UWAlive!

2011-09-13T23:19:00.002+08:00

And the countdown begins... 3 more days to our BIGGEST, BEST-est event of the year!

Wondering what all the hype is about Search For A Star? Click here for a recap. We'll see you soon!

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A Battle Unlike Any Other

2011-06-13T21:26:00.002+08:00

The two oppositions meet in a land of ironic bend, of comfort and death. Both approach each other. The Bi-pedals, vastly more superior, while the Hardshells, the underdog with the ability to surprise and chance a slow drawn out death.

The moment arrives and both stare at each other with awe, both evaluating opposing weaknesses and plan strategies of attack. The first blow is made, the stronger of the two has made its move. The blow is both swift and decisive, there are causalities. Majority from the Hardshells with their unmistakable remains stacking up.

However the oppressed stands resilient, it will not go down without a fight. They are hard to break down, hard to siff out even with the Bi-Pedels' superior armory. And every now and then the Hardshells would breakout a surprise ruse, a prick at the sensitive areas of the Bi-Pedals. Staining blows to the chest of their oppressors. They have studied their enemy well.

Although wounded, the Bi-pedals do not let up and soon the Hardshells are surrounded and their numbers dwindling. They are sieged, barricaded – there is no escape and the enemy continues comes in for the kill, the final blow.

“Hold fast” they cry, “to the every end!” screams a cry of defiance but alas, the bitter end is played out as the remaining few Hardshells are picked off and put out of their misery.

Scarred, stained, and filled, the conquerors finally chance the moment to seat back and savor the victory. Together they declare in unison …

“We did it … should have ordered less crabs man”

Enjoy!

The Stranded Homesick
P.S - Pictures below *Warning* - you may not want to see!

A visit from the HK golden boy

The oppressed annihilated - there was another big bowl. (Guess who Poker boy is?)

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Confessions of an Equally Troubled Soul #2

2011-06-06T11:50:00.001+08:00

And now - the dawn of a revelation for one of our dear friends!
Click here to read the first part of this tell-all testimony.

This went on for one more year until… I was introduced to the church. A friend invited me to cell and somehow I was interested to check it out. For a couple of months after that, I didn’t know what exactly intrigued me but I attended cell and service regularly. Perhaps it was God doing His amazing work in me! I don’t know. But a part of me felt comfortable, relieved, and… happy. Happy just being around the church people, happy being in the presence of God. I’d grown to find a sense of belonging in a place where I truly felt accepted, loved and beautiful.

Many a time, I’d feel touched by the word of God and break down. It’s like, suddenly I realized how much God loved me, yet I was hurting His own creation, his own masterpiece… me. Not forgetting the ever so awesome song, Hosanna, by Brooke Fraser. Every single time that song played during worship, I’d burst into tears. The lyrics, they meant so much to me.

Heal my heart and make it clean

Open up my eyes to the things unseen

Show me how to love like you have loved me

Break my heart for what breaks yours

Everything I am for your kingdom’s cause

As I walk from earth into eternity

I believe this song could mean a thousand other things to different people depending on their circumstance. For me, every single line spoke something to me. It became my prayer to God: to heal my broken heart and cleanse it, to open my eyes to see the beauty in me, to show me how to love myself just as He loved me, and to remind me it’s Him I’m hurting every time I chose to throw up. I then tried to pray to God every time I was tempted to vomit. It wasn’t easy at all, having to struggle with the urge to throw up. It became almost like an addiction, where I had to do it in order to relieve myself. At times, I would even vomit and shy away from God in guilt that I failed to consult Him before succumbing to the urge. For the longest time, I’d lived with the thought that “if one person can think I look ugly, I’m sure there are others out there who would think so too” and that kept me bonded to this “addiction”.

God's with you, every step of the way

But our God is a good God; when He says you’ll never walk alone, you never will. I knew little about Him, but somehow I was confident He was going to deliver me from my plight because He loved me too much – and He did! He taught me a few valuable lessons that changed my perspective in life and eventually helped me out of bulimia:

#1 God loves me so much that it doesn’t matter even if the rest of the world didn’t.

Romans 8: 38-39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

#2 I am fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God. My face, my body – they all represent God. Our God is perfect, and because I am made in His image, I look perfect in His eyes. Who has the right to judge it? Or say that it’s ugly?

Psalm 139:14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

#3 I am valuable despite what the world thinks.

#4 My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. I should honour God with my body and not hurt it.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

#5 God put me through this to make me stronger and dependent on Him. It was only through this trial that I built a relationship with Him and found out more about His teachings in the bible.

1 Corinthians 10:13 And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

#6 I cannot expect to just pray and be freed from this “addiction”. I have to put in effort and draw strength from the Lord for then will I be delivered through Him.

#7 “Everything I am for your kingdom’s cause”, the second last line of the lyrics mentioned above. I am selfish for focusing entirely on myself by dwelling in this problem of mine. It’s never meant to be about me; it’s about God, it’s about doing things for his kingdom’s cause.

#8 Contentment comes from knowing Christ is sufficient for me. He is all I need, He is my source of strength.

Philippians 4:12-13 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

#9Who better to seek than the Lord Himself? God is ever so patient to listen to me and help me out. He’s the one who will give me rest and peace from this tiresome circumstance.

Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Life still goes on, but this time ... with Hope

Of course, life is not always smooth sailing. Because then you wouldn’t even need God! At times, I still feel unhappy about myself. But I now have a God whom I can turn to, whom I can draw strength from. I have scriptures I can look back at to remind myself of God’s promises and teachings. Friends, this is a God who never fails. This is a God who would gladly carry your burdens. This is a God you can definitely rely on. We all have our own struggles and I hope this serves as a reminder that God is always there for you. He is a faithful and patient God. He WILL listen, He will help – because you’re valuable to Him and He loves you. Be blessed!

Written by a very missed friend of ZPH,
Vera Lee

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Study Break isn't a break

2011-06-02T11:48:00.001+08:00

Open book tests weren't meant to be easy

It’s that time of the sem again, you simply don’t have the time, you’re tired all the time and you’re so sick of the subject matter you wished you could throw it all away. And there’s that looming deadline just creeping ever closer, ever so slightly, everyday.

Exams are around the corner, and we’re all struggling to study and do well for it (except those who have been there and done that of course, gratz to you) You have a mountain ahead, and with little time and energy left to surmount it. With already so little time for studies, you have even less for friends and family, but it’s alright, they understand, and you can always catch up with them when exams are over.

But in your zeal to conquer the academic world, is your spiritual world alright? Is God still the forefront of your thoughts? You may still do your quiet time, read your bible everyday, but when the studying starts, is He still there? Or do the stats don’t match up?

We need to find Wisdom, directions anyone?

Might I be so bold as to offer a suggestion? Many of you have amazing study styles, have many study tip skills to employ. Can I suggest a God-like one? Instead of using our own IQ of 130+, I say instead ask the One who has an IQ that no one would dare measure or give a number to (even infinity), but instead of just prayer, which is half the battle, I suggest a discussion with the Lord God, talk to Him, bring your problems (even math ones) to Him, or why the words don’t seem materialise - ask Him. And the answers will come in sudden inspiration, your brain would suddenly go into overdrive- gifts from our Father.

And another suggestion to those who still struggle, simply seek His kingdom first- do His work first I say, and the Lord Father will give you your victories everywhere else.

Study hard, eat healthy & try to limit the red bulls! You are all in our prayers.

The Blog Team

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Confessions of an Equally Troubled Soul #1

2011-05-28T11:34:00.001+08:00

Everybody has a past. Some wish they could relive theirs, while others wish they never had to go through theirs. I, for one, had the latter. I have a past that hurts me up to today. When I think back, I remember pain, disappointment, sadness, helplessness, loneliness and the lot. But of course, every cloud has a silver lining. Believe it or not, out of the deepest point in my life came its greatest joy.

I was always a happy girl who never felt I lacked anything. In fact, I felt very blessed with awesome friends and family. But about 5 years ago, a random comment hit me. A comment I would never ever forget.

My boyfriend back then had a friend who casually asked him, “Why are you dating her when you can get someone who’s so much hotter?” He told me that and all of a sudden, it’s as if my eyes were opened to the ugliness I exhibited. I started to see how unattractive I was, and how attractive the girls around me were. And I wanted to be like them. I was determined to do whatever it took to be better looking.

I started putting on make-up. And dieting became a new concept in my life. But because I was such a food lover, dieting was difficult. I was surrounded by such good food everyday, and my family went out for big dinners regularly. I soon figured dieting wasn’t going to work, so I turned to other alternatives. I then bought heaps of slimming pills and started inducing myself to throw up after each meal. Before I knew it, I was trapped in a vicious cycle.

At first it felt good to see the pounds go off so quickly. In two months, I lost 8 kilos. People started complimenting me, I could fit into more clothes, look better and yet still enjoy all my favourite food. I was more confident again and I socialized more. However, I still wasn’t satisfied. I wanted to lose more weight despite knowing I was hurting my body. My stomach would occasionally hurt at night but I chose to grin and bear it. The pills were recalled due to some reports on them causing liver failure so imagine what those did to my liver. I was simply a mess.

There were days where I’d lie in bed crying, thinking about how awful I looked (despite having lost all that weight) or how trapped and helpless I was. I’d try to stop making myself throw up for a few days but the moment I gained the slightest bit of weight, I’d succumb to it again. It was a constant battle in my head; having to force myself not to think about vomiting every time I ate something and hiding this urge to throw up what I just had whenever I ate with others.

I became depressed whenever I reflected on what I had gotten myself into. I wanted so much to break away from this vicious cycle, but I simply couldn’t deal with the consequences of gaining weight. I believed I already looked awful, and I couldn’t bear to look any worse. I knew I needed help. So after plucking up much courage, I told my parents. They were so hurt that they cried, yet helpless for they couldn’t do much. They hooked me up with a psychiatrist who finally diagnosed me with depression and prescribed me with Prozac. Perhaps things started to pick up a little, I’m not quite sure. But gradually, I decided to stop going to the psychiatrist and taking my pills. I had enough of “vomiting doesn’t help you lose weight” and “vomiting hurts you”. Whenever someone told me I looked nice, I was convinced he/she was just trying to make me feel better. I began to look haggard; my eyes said it all. Needless to say, I made no improvement at all.

Who is this author? What happens next? Find out in the second part of this amazing personal journey.

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CBF - Pledging

2011-05-24T02:05:00.000+08:00

If you can recall, Ray interviewed some people about our Zion Building Fund and their reasons for giving and this is the line that stuck;

Because God deserves a better house.

I’m sure we all know by now that the church is the house of God and that it is so much more than just brick and mortar. We also know that the church is made up of people, and it is in turn, the people who make up the church. However, let me submit to you that the church is not just a building to house people. Neither is it simply a place where we store our equipment or gather to praise and worship God.

A church building is more than that.

It is a place where we can reach out to people. With a church building to call our own, it can become a meeting place where we can organize meetings and invite people to come, to learn more about God, His love for us, and why we do what we do.

With a building, we have a common place to call home. A place that is available for us to use when we require it for rehearsals and practices for different ministries etc. But, the church is more than a building. What we are pledging money for may be a building and its renovations, but who knows what stories will come out of this building. The church building would be a part of our memories, a common ground from which to tell our story in our walk with Christ.

Search For A Star last year was at PCLC. Yes, PCLC is a very big place, but what struck me the most was their calendar of events. I had a look at it, and thought of all the endless possibilities we will have when we have our own building.

One day, this building will be used to house events, as a point of outreach, a common place where we can gather for rehearsals and meetings. When that day comes, we will no longer have to worry about looking for places to gather and rehearse or the venue for meetings anymore!

To sum up, it is said that once we are in heaven, we will not have use of any of our physical possessions and that what we do now directly correlates to our treasures in heaven. So what’s stopping us from contributing more to the kingdom of God? If you think what you are giving is an embarrassment, remember that God accepts your contributions just as they are, from the heart. No amount is too small to make a difference. Never think what you are giving is too little.

Every bit counts!

1 Chronicles 29:15-17 (New International Version)

"We are aliens and strangers in your sight, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. O LORD our God, as for all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name, it comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you. I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you."

Written by
Johnson Tan

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1968

2011-04-30T10:23:00.001+08:00

For a lot of us, this would be regarded as “a long time ago”, and though I suspect most of us have no recollection of this date, you will remember these 4 digits by the end of this post.

1968 was one for the memories.

The Bad.

After three years of being deployed and fighting the Vietnam War, Anti Vietnam War protests were made throughout the western world.
Martin Luther King Jr spends a day in April at Lorraine Motel in Memphis working and meeting with local leaders on plans for his Poor People’s March on Washington. He was shot later that day and declared dead just an hour later.
This led to the Civil Rights being signed, which made it an uneasy time in America. With much rioting and protest.
In France, “Bloody Monday” marks one of the most violent days of Parisian student revolt.
Senator Robert Kennedy, former Attorney General and brother of the former president John F Kenned runs for presidency in March. He was shot and mortally wounded in June.

There was some good coming out of 1968 of course.

The Boeing 747 made its maiden flight.
Air Bags in cars were invented.
Dr Christian Barnard performs the first successful heart transplant (hooray for doctors!)
The first Automated Teller Machine was install in the U.S (did you know that was what ATM meant?)
The Emergency 911 telephone service was started in the U.S to provide a single number for reporting emergencies 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

However, something else would save 1968 from being a year that everyone wanted to forget. The saving grace? Three men in a small capsule, sitting on top of a crazy huge rocket marked with the letters NASA. They went on to make the first manned space orbit round the moon. (hint: this was not the moon landing, that would happen a year later)

Their mission was to orbit the moon in a progressive step towards putting a man on the moon. However when they went round the moon, it was another planet that got their attention. This was what they saw.

The Good Earth

And with the whole world watching live, Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and William A Anders took turns reading from the book of Genesis, verse 1 to 10, and ended with this;

“And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas – and God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth.”

All of you on the good Earth.

Those words combined with that picture put everyone’s reality back in check. We weren’t the centre of the Universe, and in actual fact, we were really really small, just a little blue orb in space. Sure it was a bad year, one with much hatred, pain and tears, but no matter how big our problems were, especially with each other, we all shared a common thing, we are all inhabitants on the good Earth.

In the same way the people in 1968 got their reality check, we too have to get our own. Sometimes we focus so much on our problems until it becomes our world and consumes us, but we forget there is so much more out there, so many things that are bigger than ourselves and especially our problems.

Friends, I’m not saying you should disregard your problems or denounce your grief. If there is something to be settled, settle it. If there is a time to mourn, cry and mourn. But let’s keep these things in perspective and never let them become our world. Why?

Because we weren’t meant to live this way.

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death or life, neither angels or demons, neither the present or the future, or any powers, neither height or depth, or anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
– Rom 8:37-39

Remember 1968. With the love of Christ, nothing is impossible.

From the land of predator surveyors,

The Stranded Homesick

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The Man Who Understands

2011-04-20T22:24:00.002+08:00

Its not easy to be me ...

“You just don’t understand.” Ever been ran over by this freight train statement before? The context varies but what is consistent is that whenever this statement is used, someone is left feeling upset that his or her explanation, situation, dilemma is not being felt satisfactory from others.

It is not uncommon to want to be understood, to have others agree and back you. Whether it be key decisions in life: school courses, job offers, life partners or on everyday solutions: where to eat, which petrol to pump, even which undergarment is most comfortable (CKs are still the best, no debate there).

But what everyone does seek for, is to be understood personally. Why do we feel better opening up to someone who has been through the same situation before? Is the advice better? Probably. Is it just plain easier? Yeah maybe.

But I think before all that, the difference is knowing the person understands exactly how we feel. No need for wisdom here, not yet at least, no need for words even. Just the nod and sigh of someone who truly understand the pain, confusion or whatever it is you are battling right now.

