Win of the Week

Do you ever wake up at the end of a week and think, "Man, this was a decent week!"? That's where I'm at today.

I wouldn't call this the most memorable week of 2012 so far, but it was definitely a positive experience.

And since today is Friday, it's time to ceeeelebraaate good times, come on!

(Okay, got that out of my system - sorry about that.)

But seriously. It's Friday. And around here, that means sharing our Win of the Week!

I think, as a result of watching this TED Talk (H/T to Richard Beck), I'm going to start distinguishing between my Win of the Week for my real life and my cyber life (namely, blogging). This may or may not last, so if you don't like it, don't worry. It'll probably change soon.

Also, something I'm considering: making the Win of the Week a link-up post, so others can flesh out their wins, link-up here, and we can party like it's 1999! What do you think? Feel free to share your thoughts in the form of a comment!

So, my Win of the Week in real life has got to be... finding a French Press Coffee Maker at a garage sale that our church is putting on! This seems rather lame, but considering it is on my Bucket List, I think it's pretty fantastic. Plus, I made some awesome coffee with it this morning!

My virtual Win of the Week has got to be posting consistently this week. Since I had great content to use (thanks to Luke Reynolds and Aly Lewis!), you guys consistently visited the blog, making it one of the best weeks (statistically speaking) to date, even if none of the posts were record-breaking.

Also, my Win of the Week, Part B has got to be finding this image. I found it last night, and I still think it's funny this morning:

You can't possibly read that without at least smiling (H/T to Steve Kamb). Seriously, it's physically impossible.

That's all I've got, so that means it's your turn!

What was your Win of the Week in real life? What was your virtual/blogging Win of the Week? Feel free to shamelessly share your own content!

Disclaimer: This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase anything through the link, I will receive monetary compensation for your purchase.

Free Books!

Time for a quick interview!

Can you read English? Oh,  you're reading this? Great!

Do you enjoy reading? Again, another self-answering question. Alrighty, then. Moving right along.

Do you blog? Because everyone's doin' it these days!

If you answered, "Yes," to all three of these questions, then I have a proposition for you. I benefit zero from whether you act on this or not, but I just wanted to get this information out to you, in case you weren't aware.

You see, if you enjoy reading and have a blog of some sort, then you can receive free books! It's any book-lovers dream!

The process is simple, really. I'm currently enrolled in three book review programs. These companies allow you to pick a book to review, and in return, you promise to review the books you're given on your blog and on a website like Amazon. It's simple, really. If you've ever seen my Book Reviews page, you can see that even a monkey could do it - unfortunately, none of the companies offer bananas for blogging, so the monkeys haven't joined in... yet.

The first book review program that I'm a part of is called Blogging for Books, through Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers. I have done the majority (actually, all) of my book reviews so far through this program, and it's wonderful. Some notable authors that I've reviewed books from: David Platt, Bruce Wilkinson, and Leonard Sweet.

The second book review program that I'm a part of is Book Sneeze, through Thomas Nelson Publishers. I just recently received my first book from them, and their process is as simple as Waterbrook's. However, I will note that the first time I applied, I was rejected (I wasn't given a reason why), so you might have to apply more than once. It's a simple process, though. The main author that I may have a chance to review from this program is Ted Dekker, though there are many other great authors offered through this program.

The third book review program that I'm a part of is the Tyndale Blog Network, through Tyndale. So far, I'm still waiting for my first book from them, which I ordered long ago. Their system is a bit more confusing than the other two, but a free book is a free book, so if you want to check them out, I wouldn't stop you.

So there you have it - free books! And I benefit directly from you signing up for these programs in no way. Check them out and sign up for 'em if you're interested!

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Questions: Do you enjoy reading? What is one of your favorite books/authors? Do you review books for a company not mentioned here?

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!


image credit - mazwebs - sxc.hu

Planting Trees is Social Justice

Note from Adrian: This is a guest post from Aly Lewis, from Plant With Purpose. Plant With Purpose is a non-profit organization based out of San Diego that finds creative, sustainable ways to eradicate poverty around the world. Today, Aly is sharing an incredible opportunity for you to partner with them. Be sure to follow Plant With Purpose's website, Facebook, and Twitter page!

