And a perfect example of breaking the law to save a life. — (Trigger warning: suicidal ideation) Seventh-day Adventists believe the fourth commandment, the one about the Sabbath, still applies nowadays universally, not just to Jews. Nine years ago, a friend broke the law to save my life. Let me tell you the story. The Plan The plan was straightforward. I had just dropped my…

My story isn’t over yet — (Trigger warning: suicidal ideation) My colleague and I were walking alongside the train tracks in beautiful Vancouver. We were so excited! There was a bright future ahead of us. The church that we pastored sent us there to attend a personalized workshop, just for us! Then the railroad shook. …

How to Recharge and Connect with Nature When Living in the City — As someone who spends most of my existence in the digital world, I understand the importance of taking breaks to recharge and connect with nature. Except that I live in the city. Leaving the desk (or the coffee table at Starbucks) occasionally helps. When the weather is cold (seemingly most…

I got a million-dollar question, folks. — How can we focus on positive thinking while avoiding toxic positivity? While I don’t claim to have the perfect answer, I’ve put together some thoughts. Let me know in the comments if they make sense, okay? When we adopt a positive outlook, we tend to see the good in situations…

I know I keep bringing up mindfulness in the blog, but it is doing so much for me that I need to pay it forward. — Mindfulness is a technique that involves paying attention to the present moment without judgment. In my case, it helps to manage anxiety by slowing down my racing thoughts and reducing the power of negative thoughts, which results in a more balanced perspective. Mindfulness techniques such as deep breathing exercises and…

I didn’t shave this morning and don’t feel the same. — You can laugh if you want, but I make the point to shave and trim my beard daily. My wife will love me the same if I don’t, my daughters won’t stop loving me, and my baristas will be fine when I show up at the coffee shop. But I…

Bullies live among us. They intimidate, harm, and control others with aggression and power imbalance. These half-snake, half-human…

Creating non-sexual intimacy —

Stop toxic positivity! — I’d say both, but NOT in equal parts. Based on my experience, our life is shaped mainly by external factors out of our control. Then, those factors can be shaped modestly by how we respond to them. We can tame adverse circumstances to a certain extent. …