Tim Chan's Blog, page 10

Every Worthwhile Project [Excerpt]

Every worthwhile art project I’ve ever undertaken, I have hated.

Somewhere in the middle of the creating process, I have inevitably hit a point where I felt frustrated, stuck and miserable about whatever I was working on.

I’m not sure when I first noticed the trend but when I did, it shocked me.Ever since I first picked up a brush in Grade Ten art class, I’ve loved painting; staring at the crisp white canvas and imagining the finished product, breaking out the paints, blending the hues and most...

Why Do Men Become Stay-At-Home Dads?

Why do men decide to become stay-at-home dads? Recently, I, along with 3 other dads in Vancouver, were interviewed by Fairchild TV for their documentary on the rise of stay-at-home dads in recent years. According to Statistics Canada, men now account for 12% of stay-at-home parents (compared to just 4% in 1986). This blog post isn’t about arguing whether stay-at-home dads are on the increase, or whether this phenomenon is over-hyped, it is about exploring the reasons why men decide to become...

10 Tips for a Great Photoshoot with a Toddler

As an early Christmas gift this year, Tim and I decided to give my parents a family photoshoot while they were in town earlier this month. It was our first time doing an outdoor photo session with Allie – and the first time all five of us had nice pictures taken together. Our friend Karis, from Karis Truman Photography, took our photos and we were thrilled with how they turned out. In the process, we learned a few tricks about getting great shots with a toddler!

Tip #1: Determine Some Shots Be...

Courage is: Admitting When You’re Your Own Worst Enemy

["Courage Is"is a guest post series of readers sharing their personal stories of courage and what it means to live courageously. This is Laura W.'s story.]

I’ve struggled with body image issues and being significantly overweight since about grade 4. When classmates started to notice (and care) that I was heavy, I started to get made fun of for it. Kids can be mean. They said things no one should have to hear, and even wrote things on bathroom walls for me to find during breaks between high sch...

4 Phrases that Get Me Through the Tough Days

I have four phrases of hope. I’ve collected them over the last five years since I went through burnout and subsequent recovery. They carry me through the tough moments when I feel like life is too relentless and I can’t catch a break. They help me regain perspective and keep me from hyperventilating. I guess I would call them my life-lines.

Here are my four life-saving phrases:

“Just Today”

I often live in the future. I’m a planner by nature and I tend to think ahead for all my projects and enga...

The Joy of Learning and 8 Fascinating TED Talks

[This is a guest post by Toma Doo of Canadian Office Supplies, a family friend that Tim works for, helping with their web marketing, website, blogging, SEO, and social media]

It’s September and all the students are back to school. I remember the years when I was a student and the feelings associated with the start of school. It was a mixture of

Disappointment – about the end of the long summer days of sleeping in, watching movies, going to the beach, and vacationing
Dread – from knowing that thi...

When God Seems Like Your Unreasonable Mother

Becoming a parent has made me more compassionate toward God. It might sound strange, but that’s the change I’ve noticed in me. Prior to having a child, there were many times when I would ask, “How could you do this, God?” I would think that He was being mean or not paying attention. I would question His intentions. I still wonder what He’s up to sometimes. But my perspective has changed. I give Him the benefit of the doubt more often now. I know that there’s more on the table than my personal...

Will I Stay Single Forever? (A Story)

In July 2006, I was thoroughly struggling with being single. I had no clue at that time that by November of that year, I would be dating Tim. I only knew that at the age of 25, I deeply desired to be married and seemingly had no prospects on the horizon. I took a personal retreat that summer and one afternoon I had this vision. I wrote it in my journal and it carried me forward into the days ahead. I want to share it with our readers today.

The Cave

“Let him who walks in the dark,

who has no li...

Is There Hope After a Breakup?

“My fiance recently called off our engagement. I’m having a hard time with this sudden turn of events. There are rare moments when I recognize that he was expecting me to be someone I’m not and I realize that not marrying him is probably for the better. But it still hurts. I was so sure that he was the answer to my prayers – now I feel like God has let me down. Is there still hope? How can I move past this?”

Someone’s recent question to us made me pause and reflect. Here’s how I responded:

Dear...

The Holiness of Napping [Excerpt]

“As the people stood in the distance, Moses entered into the

deep darkness where God was.”(Exodus 20:21, NLT)

When I was 27 years old, I walked into the darkest time of my life.I didn’t know at the time that in this darkness I would also meet God.

I was a young missionary, exhausted from living. My stomach constantly ached. Taking a shower left me feeling so depleted I needed a nap to recover from it. Deciding what to make for supper was harder than a calculus exam. I could barely concentrate on...