(Want to write a guest post for Life Before the Bucket?)
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I once asked a friend what part of social justice interested him.

“The justice part,” he responded as his eyebrows narrowed and his chin dropped down a few centimeters, just enough to force him to look down his nose at me with all the condescension of the lawyer he would one day become. Obviously.

“Why, what part interests you?” he countered.

Had the question first been posed to me, I would have answered with illustrative stories about men and women’s lives being transformed, about reconciliation and restoration. I would have named people I knew—Godofredo, Teodora, Grey—whose testimonies made my work at a poverty-fighting organization worthwhile.

Prefaced with his dichotomous answer, I simply responded, “The social part.”

I’ve never really resonated with the smite-the-bad-guys justice mentality; for me, social justice has always been about making people’s lives better—whether through granting access to water, food, healthcare, or, yes, even criminal justice. Social justice creates systems that value human rights—not just the rights to liberty and happiness, but to basic necessities and dignity.

For me, engaging in social justice has always been about people. 

Changing legal systems to protect the vulnerable—it’s about people.

Setting up aftercare facilities for victims of sex trafficking—it’s about people.

Building wells to bring clean water—it’s about people.

Sponsoring a child—it’s about people.

Supporting the homeless in your own community—it’s about people.

Planting trees—it’s about people.

Yes, you read correctly, even planting trees is about people. You see, I am involved in really cool social justice organization that plants trees.

Let me tell you how it works.

For many of the world’s poorest people, their very survival is contingent on the health of their environment.  Of course the same applies to us, but in a much more removed way.  It’s easy to forget that our bottled water actually comes from a stream or our prepackaged food may actually have been grown in this thing called soil. 

Around the world, small farmers, desperate to feed their families, are forced to cut down large areas of forested land, clearing it for farming or to sell as fuel wood.  The resulting erosion and loss of soil fertility leaves entire hillsides desolate and barren.  This entrenches poor farmers in a vicious cycle of poverty and deforestation. 

For these desperate farmers, their “carbon footprint”—or environmental impact— is literally drying up the streams that sustain them, eroding the hillsides they farm for sustenance, and threatening their very survival.  Right now.  Not in twenty years when more ice caps melt and sea levels rise, but now.

We all know trees play an important part in reducing global warming, absorbing harmful CO2 and releasing life-giving oxygen, but the full benefits of trees go much deeper.  Trees’ root systems provide living barriers that prevent soil erosion, replenish the water table, and restore desolate, unproductive lands.  

To the suburbanites and city-dwellers, these may sound like fringe benefits, but to a rural farmer, completely dependent on the land for survival, a tree can be the difference between life and death.  The difference between hope and despair, thriving and barely squeaking by, a better future for their children and a life entrenched in a vicious cycle of extreme poverty and hunger.

When trees are planted alongside crops—a technique called agroforestry—farmers experience all the benefits of trees while also providing nutritious foods and a sustainable income for their families.  For example, Plant With Purpose works with farmers to utilize agroforestry and sustainable farming techniques, empowering them to overcome poverty, provide for their families, live in dignity, and fulfill their greatest dream of all—leaving the world a better place for their children. 

So for me, the excitement of planting trees results when I can see how caring for the environment actually improves the lives of the rural poor: it’s going green meets reducing poverty meets restoring environments meets transforming lives. 

We equip farmers to plant trees—it’s about people.

We teach sustainable agriculture techniques—it’s about people.

We care for the earth—it’s about people.

It’s about people.

This month, Plant With Purpose is the featured cause on Live58.org, an alliance of nonprofits working together to end extreme poverty. As part of the 58: Global Impact Tour, Plant With Purpose is trying to raise $40,000 to plant 90,000 trees in the Dominican Republic that will restore the fruitfulness of the land and provide food for those in need. For the entire month of April, every contribution will be doubled because of a generous matching grant.

Head to the tour page to see how you can plant a tree and transform a life. Today.

And whether you’re into the justice part or the social part, I hope we all strive to live lives that value human rights, restore dignity, and improve the lives of those around us. 

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Questions: What are some of the ways you work to live a life that lends itself toward social justice? Had you ever considered the value of planting a tree as part of social justice? Which part of social justice appeals to you more?