That nod, it’s priceless.

Hebrews 4:15 goes something like this, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin”.

Jesus: So .. you sure you know where Kuching is?

Jesus : sympathizes with ALL my weaknesses? Ever had this thought: “Sure it was easy for Jesus, I mean … His God!”? I know I have. It is hard to imagine a God deity would understand the problems an average human goes through.

But here’s the good news – He does.

Stressed?

He sweat blood just thinking about the cross, beat that.

Betrayed?

Jesus was abandoned by His closest in His hour of need

Squabbles between friends?

how many times did Jesus had to put His disciples back in check?

Tired?

Jesus had times He wanted to retreat to a quiet place to rest, but people kept pushing more from Him

Angry

You should have seen the scene in the temple, not a Jesus you wanna mess with

Frustrated?

So many times the bible has shown Jesus asking why the disciples had no faith, or why they did not understand the parables

Sadness?

Shortest verse in the bible that shows how much pain He felt when Lazarus died.

I could keep going on, but here’s my favourite, one that our society suffers from greatly. Self image. I mean how can the Son of God have insecurities about his looks right? Bring on Isaiah 53:2. This is what Isaiah prophesied about Jesus the messiah.

“And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him.”

Did Jesus ever say to Mary: Look Ma, no eyes!

You might not take it all in at face value but here’s the catch, try to imagine the most ordinary looking friend you know (please don’t let that person know, or anyone else for that matter :p), and now imagine him/her coming up to you one day and say, “Hey, I'm the Son of God”.

Some of you might not admit it, but everyone definitely thinks, “Wouldn’t the Son of God look more …”, you finish that sentence yourself. And chances are, the people back then felt the same way. Now imagine Jesus, doing all the ministry you remember reading, with close to everyone thinking that same thought.

How’s that for self-image issues?

We have a God who truly understands anything and everything, so that He can relate to you and comfort you. So when you ever feel low in life, talk to the Man who understands.

But you know what friends? That’s not even the best part. So what if you found someone who understands, the problem’s still there and still needs solving doesn’t it? And sometimes solving the problem can be more of a pain.

Let me end on the best bit, not only does Jesus understands, He does something even more. I’m not going to spoil it for you, just read the verse after Heb 4:15.

From the land where 98% of cars get cleaned everyday,

The Stranded Homesick

P.S - for those who didn't get that last verse, its Heb 4:16.

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The tragic curse of Humans.

2011-04-18T21:31:00.002+08:00

I make a wager. I bet you can’t guess what this curse is. If you indeed can without any sort of cheating (I will ask you to vouch in the name of the Lord hah), I will treat you to your favourite BBT.

At first I was confident enough to say dinner but I realized there are some really smart people here (not that they could guess what the curse is, but they can be really smart in cheating me!), and that I didn’t really have that much $$. So enough said.

Had your try? Read on.

It is not wine, money, women (whoops, did I just say that?) or song, although having caught in any of these long arms would lead you to ruin. But here lies our greatest and most commonly made flaw.

We don’t come to God enough during our highs. (mountain top moments, not drug highs … duh)

But it is true isn’t it? I mean at some point we will thank God for the blessing, the end of the day, the end of the week … or for some, until someone has to point it out – usually to those who grumble that their lives are a slump.

Sometimes I imagine how God must feel and for some of you, you have seen this scene in the countless drama shows of our time. He left a wanted gift at your office table, sent flowers to your home when you needed happiness, answered a desperate prayer and we get overjoyed at the gift rather than the giver.

And all this He sees, while being right by our sides, never complaining, never tries to acknowledge His deeds. Just joyful that we are happy, but wishing we did see the biggest gift wasn’t in what we hold, but in whom we are held by.

They say it is in the low times, the valleys, the desert that we seek and find God. Sometimes it is the only times we find Him, and when we do, like naïve children, we demand an answer for the drought. Or worse, our interpretation of a conversation/relationship with God is us complaining and asking Him to either get something for us or do things for us.

Friends, let’s take a lesson from the bible.

“In times of prosperity be joyful, but in times of adversity consider this: God has made one as well as the other, so that no one can discover what the future holds.” Ecc 7:14

Let me paraphrase. We cannot understand why God uses adversity and prosperity as He does, but a man or woman of faith trusts God nonetheless. Or as Wiersbe said, “God balances our lives by giving us enough blessings to keep us happy and enough burdens to keep us humble.”

So true ain’t it?

So remember, when the good times row, let God to be the first person you thank, and when the bad ones hit, stop complaining.

Oh … and do let me know if I owe anyone BBT :)

From the land where people think a UTE is a baby goat,

The Stranded Homesick

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Pledge Weekend - Why Give?

2011-04-14T22:54:00.001+08:00

Trapped in a land where I don’t belong, disgusted at the fact my departure coincided with the arrival of favorable weather of my favourite season in the place I truly call home. My only comfort was to turn my attention to what was happening in the place where everything and anything happens. ZPH!

The end of this week marks Pledge Weekend. Pt2. Beta version, whatever you want to call it. Which brings up the every elusive question, “Why should I give? ... Again!”

Side fact - the church I grew up with, Christ Methodist Church, which literary was just a stone’s throw away from my place (that still didn't help my punctuality though) has been leveled to the ground. What was once the embodiment of my youth is now a flat piece of land. Very nostalgic when I first saw that vacant piece of dirt.

Fast forward to a ride home from my best friend’s (and soon to be Best Man) dad, and he was talking about the overhaul of building. He said something profound, “I hope in 20 years time, we wouldn’t find ourselves with this newly aged building, right back in our comfort zone”.

Then it hit me.

Giving from our comfort zone counts for very little. Its like giving the spare change from a cup of Pure Vanilla Ice Blended (yum!) to the girl asking for donations to some charity. Very quick, very painless. See that you have to give a certain blue note in the wallet however, is a whole other matter.

The Bible is full of examples of giving outside of ones comfort zone, a certain saint fasted (hey, its not easy man), was thrown into a den of lions and whose friends with cool names were thrown into a furnace. All because they refused to bow to an idol. Not exactly the essence of a comfort zone. Why, how, could they find the courage to do something so crazy? Its all about conviction.

In the end, my encouragement is this. Pledge to give what you feel convicted, not comfortable to give. It is not easy but what it needs is conviction, so if you have none, find the time to seek the Lord for it and He will give it to you. And you will find that you will stop asking why should you give but start telling people, why you give.

“For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

- Romans 5:7-8 -

Yours truly,

the REAL lonely traveller

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CAM Vision Day

2011-03-17T18:03:00.005+08:00

The Creative Arts has always had an important role in Zion Praise Harvest. And the best place to learn more about them is none other than at our very own, CAM vision day!

Last July, for the first time in CAM history, CAM was streamlined into 6 electives; Song Writing, Vocal-training, Dance, Photography, Worship Leading in Cell Groups, and PA.

Before I begin, I want to share a verse from Matthew 23:10 “Nor are you to be called ‘teacher’, for you have one Teacher, the Christ”. What we learn at CAM and at any other time is from God, and Him teaching you anything - can only be good stuff.

Song-writing was a new elective, and it was presented by KC Gan, from Singapore’s City Harvest Church. One of the songs written by him that I really enjoy is called “The God I Know”. The introduction of Song Writing as an elective proved to be a hit and many turned up to listen to KC share his experience and techniques. One of the main pointers was the importance of the melody. KC also shared his key aspect to song-writing experience; the most important aspect of a song is its chorus, as people are more likely to remember the chorus of a song first. KC had a lot to share of his experience in song writing, and he was willing to impart that knowledge to us.

Another elective aptly named Finding Your Voice, is meant for those who have a passion for singing and can carry a tune. This elective is meant to help them find the melody in their voice. Basic exercises were taught to help aspiring singers with their song.

Next up, is Dance for Life! If you caught Step Up 3, saw their cool moves, and had that deep burning desire to jiggle, wiggle or just jump around, this would have been your thing. For many people around the world, dancing has always been a form of self-expression, and the dance elective conducted at CAM vision day allowed you to portray that expression... without looking like a clown. One thing I learnt is that dance is about an expression with the whole body, so everything from facial expression to body movement has to be in-sync, certainly a point worth knowing for aspiring dancers out there.

A picture speaks a thousand words; which is why CAM vision day included an elective on Photography, to help nurture the talents of a new generation of photographers to take up the slate. Tips and tricks were shared with participants to bear in mind when taking that next shot and to enhance their knowledge on equipment and photography.

One of the most important activities in cell groups is worship, so a good worship leader is needed to enhance the experience. Worship Leading in Cell Groups was similar to a group discussion with shared experiences of worship leading such as: to take note of time, using simple chords and connecting with the crowd etc. All these pointers help enrich the minds’ of future worship leaders and aid them in creating a more memorable cell experience.

PA, the one ministry that knows it has done a job well when no one notices any mistakes. Anything relating to sound is fundamental to this ministry. PA at CAM vision day introduced the basics of PA systems and equalizing, as well as certain systems that are used just to make sound heard well.

Luke6:47 says “I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practise.” So for those who went for CAM vision day, remember to put into practise what you learnt, for it won’t do any good just being in your head. For those who did not go, I encourage you to do so next week, because there is always something to learn there.

Written by Blog Writer
Darren Smith

Have a question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

The 29th FRESHIES WELCOME!

2011-03-10T17:06:00.000+08:00

Hey Everyone!

How quickly does time fly doesn't it? It wasn't long ago when we were still slacking in our holidays, then the orientation bussel came & with a blink of an eye, FRESHIES WELCOME is over as well!?!

The countdown message

Let me just make a disclaimer that we don't know if it really is the 29th FRESHIES WELCOME, its really the best figure we know, I actually checked with the church administrator before making such a bombastic statement. But even if it isn't, i'm sure we are well & truly close to that number!

The awesome ZPH worship team

I have been in Perth for a little over 6 years now, and if you do your maths right, that's 12 FRESHIES I have been through. And it is safe to say (others say so too, so it's not just my deranged mind that thinks so) that this FRESHIES was the best ever. Top of its class! The running was tight, the worship awesome, the chairing funny & entertaining, the drama griping, the dance energizing, the choir resounded & the message touching. All that left me with sweaty palms, white knuckles & a soaring heart rate trying to anticipate what was next! Not to mention a record 230 people! Curtin & Murdoch together got 570 the next day but we will get to that number in no time :)

The resounded Choir

Even the after party felt like ... an after party! Cosy atmosphere filled with laughter, life & not to mention great music! Especially from the musical talents of some of our good friends, including one Japanese white head who can't speak english but can sing english & chinese songs like a pro. Gotta get his autograph.

Dance Poses - not easy

The great thing is ... our semester has just begun! Still a whole lot to happen this semester & year! I invite you to stay tuned to this blog to see what else is about to happen :)

part of the after party

So to end, a really successfully FRESHIES, a hand to all the performers & service teams, and one major headache as to how to top this next sem! But not to worry, great minds are already at work in bringing more for next time!

So till next time, God bless & see you around.

Regards,

The Blog Team

Have a question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

FRESHIES WELCOME!!!

2011-03-02T16:10:00.001+08:00

Heya!

FRESHIES WELCOME is just around the corner!!

Make sure you come early to get a good seat! And we have a wonderful setting for dinner afterwards. If you have problems getting down to UWA, just email us (email add below) or click here to call any of our leaders!!

Wondering what FRESHIES WELCOME is all about? Read last semester's write up about it! Don't forget the details!

Sat 5 Mar

UWA Live

4:30 pm

Social Science LT

University of Western Australia

The Blog Team
Have a question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

Catamaran - A quick comment

2011-02-27T05:30:00.002+08:00

Hey All!

Catamaran is over & it leaves behind a wake of both great memories & stinging sunburns ... enjoy the tan lines fellas! I'm sure there are more than a few who are already regretting their choice in attire for the day!

Just a quick PTL (Praise The Lord) comment ...
Total Attendance : 119
Total No. of Toasted ppl : 119
No. of Current members : 40
No. of Visitors : 79
Did I use a calculator to figure that out : Yes, but please don't judge me, sun got to my brains as well.

Great job organizing team! ~~A pat on the back~~ *screams* Ooo .. forgot sun burn .. Applause for their efforts!

Here's some quick pictures for those of you who weren't there with us. Oh did I forget to mention 4 baby bull sharks were caught in the Swan River only just the day before? Yes, we neglected to tell you guys who went out sailing, ahhh ... isn't ignorance bliss? Pls don't sue lol

Look at these guys, life jackets aren't going to save them

Khang Wee definitely doesn't like his chances; ladies = bliss

But he remembers he is stronger & can use the girls as bait to save himself ... happier now; ladies = still very bliss

Our unaware shark adventurers head out!

Dexter teaches us how to get close & personal with sharks & still able to get a great leg tan! - Secrets of a modern metrosexual

Stay tuned for more updates! But for now, let's say hi to our 2 newest best friends ... Aloe Vera & Moisturizer!!

See you red lobsters!

The Blog Team

Have a question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

Orientation 2011 Sem1

2011-02-14T23:27:00.001+08:00

Hey everyone!

Details for UWA Orientation 2011 Sem1 can by found by clicking the link on the left under, "Keeping Tabs". OR if you are really that lazy, just click the link below (lol)

Click here to see Orientation Details

Updates will be frequent so please check back to see what has changed.

God Bless!
~ Blog Team ~

Have a question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

What you missed so far!

2011-02-11T00:31:00.003+08:00

As orientation is gearing up & the dread of starting school lurks ever closer, at least there's one thing to look forward to ... to be back in the house of the Lord with our favourite mammal friends (no ... its not the seals or whales) ZPH UWA!!!

For all those of you enjoying the humidity back home, here's what you missed from the past weeks!

Cell 28 Jan 2011 - Lausy's place

Theme : Games Day

True to Aussie culture (or more like Asians trying to be aussie), we decided to embrace one of the biggest cultures in our adopted land - Sports. Dressed NOT to impress but to sweat, we start our Cell with a nice game of Jungle Speed, with modified rules. Tofu made a guest appearance, wonderful dog. Why? He made dogfobic (bet there's no such term but you get my drift) Steph Sim comfortable, even offering a lick of the hand. Wonderful dog!

Oh did I mention the modified forfeits? Losers have to kiss Tofu ... and guess who lost?

Lausy was not impressed!

Again being the awesome dog that he is, Tofu decides to return the kiss. Beware Jia Hui!

People in deep thought during edi ... Vee's analysing his life right now. Isabel taking notes or texting?!?

We will never know ...

Game day food ... Burgers, Hot Dogs .. all the bad stuff for your figure, no wonder the girls look so grim

Game Day begins! Here were the teams.

In the Red Corner

Kelvin

Jeremy Ooi

Paul

Lausy

Stan

Johnson

Jacq

Christine

In the Blue Corner

Nathan

Max

Vee

Jeremy Tan

Emmanuel

Jonathan

Isabel

Steph

Jiali

Team captains facing each other ... Tofu is sad cos he wasn't pick by any team

Nathan wins the reflex contest ... Team Blue draws first blood

Tight battle with last game to win-it-all!

Jacq the Dragonlady vs Steph the Dogfobic!!!

Match point to the Dogfobic!

Dogfobic wins! Blue Team wins the day!!!

Forfeit for losing? Clean-up.

But alas, Lausy & Jonsy beat everyone to it & already finished cleaning up.

So I guess that means everyone wins?

Nice.

Cell 4 Feb 2011 - Rach's place

Cell proper with Tuart friends! Sorry no pics of the cell but we went to Leederville for supper.

Some of our new friends meeting a legend (Robbie Fowler)

Note very timely Liverpool T-Shirt on Jen

We were asked by Robbie if "Torres" was on the back of her shirt

Thankfully it wasn't.

Where else for dinner? Little Caesars of course!

Jiali & Emmanuel posing

Hungry yet? Bet you don't have these pizzas back home!

