Tim Chan's Blog, page 11

The Holiness of Napping

“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...

How Marriage is Different in Indonesia

We’ve spent the last week in Bali, Indonesia. It’s one of the most beautiful vacation destinations in Asia, and also where my brother recently got married. One of the things we’ve enjoyed during our stay here was having conversations with the local Balinese people. What we’ve discovered is that the marriage rules in Indonesia are quite different from what we are familiar with in North America.

We were told that in Indonesia, the government will only give you a marriage certificate if you marry...

What I Learned: 10 Things Your Spouse Needs to Hear You Say

[“What I Learned”is a guest post series oflessons learned in relationships that matter the most (you cansend us your storytoo). This guest post is by fellow blogger Ngina Otiende.]

Words have creative power.

The universe was created with words.

In marriage and when life gets busier – kids, career commitments e.t.c – the small things tend to sufferfirst.

Affirming, building, creative words are usually forgotten, replaced by practical, ‘real’, unexciting often uncreative vocabulary.

Once exuberantly...

Q&A with Tim Chan about Fatherhood

[This is an interview I did with Dad of Divasabout fatherhood. An earlier version of this interview was originally posted onhis Dads in the Limelight series. I was the 351st dad that he has interviewed.]

1) Tell me about yourself, (as well as how you are in the limelight.)

My name is Tim, and I’m a cheerful pessimist. I’ve worked in logistics and non-profit, and now work in social media, marketing, and writing. 5 years ago I proposed to my girlfriend with a goat (and no diamond ring), and she s...

An Honest Letter to my Post-baby Body

Dear post-baby body,

To everyone else in the world, you probably look pretty much the same as you did three years ago, before pregnancy and childbirth ran their course. But you’ve changed. We both know it. I didn’t mind the changes so much during the first year of motherhood when breastfeeding melted off the pounds and moved me up a bra size, but now that the baby is weaned and things are back to “normal,” it’s quite a different story.

Maybe I am being too critical of you. Correction: I know I’...

You’re Looking for the Wrong Person to Marry

After spending the last decade surrounded by people in their twenties, I’ve discovered the topic that occupies the majority of their thoughts is relationships.They think about how to find the right person to marry and they wonder whether the person they are dating is their soul mate.

Where did the notion of a soul mate come from anyways? I went to Google to find the answer. Apparently, Plato came up with the idea (way back when the earth was flat).

He introduced it inThe Symposium[affiliate lin...

Learning to Put Family First (before Work)

Many families I know live by the motto, “Family First.” Olive and I try to live by this principle as well. We believe that relationships are the most important thing in life, and of those, our relationship with God and family are the most valued. But what does that look like practically?

Two months ago, shortly after the launch of our second book, I got sick. Really sick. The sickest I’ve been in years. I was out of commission, lying on the couch all day long, taking three types of drugs. Oliv...

One Good Reason to Have a Child

“Give me one good reason to have a child,” two of my friends recently asked me on separate occasions. Each had been married for about two years and were now thinking about whether or not to start a family. They could come up with many reasons not to have kids: the cost, the declining condition of our planet, the total life upheaval and the loss of personal freedom among others. But they weren’t so sure about reasonsfor having a child.

They aren’t alone. A quick search on the internet gives me...

Live Amazed [Plus Win 1 of 5 Books!]

Everyone loves to be amazed. They love being surprised by something that is awesome, breathtaking, inspiring… something that has a WOW-factor. That’s why people love travelling – going to see the Grand Canyon or the Eiffel Tower or the Great Wall of China. That’s why people love watching great movies with unexpected plot twists, amazing graphics, and moving performances. That’s why people enjoy watching reality TV talent shows or singing, dancing, cooking, home renovation competitions. We all...

Our Summer Plans

Hi everyone,

We thought we’d take a break from our regular blog posts today and write you a personal note.

First of all, a big thank you to all of you who read our blog, share it with others, and leave thoughtful comments and questions. You are the main reason we continue to write and we’re grateful for you.

Second, we will be blogging less in these next summer months. Since the blog started, we’ve posted 2-3 new blog posts every week. For the summer, it will be just one post. Why? Mainly we’d l...