Real Dating Wisdom

Over the last year, I've interviewed married Christian couples about their time before marriage in order to get real dating wisdom. Now I'm engaged and my fiancee and I would like to share our story to wrap up this year-long project. It's been quite the journey.

In this special episode, couples tell their stories of how they first said "I love you."

Zach and Morgan met in high school. One day He saw her singing for an audition and it was love at first sight. He asked her out that very day and bought a ring within three weeks. Now they've been married for over 8 years and have 3 children together.

Will and Emma met in college. He invited her to Shrekfest and she had a terrible time.  Emma was nervous about entering a relationship but Will kept pursuing her. Now they've been married for over 3 years and have 2 children together.

Michael Foster and Emily Foster met as teenagers. He lived in Indiana and she lived in Ohio. They talked on the phone and wrote letters to each other until the day he finally confessed his feelings for her. As of this recording they've been married for 20 years and have eight children together.

Former podcast participants Levi, Zak, and Hank, answer the most pressing questions single men have about dating and choosing a spouse. In the episode they talk about their own experiences being single, mistakes they see men making, and they give a ton of helpful advice.

Former podcast participants Catherine, Chelsea, and Sandy answer the most pressing questions single women have about dating and choosing a spouse. In the episode they talk about their own experiences being single, mistakes they see women making, and they give a ton of helpful advice.

Caleb and Kayla met at a homeschool alumni conference. He was a farmer and she wanted to be a homemaker. They both lived in different states and spent months communicating through email and eventually through Skype. As of this recording they've been married for 6 and a half years and half 4 children together.

Courtship: Is it good? Is it practical? Former podcast participants John Weis, Jon Pryor, and Aaron Nix share their thoughts on courtship, compare it to dating, and give a few principles singles should follow when approaching relationships.

Is there any benefit of waiting to date? Find out from Caleb and Deborah. They met as teenagers and waited a full year before they started dating. As of this recording they’ve been married for 8 years and have two children together. Here’s their story. . .

Bryce and Heidi met at Red Lobster. He was an unbeliever and she suffered from PTSD after a severe car accident.  They got to know each other through years of working together. Eventually Bryce was saved and they started dating shortly after. As of this recording they've been married for over four and a half years. Here’s their story. . .

John and Emily met on a Christian dating website. She winked at him and he winked back.  They dove straight into serious discussion and each found the other to be a great match. Now they've been married for over 10 years and have 4 children together. Here’s their story. . .

You're awkward and the two of you have nothing in common. Do you still have a chance?

Wes and Liz met at Chick-fil-A. He was awkward and she didn't like him for years.  However, he was persistent and eventually they started dating. Now they've been married for over 11 years and have 3 children together. Here’s their story. . .

32 Christian singles, took a survey and reveal what they want in a spouse, as well as their fears and frustrations with dating. In this video, I review the survey results and give some of my thoughts.

Survey Results:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vR1ST6FnPg776KlQChjJfG7_RxDYqdwX_L72utYX-d3CTr1btmvUvXDEniAUtNbUw_eCRYKqbUTLcGy/pubhtml

How does the courtship model play out over long-distance?

Aaron and Anna were raised in courtship culture. They met through online schooling while discussing theology on the school's public forum. Eventually their friendship became a long-distance courtship. As of this recording, they've been married 12 years and have 7 children together.

Note: There are some minor audio issues in the first 5 minutes of this episode. The rest of the episode sounds normal.

Ovid and Bettie were both previously widowed from 30 year marriages. They met through a matchmaking service in the early 2000s. They were engaged in 7 days and married in 7 weeks. As of this recording they've been married 22 years. Here’s their story. . .

Zak and Kathryn have been married for 8 years and have five children together. They met in youth group when they were young. Zak liked Kathryn early on, but it took years for her to warm up to him.

How does an awkward guy become "the one who got away"? Zak and Kathryn answer this question and many more in this episode of Real Dating Wisdom. Here's their story . . .

Jon and Chelsea have been married for 11 years and have seven children together. They met at a dance and slowly moved into dating until Chelsea's parents expressed disapproval of their relationship. Even though they were forbidden to date, Chelsea knew that Jon would make a good and godly husband.

When should someone go against their parents wishes for them? Jon and Chelsea answer this question and many more in this episode of Real Dating Wisdom. Here's their story . . .