All Real life articles
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Article‘I grew up watching God change lives around the world – and it convinced me Jesus was real’
Growing up as the daughter of Alpha pioneers Nicky and Pippa Gumbel gave Becs Dhillon a front-row seat to extraordinary stories of faith and transformation – but she still had to discover Jesus for herself. Becs talks to Woman Alive’s Jemimah Wright about witnessing God move around the world, working with trafficking survivors in India and why she now wants her own children to experience the reality of faith for themselves.
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Article‘I was an atheist for 30 years – then my search for truth led me to Jesus’
Keely Hall spent 30 years believing there was no God and admits she would cross the road to avoid street preachers. She tells Woman Alive’s Jemimah Wright how a desperate search for truth unexpectedly led her to Jesus – transforming her fear of death, her relationships and the direction of her life.
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ArticleThe Lens: Can Christian men and women really be just friends? Why one friendship changed my mind
Christian culture can sometimes make close friendships between men and women feel complicated – but do they have to be? In her latest The Lens column, Lizzie Hutchison reflects on the male friendship grown over years, faith, laughter and an annual trip to a vineyard, and why she believes platonic friendships are worth intentionally protecting.
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ArticleWendy Virgo: ‘God is still taking me on new adventures’
For more than 50 years, Wendy Virgo has been at the heart of the Newfrontiers story, alongside her husband, Terry, while raising five children, writing books and pursuing her own calling in God. She speaks to Jemimah Wright about marriage and ministry, motherhood, miraculous answers to prayer, the growth of Newfrontiers and why, at 80, she is still saying yes to God.
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OpinionWe hid our credit card debt from each other – then God changed our marriage
For 18 years, writer Karen Hackman and her husband barely talked about money – and behind the appearance of a comfortable life, their debts were mounting. She shares how bringing God into their finances transformed not only the way they handled money, but their marriage too.
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OpinionI think I encountered angels after my dad died – but they didn’t look like I expected
After losing her beloved dad just days before Christmas, Catherine Joy Lemmon began noticing unexpected moments of kindness and comfort that felt like glimpses of heaven. She reflects on the people she encountered in the rawness of grief and asks whether some of them might have been angels sent by God.
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OpinionMy Instagram reel got 200,000 views – but what happened next taught me a surprising lesson about faith
When a simple sleep hack unexpectedly went viral, Perry-May Britton thought it might transform her business. But an experience that brought her twelve new clients instead of thousands of online admirers taught her a surprising lesson about success, social media and following Jesus.
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Opinion‘My baby died, but my faith did not’: How God carried me through the darkest season of my life
After losing her baby Willow to miscarriage, Sam Naughton discovered that faith was no longer simply something she believed in, but something she had to depend on. As Baby Loss Awareness Week approaches, she shares how God and her church community carried her through grief, fear and a subsequent pregnancy.
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OpinionI walked 250km to hear God – but what happened when I stopped was more surprising
After 25 years of leading a charity, Nancy Hunt was used to keeping busy, solving problems and carrying responsibility. But when she walked more than 250km along the Camino de Santiago to pray and hear from God, she discovered that sometimes faith isn’t about taking the next step – it’s about learning to stop.
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ArticleMichelle Heritage: ‘If it’s impossible, then God gets the glory’
The Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer will be a monumental testament to the power of prayer, with one million bricks representing one million answered prayers. Jemimah Wright spoke to Michelle Heritage, Chief Partnerships Officer for the project, about its extraordinary story, the answers to prayer she has witnessed and what happens when God gives you a seemingly impossible dream.
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ArticleThe Lens: I signed up for a half marathon and somehow found God in the pain
Lizzie Hutchison discovers that training for a half marathon has more in common with following Jesus than she expected. From runner’s high and pink trainers to blisters and comparison, she reflects on what running has taught her about perseverance, purpose and running the race God has given us.
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ArticleI went to Africa to tell stories – I didn’t expect God to change me
Ann-Louise Graham reflects on the lessons God taught her during her years living and working in West Africa. From witnessing the devastating effects of famine to seeing the gospel transform lives in unexpected places, her experiences in Niger taught her about gratitude, suffering, hope and trusting God’s sovereignty.
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ArticleLife Lessons: ‘I was hit over the head with a Bible’: The extraordinary faith journey of Mavis Crispin
Born into an agnostic family, Mavis Crispin was determined to explore faith for herself – a journey that would eventually take her from North London to Peru, where she was ordained in her 50s. Now 80, the former teacher and Church of England priest reflects on a lifetime of following God, from being hit over the head with a Bible as a child to discovering that “the Lord never leaves a place without His light”.
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OpinionI loved God – so why couldn’t I stop watching porn?
Crystal Renaud Day grew up believing her struggle with pornography was something she had to hide, even after becoming a Christian. Drawing on her own recovery and nearly two decades of helping other women, she explores what may really be driving women towards pornography – and why the Church needs to respond with truth, grace and practical support.
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Opinion‘I screamed the name of Jesus when the car went over the mountain road …’
Joanna Watson shares her extraordinary testimony of surviving a devastating car accident and discovering God’s miraculous provision in the aftermath. From a terrifying mountain crash to a series of seemingly impossible encounters, she reflects on how the experience changed her life and convinced her that God still works miracles today.
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Opinion“I have incurable cancer – but it’s taught me to live with more hope, not less.”
Miranda Adderley, 61, from central Edinburgh, shares her thoughts on how living with secondary (metastatic) breast cancer has affected her faith.
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OpinionWhat can Christians learn from the death of the pastor’s wife?
Jacinta Read explores the difficult questions raised by the Netflix documentary Death of the Pastor’s Wife. Drawing on her experience working in a church and pastoral care, she asks how Christians can respond with humility while helping to make the church a safer place.
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Opinion“Araceli”: The mysterious little girl who appeared when I needed God most
When Jessica Hymus-Gant felt wounded, isolated and misunderstood while working with children in Mexico, she wondered where God was in the middle of it all. Then a little girl she had never met handed her a piece of paper containing a verse from Psalm 91 – a moment Jessica believes was a powerful reminder that God sees us, even when we feel completely alone.
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Opinion“We just trusted the organisers”: What really happened at the Big Church Festival tragedy
When tragedy struck the Big Church Festival, killing Pastor Robert Guanco and injuring several others, thousands of Christians were left frightened and searching for answers. But festival-goer, Rhiannon Goulding reflects on what happened beyond the tragedy itself – and the extraordinary calm, kindness and trust she witnessed as thousands of people faced a terrifying situation.
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OpinionWhat does God have to do with Miss World? The Eritrean beauty queen who changed my mind
When Alem Derege first heard about Snit Habteab, Eritrea’s first-ever representative at Miss World, she was intrigued by more than the beauty pageant itself. With the Miss World final taking place on Saturday 5 September, Alem reflects on how Snit’s story of faith, family, disability advocacy and discovering her Eritrean identity made her reconsider what a beauty pageant can stand for.
