Relationships

Seeing my struggles, a teacher taught me the most important lesson I would ever learn

My parents were divorced when I was 10. It felt like a relief then because my dad was impulsive, brash, and hot-tempered. He had a hard time providing for our family of six and even so, he drank,...

Culture

It’s Okay to Not Be Okay: For all the drama with our parents, there is a love that never dies

WARNING: SPOILERS UP TO EPISODE 4! I have to say, Kim Soo Hyun’s ongoing comeback drama, It’s Okay to Not To Be Okay (or in original Korean, “Psycho but That’s Okay”) has not...

Relationships

1 year on: Is marriage supposed to be this good?

Since I got married in June last year, people have asked me how it’s been going. My answer has always been the same – better than expected. Why do I say that? Because in the lead-up to our...

Relationships

What hope remains if I’ve lost my virginity?

As a young teenager, I was a bookworm hooked on reading romantic fiction. In these novels, love was associated with passionate embraces and romance always ended well. Watching TV was also one of my...

Culture

Can you stand by your friends and your convictions too?

I remember the time when my friend, Z, came out to me. He broached the topic very gingerly, almost like tip-toeing around a landmine. After revealing that he was attracted to the same sex, Z studied...

Culture

What it’s like struggling with same-sex attraction as a Christian

“Yes, but how long should we tolerate what they say and do?” At the word, “they”, I felt a huge gulf open between me and the world around me. Everything shrank into “us” and “them,”...

Relationships

What trying to be a great dad taught me about the Good Father

“You would make a great dad, Jon.” This was said to me several times before Dorea and I had our first kid. And the shameless truth is, I agreed. I love kids. There always was a deep, God-given...

Relationships

Growing up without my father, the brokenness spilled over into my relationships

Growing up as a child of divorce, I was filled with envy. I tried my very best to fill this gap in my heart through friendships, relationships and material goods. I altered my character to make...

Relationships

The gift our fathers deserve

I know too many people who draw a blank when it comes to what they love about their dad. That he provides for our family? Some of us might say. And if I were to ask, “What about him makes you...