I'm not ready to run a lightning node yet - where can I sign up to use my BTC with my lightning wallet?

I posted earlier about lightning wallets, and while I'm closer to the day when I run my own lightning node, that day is not today, or even next week (but probably next year).

Are their any public lightning nodes available? What things should I take into consideration when choosing which lightning node? What are the requirements, and how hard is it to set one up?

Thanks.