Tim and Olive's Blog

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. Read More

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.Read More

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 stay-at-home dads.
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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!
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[“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 school classes.
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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.
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[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 this would be the beginning of long classes, lots of homework, group projects, and difficult exams
• Anticipation – of getting to reunite with friends, interacting with favourite teachers, and starting to learn again.

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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 happiness.
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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.Read More

“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.
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