SweetOlives...

Steelroots: God. Sports. Music.

2007-03-29T14:39:00.000+10:00

� Hope Melbourne Christian Church :: Waverley Centre

2006-03-31T17:00:00.000+11:00

� Hope Melbourne Christian Church :: Waverley Centre

Our Values reflect 23 building blocks to develop strong and biblical people and Churches

The following is the philosophy of ministry of Hope Christian Church Values:

Mission:
1. Every Christian must obey the Great Commission.
• To obey and fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus Christ, by doing the work of ministry, planting new churches, evangelise, training new members, baptizing them, etc are all within the covers of a local church as stated in Matt 28:19-20.

• After all, the Great Commission is the key goal for all Christians. God has called all Christians and our lives should revolve around this calling. Otherwise, ignoring the Great Commission is equivalent to ignoring God's vision for us. We will then be opting to live a sub-standard Christian life. Instead, lets choose to move on, by offering our best to Him, even to the extent of submitting our personal preferences willingly under God's vision.

......

- Oli -

2006-03-12T01:34:00.000+11:00

� Hope Melbourne Christian Church :: Waverley Centre

2006-02-28T17:45:00.000+11:00

� Hope Melbourne Christian Church :: Waverley Centre

Find info about missions in Hope Melbourne.

Latest testimony by Ps David Chen - awesome!!!

� Hope Melbourne Christian Church :: Waverley Centre

2006-02-28T17:25:00.000+11:00

� Hope Melbourne Christian Church :: Waverley Centre

New website launched!

Check it out!

Catching up with high school friends....

2006-02-02T07:43:00.000+11:00

We're all actually of the same height....really!
Originally uploaded by olivialoh.

-= mirror mirror in the water =-

2006-01-18T14:18:00.000+11:00

-= mirror mirror in the water =-
Originally uploaded by Abraham Irawan, BRAM.

Amazing photo by Abraham Irawan on Flickr.com. Check it out!!!

BLESSED...

2006-01-10T10:41:00.000+11:00

-= daydream =-

By Abraham Irawan, BRAM .. An amazingly talented photographer. Simply stunning photos...

Visit Abrahan Irwan's Flickr Blog http://www.flickr.com/photos/bramvera

Share something that I read today from an RBC article about the Beatitudes...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Christian's Manifesto

BE IT RESOLVED that we will seek to change our own world by the spirit and attitudes we have found in Him.

TO THAT END we find that our Lord gave us a new way of seeing ourselves and others when He looked at the crowds of hurting people who were following Him and said:

1 · BLESSED are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven

In the presence of the One who healed withered legs and blind eyes to earn the right to be trusted, we discovered that our troubles had done us a favour. Our material losses and moral failures had brought us to the only One who could help us. Because we could not help ourselves, we followed Him long enough to hear the words...

2 · BLESSED are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

When our hearts broke under the weight of our own wrongs, this Teacher's ideas made sense.

With His help we saw that our problems were rooted not in bad leaders, laws or circumstances, but in ourselves. Only when we saw our need for forgiveness did we find that comfort we were looking for. Only when we were assured of a better future than we had ever dreamed possible could we see why our King would say...

3 · BLESSED are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth

In the presence of One who walked on water, calmed a storm, and spoke peace to the most troubled hearts, we found that being submissive to Him gave us inner strength and courage. In declaring surrender to Him, we saw that the earth on which we knelt was not ours to conquer but His to entrust. In the assurance of His promise we were ready to hear Him say...

4 · BLESSED are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled

As we learned new ways of relating to others, we found a peace that replaced our thirst for conflict. As we hungered for His attitudes, we realised that His life began to show up in ourselves. As we responded to others with the patience and love we found in Him, we found a freedom of spirit that soared on the words...

5 · BLESSED are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy

From our Teacher's example we learned that honor is found not by passing judgement on others, but by showing mercy to those already condemned by their own actions. By offering a kindness that was needed but not deserved, we began to breathe the air of heaven. With a river of mercy flowing through our lives we experienced the cleansing promised in the words...