Nature Boy (Vee) striking a pose. Good on ya!

One for the memories ...

Can't wait for Cell tmw! I hope you guys are looking forward to a great 2011 together!

It's going to be awesome!

Have a question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

Queensland Floods

2011-01-13T15:42:00.003+08:00

Hey Guys,

If you are unaware, there has been flooding over at Queensland. It's quite serious stuff, with most of the folks getting caught off guard. At some places, water levels rose 4 meters!! And in some reports, flooding took place in 3-4 mins. From quiet stream creek to massive flood.

Here are some pictures.

Before & After Shots

This is NOT a bridge. It's actually one of the dams! Awoonga Dam.

Here's a little stats summary of what's happened. QLD is the second largest state in Australia with a total area of 1,852,642 sq km. 75% of that is 1,389,481.5 sq km. That's roughly the size of Peru! Or if you want a better understanding of size, it will take 258 Perths to cover.

Let's take time to pray for those affected. Thank God the fatality isn't high but the rebuilding process is going to be huge.

ZPH will be doing donation for Flood relief. If any of you are interested, please contact your ZS or Cell Leaders. Collection to be done on Sun 23 Jan.

Perth had hail, Victoria got burned & Queensland got flooded. If you find you have nothing to praise God for tonight, remember that having your own dry bed is already a huge blessing, so appreciate it!

For more info, visit ...

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/floodrelief/flood-info-centre-updates-reports-warnings-advice-and-how-you-can-help/story-fn7ik2te-1225985436806

Have a question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

Cell List Semester 1 2011!!!!

2011-01-07T16:02:00.005+08:00

Alright Everyone!

The moment you all have been waiting for!

Your 2011 Cell List! Version 23**!!!

(in case you didn't know, you can click on the list & it will enlarge ... instead of squinting lol)

**May not be factually true .... but close enough

Away with Leave

2010-11-28T02:07:00.000+08:00

Hey Everyone!

Another semester has come to an end, and most of you whom are reading this right now, are reading it from a room which has collect quite an amount of dust since you were last back. Things left the way it was when you last saw it? Or were there nasty surprises awaiting you when you got back? Perhaps a certain sibling has invaded your once fortress of solitude? lol I hope not :)

I want to thank you for faithfully reading our blog, I hope it has been a joy reading as it has been for the writers writing. I want to express that even though there are social mediums like FB & MSN for us to keep in touch, I always felt a blog has a very special touch to it. I guess it must be nostalgia. lol

And with that, I just want to say that the blog will be kept updated during the course of the holidays! So if you find yourself bored at night with nothing to do, come pay this site a visit to see what’s new. And if you do find something that’s exciting and fun to read, please pass the word along so others may be blessed as well!

For all of you out there. Hold on to Proverbs 4:23-27.

“Keep your heart with all diligence,

For out of it spring the issues of life.

Put away from you a deceitful mouth,

And put perverse lips far from you.

Let your eyes look straight ahead,

And your eyelids look right before you.

Ponder the path of your feet,

And let all your ways be established.

Do not turn to the right or the left;

Remove your foot from evil. “

A little something we learnt at summer cell this week. When you are home, guard your hearts, don’t fall away, keep the fire of your faith burning.

Evil likes to hunt when one is away from the pack. Don’t give it the pleasure!

God bless & happy reading!
~Max~

Have a question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

Conquering Exam Stress

2010-11-15T09:10:00.000+08:00

He placed his palm on my forehead and squeezed it gently. I looked up at him, perplexed and even more anxious than before. He seemed to be in some sort of meditative state, eyes closed and concentrating at the same time, as if waiting for a vision to burst out from within. Then, he took a deep breath and announced, “I give you… POWER!!! Now go and conquer!” With a hearty laugh and a final hug my dad bade me goodbye and gave me his best wishes for that day’s examinations.

The first time he did that was during my kindergarten final exams (please forgive me for being nervous about kinddy exams. Its very competitive in Singapore, mind you!) And for every subsequent examination, right up to my ‘A’ Levels in Junior College, he did the same thing. It became some sort of a ritual between us and it gave me comfort and confidence.

Now, I’m sure all of us have experienced the butterflies in our stomach, sweaty palms and jello-knees, anxiously standing outside the exam hall clutching our notes while waiting for the exam to begin. Or even way before that, while we were preparing for our papers, the thought that there is not enough time to cover everything causes us to start stressing over the lack of time or brainpower.

Yup… I see those little nods of agreement.

Such acts or objects gave us some sort of assurance. Of course, praying for peace and wisdom always helps. But there is one thing that can give us complete peace and comfort. And that is the power of Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:11 says that
“And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of His Spirit who lives in you.”

Paul is teaching us the significance of being a Christian. When we accept Him as our Lord and Saviour, we become children of God and the Holy Spirit lives in us. And thus, the same power that conquered the grave lives in us. When the Holy Spirit lives in us, we are able to accomplish things that we wouldn’t normally be able to do.

Note that it is not because of our own goodness, not who we are, nor what we have done, but simply because we allow God to work in our lives. When we made the decision to follow Christ, our ‘old self’ and everything of our past is erased and we can find our ‘new self’ in Christ Jesus. And when we truly understand that, as children of God, we are the heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, we inherit His power. As His children, and because of Christ that died for us and stood between the gap, we can come freely before God. And when we surrender all aspects of our lives to God, we will realise that it is the Holy Spirit who works through us to perform miracles.

So, if the same spirit that is powerful enough to raise Jesus from the dead is living in you, do you not think that that same Holy Spirit can conquer our nerves and ultimately our grades?

Let’s not let our inhibitions stand in the way of how God’s glory can be shone through our grades. God is not concerned about what we can or cannot do. He alone can conquer all and perform the impossible. All He wants us to do is place our trust in Him and surrender everything to Him.

I encourage all of us to remember and be reminded of God’s power and Jesus who lives in us whenever we weigh our own capabilities and limitations.

Galatians 2:20
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…”

Do your best and God will do the rest!

Written by blog writer,
Debs

Have a question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

Daily Devotion - Just One Benefit

2010-11-03T12:39:00.000+08:00

Hey Guys, I hope each of you are doing well in the run up to exams. I know this can be a trying time for many, and many in the past would make the mistake of forgoing Quiet Time or Daily Devotion to add those few extra minutes to studying, making breakfast or worst ... sleep!

There are many benefits of having a daily devotion. I’m sure all of you have heard most of them before so I’m NOT going to do a lecture on it. However, daily devotion is a great way to increase your knowledge, not just about the bible, but life skills! Here’s an example from my devotion today.

Enjoy!

Enthusiasm And Experience

Many of the older priests, Levites, and other leaders remembered the first Temple, and they wept aloud when they saw the new Temple’s foundation. The others, however, were shouting for joy. - Ezra 3:12

Young people look forward; old folks look back. Youth embraces the future, where most of its life lies; old age reveres the past, where most of its life has gone. Youth has little in the past to which to refer; old age has not much in the future for which to plan. So when youth and old age stand together in the same place, they look in opposite directions and see different scenarios. Old folks see the good old days; the young see only bright horizons.

Little wonder they often disagree and not infrequently clash!

On the day when the new foundations of the ruined temple were laid in Jerusalem after seventy years in exile, the reactions of the generations were markedly different. The young people were so excited about what was new and fresh that they sang and shouted and danced for joy. Their faces were wreathed in smiles. But the shouts were mingled with sobs because, while the young were delighted, the old were dismayed. Their cheeks wore no smiles, but were bathed in tears (3:12). They remembered and mourned the old temple, the old days, the way things were. And they looked with dismay at what was destined to take its place. In their minds the new was far inferior to the old.

Both had a point. The old had experience, which gave insight to what had been; the young had enthusiasm, which promised momentum for what was to come.
Enthusiasm without the cautions of experience can lead to projects crashing in flames.

Experience without the fire of enthusiasm can lead to projects never leaving the ground. Old people harping on the way things were can kill the hope of the future, while young people worshiping the way things will be can be wounded if the lessons of history go unheeded.

God made youth and old age for a reason—they need each other! So let’s thank him for youth and praise him for old age, and let us pray that enthusiasm and experience will kiss each other, and that they will live happily together.

Written by Blog Writer,
~Max~

Have a question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

Get Away

2010-10-27T11:37:00.002+08:00

“Now it came to pass in those days that he went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.”

Feeling drained? Roller-coaster of emotions? Just trying to get through the day? Would it surprise you that Jesus went through these same feelings as well? He is after all, all God & all human. And He also understands all because He has experienced all!

“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weakness, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” - Hebrews 4:15

So what does our role model do in moments like these? He Gets Away, goes up to a mountain top to pray, to spend time with the Father. And just like Jesus, we all need a place to Get Away from it all. To go back to the one place where we can hear the One voice that really matters. God’s.

Do you have a place like that?

I have. Its called Mill point. Mill point to me is like Jesus’ mountain, it is THE place I turn to when I need to Get Away. The prefect compilation of cool breezes, the slow moving swan river & not to mention the beautiful backdrop of the city skyline. 20 mins is all it takes for me to get back on track, to kickstart my brain & start having creative ideas & solutions flowing back but more importantly, it is the one place where I truly can feel God’s presence & His assurance that His been there, by my side, watching over me all the while.

Now the Bible does say “When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father” - Matt 6:6. (Firstly the purpose of this verse is for another context, if you want to know, just let me know) And yes, God is definitely everywhere, & we can meet him anywhere, especially when we close the door & pray. But let me challenge you with this, a get-away holiday is always more fun compared to one spent in your backyard.

Same goes with meeting God. You can meet him in your bedroom, in the study or in the library. But when you intentionally Get Away to be alone with Him, walk beside Him, talk to Him. Those are the times where you truly feel the weight of the world being lifted off your shoulders.

Final assignments are here & exams are peeping around the corner. So when (not if) you find yourself heavy laden, don’t resort to red bull or facebook or worst ... WOW or Shopping. Instead, Get Away ... and let the Spirit of the Lord come upon you & give you REST.

Afterall, God has already blessed us UWA people with a little piece of heaven in our very backyard! Its called Mat Bay. Go, take a walk with Lord, can come back a whole different person!

Written by Blog Writer,

~ Max ~

Have a question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

Jumping Across Trucks

2010-10-15T11:03:00.003+08:00

I went to watch the movie 'Salt' the other day. It was awesome! I was inspired to start jumping onto moving trucks lol. But seriously, I enjoyed the action. POW POW POW!

Which brings me to the point of this entry. Why CAN'T I jump onto moving trucks or run great distances? (Maybe because my stamina stinks.) But it has always been a dream of mine to be able to run, climb over, jump across, and to just overcome every single obstacle that is in my way.

Realistically though, we all know that it’s not possible (my dream has just died a premature death, haha). Which brings to mind, what other obstacle can I not overcome? Like passing my exams? Losing weight? Speeding? Finding a boyfriend?!!

Sure, when we think about it that way, there're a lot of things out there that we cannot achieve or acquire. Like that awesome car, excelling in studies or simply trying to improve your own self.

But friends, I endeavour that while we may not be able to achieve all these things, there is someone out there who can. And that person is God. God can and He can achieve them through you! Remember a while back, I wrote about doing things on our own strength? I'm not saying that you cannot achieve all this within your own strength. (It really boils down to your level of self-discipline and determination.) But rather, when you DO NOT achieve all these things, how do you feel? Tired? Depressed? Disempowered?

Matthew 6:25-34

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Be tired, depressed, and disempowered no more! When we have God in our lives, not being able to jump across those trucks isn't our biggest issue. He is our Jehovah Jireh and whatever your circumstances, be it working towards improving your studies; just remember: He will provide for us. With energy, strength, wisdom, patience, and also peace, for whatever the outcome.

And you never know. You might just see me someday... Jumping across trucks.

God Bless.

Written by Blog Writer,

~Felicia~

Have a question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

A Word About Baptism

2010-10-07T00:07:00.007+08:00

My walk with God has not been an easy one. Mostly because I’ve been avoiding God for the first 16 years of my life. I’ve always believed in our one true God; there was no reason for me not to. He showed His love through every answered prayer, however silently they were uttered and despite the little faith I placed when saying them.

Yet, I was like a stubborn, rebellious child refusing the love and concern of a father… believing that I did not need Him in my life.

Every time I share my testimony and the reason why I finally decided to get baptised only after four years of being a Christian, I always joke that I’ve let God wait for too long. This then implies that God is getting impatient with me and hence, being driven by guilt and fear, I hasten to seal this deal with God.

Of course this is completely inaccurate and will remain as an inside joke between my beloved Father and me. However, I do admit that I had my fair share of excuses whenever the opportunity to get baptised arose. “I’m not Christian enough…” “I’m still too young…” “There’s so much more I have to learn and areas where I can serve…” Inwardly, I was casting the spotlight on myself.

When ZPH held a baptism workshop last semester, I received a revelation of the significance of baptism. It says in Romans 6:4:

We were buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, you too may live a new life.

The symbolic act of being submerged into the water and rising up again signifies our new life in Christ. With that act, and through His grace and love, God has made us anew. Only He has the power to transform us completely so that we can live in the peace and freedom that can only be found in Him.

Our baptism is really a declaration of the glory of our Father.

It is not at all about us.

I understood, only four years after being saved; having had my life transformed and the countless miracles I had experienced, that I should be declaring His works, His goodness and His glory. With all the excuses I used to give to justify my delayed baptism, I was converging attention to myself, when what I should have been doing is to point others towards God.

And what better way to glorify His name than to testify of His goodness and works in my life? The water baptism gave me a platform to share of God’s awesomeness through my journey with Him. And when I began to focus on letting God shine, all the excuses and fears just vanished.

In John 3:30, it explains plainly,

“He must become greater, I must become less.”

I encourage all of you to realise that when we start thinking about what we can or cannot do with our current abilities, we’re stopping God from working within us. Allow Him to increase as we decrease, and we’ll begin to see His glory.

To date, has there been something that God has done in your life that compels you to testify of His glory?

Remember: it is not about you, it is all about God.

See His glory and share your story.

Water Baptism Service is this Saturday! Come and support our friend and fellow brother as he takes a life changing step toward the future. There will be many testimonies and you will surely be blessed! See you at the service!

Sat 9 Oct

10:30 AM

Lifestreams Christian Church

Cnr of Hay St & McNaab Loop COMO

Written by Blog Writer,

~Debs~

Have a question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

Fear

2010-10-02T08:33:00.002+08:00

Fear, we all have our own fears. Some are afraid of tall places (like Max), some are afraid of birds (like my cell helper), and some are afraid of little tiny insects (like me).

But since when did these fears come into our lives? I remember I used to bully insects when I’m young. I used to use my mighty thumb to squash every single ant I saw crawling around. NOW you might say that I’m a weirdo by being afraid of ants, but you have to go google images of ‘ants’ and see them in enlarged pictures. Real Freaky. (Seriously!)

Anyway, I remember there was one thing I did fear when I was young – caning. If you’re from an asian background then you’d probably experienced caning in school. And the period I feared most was after the exams, that was when my class teacher would cane those who did badly in the exams.

So there’s one thing I would always do if I had to go up to get canned, I’d tell myself that “at least I’m not gonna die”. By telling myself that, it helped to toughen me up a bit and thus reduce the chances of me crying in public. Lol.

I think that statement is quite a powerful one. If I know that I’m not gonna die from doing something, then what’s there to be afraid of?

I was thinking of my younger years a few days ago and that statement kicked in. However, with the added wisdom of Christ, I’ve come realized that now ... I’m not going to die anymore! Because Jesus gave us eternal life! So…by that statement, we have nothing to fear at all right?

Hebrews 13:5-6

For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we may boldly say: "The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"

Truly we have nothing to fear at all! Except the fear of the Lord. Proverbs 9:10 says that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

So imagine if we had courage without wisdom. We’d do all the stupid things right? So courage alone isn’t enough, we need wisdom to direct that courage we have to the right places.

