Tim Chan's Blog, page 9

Why It’s Hard for Me to Announce My Pregnancy

Today we’re going public with the news: I am 14 weeks pregnant with our second child. With such exciting information, you’d think I would be bursting to make the announcement, right? Well, not really. I actually have mixed feelings about letting everyone in on this new development in our family. It’s not because we’ve had any health challenges (thankfully). In fact, my first trimester felt much better this time around. The reason I find it hard to announce my pregnancy? I am acutely aware tha...

Gratitude Comes Before Joy [Reflections for Advent Week 3]

The theme for the third week of Advent is Joy. One thing that I’ve thought about this year is the relationship between gratitude and joy. I started off thinking that we are grateful as a result of joy. For example, I have a great family that brings me joy, and because of that, I am grateful. Or my boss just praised me for doing a great job on a recent project which brings me joy, and as a result I feel grateful.

But it seems I may have been mistaken.

Researcher and author Brene Brown says that...

Quotes about Peace [Reflections for Advent Week 2]

The theme for Advent week 2 is peace. I’ve collected a few quotes about peace to reflect on this coming week.

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.-Jimi Hendrix

Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding.-Ralph Waldo Emerson

It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.-Eleanor Roosevelt

If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have...

What is Hope? [Reflections for Advent Week 1]

The first Sunday of December (which was yesterday) marks the beginning of Advent. Advent is a season observed by many Christians as a time of preparation and expectant waiting for the celebration of Jesus’ birth. The term comes from the Latin word adventus, which means “coming”.

The keeping of an Advent wreath is a common practice in many homes and churches. My wife has set up an Advent wreath on our mantle, with four candles. For every Sunday of Advent, a candle is lit. Each candle represents...

Why Jenny Won’t Wear Socks – Helping parents understand Sensory Processing Disorder

[This is a guest post by Dr. Nareeta Stephenson, aPort Coquitlam Chiropractor specializing in family chiropractic, women's health and sensory processing disorder.]

• Is it a struggle to get socks on your child because the seams bug them or they are “pilly” inside?

• Does your child become upset with loud or unexpected noise? Or notice noises that most of us don’t hear (like fans, fridges, beeps or hums)?

• Does your child have a melt down when you enter the mall or any other busy place?

• Is your...

Choosing An Education For Your Child: Homeschool vs. Private School

[This is a guest post by James Radcliff.]

Choosing an education for your child is a critical decision given its impact on the long-term prospects and successes of your child in a personal and professional capacity. There is much debate about the type of education that merits the best results.The reason I think that comparing private to home school is interesting is because they are both options that generally cost money. In fact homeschooling can be more expensive than private school – since i...

Why Saying “Marriage Isn’t For You” is Naive

Three days ago, Seth Adam Smith published a blog post entitled “Marriage Isn’t For You” that went viral (Seth says it has over 4 million views so far). His cleverly titled post explained that marriage isn’t about your own happiness, but about your spouse’s happiness.

[image error]This is my response to his post. I disagree with what he writes. His sweeping statements oversimplify the complexity of marriage.I’m writing this (with help from my wife) mostly for all the single people who find some part of Seth...

Top 5 Reasons to Get Pre-Marital Mentoring

[This is a guest post by Randy Hamm from The Marriage Mentor. He has been working with premarital and married couples for over 10 years.]

“Um, to be honest, what would we talk to a mentor about for 6 hours?”

I had just explained that I usually recommend a minimum of three, 2-hour sessions (for a total of 6 hours) for premarital mentoring. The bride-to-be (let’s call her Kate) on the other end of the line couldn’t imagine needing to talk for so long about their relationship. I had them complete...

Beauty Redefined by a Toddler

“Mama, look at this one!” my daughter waved an autumn leaf excitedly. “And this one!” as she bent down to pick up another. Watching her run here and there, one would think there was endless treasure scattered everywhere about her. To her, there was.

As I reached out my hand to receive the gift she was extending to me, I tried to remain positive and supportive.The leaf was withered, speckled and half-decayed.

This was her first real autumn experience. Last year, she had barely known how to crawl...

“God In My Everything” by Ken Shigematsu – Book Review

I was very excited to receive my copy of “God In My Everything” because the author, Ken Shigematsu, is my mentor and I respect him greatly. This is my review of his book.



“God In My Everything” is a book about developing habits and practices in your life that help you grow your relationship with God. The concept of the book came from a pilgrimage that Ken took to Ireland, where he visited a monastic community that was formed in the sixth century. During his 10 days there, he got to learn about...