For the full story: https://thir.st/blog/chinese-new-year-eat/

Clicking individual pictures within the link will take you to the full story written for each fruit.

Whether we choose to jump in with the festivities or not, we probably don’t see CNY as a time of loneliness.

But many people don’t get to celebrate CNY like we do. The reasons are usually similar: Estranged/no relatives, health issues that keep them homebound, financial difficulties. To them, CNY will just be like any other day to them. Nothing special.

People need money, people need food. People also need a connection with other people. The human touch. It’s not that hard to bring festive cheer to someone who needs it.

With 15 days of CNY, there’s definitely room to pop by a new home for once. Just don’t forget your oranges!

For the full story: https://thir.st/blog/cny-make-room-visit-one-home/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G710IpcOS8o

Do you believe that it's wrong to evangelise? Almost half of Christian millennials in the US think so.

Questions for our own reflection:
1) Do you feel that the culture today makes it hard to evangelise in Singapore?
2) What does the Great Commission mean to you?
3) Can we love and respect a person’s beliefs, but still share our faith in the hope they will come to know Jesus? Or are they mutually exclusive?

For the full story: https://thir.st/blog/millennials-in-usa-think-evangelism-is-wrong-what-about-singapore/

Have an opinion? Drop us a message at hello@thir.st.

They’re super fun, super funny, and they super love each other!

This Valentine’s Day, we present SUPERMARRIED, Thir.st’s very first game show. In our ring we have 3 couples taking on 3 intense rounds: Telepathy will be tested. Compatibility is now a competition. And maturity is a must-have.

Let the games begin! Happy Valentine’s Day! ❤️

For the full story: https://thir.st/blog/supermarried-marriage-it-gets-better-with-age/

https://youtu.be/C8dKlw-fLz4

Happy Valentine's Day to all our subscribers❤️

Here's a very special sticker peck from us to you: https://t.me/addstickers/APeckforYou 😘 You are LOVED!

What caught your attention at this year's Singapore Budget?

Three main strategies were discussed:
1) Uplifting Singaporeans to provide better access to opportunities, in particular children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
2) Strengthening the support for healthcare needs, especially for seniors through the Merdeka Generation Package.
3) Fostering a community of care and contribution.

Are we using our resources – what is in our hands – to do what God has called us to do?
For the full story: https://thir.st/blog/singapore-budget-2019-who-can-we-open-wide-our-hand-to-this-year/

To those out there who struggle with sexual sin, God loves you no matter what, and He’s waiting for you to come back home. Take courage to ask for help by confiding in people you trust, such as your cell leader or church friends. Accountability is liberating, not shameful. This journey cannot be walked alone.

For the full story: https://thir.st/blog/caught-in-sexual-sin-i-believed-there-was-no-way-out/

The "Unveil: Breaking Free" Conference happening on March 15-16, 2019 is a national conversation on pornography addiction. More details in story link.

For every 100,000 people in Singapore, around 8 are lost to suicide every year. Although there was a slight dip in the total number of suicides reported in 2017, the number of seniors taking their own lives hit a record high since tracking started in 1991.

It’s against this backdrop that the Government has accepted a recommendation by the Penal Code Review Committee (PCRC) to decriminalise attempted suicides, as it takes the view that treatment rather than prosecution is the appropriate response in such cases.

The repeal of Section 309 was included in the Criminal Law Reform Bill, which was given its first reading in Parliament last week.

We spoke to professionals in the legal and social service sectors to explore the broader implications on society.

For the full story: https://thir.st/blog/penal-code-review-attempting-suicide-not-a-crime-implications-for-singapore/

We are called to live by faith, “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1), but as humans, not seeing can sometimes lead to disbelief, especially when we are being battered by the storms of life.

But if God only operated in what is natural (which, of course, He also does), then how do we understand and experience the supernatural nature of God? How do we trust and follow a God if He merely did what was rationally possible? How can His name be glorified if He only chose the logical, the strong, the competent?

For the full story: https://thir.st/blog/you-can-fully-trust-in-gods-promises-for-you/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3o1py9ygEE

"Submitting to Christ’s lordship does not look like becoming a lesser person but being empowered to become more than you ever could be on your own," says Pastor Andre Tan of The City Singapore. "The promise of God’s lordship is this – when we make Him Lord, He will satisfy us."

For the full story: https://thir.st/blog/choosing-the-better-part/

1. Take a position of humility before honour
2. Don’t take things personally
3. This really isn’t about you
4. Embrace your portion
5. Don’t be ruled by your emotions
6. Don’t stop believin’
7. This is a marathon, not a shuttle run

For the full story: https://thir.st/blog/creatives-this-is-how-to-serve-as-in-church-and-not-burn-out/

How do you pray for someone who is dying? What does faith look like in the face of almost certain death?

It is precisely in great trial that we are confronted with 3 things:

1) Who God says He is in the unchanging Word.
2) Who we have come to know Him to be.
3) Who we trust and believe in unswervingly.

For the full story: https://thir.st/blog/praying-for-the-dying/

Lent is a period of fasting, moderation, and self-denial traditionally observed by Catholics and some Protestant denominations. It begins with Ash Wednesday (March 6 this year) and ends with Easter Sunday.

During Lent, participants eat sparingly or give up a particular food or habit. It’s six weeks of self-discipline, a tune-up to get us going again by helping us get rid of the things that weigh us down. In submission and obedience, we take things out of the equation so we can focus on God.

In the spirit of Lent, we present Jonathan Cho and Josh Yeoh's latest song, "Light / Dust". Read their interview by our friends at SELAH here: https://thir.st/blog/he-remembers-your-name-light-dust-josh-yeoh/

https://youtu.be/ldNvGTVK2Pk

More on Lent here: https://thir.st/blog/what-is-lent-ash-wednesday-fasting/

For International Women’s Day on March 8, we met up with 3 pastors’ wives – Debbie, 37, Eeleen, 36, and Esther, 34, to chat about being a woman with a God-given calling that just happens to include motherhood and being married to the minister.

To all the women after God’s own heart – daughters, mothers, sisters, wives and friends – keep serving Him in your own unique calling. A Happy International Women’s Day from us to you! ❤️

Read the full interview here: https://thir.st/blog/pastor-wife-the-good-women-family-calling/

Stuck in an illicit relationship with her Ph.D classmate, Yifen thought she found a way out when she was awarded with a prestigious scientific fellowship to continue with her post-doctorate research at Harvard Medical School.

Five months before her departure date, she found out she was pregnant with their child. The father insisted that she have an abortion.

Did Yifen really have no choices then? Looking back, she believes fear had crippled her ability to fight for her child's life.

Read the full story by our friends at The Button Project Singapore here: https://thir.st/blog/unwed-pregnant-and-headed-for-harvard-i-thought-the-choice-was-clear/