This is an example of courage without wisdom:

So jokes aside, take this home with you: Fear the Lord and there’s nothing else to be afraid of.

Cheers.

Written by Blog Council,

~Wilson~

Have a question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

Jive Box's Experience in SFAS 2010

2010-09-29T09:11:00.021+08:00

“ Hey Esther, sorry but I can't make it for your church event on saturday night cos I've got a gig on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, paying $200 a night. I'll find a replacement for you, so sorry about that!” Jayden Williamson, the original drummer of Jive Box spoke on the phone hastily.

My heart sank when I heard the news. It was the Monday before Search For A Star and Saturday was the real event. We had rehearsed everything and we had to rehearse it again with new people! Honestly speaking, with 5 days to spare to the actual event, 2 rehearsals would suffice. However on Tuesday, Nathan, the drummer Jayden got for replacement, rang me up and said he could not make it because Saturday was his friend's 21^st birthday. 'Great!' my mind was racing and these letters 'gracefully' paraded acrossed my mind: D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R!!!

Now we only have 4 days left and we still got to FIND A DRUMMER, rehearse the jazz fusion song, Cantalope Island, and arrange a medley of Michael Jackson songs. That day, my bassist, Jesse Bryom-Carter, immediately approached Josh Hopkins to be the drummer for the event and he kindly agreed. “Thank God!” I heaved a sigh of relief. I have not met Josh before but he seemed like a nice guy to work with. I made it clear to all my band members that SFAS is an unpaid performance so as to diminish any of their hopes for monetary returns and emphasized that the performance is voluntary. Fortunately, none of the members pulled out after knowing its voluntary. “Thank God!” once again!

The race for time began and we got to settle for a time for rehearsal. I was planning to have 2 rehearsals before SFAS but very unfortunately, everyone can only rehearse on Thursday and ONLY FOR 1 HOUR!!! The letters: D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R, once again, very 'gracefully' paraded acrossed my mind, but this time bringing along its best friend, “ R-E-A-L-L-Y”. So together, “ REALLY DISASTER” appeared big and dauntingly in my mind. That tuesday night, I seriously could not sleep well because the judges of SFAS had good impressions of the original Jive Box during the audition and thus they requested for a pop tune.

I prayed to God that on Thursday rehearsal, everything would be okay and we would finish learning all the arrangement in that ONE HOUR. Thank God for giving wisdom to all the members as we actually managed to learn and arrange all the tunes in that one hour! The band was not sounding very solid yet but at least we managed to go through all the songs for SFAS! PHEW!!!! I was really relieved. I suggested to have another rehearsal on saturday morning before SFAS but the other members were unwilling due to the need for their own personal practice on core tunes for class. Since SFAS is an unpaid gig, I have no valid reason to request for their devotion to the event. “Okay, let God take charge, and I shall not worry.” I told myself.

Saturday arrived and it was time for full-dress rehearsals on stage at PCLC. As my band members were absent during the dry run, we did not have the chance for sound check. Full-dress rehearsal started and my band was called on stage. This was only the 2^nd rehearsal for our band for the show. During that rehearsal, I was at the wrong section of the song and apparently, my bassist, drummer and I myself could not hear each other clearly. This got me worried about our performance once again and this time we had no chance to see if everything works, and so I just did what I could … pray to do well for the show! Thankfully, the actual performance was a lot better than the full-dress rehearsal. My saxophonist finally got the ending right and the band sounded good with energy. I was satisfied with it personally and was glad to receive lots of positive feedback as well!

Enough of talking about my experiences and my band, I truely enjoyed all the performances that night and I believe everyone had put in lots of effort and time in it. There is no winner because everyone had already won (even before the start of the show!) God looks at the heart, not at how good any team actually is. Last but not least, the organisers should receive most of the credit because so much time and effort has been put into SFAS. They have already started planning a year ago! Having said this, I am already looking forward to SFAS 2011. How bout' you?!

Written by blog writer,
~Esther~

Have a question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

Search For A Star 2010

2010-09-27T11:17:00.018+08:00

Blasting speakers and a deafening roar from the audience was the first thing that overwhelmed me when I first stepped into the hall. I was attending my first Search For A Star event and mind you, I had a blast!

The hall was filled with an exuberant crowd! Each and every person around me seemed to be filled with sheer excitement as they cheered for their friends throughout the night at the top of their lungs (even though I was very certain the performers wouldn’t be able to hear but still!), or maybe they were just too psyched by the lineup of performers! The excitement soon rubbed off on me and got me all hyped up as well, and the night was only just about to begin.

Performance after performance. Nothing can express my sentiments better than WOW! I was bowled over by everyone on stage that night. From singing to dancing, acting to performing, every single person that went onstage was fantastic! My favourite of the night however, was probably the duet performed by Untamed and Co. Their cover of ‘Forever’ meshed with ‘Teenage Dreams’ was just brilliant! I loved the vocals and harmonizing. It was plain beautiful! I was also deeply impressed by pastor’s daughter; Renee, when she was dancing with FuZion! It was so adorable, and at such a tender age! Her boldness and confidence is to be admired.

I believe that every performer onstage that night was out to shine, not for them but for the Greater One.

For me, attending the event brought 2 Timothy 1:6 back to remembrance.

“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. “

I firmly believe each and every one of us is blessed by God with a certain gift. It can be playing an instrument, singing, dancing, acting, writing, or even in areas that are not often in the spotlight such as the backstage coordinators, the lights team, projections, and sound etc. The gift varies but one thing remains the same - that God has blessed each one of us with at least one skill. More than just having the skill, Paul emphasized that we need to fan the flame of this gift which we have. Just as the fire grows bigger when we fan the flame, when we work hard at something and hone our skills, we also get better at them. We polish our skills in order to build up and strengthen the church body. While at it, we begin to realize our interdependency and build each other up, in order to ultimately, SHINE for Jesus! In light of Paul’s words found in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God”. That’s right, anything for His name!

The performances that night were a testament of God’s gifts in his people. The performers, stage managers and every person behind the scenes had invested their time and energy to make sure everything was in tip top condition, all for the success of the night’s event! In the house of God, we have actors, singers, musicians, dancers, stage managers, technicians and loads more! It was a team effort that ultimately spread the cheer and joy of Christ to people in the audience like me. It was a job well done and a reflection of Christ’s work in His people!

The atmosphere that night was electrifying and the performances were just amazing! We were gripped by the lineup of performances but sadly, all great performances have to come to an end. After the event, I saw many people chatting, and I heard (no, I was not eavesdropping) lots of people offering words of encouragement to one another, commending each other and praising their good work.

Indeed, the performances were great, but God was awesome above all. I have seen how exciting our God can be with His people and the great things He can achieve through us. I am not sure what next year’s Search For A Star will bring, but one thing I’m sure of, is that God will continue to bless His people with gifts that can bring this show to greater heights!

Written by blog writer,

~SK~

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TRIBAL WARS!!!

2010-09-24T07:39:00.004+08:00

An idea is birthed, what it becomes is determined by the person. No great structure or event happens over night. It often takes hours of work and planning and I believe this is the beginning of great things to come.

What am I talking about? I’m sure you brilliant people know it.

It’s TRIBAL WARS.

After much wait it’s finally here. Just hours away, many will be united competing for the title of Tribe of the Year.

So guys, prepare well, plan well and get yourselves all ready as I believe everyone will be bringing their best to win and be the First Tribe of Year.

Much speculation has been going on in Facebook so to which cell(s) will be claiming the title this year. The bets are on Li Jin’s cell BUT only time will tell, so to all cells out there ... let’s bring it on.

Posted by Stanley Bong

Cell groups, far and wide!!!

Take note of the tide,

That of Lijin's pride,

There's no surprise,

We're bringing home the prize,

So prepare yourselves,

and try to stay alive...

Harrroooouuggghhhhh!!!

PUMPED!!!

Written by blog writer,
~Michael~

Have a question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

A look back at ... SFAS! (Jerry's Interview)

2010-09-22T08:47:00.000+08:00

Still riding on a high after Search For A Star?
Can't seem to get enough of the performances and/or performers?
Follow us as we go behind the scenes to interview some organisers and perfomers to see what goes on in their minds' while preparing for our annual event.

First up today, we have a short interview with the organiser of the whole event, Jerry to share some insights.
We managed to snag Jerry for a few minutes after the full dress rehearsal to ask him a few questions.

Hi Jerry, thanks for sparing us some time so our readers can get to know more about what its like to organise a large scale event such as this.

Oh, not a problem. I've never been interviewed before, so this will be interesting for me as well.

First question, on a scale from 1-10, what is the stress factor like for organizing SFAS?

Hmm, on a whole, I think, maybe 8.75? It's pretty high because a lot of frustration involves dealing with people. The more people you deal with, the more you’re bound to have differences so miscommunication happens a lot. So yeah, 8.75 sounds about right.

Right, so which is your favorite performance of the night?

How am I to choose? To me, each and every person who performs with a passion, with their heart and soul, who give it all they've got each time they're on stage are my favorites. Because I know a lot effort was put into it and even if ultimately, it isn’t to the best of standards, everyone gave it the best they got! :)

Okay, you're really diplomatic. But I can understand. I'd find it hard to choose as well. Now, if you had a choice, who do you NOT want to be tonight?

Hmmm, everyone plays an important part in making tonight a success; from backstage crew to performer to usher to even the person who picks up litter. I guess the person I least want to be is one who’s not involved.

Now, what do you feel is the hardest thing about your role as organiser?

Oh, that's simple! TIME. Managing time, coordinating personal commitments with planning, execution , quality check and all other areas for the event. Trying to please everyone while striving to meet expectations etc.

So if you had a choice right now, what is the ONE thing you’d want most?

Oh, I haven't thought about that. I guess I just wish for everyone who is involved in SFAS to grow. To learn from each other and from experience, and to know that everyone shares the same vision and is working to achieve that.

Ok, I can see that you're very busy and there are a few people after you already. Last few questions! If you could turn back time, what is the one thing you wish you could change?

Nothing I guess. At this stage, we've done all we can and it's all in God’s hands.

Oh, that's good. What is your biggest fear right now for this event then?

Well, it's probably people not turning up. Visitors whom we've invited not coming at the last minute etc. Having said that, we’re asked to fear the lord, not man. So no matter what happens or whatever the attendance, we’ll continue in faith in the hope that some of our visitors will be touched and that they will get to know Jesus on a personal level.

Great, last question! What sort of acts will you like to see in future SFAS performances?

Oh, haha, performances that are unique? Not to say any performance tonight is not good but every year we try to get a variety of performances. So maybe in the future we'll see clowns, juggling acts, or fire breathers? But that’s just saying, doesn't mean we won't still look forward to the singing and dancing we have right now. ;)

Hahaha, fire breathers and jugglers huh? That might really be interesting. Anyway, thanks so much for your time Jerry. I'll let you get back to the final checks now. All the best for your event!

That concludes our interview with Jerry, Head Coordinator of SFAS. The UWA Blog team was out in full force for this year's SFAS, so remember to stay tuned for more pieces!

Written by Anonymous!

Have a question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

Tweet Tweet

2010-09-17T08:50:00.000+08:00

I was just randomly scrolling through Facebook while ~~taking a break from studying~~ slacking and I saw something interesting. It was a screenshot of someone’s Twitter page and it looks something like this:

My first reaction was “Haha that’s quite funny”. My second reaction was “Omgosh God has a Twitter account!?”

So I proceed hastily to google up “almightygod tweeter” in hope of finding this account. And because google never fails, eventually I managed to find this twitter account, read all the tweets and finally found the original tweet:

And after reading all the tweets, to my horror the writer of this tweeter account is not God himself! In fact the writer was an ATHEIST!! Nooo….

Okay enough of my randomness. Obviously I’ve guessed that a Christian couldn’t have possibly created this account because it would be blasphemous to use God’s name. So it must have been some non-believer trying to make fun of God and Christianity.

But that’s not the point of me writing this blog post. The thing that I find interesting is the statement itself: “To most Christians, the Bible is like a software license. Nobody actually reads it. They just scroll to the bottom and click “I agree.”

So why did I find it funny? Maybe I did not consider myself to be one of the “most Christians” mentioned above? Probably, but the saddening thing is that the statement itself does have some truth in it. How many of your friends claim to be Christians but rarely reads the bible? How many of us clicked on the “I agree” button without counting the cost of carrying the cross daily?

I hope that our Church will not be in that “most Christians” category. Let’s not be a Christian just because all of our friends are Christians, it is very dangerous for us to do so. It will be very easy for us to fall away especially when our supportive Christian friends are not around us.

It is not enough for us to just read the bible once every week in cell and in church. There’s only so much the church or cell can teach you every week. We must make reading the bible part of our daily routines, then we can really be a bible based Christian.

Let’s read our bibles daily!

Written by Blog Counsel,
~Wilson~

Have a question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

Fight FROM Victory, not FOR Victory

2010-09-15T15:41:00.000+08:00

Seriously, Life is tough.

I’ve lost count of the times I wished that I was a bird in the sky or a duck in the lake, you know, when there is not a care in the world. You live, you die, simple. No stress, no pressure, just plain living. But that’s not life, life’s tough. There are ups and downs, and all the in-betweens.

Being in college now, the thought of not knowing what to do in the future is killing me. I mean, I am one of those ‘planners’ where I plan every single day, sometimes (just for kicks) planning in a week’s advance. So the thought of ‘not knowing’ really drives me nuts. And the constant bombardment of assignments and tests (4 to 5 a week!) isn’t helping either. To top it off, I’m really stress-prone!

Well, you may not be exactly like me, maybe a lil’ ‘sane-ner’, but we all have those moments, where life just throws everything at you mercilessly and you feel like you’re suffocating. You kick and wrestle, desperate for a gasp of air, just one break from all the struggling - an escape from all this chaos please!

The most tragic thing is this – we start to feel that God ain’t grand in our lives anymore. God doesn’t appear to be real. I mean as a Christian, I know that my future is in God’s hands and that tomorrow will worry about itself. But during these moments when stress has blinded me, all these verses seem so …… hollow. I begin to doubt and be overwhelmed by my own reasoning and common sense. Fear begins to sip in as my worries and insecurities chewed up my faith in God. Disappointments like bad results start to appear as death. During these moments, God seems to become so abstract and unreachable.

But God is good all the time and all the time God is good ... TO ME.

One night, after a long study of Physics which had probably shortened my life by a few days (kidding XD, no seriously), I took up Joseph Prince’s ‘Destined to Reign Devotional’ book that has been sitting on my table for so long untouched. Then I came across this verse:

“Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6: 11).

Yea yea, I know, you are thinking, what has the devil gotta do with any of this?

But the key word here is neither the devil nor the armour of God, it’s the word ‘stand’. Yes, STAND! All God is asking us to do is to STAND, not wrestle, not challenge, and definitely not suffer! The word ‘stand’ implies that we are fighting FROM victory ground, not FOR victory. It’s amazing how God could use ordinary words to reveal extraordinary revelations.

Victory has always been ours since the very moment, the very nanosecond we believed that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. For it is written:

No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. (Romans 8: 37)

What’s even more awesome is that we already have everything in Christ! This is proven in 1 Corinthians 3: 22 – whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come—all are yours.

So, after reading this, I found myself asking, why on Earth am I struggling when victory and everything in the world already belongs to me? After this revelation, I could practically feel the weight lifted off my shoulders and I could actually … breathe.

In today’s society, many feel entrapped and imprisoned by oneself. But there is a particular group of people, who are going through what I had experienced. They are being locked with chains when the key to these locks is in their hands, the key being Jesus Christ. As you might have already guessed, this group of people are the Christians, the chosen ones of God.

Are you one of them?