Interested in writing a guest post for Life Before the Bucket? I'm always open to submissions! Just write up a post, or even just an idea, and e-mail it my way!

image, video credits - Plant With Purpose

Letting Go of Grudges

Note from Adrian: This is a guest post from one of my new blogging friends named Luke. Luke is an aspiring author and rollercoaster designer. He is currently studying engineering at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana. He loves the cornfields of the Midwest much more than the beaches by his home in San Diego, and if you ever meet him, he’ll probably give you a hug.

You can follow his blog, Twitter, or check out his model roller-coasters on Youtube.

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The other day I met with a guy I hadn’t seen for many years. The conversation went a little like this:

Me: So, uh, I really wanted to talk to you, cause, ummm...

Guy: Cause what? You can tell me.

Me: Well, cause I’ve kind of hated you for the past five years.

Guy: What?! Why?

Me: Cause five years ago, I was struggling with being gay, and then you spoke and said some stuff that sounded really homophobic. I was planning on finally asking for help that day, but after you spoke I changed my mind.

I braced myself for the reaction. Was this Christian guy going to get offended and lash out at me? Was he going to just get up and walk away?

The guy didn’t do any of the things I feared he would do. Instead, he looked me in the eyes and said, “I’m SO sorry.” And he said it in that real honest kind of way (as opposed to the not honest politician sort of way).

We had a good conversation after that. At first he thought I was living a gay lifestyle, so he told me that he loved me and cared for me no matter what I did. He said he wished that one day I would find comfort in God instead of in other men.

I quickly corrected him and told him that I fight my desires every day. I explained that once I worked up the courage to tell people, my struggles got a lot easier. Once I told people what I was going through, I stopped wondering, “What if they all hate me?”

Instead, I started thinking, “I can’t believe these people still love me.” And while this thought has never made my struggles go away, it has given me a stronger resolve to fight. Before I left, the guy prayed for me and gave me a hug.

I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I also felt guilty that I had waited 5 years to have this conversation. “God, if I’ve really hurt someone,” I prayed,
“Please have them talk to me right away. Don’t let them hold it in for as long as I did.”

The whole conversation with the guy couldn’t have lasted more than an hour, but within that hour, 5 years of bitterness melted away. Not all such conversations have turned out as spectacularly for me, but if you feel bitter against someone, you should take any opportunity you can to make things better, even if it means opening up your heart to someone you don’t like.

There always seems to be that guy (or girl) in your life that fills you with anger and frustration every time you think about them. Whenever you happen to walk by them, you think, “Please don’t talk to me. Please don’t talk to me.” Most of the time, they don’t talk to you and you continue to feel that anger towards them in the depths of your heart.

Stop doing that. Go up to that person, but not in an angry way. Make yourself vulnerable and show them how you feel. Hope for an apology from them, but be ready to apologize for some crazy thing they confront you with. It might not always work out perfectly, but it should lift the weight of the bitterness you’ve been holding in. Life can be enjoyed so much more when you don’t have a gazillion past grudges holding you down.

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Questions: Have you ever struggled with holding grudges? What keeps you from talking with people who you dislike? How do you think you would feel if you talked with someone you held a grudge against?

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!

image credit: windchime - sxc.hu

If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em. If You Can't Join 'Em...

Confession time.

I have a problem.

I'm not sure what's caused it or why it happens, but it most certainly does plague me. 

And admitting you have a problem is the first step, right? Who even decided that?

What? Oh, my confession? Here it is: 

I struggle to fit in.

I'm not sure what it is. 

Maybe it's my ears. When I was in elementary school, kids told me I had ears like Dumbo. And considering they were the same size then as they are now, they were probably right.

Or maybe... it's my hairy, sasquatch-like legs. The fact I can wear shorts in winter because, hey, it's like I'm wearing pants anyway, weirds some people out. Especially since they've been like this since the 6th grade.

Or it could be my diseases. After all, not everyone can say they do the Pledge of Allegiance backwards, or they have a tube in their head, or they get to use oxygen when they sleep. 

Or... is it possible? Could it be... 

My beard? Maybe its awesomeness alienates others...

Nah. Couldn't be. Moving right along, then.

