Life & Death

Life & Death

Saving the safest place in the world

I had been asking God what was next. After years in the marketing industry, enjoying my job as I supported my husband in his full-time ministry as a pastor, I had known for some time that I needed to...

Life & Death

Unwed, pregnant and headed for Harvard โ€“ I thought the choice was clear

He was my best friend. We had known each other for five years. At that time, both of us were the most senior Ph.D students in the laboratory. We started a secret relationship without the knowledge of...

Life & Death

Praying for the dying

It was 2017, the day after Christmas. The Thir.st team had gathered at my place for lunch, and we were in the midst of playing a game when my phone suddenly rang. It was my friend Aaron’s...

Life & Death

If God is good, why did my grandma have to die?

When the life of someone close to you flickers away, all sorts of questions will course through your mind. God, if You are good โ€“ why didn’t you save her? Couldn’t you have let her live...

Life & Death

My child, a gift from God, stillborn without a skull

My husband, Bryan, and I had been waiting for God to bless us with a second child. When we finally tested positive on a pregnancy kit, we were ecstatic. Through the first 12 weeks, everything...

Life & Death

I came close to death when I was a kid

I have had 2 near-death experiences in my life so far. In my first one, I was just 8 years old. A few of us were playing a game of catching in the car park after school (not a wise move with...

Life & Death

I started 2019 with a funeral

On the list of ways I thought I would be starting 2019, attending my friend’s funeral was not one of them. I expected New Year parties, barbecues, even clearing assignments for school โ€“ yet...

Life & Death

Six hours with my warrior baby: The miracle of life beyond this one

This was written by Benecia in response to her own piece, “They said my unborn baby is incompatible with life“, following the delivery of her son Elkan, who was diagnosed with acrania in...

Mental Health

Stricken with PTSD and depression after my mum suddenly passed away, I thought my life was over

Jesus, donโ€™t you care? Where are you? Please take the pain away.ย  It was Mark 4:35-41 all over again, where Jesus was asleep in a boat with his disciples when a storm hit and threatened to engulf...