Faith

The pitfalls of comparison

For most of my life I couldn’t stop comparing myself to others. Is he smarter than me? Is she prettier than me? Does she have more friends than I do? Sounds normal and innocent enough, but I ended...

Relationships

A man’s take on casual dating

Did you know that the term “going steady” originated in the 1950s, where it referred to a couple that was ready to commit to a marriage? Today, “going steady” takes a looser...

Faith

Help! My best friend wants to be a full-time missionary

Though Annie and I had only met a year ago, we became best friends in no time. Not only were we in the same group of friends in the same CCA – we also attended the same church and cell. We...

Culture

As a child of divorce, I beg you: Don’t do it

When I sit across the table from someone going through the process of divorce, or whose parents are considering a divorce, it’s hard to find the right words to say.  “You can’t tell me what to...

Relationships

In trying to be a friend, I let myself be emotionally manipulated

I grew up with love stories. When I was younger, it was about how true love made a mermaid abandon her home for a prince.  When I was older, it was the Korean dramas which showed how true love...

Faith

I would have left this world if not for a friend

Since young, I hated looking at myself in the mirror because of how ugly I thought I was. I wouldn’t even take pictures with anyone. It was suffocating, living with this fear of mirrors and...

Faith

You’re never too far gone

Some time ago, I sat in a conflict resolution meeting with some of my cell members. Simply put, the conflict was caused by mistakes I had made. There was a lot of unease going into that meeting as I...

Relationships

How I forgave my dad for having an extramarital affair

I grew up in a Christian family. We attended Church every Sunday, my parents taught me to pray and they read the Bible to me. Everything was smooth-sailing – until my parents got into a fight that...

Relationships

Why was I born into a dysfunctional family?

I’ve been a straight “A” student all my life. I constantly topped my cohort – and was Head Prefect to boot! But while my life seemed perfect on the surface, it was far from that...