Real Life, Real People

Be inspired by these ordinary people who have extraordinary stories. Wherever you are in life, every story in here is sure to give you hope!

Real Life, Real People

Bullied into a corner – and there I met grace

I was a late bloomer; as recently as six years ago I lacked assets, to say the least. As you might imagine, I was teased and taunted with all kinds of nasty names. Airport runway. It isn’t a big...

Mental Health

Hope does not put us to shame

I have depression and no one in church knows. Some of the adults have asked about my health, noting that I look tired, grey and wane. But how do I come clean about my condition when anxiety is...

Mental Health

An open letter to my depression

Dear Depression, I want to thank you. Even though you’ve taught me how to sob soundlessly into the depths of a pillow, hands clutching desperately at the sheets like a drowning man grasping a...

Family

THIR.ST TALKS: Our favourite dads dish the dirt on you

Everybody’s best friend or man of a few words, your father probably always had a good story to tell. Thir.st pulled up a chair and sat down with four of our favourite fathers – Uncle...

Family

Learning from Dad: Lessons from my late father

Life in abundance comes only through great love. Uncle Jeffrey Goh, now in his seventies, recounts how his father gave him the greatest blessing despite the lack he grew up in. I grew up in a very...

Family

What Father’s Day means without Dad

“What are you planning to do for your father this year?” It’s the question I’ve dreaded answering whenever Father’s Day rolls around. I haven’t celebrated it since my dad...

Friendship

You can’t sit with us

My sister was shoved into a locker by a bunch of bullies when she was just 10 years old. It became a daily routine for her. Just like how she had to eat her lunch in a toilet cubicle each day....

Real Life, Real People

I thought I knew love, until it almost destroyed me

I love people. From a young age, I poured my life and heart onto others, especially the boys I was leading in church. As their mentor and older brother, I tutored them, played sports and music with...

Real Life, Real People

I am a Pastor’s Kid: The work that took my dad away

My father pastored a family church for many years before he was made the chairman of the Singapore Centre for Global Missions (SCGM) to lead the local conversation on mission work. His ministry was...