I Have a Future Bride!!!!

Today I asked the most beautiful girl to be the love of my life; she said "Um-hm-yes!!!" I am the most blessed man ever!! More details to come!!!

God's Steadfast Love Manifested

Yes, today is thanksgiving, and I am thankful; but actually I have been thinking about thankfulness the past couple of weeks, (not necessarily because of Thanksgiving) and it has been a huge blessing in my day to day walk. Even though maybe I am not where I would really like to be; which would include having 'the' job, and thus being engaged or married, I'm still was finding myself very thankful. Knowing that God has a plan, and he is making good use of this time to grow me, and Perry together in and to Him.

I've been finding myself being very appreciative of my salvation which God has graciously bestowed upon me. The more I understand his steadfast love to me, the more humble and thankful I've become. God does have a steadfast love for me, which is so incredible when I think of it. My problem though is not meditating/thinking on it enough.

Also I've been thankful for my immediate family, having one, and just appreciating what God has given me. For him providing a house, and so many things in life, meaning spiritual things in life like a faith and a church. For values I've been taught by my family, their dedication through the years.

I'm thankful for God providing fairly constant work for me this year, in this economy. And the experience I gained when working at Intel, and possibly what that experience is leading to. I'm honored about a very real job prospect that I'm currently waiting for, and that I've been selected. Just the possibility of earning a wage more than two times than what I've hoped is amazing. Even if it happens to not be God's ultimate will for me. (BTW, if God gave me this particular job I would need to go to AZ for training!).

And then there is Perry. I don't even know where to start with her. I am so thankful for her! Her friendship, her encouragement, her heart, music, laughter and smile... I am so honored to pursue such a girl who is so beautiful in so many ways. She is blessed by God, and such a blessing to me. I am so overwhelmed and 'fascinated' by her.

God has indeed shown a steadfast love to me this year!

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD;
my soul shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up,
so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise
to sprout up before all the nations.

Isaiah 61:10-11

Date with Perry=AP Concert

So Friday night I took Perry on a 'date' (not the first, but at least the longest most officially planned), don't worry we had Mr. W as a chaperone. Andrew Peterson was in concert in Vancouver WA, so I got off early from work drove to Birkenfeld and then all the way to Vancouver and back again. It was actually a Steven Curtis Chapman concert with AP and Josh Wilson. But we were there for AP (who BTW we found out homeschools!), it was so much fun! I think there isn't anything else we could've enjoyed more than being TOGETHER seeing AP play some of our favorite songs (like Dancing in the Minefields,The Reckoning, World Traveler, ect...).



We did enjoy Josh Wilson doing his amazing Amazing Grace and a couple of Stevens' songs like 'Cinderella' maybe, or 'The Great Adventure' (saddle up your horses).
What was really fun was hearing AP talking and telling the stories behind the songs (he has quite the sense of humor). Or agreeing with AP that seeing Steven C. Chapman 'rocking' out on ukulele is quite the sight. Is was also really cool being at a CCM concert that had a Hammered Dulcimer on stage, (RM influence on AP) even though it only played on one song.

We did finally get to meet AP personally afterwards, Yay! We talked about Rich Mullins a little and we did get him to sign my 'Liturgy' Songbook as well as the "The Book of Us", which is a scrapbook Perry made where we basically tell each other what we like about each other (grammar okay??). AP mentioned he's always trying to write a song half as good as Rich could. :)

Perry also made a fabulous dinner (stuffed pita bread) and dessert (peanut butter-chocolate-chip-cookie-pudding cake). It was also cool to be able to drive with Perry in the vehicle after midnight drinking milkshakes! Weird i know. I got video of many of the songs too that I'll try to post.

It was quite the honor to take my pretty, best friend out on a 'date' (even though we don't 'date'). Sorry, I probably just made her turn pink. :) Thank you.

Should I? Could I?

From Perry's and mine courtship blog. stepbystepcourtship.blogspot.com


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

August 24, One Year of Courtship

The pictures are taken from the 24th, we did a photo shoot for our upcoming blog. It was also part of taking Perry out to lunch and ice cream. :)
It's been a very challenging year and a time of lot's of growing and learning. But it's also been one of the best years of my life. Truly blessed by God. Also, my thanks to Perry for being such a wonderful, fun, person to get to know.
Anyways, we enjoyed riding in my truck (while listening to Rising Gael, especially to "The Weatherman"),talking together until midnight, and going out to eat and Wed night church.
See www.stepbystepcourtship.blogspot.com for our Journey, step by step.

