Faith

What role does the Church play in their churchgoers’ love lives?

One of the chapters in a book I was reading recently, The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller, talked about singleness and marriage. One of the passages he mentioned briefly was 1 Corinthians 7....

Relationships

The three Cs of compatibility

“Wait,” I found myself saying. He was about to board the train when he stopped in his tracks and looked at me expectantly. I parted my lips to tell him what was on my heart but not a sound came...

Relationships

My parents don’t talk any more

“How are your parents?” That was the question my friend asked me, as we sat in a ramen shop after wrapping up our worship training overseas. She had just shared with me about her family; she was...

Relationships

Does my dad deserve a Father’s Day?

When I was growing up, Father’s Day wasn’t even invented yet – not to me anyway. And I probably would have resisted the idea of it had I known about it then. Not much to celebrate, I...

Relationships

My dad loved me in his own language, even when I couldn’t understand it

On my study table is an old postcard that was sent from Holland. It was addressed to me 25 years ago, when I had barely learned to talk and was left in the care of some relatives. My mum and dad were...

Relationships

For many years, I thought my dad didn’t love me

My dad held out his hand. “Give me your hand,” he told me. I clasped my hands behind my back and shook my head. “Give me your hand or it will be even more painful for you,” he repeated. Tears...

Relationships

My father, the drug addict

James Giam (51) has been jailed 19 times over the span of three decades. And in the nine years he spent away from home, his wife and two young sons, James was all alone. He slept in parks and in the...

Relationships

Are you tired of being a cell leader?

Are you leading someone difficult? At any level of leadership, you are going to come across sheep who are difficult to herd. You push them in one direction, in search of better pastures — but they...

Relationships

I was the non-believer Christians are told not to be yoked with

As a freshman in university, I remember that one of the things I wanted to get out of my college life was to challenge my own limited worldview. Coming from a Junior College that was largely...