What’s In It For Me?
Whenever we are asked to make a commitment involving our time, effort, or resources, we usually ask, “What’s in it for me?”
Entries by Sim Kay Tee
When the Odds Are Not in Your Favor
Having attended many weddings, I can’t say I enjoy sitting through the all-too-familiar wedding ceremony. But there is one part of the ceremony that I actually do enjoy—when the couple shares with everyone the unique story of how they met, fell in love, and especially how they overcame the odds to be together.
Trust and Obey
When you think about engagements, you usually imagine the exchange of rings between the couple as a sign of their future together. Engagement traditions differ from culture to culture. The Chinese include the sending of betrothal gifts to the bride’s family on an auspicious day and reciprocal gifts to the groom’s family. These gifts include jewellery, red packets containing money, household items (like bedding and even spittoons), and food (like wine, rice cakes, and pig trotters).
What Makes a Real Man?
I am saddened by the news that a highly respected author and apologist who has vigorously defended the Christian faith now has to defend his own reputation. He is embroiled in a personal lawsuit involving a married woman who sent nude photos to him. Admitting a lack of discretion and good judgment on his part, he concludes that he failed to exercise wise caution and guard himself from even the appearance of impropriety. He advises fellow Christian men to take extra precaution in their personal conduct and communications, especially with the opposite sex.
What Will Your Character Show?
Every person has a different love story to tell. All love stories are unique and truly amazing. But the question in each story is the same: Whom would you marry? Well, we usually marry the person we are madly in love with. We find that special someone who fulfils the qualities that we believe our life partner should have. Quite naturally, we want one that is good-looking. But invariably, as Christians, we want someone who loves God, who is godly, and who is of good and Christ-like character. Some 30-odd years ago, I found the love of my life. And I eventually married my best friend Lay Keng, “a woman of noble character”
God’s Will, God’s Way
In Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the young lovers lament about how true love will always face great obstacles, especially when those involved come from very different ethnic, cultural, and social backgrounds. The love of Ruth and Boaz is all these and more.
An Unusual Marriage Proposal
In life, there are times when we have to make major decisions. You come to a fork in the road, make that one decision, and your life veers off in a completely new direction. For example, the decision to accept or reject Christ. To remain in your home church or leave. And, of course, whom to marry. That one decision determines everything else that follows. Christians who marry know they have to live with their choices.
Does The End Truly Justify The Means?
It is Naomi who raises the possibility of marriage for Ruth (Ruth 3:1). Jewish parents arranged marriages for their children (Genesis 24:3–4), which includes their daughters and widowed daughters-in-law. Naomi knows that there are guardian-redeemers in the extended family who can buy back Elimelek’s property, provide for the widows, and continue the family line. Since love has developed between Boaz and Ruth, Naomi plans to make that happen. She is opportunistic. The problem lies in her chosen method of bringing these two together.
From Affliction to Blessing
In some countries, laws have been enacted allowing aged parents to claim maintenance from their children. In Singapore, for example, the “Maintenance of Parents Act” gives neglected or abandoned parents the legal means to force their well-off children to support them financially.