Courtship Encouragement Part II, Patience

-Patience-
If there's anything that a courtship will grow you in is patience. I know that's one of biggest things Perry and I are growing in. For those who aren't in a courtship and think you have patience, think again and just wait. :) Obviously, a courtship is a time when one really seeks and finds out if the other person is the right person to marry. Or maybe just check 10 times over if you knew before.
And if things seem to be going in a favorable direction, you always end up being best friends with the other person (Think about how many things/topics there is to talk about, and then think if you've ever talked about all that to anyone else besides a parent/mentor?). And in most courtships I think there's a time (it has to happen, part of the process) when you know it's Gods will that, he/she is the one.
But where does patience comes in??
Well, under the conditions listed above, you might for example...

-Want to talk about anything and everything but, some things should wait till engagement or marriage.

-Want to say something (like complimenting the other person) but have to say it in a particular way that's wholesome and good (discretion), or not say it at all.

-Want to do things together (even if it's just a hike or something) but can't always do them all the time/right away. Sometimes because you need someone(a parent) to go with you. Also Meaning wanting to be being alone, out of sight, etc... intentionally or not. (This doesn't necessarily mean I struggle with this, but just some general ideas).

-Just wanting to be married already because you so enjoy being around the other person. Example, wanting to talk very frequently, seeing one other very frequently, etc..

These are just examples, some of them we have experienced, some we haven't.
Different people will have different things, but the main issue is having patience.
It doesn't automatically mean you're sinning if you have some struggles with patience, or growing in it. Talk it over with a parent; especially for girls, they need someone to talk to and share these things with, other than the one who's courting them.



Hopefully these will be helpful to somebody sometime and make sense, and if not, who isn't interested in reading about courtship?

Courtship Encouragement Part 1

Throughout the courtship Perry and I have realized how much influence our courtship has upon others. As well as how many are watching it, awaiting it's outcome, but maybe more importantly, what we and our families do throughout the process. Also, God has used it so that people I don't even know are wondering what 'courtship' is, and asking questions/talking about it. Anyways, I've been throwing around a couple ideas in my head for awhile now to blog about. And, Perry and I decided that we would both blog about our courtship, or courtship related topics on our blogs now and then. Especially for our Arizona people, who aren't here to see it firsthand. If by chance you have a question relating to what are doing, feel free to comment. Also, for a disclaimer: Just because we are in a courtship, does not automatically makes us the "Courtship Gurus", but rather, we just like to talk about what God's been doing in our lives.


-Encouragement for the Young Men- (which also will encourage the Young Ladies) :)
So for us young men, we have the big question of when am I ready? A lot of times, we are afraid to being the topic up, or even (gulp) ask a Father about courting his daughter. Obviously, there is a season where we are preparing (like, our whole childhood and teen years, especially the latter) to be a Priest, Prophet, Provider, and Protector to a young lady and a future Family. I'm not going to necessarily tell you when you're ready, or give you a check list right now. But more of an encouragement, that when you are ready, don't be afraid to ask (even if you don't have the 50k job or are 'young') a father of someone you're interested in (God leading you to that person). Fathers can seem intimidating, but in one sense, they're on your side. What I mean is, they would love to have their daughter's' court and marry in life. Of course the big question fathers have is who and what makes him worthy? Making initial contact is the scariest thing of the whole process, but when you are to that point of being ready, be yourself, stay humble, and be bold. I wasn't to nervous when I did this, but I did lose some sleep over it, fortunately Mr. W was very gracious, lighthearted in a way, and just about as excited as I was. Fathers should be very careful and serious, but also not be so intimidating to potential young men that they're afraid to even ask.
Always strive to be an approved workman who is not despised because of his youth. Meaning not despised because he is an approved workman (or suitor). :)

Happy Birthday Perry!

Yes today is Perry's birthday, and I'm taking the liberty to tell her in as many different ways. ;) She wishes I was there(me too), and hopes it snows some too. Hope you have a awesome day and another 'crazy' good year like the last one that will be blessed. You don't know quite what to expect in a year from now but hopefully it will be good.