Well, I was one of them, but am no longer one because I’ve received the revelation!

My friend, you are victorious in Christ, yes, even right now as you’re reading this. We, as the children of God, are the salt and light of the world. So, if we are not living a victorious life, what difference are we to them? For us to be victorious and successful in life without having to slave over it, is something that shouldn’t be taken granted for! Our Abba Daddy has sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross for us, so that we may be free of all bondages, including stresses in life!

So, I would like to challenge you today, to take this step of faith, to live a victorious life, to be a history maker. Whatever life throws at you, return to basics, return to your first love. Our loving Papa wants nothing but the best for us. Life is smashing and victorious with God on our side.

Seriously, life rocks!!

Written by Blog Writer,
~Julia~

Have a question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

Old Habits Die Hard

2010-09-10T09:11:00.000+08:00

I believe that most of us have heard of this phrase before. So what is a habit? Based on Wikipedia (this finally being a place you can quote Wikipedia!), a habit is an acquired pattern of behaviour that often occurs automatically. Well if it’s in our nature to give and do what is right automatically then that will be a good habit to keep. But for this article we’ll be looking at a bad habit which is much seen in our church today. And this habit is regarding punctuality.

From my point of view, I believe that much needs to be done regarding this as the longer this habit stays with us, the harder it’ll be to let go. Like ice-cream/Starcraft. Haha. Now let us see a few issues which need to be looked at.

1. Church:
As all of us know UWA service starts at 9am Sunday morning and this has been the time our service starts since the beginning of the year. At the beginning of the year it may seem ok that you see people entering through the backdoor of service (late) as they’re not used to waking up early for church. But sadly when hanging around church at 8:50am on the last UWA service for semester 1, I could only see a handful of people gathering outside the doors of our church. With much hope of a better semester 2, I went to ask the ushers of our church on what it’s like this time around and their respond was saying yes, it is getting better, but just a little.

2. When telling each other the time for an event:
What do I mean by this? Well, let me list an example of a dialogue between 2 people.
Example:
Louis: Hey tomorrow you coming right?
Will: Ya, what time is it?
Louis: It’s at 6. But more or less everyone will reach at 6:30.

I know that this occurs a lot when it comes to our events and this creates a mindset of:
(Time 6:00pm)
Ooo.. It’s already six, don’t worry the rest wouldn’t be there yet, I can start getting ready now. (Unrushed)

Isn’t it weird why so many of us can arrive at our exam halls much earlier than the paper itself but we can’t seem to arrive at God’s house on time? Whose waiting on who? Is the Lord Almighty in all His majesty waiting on us or are we waiting on Him?

I really hope that this issue can come to a close as soon as possible before Zion Praise Harvest becomes a church labelled for its lateness. Don’t think this can happen? Just to drive the point home, when arriving on time to an event organised by ex church members they were very much surprised and were expecting us to be late. ):

Hope ALL of you can see the importance of this. Let us together make the right decisions rather than excuses anymore, as bad habits are easier to abandon TODAY than tomorrow.

Let’s create a greater image for our church when it comes to punctuality and remember it starts with YOU. Remember what we learned last semester about an unstoppable generation? Well how can an unstoppable generation be late? To end this let me add something to the beginning quote, ‘old habits die hard,’ but they still have to die. (:

Written by Blog Writer,
~Michael~

Have a question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

Happy Father's Day!!

2010-09-06T10:17:00.000+08:00

Another year has passed, and before you know it, we’re in the busy busy busy month of September! With so many events held by our church in the span of a month from mid august to September, let us not forget about the Australian Father’s day which was last weekend!

How long has it been since you last said “I LOVE YOU” to your dad? When was the last time you spoke to him on the phone? Has it been too long to remember the last time you hugged your dad tightly? Did you notice that the grays threading through his hair are more obvious now?

It’s been 9 long months since I last saw my father. And yes, you’re right, I really do miss him badly. How I wish I can just hop on a plane right now and pay him a visit! But, the truth of it is, I can’t. What I can do instead is to remember to call home and share my life here in Perth as a student with him.

My dad is a strict parent, and not one that expresses himself well. There are times, when I see my friends playing or joking with their fathers, I find myself being jealous and envious of that comfortable relationship they have with their dads. Thoughts like “why isn’t my father like that?” or “ why does my dad not do what XYZ’s dad does for her?” and sadly also, “if only my dad was more like Uncle ABC” runs through my head. Even though he prepares breakfast for me every single morning, takes care of me when I am ill and works long hours for my tuition fees… I never really saw what he has been doing for our family. I was completely blindsided by the jealousy in me.

Only when I came to Perth did I notice the things my dad has been doing for me. Now, there isn’t anyone who gets up at 5 to prepare breakfast for me, to fetch me to school, or drive me around to visit the shops etc. I’ve come to realize that my father’s love is like sand. Each and every grain looks so small and insignificant, but when accumulated, it overwhelms.

Father’s day is but just a day, but being a dad is a lifetime vocation. I still recall my Sunday School teacher telling us that we have 2 fathers in our life, our Heavenly Father, and our earthly father. Our earthly father, was chosen by our heavenly Father to protect and nurture us. He is an angel as well as a servant chosen by our dear Heavenly Father.

“You gave me life and showed me your unfailing love. My life was preserved by your care.” [Job 10:12]

“He will love you and bless you, and he will give you many children. He will give fertility to your land and your animals. When you arrive in the land he swore to give your ancestors, you will have large harvests of grain, new wine, and olive oil, and great herds of cattle, sheep, and goats.” [Deuteronomy 7:13]

God blesses us abundantly; with our lovely parents, our friends, and most importantly, life. And because of Him, I have the inspiration and opportunity to share about this with you guys.

As a child, all we do is receive and benefit from our father’s actions. Well, it is time to remember that dads (manly as they are) also need our love and encouragement! Remember to say “thank you” and “l love you” to your fathers, you never know how much it means to them!

God Bless! :)

Written by blog writer,
Mary-Ann

Have a question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

A Great Present

2010-09-03T07:19:00.000+08:00

On the 19th of January 2010, she ventured into an unknown territory, a place called Perth. It was foreign to her as it was a place she’s never been to before. It was her first time being away from her family, her home and her friends ... she was alone. During her first few days in Perth, her mind was flooded with questions and self-doubt. Why did she choose to come to a place where English is the first language when she was doubtful of her own command of the language? If she is unable to communicate with the people here, wouldn’t that affect her chances of getting good results for her studies as well? And if that was the case, then what’s the point?

“He carries out his decree against me, and many such plans he still has in store.”[Job 23:14]

Well, friends, if you haven’t already realized, our dear heavenly Father is always making the first move towards us in every situation. Whenever we’re in need, He’s always there to provide love, comfort, support and timely help. Everything He does has its own purpose.

Before long, the freshie stopped worrying and started placing her trust in God. His plans are always purposeful and well timed, and she is sure of this, as she is living proof.

107, French Street is the house she is currently staying in. This house is a BIG present that she has been blessed with. Initially, it felt more like a torment than a blessing for her to live in this place. There were many problems with the house when she first moved in, and almost everything in this house just didn’t seem to work the way it should. She complained and complained constantly and hoped the people in-charge of housing for her college would shift her to a better house.

That was until the 22nd of March 2010, when the hailstorm occurred in Perth. Only then did she and her housemates realize that God was protecting them and had blessed them with the best house in that area. The house of 107 was the only house that was not flooded or damaged during the hailstorm. It was actually the SAFEST house in the WHOLE AREA! The hailstorm had shifted her perspective and led her to truly appreciate this house for what it is. She could think of no other reason why hers was the only house unaffected besides it being God’s work and His present to her and her housemates!

Yes, He is truly amazing!

Regardless of what time and season we are in, our heavenly Father is constantly guiding us, never once losing sight of us. He has your future and every little detail concerning you all mapped out, yet the details are never forthcoming. Only at the right time will the details be revealed, and all we can do in the meantime is to prepare ourselves to receive His GREAT plan.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “ plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” [Jeremiah 29:11]

So friends, be patient and wait in anticipation of the great things that are in store for you! THE BEST IS YET TO BE!

Written by blog writer,
~Mary-Ann~

Have a question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

Encouragement from a Curtineer!

2010-09-01T09:05:00.003+08:00

Unlike my other UWA counterparts, I started school a week later.

I admit I had a minor tussle with my alarm clock on my first day but I managed to make my way to school on time. And boy was it good to be back! Although I go into uni 2 days a week, it’s a pretty hectic 2 days.

From my first lecture of the day to my last tutorial, I was receiving assignments and readings so fast I was shocked. Bam bam bam! I was running in and out of lectures and tutes with a growing bulk of work. I felt like dying miserably and I remember thinking, “It’s only the first week of school”.

Undeterred, I put it upon myself to do all my readings, start planning out my essays and to begin work on two presentations. However, I spent the rest of the week waking up past noon, failed to finish my readings, fell asleep yet again when I tried to plan my essay and settled into a bad mood. My brain refused to cooperate with me! I couldn’t understand why I was feeling so tired and unproductive.

I felt exhausted and frustrated at myself and I didn’t feel like doing my quiet time. During one of my ‘talks’ with God, I was suddenly reminded of this verse:

“God is my strength and power, And He makes my way perfect.” 2 Samuel 22:33

It made me realize something. During the entire course of the week, I had never once asked God to help me with my work. I thanked Him for the day He has given me, but I haven’t asked for His help. I saw how much I needed to rely, not on myself, but on Him and I was humbled by this verse.

It is not easy remembering to rely on God. As humans, we naturally try to accomplish tasks and feats on our own before admitting we need help. Yes, God did bless us with our own natural talents but we have our shortcomings as well.

It is very easy for us to fall back onto our own strengths to get the job done, but it is also important for us to ask God to strengthen us because our human power can only last us for so long; whereas God’s strength is eternal.

There will be times where we feel we can:

Handle our personal issues
Complete that assignment
Conclude that arguement
Rule the world (just joking)

But seriously, when you encounter situations such as these, what is your first response? I won’t lie. My first response is to see how I can handle the situation. I find that after a while, I tend to burn out. I too need reminding that our Lord is our strength and provider. He can carry all our problems for us.

“but those who hope in the Lord, will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint”. Isaiah 40:31

“Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:29-30

It does not mean that God will snap His fingers and dissolve your worries for you instantly. No; instead, He will supply you with sufficient strength and energy for you to overcome whatever your circumstances.

Let us not carry our burdens alone by ourselves but instead, surrender it to the Lord our provider; Jehovah-jireh.

Written by blog writer,

~Fel~

Have a question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

A look back at ... Back2Back Service (Sharing is Caring)

2010-08-30T09:49:00.000+08:00

Sharing is Caring

(Caught in the middle of a scuffle between Aimee and Kaitlyn, my attempts to prise the doll away from them were drowned by screams of protests and kicks of indignance. At last, with the help of their older sister, Renee, they were physically separated. As I calm the upset Aimee, Renee approached Kaitlyn, who was still fuming with the ‘injustice’ that had befallen upon her. Collapsed on the couch, arms folded and pouting, Kaitlyn was not being easy. But Renee had her way. Stroking Kaitlyn’s hair gently, she spoke these few words of knowledge, “… sharing is caring.”).

Just a few weeks ago, on the 8th of August, our first back-to-back service at UWA passed by in a flurry of activities. All at once, there were many different things and different groups of people working together at the same time- the ushers, projection team, booth holders, sound team, and service coordinators overseeing the entire process to ensure that the service flows smoothly and on time. All these behind-the-scene moments that many of us often overlook suddenly seemed more pronounced at this particular service. Perhaps it was our unusual swift exit out of the Social Science Lecture Theatre that made it so.

We could say that we’ve been good hosts, extending our love and ‘service hall’ to our brothers and sisters of Curtin zone, lending our resources and services to others in times of need. But I invite you now to consider this perspective- we do not lend, we share.

Now you may wonder, perplexed out of your mind, what is the difference between lending and sharing? Well, we lend with an expectation of reciprocation, but we share out of generosity and love without any expectation. Do we say to our siblings, “Eh, I lend you my stapler, now, you have to return to me the exact number of staples you used okay??” (If anyone of you admits to this sort of mentality, remember there is no condemnation!) Of course not! We would and should gladly offer our whole pencil case if need be!

The same goes to hosting the Curtin zone. Being our direct ‘siblings’ (because we’re all in the same church), we adopt the sharing mentality, and offer this little bit as an act of service. At the start of the year, UWA-zone was blessed with a bigger and prettier venue, a swop of service timing to worship on glorious Sunday mornings, and not forgetting the dim sum lunches after service. The blessing does not stop there, and I can go on and on for how much each ministry has benefitted from the Lord. But the bottom-line stands that as we received freely, we also give freely. We are filled with God’s blessings and love so that we can share what we’ve experienced and know to be so awesome and real.

Think about it.

Isn’t this the same with what God has done for us and has called us to do? To share the gospel? To love one another?

“The spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.” Isaiah 61:1

Wherever you are placed in this season of your life, it is by no means a coincidence. It could be the course that you’re enrolled in, this particular cell group, a specific friend you’ve come to know better, or even a painful period that you’ve just gone through. It is not a coincidence! God brings you through all these for a reason and I encourage you to realise that this is your ‘mission field’ in this season of your life. There is no other person in this entire world that has the exact same experience as yours.

Use your circumstance to share the good news and the greatness of our Lord, as what our guest speaker, Ms. Lily Foo has been doing. Due to a severe accident, Lily was bed-ridden for a period of time and is temporarily using a wheelchair to get around while her body recovers. Amidst all these, Lily continues to rejoice and testify to God’s amazing grace and love.

As we carry on with our day-to-day life, busying ourselves with assignments, work, meetings and friends, let us not overlook the people in our lives; the ones who are crying out for a word of encouragement, a touch of friendship or a moment of attention. As aptly put by Sanger, “A person’s spiritual walk is like a chain, with links of encounters. You can be any link in the chain; JUST DON’T BE THE MISSING LINK!”

I want to encourage all of us not to be afraid of rejection or the opinions of others. Instead, allow yourselves to be filled with childlike faith and act upon your instincts, not letting our inabilities stand in the way. Why share? In the wise words of 5-year-old Kaitlyn Chen, “… because people believe in other Gods and people need to know that Jesus is real.”

As we all take a bigger step to spread the word and share His love, let’s begin to prepare our hearts and pray for the people we are inviting; may their hearts be open to encounter the love of Christ. You might just be that missing link!

Written by blog writer,
~Debs~

Have a question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

JOY

2010-08-27T09:21:00.000+08:00

I've got heaven on the inside of me

peace and JOY

God has set me free

Heaven is a reality

Abundant life flows out of me

I've got a SMILE on my face

glide in my stride

tastin' His grace as I'm walking by faith

I've got heaven on the inside of me

I've got heaven flowing out of me

I've got heaven into this world!

What is JOY? Personally, I think all Christians have a reason to rejoice because JOY = Jesus owns you. Get it? Jesus Owns You! And for the creative minds, just by denting the “O”, we get a ♥! So it’s also Jesus ♥ You! Thus, there are 2 great reasons to rejoice, because not only does Jesus Own You, Jesus ♥ You as well!!! (A round of applause for these amazing acronyms please!)

There are always 2 ways of viewing things: with optimism or with pessimism. Happiness is a choice that all of us can choose to make and you can begin by going about all your daily tasks with JOY from today onwards!

For instance, studying can be a pain for some of us, but if you concentrate on the sense of satisfaction and joy you feel when you do well at the end of the semester, and how pleased your parents will be, wouldn’t you feel more JOY when doing it? This method certainly works for me! Through positive thinking, I was able to complete the 4 hours of practise with joy rather than dread!

I’d also like to talk about feeling JOY when serving the Lord. Serving in church ministries is never an easy task, especially when there are people involved. It is often difficult to get every member to be passionate about serving while ensuring no one is left behind.

