“I wish I had an answer to that because I’m tired of answering that question.” -Yogi Berra
People tend to ask me the same questions all the time, but – unlike Yogi – I’m not tired of answering. I put together some of my common responses for those too shy to ask or too curious to wait for a response.
- Were you homeschooled?
- Did you go to college? Where? What degrees do you have?
- What’s your day job?
- What happened to my comment? Why can’t I read comments here?
- Do you have another blog?
- What do you do when you’re not blogging?
- Is your dad a pastor?
- Do you have any brothers or sisters or a wife?
- Do you play any instruments? Are you in a band?
- Where are you from?
- Why did you move to South Korea?
- Why did you move to Saudi Arabia?
- What are your plans for the future?
- How old are you?
- How can I contact you if I have another question?
Q. Were you homeschooled?
A. Yes, I graduated from high school when I was 16, having never “gone” to school. My mom, brilliant teacher that she is, thought I would graduate when I was 12. I got lazy.
Q. Did you go to college? Where? What degrees do you have?
A. I attended Indiana University—Southeast for three years, and I graduated with two Bachelor of Arts degrees, one in Economics and one in Philosophy. At this point in the conversation, I usually hear, “So are you going to philosophize about the economy?” No, I’m not.
After taking a break from formal educational for a few years, I took a bunch of courses online through Liberty University that turned into a Master’s degree in Intercultural Studies within a year. So I have that degree as well.
[I used to get asked a lot about how I finished two four-year degrees in three years and a two-year Master’s program in one, so I wrote a series with some of my advice specifically for college.]
Q. What’s your day job?
A. I work at Sonitrol of Louisville. We install and service CCTV systems, burglary alarms, access control doors, and fire panels in businesses around Kentucky. My job is to help everyone get where they’re supposed to go. Before this, I worked as a tutor, English teacher, freelance writer, IT guy, and social media consultant, as corny as that sounds. I like to say, though, that I make a living encouraging others and teaching them to do the same.
Q. What happened to my comment? Why can’t I read comments here?
A. I removed the comments from Marshallogue to create a more focused reading experience. That said, you can still respond to any post by clicking the “respond” link at the bottom of each post. Your response is sent directly to me, and I’ll reply to you by email (assuming you enter a valid email address). You can read more about this decision here.
Q. Do you have another blog?
A. Yes, a few others actually. The main other one is bondChristian.com.
Q. What do you do when you’re not online?
A. I enjoy Ultimate Frisbee, playing music, and trying new things, but I love hanging out with my family, friends, and interesting people in general. I also read dozens of books each year and stay involved with local churches a couple times a week.
Q. Is your dad a pastor?
A. Yes, he’s been the senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Louisville since 1992.
Q. Do you have any brothers or sisters or a wife?
A. Yes, yes, and no not yet yes. I have three younger brothers and a sister. My youngest brother is 17 years younger than me. I married my wife, Meagan, on February 28, 2015 and brought her son, Gage, into our family then as well.
Q. Do you play any instruments? Are you in a band?
A. I play guitar and drums. I started on guitar, since my dad plays. When I was 14, I started playing drums because the church needed a drummer. I played at church for about seven years. In the meantime, my brothers, my dad, and I as a band called ourselves Opus Jones. After living abroad, my brothers and I formed another band with a friend of ours. It’s called Hunchback Whale, and I’m back on guitar.
Q. Where are you from?
A. Home is Louisville, Kentucky. My parents moved here from San Diego, California when I was three years old to start a church. I lived here until 2011 when I moved to Asia for the first time. I’ve been back (and here to stay) since 2014.
Q. Why did you move to South Korea?
A. My visa said it was to teach ESL. That’s only part of the story. If you’re interested in learning more about it, check out my FAQ about heading to Korea.
Q. Why did you move to Saudi Arabia?
A. My visa said I wasn’t allowed to work in the Kingdom. But McGill contracted me to teach, so that’s what I did: taught English at technical colleges. Again, if you want to know more, check out my FAQ on heading to Saudi Arabia.
Q. Where have you traveled?
Thanks to my jobs teaching abroad, I’ve been able to visit 20 different countries overall: the United States, Mexico, Canada, South Korea, Japan, North Korea (just barely across the border), Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, India, Kuwait, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. I’ve also visited about 30 states in the US.
Q. What are your plans for the future?
A. Many. To keep more up to date on this, check out my Do page.
Q. How old are you?
A. I was born on May 6, 1989. You can do the math. That way, I don’t have to keep updating this each year.
Q. How can I contact you if I have another question?
A. Why the contact page of course (right below here). In fact, please do… even if it’s just to tell me you made it to the bottom of this page. 🙂