Lastest Courtship Event

Yep, that me. So wasn't this supposed to be about courting? In a way it is. See, I'm wearing Perry's Christmas gift to me. It's specially tailored, handmade by her (with help from a sewing machine), and it matches a dress she made a long time ago too. And she was also able to get it here without me me knowing a thing. It's a good thing that we have friends around the corner to ship things to. :)
Thank YOU Perry. ;)
(Go to Perry's blog to see what I made her)



Speaking about little sisters, Sadie saw that I needed new pajama pants and gave me two pares of them. One is made out of plaid fabric, which is also the only one I've worn yet, even thought I've have three nights to wear the other one. Guess it means I like it. :)

Courtship Picture by Picture

So i have tons to write about. But for now I've got some more pictures to share.
Enjoy.
I also have some pics on another camera to get as well.

This is a favorite picture taken of both of us. Thanks to Sadie, the great picture taker.


Perry and her Father (or just Mr. W) at my grandpas 80th Birthday.




Guitar


"You're gonna get it!"


'It was me, I'm guilty' ;)


Just one of our charming Chaperon's. :)


Shoes


Last one

My Favorite Writer

So last week Perry finished the first draft of her next book.... Yay!

"I have been writing a sequel to "The Heavens Declare" on the topic of light... ...I think this book will be even better than the first. Last night, at 10:30, I completed the first rough draft. Now it's on to re-writes!"

So now I'm just getting her back for her post about me on her blog. ;)

Oregon pictures and Video

Note: there was a video in this post, don't know what happened to it. I posting it now in a separate post.~
These pictures inclu de: Paul, Anna, and Sadie in kilts that I made for them from their fabric, or actually I folded them. I learned how to do this in Scotland.~
Playing music at the C's.~
Sitting on the W's stumps, I don't like the way I look BTW.~
Looking at pictures from my trip, with lots of Chaperons.~ :)
My dad filming us.~








This is a Polka that I recently learned, and I taught it to Perry, so it might be a little rough but it sounds pretty good, She picked it up pretty fast. ;) BTW I don't remember the name of it~



BTW This is how we share pictures and videos, by posting them on our blogs~ :) We do do some by e-mail but it's easier this way sometimes, Especially when one has dial-up.

A few more Pictures...

So here are a few more 'courtship' pictures so to speak. Also, look for an upcoming post of some of my thoughts on courtship, with some encouragement, tips and tricks, LOL Just Joking :) Well, something along those lines anyways. ;)
I might explain what's going on in these pictures in a later post.

Another Courtship Poem...

Yep, that's right, a second poem has been written about mine and Perry's courtship. This one was written by Mr. C. this past Saturday at our church's family camp (Mr. C and his family are living in Colorado right now). Then after the service that night he read it in an Irish accent for the whole church! :) So it was a little more merciful than the other one floating around @ www.musicalcowgirl4christ.blogspot.com ;)

~For Tyler Kirkpatrick~

There once was a lad named Tyler
Who paid no mind to the Beguiler
He talked to her dad
Who said he was glad
For Perry to court the shy smile

While away on Eire's emerald shore
Our lad said there's something in store
He held back the news
Till he landed his shoes (or actually before he even left for Eire)
On American soil once more

Young Tyler was not too terrific
On writing or calling horrific
For a time he was slim
On phone calls to him
But with Perry, he's now quite prolific!

My last verse is to give God the glory
For this first part of Tyler's great story
We trust him in seeking
The ways of His teaching
Thus all will have no thing to worry

Note: Written on the back of a family camp release form for the ropes course, during the afternoon of the ropes course.

Now Mr. C did see me on the phone that afternoon in the field talking to you know who; so....

Edited for late-night-up-too-many-days-grammatical-spelling-errors!

Courtship??

I am so thankful to God for working in my life and answering prayer; God is doing things in my life at an alarming rate, and I'm just hanging on for the ride. :) He is just so good, and He does answer your prayers when He knows it is best.

So I know, all you suspicious people, what about my post title?? (Courtship)
I am very thrilled to say that I AM in a Courtship with an 'old' young (age 18) friend who has been one of my best friends! I am very honored to have the opportunity to court this Godly, very encouraging young woman; her name is Perry W. Her blog is here: http://thesacramentofliving.blogspot.com She is the oldest sister who blogs on that blog.

They do live in Oregon (past two years) and it is one of the reasons why we were just there. I have known the W' family for over seven years and have known Perry since we were 11 years old. :)

I thank God, my parents, her parents (especially Mr. W for saying yes), Perry (For not running me off), and my Pastor for their prayers and support during this time as we whole heartily seek God's will and learn more about each other.
Look for more possible posts and/or pictures.
Hopefully these pictures come through okay. :)

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