6 · BLESSED are the pure in heart, for they shall see God

In new motives we found a purity of heart that allowed us to see more of God than we had ever seen before. As we reached out to others with the grace that had been shown to us, we began to see God Himself working in us and through us. As we watched how He loved people we had once considered untouchable, we behan to understand why He would say...

7 · BLESSED are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the Sons of God

In the cause of peace we found a purpose that reflected the heart and ways of our Father. As we began to see others as people for whom Christ died, we saw how important it was to avoid any alignments or associations that would distract from our mission. Yet because we knew others would misunderstand us as they misunderstood Him, we took courage in the words...

4 · BLESSED are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

In the promise of eventual reward we were reminded that there is a price to be paid for being faithful to our King. Yet if we had to be resented we wanted to be resented for the mission He had entrusted to us. While there are many worthy moral and political causes, we knew that, in the end, there would be only one battle that mattered. With this confidence and conviction of mind,

WE THEREFORE hold this principle to be self-evident:

THAT what is best for ourselves and for our neighbours does not begin with a change of circumstances, but with a change of heart. And,

THEREFORE, WE RESOLVE with the help of our God to make the attitudes of our King the manner in which we seek to relate not only to our friends, but to our enemies as well - for the honor of our King, and for the good of all, for whom He died. RBC Ministries.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WOW! Wonder how many of us, as Christians, will be able to adopt all these in our life. But I must say that it is a whole different perspective to life to the one that the world holds to. It's illogical and unnecessary even...to rejoice when persecuted? My aunt has asked me before...Do you really have to go all the way in serving God? My answer is...Yes! Jesus went all the way for us. It is only right that we give our lives to Him in return...to lay down our lives is not something that we might do or may have to do...it is something that we should do from the start of our walk with Jesus. Only then can we walk in the fullness of God's plans and purposes for our lives. Henceforth, does the decisions we make change God's love for us? NO!! God's love doesn't change no matter the decision we make...He may not be as pleased...but God's love is not a fickle thing that is here today and gone tomorrow. God's love is something that this world could never perceive fully until Jesus returns or until we return to the Lord. It is out of this world... extra-ordinary...unlike anything in this world...Even when we think that we have it firgured out, God surprises us and shows us something that totally astounds us all over again until all we can do is sit and marvel at our God.

Let Your love be the strength of my heart and the guide to my life.

Always. And forever...

The Reason for the Season

2005-12-19T19:07:00.000+11:00

Hope of the World...

Isaiah 9:1-7

To Us a Child Is Born
1 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan-

2 The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.

3 You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as men rejoice
when dividing the plunder.

4 For as in the day of Midian's defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.

5 Every warrior's boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.

6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.

This is an amazing passage from the Bible that speaks of the fulfilment of God's promised "Messiah" (For the benefit of some, Bible Hebrew word that means "Saviour"). Many things shared by Isaiah in this passage, we know have come to pass because Jesus has already come and died on the cross and rose again. How amazing to know that these have all come true. If you don't believe me, do some research on history. The life, and death of Jesus is not just some story tucked away in the library or some fable of some mythical character but He is as much a part of mankind's history as Einstein, Mother Theresa or any great person was. And Jesus came because He loves you and me.

Anyway, back to Isaiah 9. This prophetic encouragement from Isaiah about the future could not have come at a better time. Israel was in a state of despair when Isaiah wrote this passage...the people were in a state of distress as they await the attack of the Assyrian army that was sure to totally destroy them! It was a situation, if we were in it, that one would not be able to see the hope of the future because of the impending doom that you and your entire family was going to be slaughtered by this mighty army.

And in the midst of this dark time, Isaiah writes about a future hope...a hope that would have been difficult to imagine in such a time unless you believe in God...and unless you trust in the faithful nature of God that He will fulfil His promise in our lives. I wonder if Isaiah thought twice about uttering these words. But as a prophet you do not question God but just convey every message that God hands you to pass to the people, and that was what Isaiah did. If it had not already happened and come to pass, we would have said it was impossible.