Recalling my first time being in Zion as a freshie, I could feel the friendliness and passion of the people serving in Zion. Ushers were smiling to every person attending the service and I remember Deborah, Faith and Lynn amongst the many who came to speak to me on that first day. To this day, I can still feel the warmth, unity and passion exuded by Zion Praise Harvesters and the JOY in them when they serve the Lord.

The next group of people worth mentioning and giving credit to are the people involved in transport. I personally have benefited LOADS from this because it is really difficult to get anywhere in Perth without a car. Staying in ECU student village makes it even harder for me to get to UWA for Sunday service as public transport is not the most frequent on weekends. I am extremely thankful to all the drivers who helped in transporting people around for events and outings. They certainly have made a lot of difference to my life here in Perth and I’m sure many others can say the same as well. 3 cheers for the drivers!

In Zion Praise Harvest, I am learning to experience the JOY in serving the Lord. Many people have inspired me to serve. The drivers, members of the worship team, and the projection and sound ministries who get in at 6am in the morning just to set up and make sure everything is ready for the service. I believe getting up at 9 am is a big “no no” for many sleepy-heads on a Sunday, let alone being at UWA by 6am!!! Only JOY and Passion to serve in His house can be the driving force for these people, to be disciplined enough, to be up and ready to serve almost every week.

I have since then, been motivated to serve and very recently, joined the PA ministry. Now, I wake up at 6am on Sunday mornings and feel that unmistakeable JOY knowing that I’ll be helping PA prepare and set up for service. Feeling JOY getting up at 6am? Are You SERIOUS???!!! Yes I AM!!! I'm surprised by myself too, but it is true!

In a nutshell, JOY ( Jesus Owns You & Jesus ♥ You ) is the key to happiness in all areas of our lives, be it when serving the Lord or going through the motions of mundane tasks. I have definitely experienced this JOY for myself. HAVE YOU? :D

Written by blog writer,

~Esther~

Have a question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

Be the ONE!

2010-08-25T08:12:00.005+08:00

For the lack of a more proper and polite term to use, please do excuse me for explicitly using the ‘a**’ word in my post here. I hereby declare I mean no offense or coarseness in any forms. =)

Have you watched the 2010 British Superhero film named “Kick-Ass” which was released in April? It is unarguably a nice action-and-violence-packed comedy, but I am not too sure about the ‘superhero’ part – the supposed superhero is just way too far from my own generalized perception of one (sorry to all those die-hard fans of ‘Kick-Ass’ out there)! Anyway, just to let you have a brief idea, the movie is about Dave Lizewski, a normal unnoticed high school boy who one day simply and suddenly makes the decision to become a real-life ‘superhero’ to fight the crime out of his realization that the world does not have, and in fact, needs a superhero; in spite of having no skills or superpowers of his own……

What am I getting at? Simply this: Be the ONE!!!

You guessed it, I am here to share about CreateOne Leadercast 2010, which is coming up in less than one week’s time! For your information, the CreateOne Leadercast (previously known as Maximum Impact Simulcast ever since it was born in the year 2000) is a one-day leadership event featuring the world’s best leaders speaking about the leadership principles that matter most. It is led by John C. Maxwell, an internationally recognized author, speaker and leadership expert, with his vision to create a different kind of leadership conference that is affordable and open to leaders from all levels and backgrounds. With great enthusiasm (yep!), I hereby encourage you to come and join this conference in which to “BE THE ONE” will be the focus for this year!

Here are the details of CreateOne Leadercast 2010 simulcast

Date : Sat 28 Aug 2010

Time : 9.00 am – 4.00 pm

Venue : Elizabeth Jolley LT, Curtin University

“Our focus for this year’s event is to help you be the one leader to make a lasting impact in the lives of those you lead. Set your sights on being the one to make all the difference by living out the leadership principles that guide your decisions and your life.” [Cited from http://leadercast.com.au/]

I believe that leadership is not about a title or a status, but it is about the life-long process of learning, growing, serving and ultimately, influencing (in a positive and godly way of course!) the lives of those around us. Contrary to some people’s belief, leaders are not only confined to those who are conventionally known as leaders in companies, churches, organizations or nations – every single one of us is a leader in some way or another! All of us can make a difference and a positive impact in the lives of people around us, be it in your family, your study place, your workplace or even among your friends! Guess what? You’ll be surprised to find that all the ‘leadership principles’ you’re about to learn in the conference are actually valuable and applicable life-lessons that you can relate to or benefit from in any stages of your life!

Let us come back to what I shared about the film “Kick-Ass” just now. Do you realize that Dave is JUST a normal unnoticed person who SIMPLY makes the decision to be the one in spite of having no skills or superpowers? You see, we don’t have to be CEOs of big companies, chairpersons of any organizations, zone supervisors or even cell leaders to be able to make a lasting impact in other people’s lives. My point is, God has unique callings for each and every one of us, but always bear in mind that no matter where you are, God has placed people around you whom you can influence and inspire. Many of us are just another Dave, normal and unnoticed, but have we made the simple and conscious decision to be the one? Not the one who stands out, but the one who is willing to take the stand? What we do may change other people in the future just as how Dave’s endeavor inspires a new wave of superheroes at the end of the movie!

Lastly, I will leave you with this quote from Jim Collins, one of the speakers for Leadercast 2010, which I find meaningful and inspiring: Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline. See you at Leadercast soon! =)

[P/s] A friendly reminder: Make sure you get enough sleep on the night before Leadercast or bring some sweets along with you – it will be a day full of inspirations and experiences that you won’t want to miss anything out by ‘accidentally’ falling asleep. =)

Written by blog writer,

~anony’W’ous~

Have a question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

A look back at ... Orientation 2010 Sem2! (Freo FTW!)

2010-08-23T10:08:00.001+08:00

Freo FTW (For-The-Win)!

So just the other day, I was having lunch with a couple of friends over a fusion of hot and spicy kimchi squid, lightly battered tempura tofu, nicely accompanied with steamy soft rice and salty miso soup. And over this blend of explosive tastes in our mouths, we started talking about some of the best food hunts in Perth.

And yes I know what you’re thinking, “Perth? What has Perth got to offer? It’s no Kuching where the food is super GENG!” But oh snap, you may be surprised to know, Perth has plenty to offer you.

As we started naming a few restaurants, places like San Churro, Char Char Bull, Cicerellos, Kailis Bros were among the first few we listed. And we realized there was one thing these incredible eateries had in common. That’s right, location location location! They all happened to be nicely and comfortably situated in the heart of Fremantle.

Fremantle, if you didn’t know, is a port city located at the mouth of Swan River on the West Coast of Western Australia. “Freo” as it is fondly nicknamed, is a city with rich history and heritage sites combined with contemporary and modern culture/fashion spots and vintage markets. It is one of Perth’s highly rated tourist spots, which boasts a wide selection of shopping districts, eateries, and tourist sites.

So Thursday night (29 July), we decided to explore the mouth watering and tantalizing aspect of Fremantle. That’s right, FOOD! We started with dinner at Cicerellos, situated right in the heart of the habour and Mandurah’s Peel Inlet, serving affordable freshly caught seafood. Together with a perfect view of the port, we occupied the entire upper level with our new and old friends, beautifully littering the tables with an array of seafood cuisine such as clam chowder, seafood pasta, chilli mussels, and of course its famous fish and chips! Some may say “Pssh its only fish and chips. Everywhere is the same really.” I for one beg to differ. In my humble opinion, Cicerellos serves the best fish and chips in the whole wide world! (Ok I exaggerate. But in support of this entry, I am going to stand firm on my statement.)

After happily filling our tummies with scrumptious seafood, we decided that it was not enough. We simply couldn’t drive all the way to Fremantle and stop at one restaurant when there were so many more luscious desserts calling our names. So of course we gave in to the nature of our greedy cravings, and headed down to Market Street, home of the famously sinful San Churro.

For some the journey to the delectable dessert shop was slightly longer than others due to poor directional skills and wrong choice of transportation (walking definitely took a lot longer than driving! But it did make us feel less guilty devouring all that sugar and calories after 9pm.) San Churro without a doubt did not disappoint with its extensive menu of chocolate comforts. Its famous churros and melted milk chocolate dip made our top list followed by the timeless favourite hot drink, Spanish Classic. This hot chocolate drink is the most luscious and palatable liquid guaranteed ever to touch your lips. I felt like I was drinking an entire chocolate block, only more liquid-y and less solid-y.

For those who prefer a more frozen but equally sinful delicacy, chose instead to head to Cold Rock where it boasts a varied number of ice cream flavours meshed with your choice of mix-ins. One of my favourites, Cookies and Cream ice cream fused with nutella and maltesers, makes it seem like a party in my mouth every time. I love!

That night, I went home feeling satisfied, contented, and a few million calories heavier. Wonder how many miles I need to be jogging tomorrow? Haha.

But as you can tell, I heart eating food, food, and more food, especially ones in Fremantle. I strongly encourage everyone who has not yet been to Freo to pay a visit to this amazing port city that has plenty to offer you in eats and so much more!

Written by blog writer,
~Isabel~

Have a question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

Delete No More

2010-08-20T02:04:00.011+08:00

When I was young, I often asked myself “why am I who I am?”. Yea, I know, it’s a lil’ freakish but it’s true. Well, I guess I didn’t quite have a normal life like everyone else. I remember there were nights where I just stared at the stars and soon my vision blurred, as hot tears welled up in my eyes. I’ve always wished that I wasn’t born, constantly feeling rejected. At times, suicide seemed like an option.

I knew what forgiveness was, but it was just so hard to let all my memories go. Hurt turned into bitterness, and it became rooted in me. As years went by, I thought I had finally put my past behind, you know, wanting to start anew. Then the day of ‘truth’ came and I had to deal with all my hurts. Below is something that I had written on that very day where everything seemed so hopeless.

“Sometimes i wish that there is a 'delete' button in our brains, that we could just push it and viola, those memories would be gone, yup, just like that, gone..... vanish...... like nothing had ever happened before.

Sometimes I think people are better off not remembering some of their past, those unpleasant thoughts, those things that haunt you, like leeches sucking the blood out of you. It comes creeping in the night, sneaking its way up to you, from your mind it spreads to your soul, little by little you feel the warmth in you fading away, things start to look bleak......

It tears you up slowly, inch by inch, inflicting maximum pain and torture, then without much of a warning, it rips you apart, you could feel the burn, like your heart is no longer yours, no longer intact. When the days pass, you start to grow immune to the pain, you start to not feel, then the wounds turn into scars, marks of torture that naked eyes can't see......

Life goes on, you move on, or so you tell yourself. Everyday life is a routine, you do things like many, you even have dreams and goals, you succeed in life. But one day, one gloomy day, it all comes crushing back. Something happened and it sends nerve impulses way through your brain and spine. You would feel adrenaline pump in you, blood rushes to your head, your heart aches so badly till you wonder if it had stopped for good. You are no longer here, you're flooded with your past, with memories you thought you had pushed away, with the painful events that marked you past.

Sometimes it's so much easier to just forget, as what people like to say, "Move on", the two words that hurt most in times of ...... bleakness ( for the lack of a better word ). Sometimes, ‘deleting' those unwanted memories would be best for most people.”

How many of you had gone through what I have written above? It might not be exactly the same thing and feelings but the underlying facts are there, hatred, bitterness, hurt and unforgiveness. I can’t say that I am perfect now and I definitely do not believe in ‘forgive and forget’. Memories are memories, we can’t make them go away, but we can use them for the better.

I thank God for what I’ve been through, for it has made me rely on Him more. My experiences have made me realise that God is real. My past gave God an opportunity to work wonders and miracles, to let me know that He is my Abba Father and that I am His princess.

Our past has helped shape our characters today. It is a journal that would never be deleted. And guess what is most amazing about our past? It is all part of God’s great plan for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us.

So, I would like to challenge you today to take a step of faith, to face your past and deal with it. Until we have made peace with ourselves, God can never use us. It won’t be an easy thing but with God’s grace and mercy, I believe we can do it.

If God is calling you today to serve Him, hesitate no more! Do not let your past define you. Do not tell yourself that you are not worth it or that you are good for nothing. For it doesn’t matter who we are because what matters most is who God is.

We are defined by Jesus Christ.

Written by blog writer,

~Julia~

Have a question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

CAM Vision Day

2010-08-17T00:53:00.014+08:00

Hey guys!

What if I told you that for one day, you'll be able to learn things you’d normally only dream about? That for one day, you'll be able to try things you’ve never tried before, but always wanted to? And that for that one day, one afternoon to be exact, you can put your gifts and interests to the test and see if there's anything else you can do to hone those talents and make it better?

Well, look no further!

On the 22 August, ZPH will be conducting our CAM vision day.

CAM stands for our Creative Arts Ministry.

There will be 6 different electives conducted in a single afternoon, namely...

1. Finding your voice

2. Worship Leading in cell

3. Photography 101

4. Dance for life

5. Techie (PA)

6. Songwriting (with Guest Speaker: KC Gan from City Harvest Church, Singapore! pix below)

It doesn't matter if you're not looking to join any ministry at the moment. Just come! You’ll never know what you might find there, be it a newfound interest or an added skill. For those currently looking to join a CAM, this will be THE place to be with all our different ministries under one roof! Even if you think you're not talented enough, just come along! You'll be pleasantly surprised at what gifts He has blessed you with!

If you honestly have never thought about what God has blessed you with, and what your gifts are, I strongly encourage you to come.

It's about time you found out. =)

To end it off, I shall leave you with a verse.

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)

Why don't you use what God has gifted you, and serve today? Know and trust in Him, for He has a plan for you.

God bless, and have a good week ahead!

Written by blog writer,
~Johnson Tan~

Have a comment, question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

From A Freshie's Point of View - Part 3 (Blend in or Stand Out?)

2010-08-16T10:17:00.001+08:00

You probably don’t know this, but yours truly isn’t a UWA student. However, I am probably the university’s biggest fan and would definitely go there, if only to be amidst the gorgeous, sprawling campus and all its aged charm. Anyway, favour me with your attention as I walk you through my (imaginary) first day at the university you’ve probably come to affectionately refer to as “U-Dub”.

Thank goodness winter’s weaning off, the nasty chill easing its way out the back door of the season. It’s lovely outside, with blue skies dotted with puffs of clouds, the sun feeling comfortably warm, an amazing remedy to the breeze that often causes you to shiver uncontrollably. Perhaps I’ll do what all sun-loving Aussies do- lie on the grass and just unwind, relax in the brilliant sunshine. Admittedly, I wouldn’t mind exploring the rest of the campus, maybe sit and revel in the stillness and silence of the library, taking in the novelty of the aged shelves and even the worn tomes that sit atop them. Nah. I couldn’t be bothered moving from where I am, sprawled out in the sun, a spectator to the symphony of the fountain, birds, even the whistling wind. Was there ever a day as perfect as this?

But wait. What’s wrong with this picture?

The imaginary me frowns slightly at this intrusion, exploring the ideas of what could be amiss. Deciding that it’s just some mild paranoia playing up, I lay back again, looking up at the sky. “Hey,” I say, lifting my hand to point upwards. “That cloud looks like a- ”

Oh.

Blushing, I purse my lips together, as if to eradicate all traces of my monologue.

Because there isn’t anyone I could’ve been talking to (aka, I realised I was talking to myself out loud...embarrassing!).

“It’s very possible to go through an entire course at uni and still be invisible.”

If you’ve read enough from me, you’ll probably be aware that I’m not out to scare you silly, but when my cousin said those words to me at the very beginning of my university experience, I never considered how true they could be. And believe me; I’m glad that he pointed it out.

