(RNS) — Anne Graham Lotz’s journey has been a tough one lately: A year ago, three years after the death of her husband and six months after the funeral of her famous evangelist father, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

But the 71-year-old Bible teacher and daughter of Billy Graham says she has refused to give up hope and her faith remains a constant.

“The Christian life is so much more than just being saved from hell and is so much more than just going to heaven — praise God for both of those things,” she said. “It’s more than just a checklist of do’s and don’ts. It’s a relationship that’s vibrant and alive and it’s sufficient to carry you through the hardest things.”

As she completes her cancer treatment this week, Lotz is free again to travel for public appearances — including a visit to the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Oct. 3 — as she promotes her latest book, “Jesus in Me: Experiencing the Holy Spirit as a Constant Companion.”

Lotz, who belongs to a church affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention but calls herself simply a “follower of Jesus,” talked to Religion News Service on Monday (Sept. 23) about facing cancer, being a widow and an orphan, and defining the Holy Spirit.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

How are you doing, especially given your…

A doctor and nurse in Seoul, South Korea, performed an abortion on the wrong woman in a tragic mix-up that resulted in both being criminally charged.

The woman, who is from Vietnam, was six weeks pregnant when she went to the Seoul hospital in August for a checkup. She was prescribed nutritional supplements, but neither the nurse nor the doctor checked her identity or medical charts and wrongfully performed an abortion on her, the Korea Herald reported.

When the woman entered the delivery room, the nurse injected her with anesthesia instead of with a nutritional supplement, and the doctor followed by conducting an abortion. The hospital apparently conducts abortions, deliveries and injections in the same hospital room, the newspaper said. 

Tragically, the woman didn’t know her baby had been killed until the next day when she experienced a bloody discharge and returned to the hospital, where she was told the baby had been aborted. 

Abortion in South Korea is legal only in cases of rape, incest and to save the mother’s life, although the country’s Supreme Court struck down the restrictions earlier this year. Abortion in other cases is scheduled to be legalized by Jan. 1, 2021.  

Police considered charging the doctor and nurse with conducting an abortion without consent but instead settled on other charges. 

“The police charged the doctor and nurse on…

As it prepared for the potential devastation of an impending hurricane, the nation of Puerto Rico has been hit with an additional natural disaster in the form of a large earthquake.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake registered at a sizeable 6.0 magnitude on the Richter scale, with the epicenter being located just over 40 miles northwest of the island.

At least seven aftershocks were felt at over 4.0 magnitude in the hour following the earthquake – thankfully, however, no serious damage to infrastructure has been reported at this point, and no injuries have been logged.

“We hope everyone is well. … It is important to remain calm during these natural events to guarantee security,” Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vazquez tweeted Monday, according to ABC News.

The Puerto Rico government ordered a nationwide shutdown of schools on Tuesday in anticipation of Hurricane Karen, which has now been downgraded to a tropical storm. Though the threat to life has been lowered significantly, officials from both Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have continued to issue public safety warnings.

“Don’t take the storm lightly,” U.S. Virgin Islands Governor Albert Bryan Jr. told CBS News. “It will start to throw massive rain.”

Indeed, a dramatic rescue occurred on the island of Vieques, with Puerto Rico’s National Guard completing a…

An earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale has rocked Pakistan, causing the deaths of at least 19 people. The epicenter of the shock was felt very close to the city of Mirpur, in the contested region of Kashmir.

Images have emerged of houses completely destroyed and main highways cracked down the middle. While final numbers on the dead and injured have not yet been determined, it is understood that children are among the victims, according to the BBC.

Kashmir is a contended territory with both Pakistani and Indian regions and has recently fallen victim to a military offensive at the hands of Indian troops. The village of Sahankikri was one of the worst affected, with almost all the 400 houses suffering damage. “We are shelterless now,” said local resident Shamraiz Akhtar, according to the Guardian.

“I was sitting in my shop when suddenly the walls started swaying,” another victim explained. “I knew that it is a strong earthquake. The moment I came out of my shop, its roof caved in.”

Despite the severity of the quake, the chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NSMA) hinted at a lower death toll and urged calm.

“I can confirm 10 deaths and the number of wounded is 100,” Lieutenant General Mohammad Afzal detailed. “Things are under control.”

“Our whole concentration right now is to accelerate the rescue operation,”…

An estimated one million students from around the world will gather around flag poles on Wednesday, Sept. 25 this year as part of the annual ‘See You at the Pole’ event.

See You at the Pole is a worldwide event that encourages students to pray together at their schools. 

This year’s theme is based on 2 Chronicles 7:14, “… if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Organized and led by students, SYATP is “about one simple thing—STUDENTS in PRAYER.” Students can participate by praying on Sept. 25 at 7:00 AM their local time or pray in unique ways, places, and times during the Global Week of Student Prayer, which is Sept. 22-Sept. 28.

Each school’s SYATP vary. Leaders can choose to include student-led worship, Bible readings, prayer in large and small groups, or even have a student give a message in their time gathered around the flagpole.

To publicize the event, students can put up posters, text their friends, or purchase SYATP promotional resources. Anyone interested in hosting the event at their school can also download a planning guide to ensure SYATP goes without a hitch. Because the event is student-led, before school hours, and outside of a school building, students have…