Join the Scribble Fest!

A 10-minute Scribble-Fest

Last night, Aimee, Kate, and I decided to sit down and take 10 minutes to each write as much as possible of a story opening. The idea was to get it written down as quickly as possible instead of getting hung up in technicalities and writer's block. Here is what I came up with. Enjoy, and bear in mind it was quickly written in 10 minutes...

"Rain lashed at the windows and trickled down their faces. It was as if the house was crying. The black tree tops were scarcely visible against the dark night sky, but just visible enough that Adam was staring at them. They waved and tossed, like giant, pine fingers pointing upward with charisma. Footsteps sounded, and then there he was: cold and arrogant and—of course—champing at the inside of his own cheek..."

Read the rest at Perry Elisabeth, my author blog.

"Blessings" by Laura Story

This is one of those delightful songs that have feeling and theology. Several months ago, a mother Aimee and I were helping shared this song with us. Her little boy has been through some really difficult times after an accident earlier this year. This song is special to them because they first heard it while in the hospital with him. I, who don't have a little boy in danger, cried right there in her kitchen (or maybe celery makes my eyes water like onions do...). I think everyone can relate to this song enough to be moved. Enjoy...



(This is the title song from her new album.)

Multi-generational Wisdom

Today, Mom and I were working in the kitchen together.  Preparing me for possible marriage in the future, she handed down a word of multi-generational wisdom: "Perry, electric griddles work much better when they are turned on."

Thank you, Mom.

And thank you for your sense of humor! ;)

Should I? Could I?

From Step by Step, our courtship blog…

 

In response to David's questions:

 

#1. What main preliminary questions did you first work through to establish a ground floor to work off of?

The purpose of these questions is to determine, "Should I (or should I not) marry this person?" In other words, to find out whether the person is Biblically qualified and compatibly like-minded, and if being married to them fits within God's will.

These are examples of main preliminary questions we worked through. Obvious firsts include: whether the person a Christian and is growing in the Lord, discussing views of husband/wife roles, family vision, child education, worldview, financial issues, etc... (Note: worldviews can vary family to family even in a tight-knit community like HBC.)

 

#2. After you establish that you have the same worldview, and are making good progress forward, what next?

Once you have determined that it would be within God's will for you to marry the person, you can consider and answer the question, "Could I marry this person?" and "Do I want to marry this person?" At this point you are learning one another's personalities, likes/dislikes, growing and maturing together in the Lord through various difficulties, working together, creating a friendship, and learning how to be best friends.

In our experience, this one wasn't too hard to answer because we already knew each other for 7 years before the courtship began. Nevertheless, the months we have spent doing these things have been a huge blessing and, we believe, are laying an excellent foundation for marriage.

 

To sum it up,

The main preliminary questions we worked through were those which answered "Should I (or should I not) marry this person?" and after we were making good progress forward we did things to answer the questions, "Could I marry this person?" and "Do I want to marry this person?"

 

Any other questions out there?

 

Be God's and follow Him step by step...

Tyler & Perry

Prayer Request

As you may know, Tyler worked at Intel for about 4 months.  The contract ended in July, and he has been looking really hard for work ever since.  He is interested in using the skills and clean room experience he gained to get a "foot in the door" of the semiconductor industry.  He has applied to tons of jobs, many in this field, others not.  I am very proud of his diligence and hard work, and I hope he will be rewarded soon.

Please pray that God would provide the right job for Tyler even in this difficult economy.  And also that he would not be discouraged, but hope in God.  Thank you for your prayers!

See http://stepbystepcourtship.blogspot.com for our journey, step by step.

What Do We Do for Fun?

This is one of the first questions we received (sorry David, someone did beat you, through an email).
"What do you do for "fun" to get to know each other better?"

Answer:
Doing each other's hobbies together, playing music, reading to each other, pillow fights, going to concerts, going on walks, playing a sport (example: tennis), wash dishes/cook together, listening to music, talking politics, performing music at community picnics, going on Sunday drives (with chaperone), paddle boat riding, picking berries, lobbing small pieces of metal at specific places on a cardboard box, making faces at each other, hiding around corners then jumping out and saying "boo!", having insane conversations (Example: the theology of daffodils - daffodilology), etc.

Great question BTW, it was fun to answer.
~Us

From Step by Step, our courtship blog.  Please visit, comment, and ask your questions!