by Soo-Inn Tan | Aug 16, 2010 | 2010, Articles, Life Issues, Relationships
How many good conversations have you had this week? Apparently “happier people have more meaningful conversations (Melinda Wenner Moyer, “Skip the Small Talk,” Scientific American Mind, July/August 2010,12).” In a study conducted at the...
by Soo-Inn Tan | Jul 19, 2010 | 2010, Articles, Christian Living, Faith, Life Issues, Suffering
Last Sunday (July 11th) I had the privilege of being asked to say a few words at the memorial service of my friend Alvin Tan. He died from a heart attack, age 41, on 27 April 2010. I started my saying: “It’s such a waste that he died so young. If he had...
by Soo-Inn Tan | Jun 7, 2010 | 2010, Articles, Family, Life Issues, Suffering, Widowhood
When Bernice and I visit a newly widowed friend, we will invariably be asked, “how long will it take?” No explanations needed. We know precisely what is being asked. How long before one gets over the crippling, agonising pain of loss? How long before life...
by Soo-Inn Tan | May 31, 2010 | 2010, Articles, Life Issues, Relationships
Just came back from a three week trip to the Pacific North West — Vancouver and Seattle, with a side trip to Calgary. We made a similar trip last year. I can summarise this trip in two words — work, and friends. Work, well, the volume of work this time was...
by Soo-Inn Tan | May 6, 2010 | 2010, Articles, Christian Living, Life Issues, Relationships, Spiritual Friendship
“You have 500 friends on Facebook. How many friends do you have?” If it sounds like a trick question, the joke is on us. We live in an age where we talk a lot about friendship but experience little real friendship. As William Deresiewicz observes: Already...
by Soo-Inn Tan | Apr 29, 2010 | 2010, Articles, Death & Grief, Life Issues
My Bible reading this morning (April 28) was the account of the death and raising of Lazarus from John 11: 1-44. What has always struck me about this passage is that Jesus purposely delayed going to see His sick friend so that Lazarus would die. Jesus allowed His...