Of course there isn’t anything wrong with exploring and unravelling the expanse of impressive scenery, to take a moment to appreciate the spectacular architecture and whatever attributes of the campus that strike your fancy. And of course lying in the sun in blissful contentment is certainly no crime against humanity. But what is worrisome would be a lack of human companionship.

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” -Matthew 28:19, NLT

Now I’m sure there are few of us who would rather be alone than with at least one companion. But if not for yourself, may I suggest that you step up and be social for the sake of your faith? As ambassadors of Christ on this earth we’re called to be bold and steadfast, out there and not hiding behind the person in front of us, hoping to go unnoticed and unobserved.

Yes, I do realize that not all of us are social butterflies who grace the world with their fluttering ins and outs, but consider this: wouldn’t it be sad if you had been in a class for (at least) three years and no one knew you? That they could look at their graduation photo years later and wonder “Hmm... who was that?”.

And perhaps you’re shy, and of course, understandably so. I mean, you’re away from home, from your closest support groups, from the people who have come to know and love you, into an entirely new and socially-dry place. But think of this as a chance. A situation overflowing with opportunity and possibilities. Think of all the new people and cultures you can be exposed to and learn from.

Think of the lives you could touch.

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”- Matthew 5:16, ESV.

Even having said that, we, the lights that should illuminate and display the form of our Saviour seem to be dim and waning. Perhaps we even put our hands over our brightly-burning flames hoping that being a little bit more conservative, low-key, and to just simply blend in with the crowd will allow us to be more socially accepted and inept.

“No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a bowl or hides it under a bed. A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house.” Luke 8:16, NLT.

And even if you may reflect internally and consider your own faults and failings (not that I am to judge), you may think that your light is weird.

It’s awkward. It sways funny, and goes a weird colour when in certain conditions. My hair isn’t straight enough, my teeth are too crooked. I’m not smart enough. My accent is weird and I have issues speaking in public. How can I show the world a flame like this? How can a tiny feeble light like this possibly light the world?

Well, firstly, consider that you’re not alone. Like I’ve mentioned in the other instalment of the series, besides an awesome and all powerful God, you’ve brothers and sisters in Christ who are always here to help you along, to support, encourage, and motivate you. Also bear in mind that your light isn’t of you, but of God. A God who is flawless and entirely lovable. You may see flaws in you that you reckon would repulse and put off others, but you’re perfect, complete, whole, and more than just presentable. You are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14), the flawless craftsmanship of the master craft man, ready to emerge and not only be accepted, but be applauded by and marvelled at by others.

...So how many new friends have you made?

Look who’s stepping out today. ;)

Yours in all companionship,

~Su-lyn Y.~ =)

Have a comment, question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

40hr Famine - What's it all about?

2010-08-13T10:20:00.002+08:00

Today, I woke up to a faulty Blackberry whose backlight decided not to light up anymore. And I tell Sarah-Ann, my bestfriend, I hate my blackberry, I’m gonna get the iPhone 4. And now, as I sit here typing on my 2 year-old MacBook, whilst also being very annoyed at how laggy it is, I think to myself, I need a new laptop.

But HALT! Before you decide to go Ew, spoilt brat! or Ha, it’s Vera, what do you expect? I think you might want to reflect on yourself. Like it or not, we’re ALL guilty of that. And as I proceed into le state de self réflexion, a medley of regretfulness and remorse consumes me.

Within two minutes, I could come up with a gazillion things I absolutely detest, ten of which include:

Being Fat
Waking up early in the morning
Studying
Exercising
Eating Vegetables
Doing laundry
Feeling left out
Traffic Jams
Being controlled by my parents
Mess & filth

Then something began to blow my mind.

THERE ARE PEOPLE DYING BECAUSE THEY’RE TOO SKINNY AND I HATE BEING FAT?!! SOME PEOPLE CAN’T EVEN WAKE UP THE NEXT DAY AND I HATE WAKING UP EARLY?!! SOME PEOPLE CAN’T EVEN AFFORD EDUCATION AND I HATE STUDYING!!! SOME PEOPLE DON’T EVEN HAVE THE ENERGY TO SIT UP AND I HATE EXERCISING????! THERE ARE PEOPLE DYING OF STARVATION AND I HATE EATING VEGETABLES! THERE ARE SOME WHO DON’T EVEN HAVE CLOTHES AND I HATE DOING LAUNDRY!!! SOME PEOPLE DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO HAVE A FRIEND AND I HATE BEING LEFT OUT AMONGST FRIENDS?? SOME PEOPLE HAVE NEVER EVER SAT IN A CAR BEFORE AND I HATE TRAFFIC JAMS!!! SOME PEOPLE DON’T EVEN HAVE PARENTS AND I HATE BEING CONTROLLED BY MINE?! SOME PEOPLE LIVE IN SLUMPS AND I HATE MY ROOM BEING MESSY?!!

??!!!!?!?LOSS!??!?!?!?!??!?!?

??!!!!?!?!??!FOR?!?!??!?!?

??!!!!?!?WORDS!??!?!?!?!??!?!?

So, just as a picture speaks a thousand words, here’s one to sum it all up:

Except, mine will look more of something like this:

Now now, on a more serious note, THIS is the kind of world we live in today. We can’t afford to go to Europe for a holiday and we think the world’s crumbling down on us. We put on 3 kilograms and we feel it’s the biggest problem in the world. We don’t have enough money to buy the latest Louis Vuitton bag and we think life is so unfair.

Yet on the other extreme of the spectrum, we have over 1 billion people who don’t even have the basic necessities of life! Things like water, food, and a home are foreign to them. We ARE indeed very blessed pals, but that doesn’t give us the right to forget about the less fortunate. And before we fall deeper into this trap, let us remember that whatever we have is all God’s and not ours to keep, but ours to SHARE.

I believe that 40 hour famine is not only an annual fund-raising event but a life lesson. So let us take this opportunity to learn to really appreciate every bit of whatever we have and share God’s blessings upon us with others. That said, it is my prayer for us all that a burden be placed in our hearts for the billion over souls who need us.

No doubt, we cannot do everything, but we can do SOMETHING.

And that starts with 40-hour famine!
Have you signed up yet?

*40hr Famine booklets are available outside SSLT after UWA Live! Come to the booth or approach your Cell Leaders if you have any enquires! *

Written by blog writer,

~Vera~

Have a comment, question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

FRESHIES WELCOME: You're In...vited......REALLY!!!

2010-08-11T08:18:00.002+08:00

It is NOT mere coincidence that you are reading this. [So, just keep reading! =)]

Hello everyone! How’re you doing? If you’ve been here for quite some time and are now back for another semester, welcome back! Hopefully this has been a good beginning for you so far and be assured that God is by your side even though you may find studies stressful. However, if this is just your first semester here in UWA – CONGRATULATIONS! Yep, you’re the one that we are searching for; you’re who we call a freshie!

To be honest, when I first came to UWA, I felt a little insulted being called a freshie, ‘the noob’, I thought. Haha. But hey, tell you two good things about bearing this title. Firstly, you will for sure get help more readily from us (not that you won’t get any if you’re not one, haha). Secondly, we’re having a wonderful celebration specially for all of you freshies, which is what I am going to tell you more about now:

Freshies’ Welcome Sem 02 Year 2010!

If you don’t know what Freshies’ Welcome is, it is basically something that we do at the beginning of each semester to welcome those who have just started out their university life. It is a church service, but we would like to see it as more than that – it is a great opportunity for us to make more new friends and get to know you better (something we love to do), with the objective of making you feel welcome in this new foreign land, away from your family and hometown.

Of course, if you think that church is a boring and dull place to be – you’re WRONG! On the day itself, you can expect to see many lovely, friendly and dynamic people putting on different performances (yes, in a church!), from the energetic dance team to the gently-inspiring choir and of course, the awesome drama. It’s not our profession to put on a show but we are going all out to entertain you and make you feel at home! Moreover, who can resist the offer of a complimentary dinner (in other words, $0!) after that?

Here are the details of UWALive! Freshies’ Welcome Sem 02 Year 2010:

Date : 14 August 2010 (Saturday)

Time : 4.30 pm

Venue : Social Science Lecture Theatre, UWA

Well, if you still cannot make up your mind whether you are coming, or if you think this has nothing to do with you – why not just come and check it out? Remember the first line of this article? It is NOT mere coincidence that you are reading this! I believe the fact that you have come across this invitation means that there is something wonderful waiting for you here – be it an authentic friendship, care and support in times of need, a seem-to-be-uncertain life purpose or a message of hope and love from God! It doesn’t matter whether you’re a Christian, whether you’re lonely, whether you’re burdened or whether you’re all-good – we just simply want to help you, love you and connect with you in the same way that God has first loved us (and He does and will still do although you may not understand it now). We’re not perfect, but as Christians we are called to love one another, so we hope you’ll allow us to reach out to your world.

As for those of you who have been in this family for some time, I just found out something interesting recently. Not too long ago, one night after I watched the movie “Inception” with some of my friends (sorry for spoiling the fun if you haven’t watched it yet, lol!), we were discussing about the movie on our way back home. The movie ended (‘annoyingly’) with the totem spinning on the table and just as we were catching our breath waiting to see whether it stopped spinning, the movie ended! This means at the end we didn’t know if Cobb succeeded in getting back to reality (the totem will wobble and halt) or was trapped in his dreams indefinitely (the totem will never stop spinning). And you know what? After the discussion, I discovered that everyone secretly likes a GOOD ending, haha!

This brings me to my last point. We all like a good ending, don’t we? May be some of you will think that this is just another Freshies’ Welcome, just another event that we do every semester. However, think of it this way: your one invitation, one smile, one handshake, one encouragement out of love and concern can mean a lot to one person – it may turn someone’s world upside down beyond your imagination! While Jesus is the author, aren’t we called to love and be the link in a person’s journey towards salvation? What a beautiful ending that would be!

Yes, this is just another Freshies’ Welcome…… UNLESS you do something about it to make a difference! Invite your friends, housemates and families. Talk to someone new and listen to them.

Can’t wait to see all of you there! God bless! =)

Written by blog writer,

~anony'W'ous~

Have a comment, question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

From A Freshie's Point of View - Part 2 (Studies)

2010-08-09T08:53:00.000+08:00

It’s an auditorium. A lecture theatre. A hall meant for lessons and tutorials for the masses. Even the uniform tiers of seats giveoff a nerdy and studious vibe. Then why is there music playing? And you notice that everyone is smiling and excited. It’s hard to decide which is louder – the music blaring in the background, or the chatter of the occupants who move about the hall, separate entities to the band of musicians upfront. Someone takes your hand, your attention grabbed at the reception of a warm handshake. Oooh, is that pretty booklet really for you? The person smiles at you.

Welcome to Zion Praise Harvest.

Picking up from where I left you in the first part of the series, I assume that you have attended at least one service at ZPH. If you haven’t, you must, with great haste, repent of this preposterous, unforgivable sin and- Oh, I kid, I kid.

But back to the description in the opening paragraph – the lecture hall. Besides being the place where ZPH services are held, your lecture halls play their fundamental and essential role, leading to the second tip I would like to share, that is to value and place a heavy priority on your studies. What I have found is, yes, being sent abroad to study is a fantastic way to broaden your horizons, views, gain a firsthand experience of the cultural diversity and customs of another land. However, it’s also so important not to lose sight of your initial goal, that is, to further your education.

As nerdy as it sounds, I have found that coming back to considering why I’ve been sent to Perth in the first place always puts things in a clearer and more mature, responsible perspective. Because I know that my parents paid a whole sum of money to get me here and into an educational institution, I’m of the opinion that academic excellence always comes first, but that if I can (and you will, fear not!) gain other experiences and life lessons, that’s always a bonus.

At this point I can pretty much sit back and cringe as I re-read everything that I’ve typed. Yes, dear reader, even I haven’t come to terms with how nerdy and square I come across as. And I’m not saying that you should stow your camera away, hang up your dancing shoes, decline every offer to hang out with friends, and Heaven forbid, dare to even dream of taking a road trip to explore the country. It’s about balance, which I will elaborate further on, later in this article.

Now that I’ve got you thinking of things of the academic and studious variety, perhaps you’re breaking out into cold sweat, nervously glancing at the whole barrage of assignments, tests, and projects you’re expected to produce by the end of the semester- and it’s just one semester! Worry not, as I share a little secret with you – it’s near impossible to fail a unit unless you really just couldn’t be bothered with the subject. Because so long as you perform decently in all your course work, attend lectures and sit for the necessary exams, it is actually difficult to fail. Having said that, I by no means guarantee that you’ll pass if you’re out late partying when you’ve an assignment due the next morning. Keep at your work consistently and you’ll definitely pass.

However, if you’re dissatisfied with merely passing, let us return to Aristotle’s eudaimonia for pointers on raising the performance level (if you have no clue what this is, check our Su-Lyn’s earlier post!). Two important factors are knowledge and balance. So if you’ve taken up the eudaimonia challenge, which I strongly encourage you to, here are more details to assist you in that effort

Knowledge, part of Aristotle’s eudaimonia was a quest for rationale and enlightenment, so that an individual may be equipped to make the rational decision, that virtuous and right actions become logical and natural to the individual. Applicable to all students such as ourselves, this earnest striving for wisdom, whatever your major or degree, causes us to be increasingly efficient, professional, and skilled in our future professions.

Eudaimonia also operates on the Principle of the Means. Likened to establishing a sense of balance, this principle says that one is to settle for a mean value, one that is neither lacking or in excess. For example, courage (an approved virtue) sits between cowardice (lack) and foolhardiness (excess). Even as you do so with virtues and moral deliberation, consider applying it to your life and daily activities. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, but Jack would also be an utter dunce to play all day and end up with no work or future.

If I am worrying or making you anxious, do forgive me. My goal was to make you only a tiny bit uncomfortable. (Grin)

But in all good intentions, I do hope that this article was of any use to you, if only to tickle your mind a little. And with that, I shall leave you with an assurance that transcends not only whatever little of my experience, but sometimes even defies logic and natural capabilities and expectations-

“For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.”

-Proverbs 2:10

This is an assurance from an unfailing God. Claim this promise for not only your studies, but for your learning voyage through life, allow Him to knock memory into your head, get your way round difficult concepts, with a wisdom that teaches, unravels, reveals, enlightens, and inspires you in ways you never even thought you were open to or capable of.

Written by blog writer,

~Su-Lyn~

Have a comment, question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

Unstoppable - Victorious Life

2010-08-05T07:52:00.013+08:00

The evening wind heralded its arrival with the fragrance of the sweet acacia as it danced gracefully into the living area. The fragrance, coupled with melliflous music, enchanted the entire atmosphere as I gazed lazily at the shimmering chandelier which filled the room with its warm orangey colour. My heartbeat paced rhythmically along with the smooth and slow music. Everything had never felt so serene before.

The melliflous music... the warmth..the serenity ….it felt like a dream …well it WAS a dream, my dream in fact! Only after waking up did I realise the fragrance of sweet acacia was from my housemate’s baking and melliflous music from my iTunes (can’t account for the chandelier, must have been my sub-concious mind!). I was left with this question, “how good would it be if my dream was the reality of my everyday life?”.

It is said that life is not a bed of roses, there are trials and turmoil in reality that causes doubts and complains …even towards God our heavenly Father! Questions like, “God, do you have a plan for me? Do u see what I'm going through now? God, you are so great, can't you just answer my prayers and take me out of this mess that I have created?” I think the vast majority of people out there know that God is good, wise and answers our prayers, but we are often too anxious and short-sighted to unravel and understand that God’s plan and timing are perfect, and more importantly perfect for us! So we always end up questioning God.

This is where the “Unstoppable” sermon series really spoke to me, especially “Victorious life” by Uncle Lawrence (from Curtin). “Victorious life” was about gaining victory over flesh(eg. anger, depression) and the ABC's of our emotions. Everything is hinged on our “belief system” which is a powerful two-edged sword that it could either cause one to be distraught or be emboldened to do mighty and powerful things. Sadly, the belief system of the majority clicks negatively in the face of trials and crisis, even Christians alike!