So I'm not really sure what it is about me, but since I was a kid, I've struggled to fit in. I have always felt like I was on the outside looking in, and I've never truly been comfortable in that position.

When you're young, you often hear the phrase, "If you can't beat them, join them!" Well, what people never understood is I never wanted to beat them. I never even tried. Instead, I usually just skipped to the joining part, because it seemed like the nice thing to do. I've always been considerate in that way (and endearing, no?). 

But the problem is, nobody has ever let me in the group. It's like there's a secret handshake and it's impossible to perfect. Or there's a password at the doorway I just can't seem to crack. There's definitely something I'm missing.

This is about how I've felt through college.

This problem has plagued me from elementary school until today. Even in these past four years of college, I've done what I can to "fit in," only to quickly discover that the "in" thing to do these days is not fit in. Seriously, life is trying to stop me at all costs.

And I've even experienced this in blogging. Now, granted, it might just be because I'm a shoddy writer, but I'm told repeatedly by sources I trust (read: my wife) that I'm a gifted writer. And I enjoy writing quite a bit, so it's not like I'm a grump about it. 

It's like, somehow, people from my "real" life have invaded my "virtual" life and whispered to everyone, "Don't let him in!" It's maddening, to tell you the truth.

But alas, life goes on. I still have to wake up, write, click the publish button, and hope someone decides to share in the mini-party going on here. Whether I'm "in" or not, I keep plugging away. And why? Well, let me tell you a little something (because I'm not one to keep secrets, like those kids from middle school):

It doesn't matter if you fit in. That should never be your goal.

And when I think others might think I'm crazy for what I'm writing, I look to the life of this one guy to see what it shows. You see, I think Jesus lived life exactly right, and I'd like to emulate him as best I can. So when I see that he, too, was excluded and rejected by peers, I'm comforted. 

"But then what?" I think. "How did he cope with that? He was human after all," I wonder. And then the light bulb clicks.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. And if you can't join 'em, join someone else.

Duh, Adrian. Duh, duh, duh.

Jesus was rejected and despised by men, so instead, he joined God. Well-played, Jesus. I see how that worked out for you.

This dawned on me last week, as I was fighting a nasty urge to unsubscribe from every blogger ever and abandon all hope in this blogging world. (Sometimes, I have a flair for the dramatic.)

As I was having my mini-meltdown, I read something someone recently said:

"Your blog looks like a great community,"

and then the aforementioned light bulb clicked.

Duh, Adrian. Duh, duh, duh.

If I can't "fit in" to the communities of others with my big ears, hairy legs, weird diseases, and awesome beard, then maybe I should stop trying and start valuing the community I'm already in.

And if push comes to shove, I'd have to admit, I do greatly value each and every one of you who reads, comments, e-mails, and shares with me on a regular basis. I know what we have here isn't much, and it isn't even necessarily an "official" community. 

But it is what it is. And the larger it grows, the closer I feel to you all. I'm not one to exclude others, because I sincerely believe goodness exists inside us all, and such goodness cannot be ignored. So I want this community to keep growing, shifting, shaping, changing. It may be painful at times, but it's worthwhile.

So consider this an elaborate "Thank You" to you, my fair reader. I don't care if this is the first post you've ever read at Life Before the Bucket, or even if this is the last post you ever read here. I genuinely care about you, your life, and helping you to live it to the fullest. 

I hope you see this community as one which is open and welcoming to you, whoever you are, from wherever you reside, no matter what shape you're in. Because, hey, you can't be much weirder than me!

If you just happen to be stopping by for the first time, but you'd like to keep sharing in what goes on around here, check out the Updates page, and find a way to follow that works for you. And if you're feeling particularly risky today, consider leaving a comment. I like to think of comments as investments. You leave one because you expect to get something in return, and I can promise you'll get exactly that around here.

Thanks again for reading, whoever you are, wherever you are. You are important. You are loved. And you do "fit in" somewhere (at the very least, you'll fit in here!), because you are worthy of being cared about.

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Questions: Have you ever struggled to fit in somewhere? Do you have any oddities which keep you from fitting in? How important is fitting in to you? Do you enjoy the community at Life Before the Bucket?

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!

image credit - zumbari - sxc.hu