ve had people tell me that I’m not sure of what I believe. They say, “You’re probably agnostic,” or “You just haven’t figured it out yet.” All of these responses, they’re things that hurt me. Each time someone tells me that I’m wrong, or I don’t know what I’m talking about, or I’ll find “The Truth” and they’re praying for my soul, I just want to yell at them to stop, and think about what they’re saying.

If you’ve never been told you’re wasting your life because what you feel is illogical, then you couldn’t have any idea of what it feels like. It tears at my heart and it brings me down. It makes me think I’m a terrible person and I’ll never be accepted, no matter where I am.

So how in the world can I live my life to the fullest if I’m being told everywhere I go that I’m living my life wrong? Well, let me tell you, it’s hard. It takes strength and courage and confidence, all of which I tend to lack. But I try. I try hard to live my life with happiness and love. I go out and have fun. I try to live in the moment, but I still think about my future.

I don’t hold grudges against all of those people who judge me and try to change who I am. I try my best to never regret the things I do, because I believe that a life full of regret really isn’t a life at all.

I believe that revenge should never be motivation for anything a person does. I believe in peace and joy and truth. These things are, to me, what make a fulfilling life. But, because my idea of truth is something that is unconventional and misunderstood, others believe I am a bad person.

Now tell me, does my lack of belief in a God make my life one that will never be full? I believe not, but you might believe differently. And I believe that there is absolutely nothing wrong with whatever you choose to believe, because in the end, acceptance of those who are different is how to really live life to the fullest.

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Questions: How do your religious beliefs influence the way you live to the fullest? What beliefs do you struggle to be tolerant of? 

This guest post was part of a guest post series called "Living to the Fullest." Interested in joining in? I'm still looking for submissions! Just write up a post, or even just an idea, and e-mail it my way!