I have been working on this more recently because, frankly, my life has felt so adrift lately. It has lacked the focus and direction I always seemed to have in my younger years. I understand that it is often in the waiting that we grow the most. I have studied the scriptures and have seen that for virtually every man of God, there was a time of waiting and preparation before their significant ministry began. David, John, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Noah, and many more… including Jesus. If all of those giants of the faith had seasons of waiting, why would I think I wouldn’t? Why would I be exempt from a season of waiting and preparation if even Jesus had one prior to his ministry?
I have become content in my time of waiting in recent days and have decided to do everything I can to make a difference in the lives of my family and friends during this period and make as much of an impact on this world as possible. To that end, I have begun a bucket list of things I want to do and accomplish in this life.
My Bucket List:
1) Stop farting around and write a bucket list
2) Earn my Bachelors Degree
3) Earn my Masters Degree
4) Visit Jerusalem, the Sea of Galilee, Red Sea, Bethlehem, and other historical sites in Holy land
5) See the pyramids in Egypt
6) Take a trip to Hawaii and see a volcano
7) Visit Thailand, Vietnam, Korea, and China
8) Take a multi-week cross country RV trip and see the USA and its sights (Yellowstone, Rockies, Grand Canyon, Pacific Coast, et. Al.)
9) Eat at a Bobby Flay Restaurant
10) Eat at a Gordon Ramsey restaurant
11) Go on a missions Trip to all inhabited continents on Earth at least once (N. America, S. America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia)
12) Adopt a child or a sibling pair
13) Spend a week alone hiking a portion of the Appalachian Trail
14) Climb a mountain
15) Become physically fit and healthy
16) Help my wife to achieve her fitness goals and to reinforce a positive body image for her
17) Help my kids to be the best they can be and pursue a career they will love and not let them chase a paycheck
18) Be a husband, father, and man that seeks God’s heart and desires always to follow Him
19) Start a Bible school/college for laypeople, putting theological education at an attainable level for everyone who wants it
20) Try Scuba diving
21) Become a published author
22) Help build a house for someone (Habitat for Humanity or Fuel Haiti)
23) Work to eradicate hunger and homelessness in my community
24) Talk less and listen more
25) Meet my neighbors and be a witness for Christ in my own neighborhood
26) Create enough margin in my life to spend more time with family and friends
27) Learn how to use chopsticks well and use them to eat in Asian cultures
28) Eliminate all excess debt in my life
29) Own a home
30) Visit Alaska and go hunting and fishing while there
31) Hunt and take down an 8 point buck
32) Hunt with my son and see him take down an 8 point buck
33) Own a boat and spend time on it with my family
34) Visit the white cliffs of Dover
35) Walk on the beach at Normandy
36) Mentor/Disciple a group of men to grow in their spiritual walk
37) Have my own garden and eat from it daily
38) Eat at a 3 Michelin Star restaurant in America and Europe
39) Become an excellent Marksman
40) Attend both a Summer and a Winter Olympic Event
41) Invent something and receive a patent for it
42) Be invited to the White House or Congress/Senate for a meeting or to speak on a topic that matters to me
43) Dig wells to provide drinking water in 3rd world country villages
44) Be able to give a $5,000 gift to charity
45) Be able to give a $10,000 gift to charity
46) Be able to give a $20,000 gift to charity
47) Preach a sermon on every continent on earth
48) Share my faith in a Communist nation
49) Share my faith in an Islamic nation
50) Take a spiritual retreat for at least 3 days in solitude each year. Use time for study and prayer
51) Yell “ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!” standing on the floor of the coliseum like in the movie Gladiator
52) Visit the concentration camps in Germany and Poland (Auschwitz and Dachau specifically)
53) Attend the Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo, Monaco
54) Drive Exotic Cars (Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, McLaren, Mercedes AMG, BMW M Car)
55) Get my pilot’s license (flying helicopter or plane)
56) Get my Captain’s license (sailing)
57) Learn first aid and CPR
58) Shake hands with a President I respect
59) Design a building or home and then see it actually built
60) Run a 5k
61) Run a 10k
62) Help my wife accomplish everything on her bucket list
I think goals and the pursuit of them are a valuable and important aspect of a healthy man’s physical and mental condition. I challenge everyone reading this to set aside some time in the coming days and write your own list. Post it in the comments section on the DUDEronomy Facebook page or on this post here on the website. What would happen if thousands of men started pursuing tangible goals in this life and working to make much of their faith? Let’s find out.