We often forget that God is always in control and all we need to do is to believe in Him. For the Bible tells us in Phil 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God”, and in Matt 6:26-27- “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”.

As for myself, my belief system works negatively as well! If you didn’t know, some years back I made the major decision to drop out of Chemical Engineering in National University of Singapore (NUS) and switch to the Jazz course in Lasalle College of Arts, I felt strongly that this was my strength and more importantly, what God has intending for me.

The first year in Lasalle however, was a nightmare. The teachers in the school were amazing players but unfortunately not amazing teachers. I found it hard to just depend on the teachers to get through the requirements of the course so I did badly for the first year in Lasalle. I felt like a ultimate loser because I could not convince and prove myself that giving up my Chemical Engineering degree in NUS for music was the correct decision. I could not face my parents who had faith in me and were, at the same time, bombarded by unneccessary suggestions from other people. To make things worse, I failed in making connections in school and no one in Lasalle approached me for jamming, let alone gigs. I did not know what the future held. Negative belief system kicked in and I was at the lowest point in my life.

This was where God met me, at the end of my human strength and the start of His. Discipline and perseverence with Him and through Him was the key! I decided to spend the semester break practising with belief … not in myself anymore, but in God, and that this was the path He had chosen for me.

This hardwork paid off when I improved in the second year and managed to earn gigs from a guitar teacher in Lasalle who “discovered” me during my graduation recital. I had never knew the guitar teacher, Mr Derrick Tan, before but he gave me opportunities to perform in Singapore's Esplanade and the Singapore Jazz Orchestra. All this from discipline, perseverence and most importantly, a change in prespective … that God may appear to be silent but He is definitely at work within our lives. With God, there is unstoppable courage, unstoppable joy and unstoppable life. All we got to do is believe and and never stop trusting in Him!

Written by blog writer,

Esther Li

Have a comment, question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

From A Freshie's Point of View - Part 1 (Arrival)

2010-08-02T09:15:00.005+08:00

So maybe you’ve just stepped off the Boeing747, gotten past the never-ending queues of borderline security and the luggage carousel, hoping beyond all comprehension to catch even the slightest glimpse of a familiar-looking piece. Stepping out from behind the automatic glass doors, you’re hit by a strong gust of wintry air, the smell of clean, piny air filling your lungs. Good grief, even minus the snow, no one told you it was going to be this cold.

Welcome to Perth.

First time studying abroad? Longest period, or maybe even the singular (event, time), you’ve ever been away from family, friends, and home? In the very first of a series, fellow newbie Su-lyn Yeang shares a few pointers on what it takes to not just survive, but to flourish in the whole new experience of being an international student.

So perhaps it’s already been a few days, maybe even weeks since you first set foot in this new (and possibly alien) part of the world. Textbooks and stationery neatly stacked on a yet-to-be-familiarized-with desk, you wonder what’s left to settle before you get submerged, then paddle neck-high, in assignments and course work.

“But first be concerned about God's Kingdom and His righteousness, and all of these things will be provided for you as well.” –Matthew 6:33 (International Standard Version)

One of my favourite theories on morality is by the Greek philosopher Aristotle. He theorized that the main goal of all our actions should lead us to ‘eudaimonia’ - flourishing, excellence, happiness, success. Eudaimonia is being the best of you, all that you could possibly be. He believed that this state of excellence was only achievable if one habituated the practice of rationality and virtue. However logical that may sound, the main flaw in this theory is that there wasn’t (and isn’t) any way to know what actions are right or wrong. But I believe that he got the concept right, and that it can work for any believer who is willing to read, know, and live His Word and commandments, one who participates in the Body of Christ- His church.

“So in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” – Romans 12:5 (NIV)

Now I know that this may sound preachy and you may think “she just wants us to go to church”, but think about it. You’re in a foreign, alien even, country with pretty much no links to anything or anyone here. Being a part of a congregation provides you with not just physical protection (not that ZPH has big, burly, bouncer-like guys, worry not!) with people who care for and take notice when you start to get the sniffles, your body still adjusting to the winter chill, but also a spiritual covering, with fellow cell members keeping you in prayer at all times.

Also consider the church as a place to meet new people, those who share the same faith as you. With them is a special bond and connection, unique to any other relationships- with these people you identify, worship, and sing praises to your God. But not just that, think of them also as comrades in arms, all of whom battle against the same menacing, vile, and terrifying perpetrator – stress and examinations!

Oh, but it doesn’t just stop there. Your Christian circle doesn’t just face the same hardships during the exam season, but the same temptations and trials along the way as well. So it’s also important to be able to have people who you are able to be accountable to, who can and will help you steer clear of stumbling blocks and aid you along the clear and straight path.

Last, but certainly not the least, it’s because He has commanded each of us to be a part of a congregation. And if you know our God, He takes notice of such obedience, and will cause those who do so to grow – not like a stunted plant struggling and desperately competing with others for sunlight and nutrients, but like a well-tended flower that blooms and flourishes.

So now that you’re here, miles and miles away from a place you call home, think of what you really want to achieve here, consider the things that are of utmost importance to you, and as you begin this new chapter of your life, go over the things that are closest to your heart.

Is your goal for your time here in Perth one of eudaimonia?

Written by blog writer,

Su-Lyn Yeang

Have a comment, question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

Zion Food Fest!!!

2010-07-27T22:43:00.009+08:00

Hey guys, how’s everyone doing? It’s like first week of school, and you’re probably busy adapting to school life after that month long holiday you had. All the best for your studies and your timetable as well. =)

Anyway, I hope you remember that Zion Food Fest is happening this Saturday on the 31^st July! If you don’t know what this is about, continue reading on! Even if you do, you can read on about my personal interpretation. =P

We all know that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, hence what better way to spend quality time with one another than over a meal?

Basically, every semester, ZPH invites the most talented of talented people who can cook to set up a booth at the Zion Food Fest.

Think mamak stall style, in a sense that there’s loads of stalls on the day. You get to see loads of different stuff, ranging from

I remember my first Zion Food Fest, it was CRAZY!!!

I had to queue up for Josh Lim’s famous Kolo mee for like 10 minutes, but it was well worth the wait. For those not from Kuching, kolo mee is this awesome noodles that you definitely have to try whenever you visit the capital city of the state of Sarawak. The taste is indescribable, and you have got to taste the chilli. =)

Rachel also made her famous and delicious curry puff which had heaps of stuffing that made you wonder if you’re eating curry puff, or curry with a hint of puff!

The highlight is not just the food and fellowship. On that night, the organizers have gathered the talents of ZPH to perform for us. Music was awesome, and everyone was just mesmerized by it. The host even organized some games so the entire crowd could participate!

Sounds exciting? It is! So book this Friday up, bring cash (we don’t have etpost!) & invite your friends for a night to be remembered! Here are the details!

Sat 31 July 2010

6:00 pm – 9:30 pm

Queens Park Recreation Centre

Centre Street, Queens Park

$10 ($5 entry fee & $5 coupons)

For more details, speak to your cell leaders or you can contact Samuel Tan @ 0423 513 932

I’ll see you there, and we’ll more talk over good food. =)

God bless!

Written by blog writer,

Johnson Tan

Have a comment, question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

A note from the Editors

2010-07-27T07:37:00.005+08:00

*for information regarding Orientation events, please scroll down for the post below. Thank you!*

Hey loyal UWALive readers and new readers,

If you thought UWALive was on hiatus, you were right! Are we dead and gone, by no means!!! UWALive is going to be bigger and better with the addition of many talented, deep and yet humble writers who bring the extra to the extra-ordinary.

So, stay tuned for more heartwarming, tear jerking and of course laughter evoking testimonies and posts that the contributors hold personal to them and we invite you to know us as we get to know you.

I don’t want to give off any teasers/spoilers, youtube has too many of those as it is! What I will say is this, “I hope that you will be blessed and have fun reading the posts because we certainly have fun writing them”.

Semester 2 of 2010 has started! And so has the UWALive blog! Check back every other day for an update!

From your wacky editors

Have a comment, question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

Excited for Orientation?!?!

2010-07-19T17:10:00.011+08:00

Hi everyone! Guess what time of the year has come around again? Orientation! That’s right – it is that time again when we welcome the newcomers and drive away all feelings of homesickness. However, as all the senior (read: OLDER) members of Zion Praise Harvest will tell you, orientation time is not just about meeting new friends – we all get to have a good time while doing that too!

The organizers have put together a whole list of events for orientation week and the week following it!

Monday 19 July

Potbless Dinner!

This is the day when the freshies will have their first day of orientation. So what is the best way to end a long day of talks and seminars and absorbing new (and crucial) information for survival in Perth? With delicious home-cooked food, of course! And what is on the menu? Malaysian and Singaporean food! Curry, fried rice, bak kut teh are among some of them. If the idea of a taste of home does not get your appetite in gear, then probably nothing will! So do join us on Monday evening for a night of fellowship and good food!

Tuesday 20 July

Movies! Karate Kid and Knight and Day

An African-American kid finds himself migrating to Beijing, gets into trouble with the local bullies, is saved by the Master Shifu janitor and then proceeds to learn to deal out some kung pow chicken of his own. A dashing super-spy crosses paths with an everyday girl and then finds that they have to rely on each other if they are to stay one step ahead of their pursuers. What is in common with these two situations? A good time at the movies, that’s what! Join us for the 8.45pm show at Greater Union Innaloo this Tuesday evening!

Thursday 22 July

Late Night Shopping @ IKEA

I don’t know about you, but most of the furniture in my bedroom is from IKEA! Needless to say, IKEA is the lifesaver for international students who find themselves in a new home and no bed to sleep on. With the (ahem!) extensive furniture-hunting experience we have under our belt, why not we make it our pleasure to show the freshies the ropes? If not for anything, there is always the infamous meatballs and the FREE air-cond! And all those comfortable armchairs strewn all over the showroom…

Thursday 29 July

Dinner + Ice-cream @ Fremantle

Dinner. Ice-cream. Fremantle. Need I say more? Let us show the newcomers why Fremantle appears in every list of ‘Places You Must Visit in Perth’!

Excited yet? Then hesitate no more and inform your cell leader of your interest to participate in any, if not all, of the activities listed. Remember the purpose of orientation: to help ease the newcomers into their new life in Perth and, in the process, hopefully gain a new friend. One more for Jesus! Remember how all of us were once freshies and brought into the church through these events….

For any enquiries about orientation or any of the events, please contact Ian LEOW at 0401861153.

Hope to see you guys soon!

Have a comment, question or suggestion? Email us at uwalive@gmail.com!

new cell list!

2010-06-23T10:40:00.007+08:00

this is the official cell list for sem 2, 2010 :D
winter cells are labelled by "A", "B" and "C" !!
please click on the picture to enlarge the list, heh sorry its abit small.

love,
blog admin team :)

Wu Pang Jin

2010-05-20T20:31:00.009+08:00

Today we interview the recently-attached, immensely talented, much-loved Jim Wu! Ever the academic, it’s tough to find some free time but ever the gentleman, Jim willingly obliges to answer some questions which I have conjured out of my flights of fancy (along with some by popular demand of the zone of course)! Happy reading ZPH-ians!

Mark: Your first sem cell leading!! What has it been like for you? Tell us the things that you found the hardest to cope with and the things you love most about the responsibility!

Jim: Hardest? Spending time with my cellies. I’m a very busy man when it comes to my studies. I put a lot of priorities in it, thus, quite difficult to juggle between those two. It’s like, whenever I have free time, I’ll study or try to finish my assignments. That’s what you become when you were a total nerd for a year and a half.
Things that I love? Delegating of course. Calling my core and telling them what to do. The best part is that they are so willing and they always say “yes”. It makes cell leading so much more easy. A huge thanks to my core.

Mark: Delegation is important you know Jim…it’s a codeword for ‘legalised sabo-ing’ by the way! Certainly has been an awesome sight seeing you in action as a cell leader! Have you been blessed by the role?

Jim: Definitely!! I’ve learnt a lot from my cellies. The best part is that when you see your cell members grow and you see the potential in them that will bring them to even greater heights in their life achievements.

Mark: Even the Master learns from his students =). Has your vision for your cell been achieved this sem?

Jim: Well, honestly, I can say, half of it only, but the more important thing is that I see growth in my cell whether the cell vision is achieved completely or not.

Mark: Sem’s not over yet!! So it can still be achieved!! And how would you encourage others to step forward to fill this role in the future?

Jim: Just do it!! You might think that you are not up for it but you’ll never know how awesome and wonderful it is to serve as a cell leader. Yes, it might be scary and stressful at times but the reward that you receive far outweighs the “sufferings”.

Mark: Who is the best cook in your cell? Don’t be afraid to say yourself HAHA!

Jim: I gotta say it’s Soon Eng! Just give him meat, and he can surprise you.

Mark: Soon Eng eh… I gotta get his number .. or pay him a surprise dinner visit soon… aside from the cooks, who is the life of the party in your cell??

Jim: Haha, the Singaporean girls -> Deborah, Weiping and Ansley, because they are the only girls in my cell...hahaaha.

Mark: So, some same old same old incoming… What is the first thing you wanna ask God when you see him?

Jim: Hm…never really thought of it though. I don’t really have any questions for Him at the moment. Well, I guess when I get to meet Him, I might even skip the part of asking questions and go straight to worship!!

Mark: I’ve heard that you play like…. MANY musical instruments (Talk about market value, Li Jim you lucky girl!) which exactly are the instruments you are able to play?

Jim: Haha, many people had asked me this before. Well, there are many but if you asked me which instruments that I can really play, I gotta say it is the electone(organ), bass guitar, acoustic guitar, DRUMS!!, Chinese flute(dizi), recorder….yea. That’s all I think.

Mark: Is there an instrument you really wish to learn that you don’t know how to play yet?

Jim: The PIANO!! Seriously!! Not joking!! I want to be like Jim Brickman, hehe, no pun intended.

Mark: Mr Wu Pang JIN, you know it’s coming man…. and I’m sure everyone whose been reading has been waiting for this! WHERE and HOW did you ask Li JIM to be your girlfriend?

Jim: By the way, my name is spelled “pHang”, pronounced as “pang”, like the word “punk”.
Oh man, so many people asked me this. Haha, okies. Mat Bay, and it was during sunset. Er..how? I just asked directly. Straight to the point.

Mark: A man’s man eh? What do you think is Li Jim’s BEST physical attribute?? Don’t be SHY! No LYING!

Jim: HER EYES!!!

Mark: Eyes eh... her big round puppy eyes sure got you! What do you think is her best NON-physical attribute?

Jim: Her service, her habit of always wanting to bless people, her sacrificial character.

Mark: Wow. Looks like you scored man... What do you think Li JIM likes best about you?

Jim: Hm…a lot of stuff but I guess the mains ones must be my honesty and me being open to her, and also me being a very nice MQBF(M**** Q**** Boy Friend , don’t worry, it’s not a swear word) !! HAHa..

Mark: ?!? Alright everyone, you will have to ask Jim what MQ means yourselves! Jim, Is she your first girlfriend?

Jim: Yups!!

Mark: First-timer eh… that’s good! I’ve heard it’s Li Jim’s first time too if my info is right? Talk about a fairytale love story haha! So, is she the prettiest girl you ever laid eyes on?

Jim: In my eyes, YES SHE IS!! I can’t stop looking at her..haha.

OLJ/Li Jim must be crying tears of joy after reading this..

And that’s all for our interview with Mr. Jim Wu folks! Hope you enjoyed his honest (we hope) answers! Stay tuned for the next cell leader interview!! Who is it going to be me? Find out soon and in the meantime you’re most welcome to contact me (Mark) for questions to ask! God Bless!

~Mark~