Articles by

Joanne Kwok

Church Life

Why I changed church

I am someone that others might call a church-hopper. I’m only 28, but I’ve changed church four times already. I’m writing this to tell anyone reading: Don’t make the same...

Singlehood

When will my Song Joong Ki come?

K-drama fan or not, who could forget 2016 – the year of Korean blockbuster series Descendants of the Sun? I’ll be able to look back fondly and tell my grandchildren one day that I was right there...

Work

This is my In-dependence Day

A year ago today, I celebrated my own Independence Day. I had quit the job I loved after a whirlwind journey of four years. I was 27 years old and leaving the industry I was so sure God had designed...

Friendship

A letter to my gay best friend

Dear You, I’m writing this with trepidation and excitement at the same time. I don’t know how you’ll feel upon reading it, and some of this has been brimming over for a while. I just didn’t...

Mental Health

Hope does not put us to shame

I have depression and no one in church knows. Some of the adults have asked about my health, noting that I look tired, grey and wane. But how do I come clean about my condition when anxiety is...

Mental Health

An open letter to my depression

Dear Depression, I want to thank you. Even though you’ve taught me how to sob soundlessly into the depths of a pillow, hands clutching desperately at the sheets like a drowning man grasping a...

Worldview

Coming out Christian

I am the worst at confrontation. Don’t let the volume of my voice and weight of my words fool you. It’s probably why I enjoy giving speeches rather than engaging in debates. Join the fight? Pick...

Family

THIR.ST TALKS: Our favourite dads dish the dirt on you

Everybody’s best friend or man of a few words, your father probably always had a good story to tell. Thir.st pulled up a chair and sat down with four of our favourite fathers – Uncle...

Family

What Father’s Day means without Dad

“What are you planning to do for your father this year?” It’s the question I’ve dreaded answering whenever Father’s Day rolls around. I haven’t celebrated it since my dad...