And sure enough, the Assyrian army was miraculously turned around and Judah was spared when most of Israel was destroyed by this vicious army. And Isaiah's word of encouragement would take a good 1000 years before it would come to pass. And so they waited and waited and waited...

In the year 0 A.D...

Luke 1:67-79

67His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
68"Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come and has redeemed his people.
69He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David
70(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
71salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
72to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
73the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
74to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without fear
75in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
76And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
77to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
78because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
79to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace."

Here is John's father, proclaiming something that is very similar to Isaiah 9:1-7, because he had put 2 and 2 together, and under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (ie Spirit of God), Zechariah knew that God's promise was being fulfilled right before his eyes (Zechariah is Jesus' uncle)...And thus his joy as he praised God! It's almost as if Zechariah was jumping with joy as he said this. Can you imagine it?

Today, we know that this Hope is found in Jesus, who is The Reason for the Season. What Season? The Season of Christmas of course! The origin of Christmas was not about gifts and Christmas trees, but about the birth of a Child who was every bit God and every bit man. Don't ask me how. Go figure. God cannot be understood with human intellect. You can only believe, by faith.

Isaiah's prophecy fulfilled:

v1: Jesus was from Galilee

v6: the government will be upon His shoulders - Jesus was greatly persecuted by authorities although He did not do anything wrong

v7: "he will reign on David's throne" - God promised that there will always be a king on David's throne. Jesus is of the line of David. And after Jesus, there need not be any other King because Jesus now sits on this throne forever. He is the Everlasting King.

---------------------------------------

Quoting Pastor Ian..."Jesus is the only hope and security that will last through all the dramas of our life. Our hope in Jesus doesn't last just in this lifetime but will last eternally...

Christmas is the fulfilment of God's promise."

Do you know the Reason for the Season?

Gwen, you made me CRY!!!

2005-12-17T18:51:00.000+11:00

Gwen's room
Originally uploaded by olivialoh.

Sending Gwen off kinda didn't feel like she was going to off for good...Trina and I both agreed that we didn't feel like Gwen was really going to go home for good. It was only when Gwen walked through the departure door that the reality began to hit us and you could see all the tears well up in our eyes...* sniff sniff *

God blesses us by sending friends into our life so that we can share the good and the bad together. And Gwen is one of those friends who have been there for me and gone through some highs and lows in the last 3 years. Seeing who she is now and she was when she first came, I thank God as I really see God's grace on her life and how she's changed...Of course, God is still working in her life and perfecting her but we love her just the way she is!!!!

Gwen Gwen...we're gonna miss you so much! Saw the few drops of tears in your eyes when you walked into the terminal. Hah hah! Someone said won't cry?! :P

Whenever I think of Melb when I go to France one day, you will always be a part of those memories...

Love and HUGS always!!!!!

Congratulations Gwen!!!

2005-12-16T12:34:00.000+11:00

Gwen & me!!!
Originally uploaded by olivialoh.

Times flies! It's 3 years since I met you and here you are a graduate all ready to take on the world of Motivational Psychology in the corporate world...*sniff sniff*

The greatest thing about you and this friendship is that I know we will always be there for each other...I know I haven't been able to spend huge amounts of time just hanging out with you and the others but yet you all mean the world to me...Yes, you too!!! Trina, Chin, Jasmine, El, Crytal T, Ivana, Lyne, Louise, Amy and even Christopher, Kam, Crystal Wong, Peri, Chi Wern, Risheng, Valerie (I feel like I am making my Oscar speech!! haha...and I would like to thank...Don't want to miss out on anyone...and then add sniffles to that..haha!), Jonathan, Leo...and etc etc etc. You know who you are. :)

Back to Gwen...You're always the life wherever you go. Always there to make sure that everyone is taken cared of and comfortable. You take initiative to extend your life to be there for people and to build a friendship. Can see the fruit of the people in your caregroup. And most of all can see the fruit in you. hehehe! The quality that shines through is bright bright bright *** !!!

As you embark on your new journey, :) don't forget me! And have a BLAST!... Discovering how to walk on with God and to grow even in a whole new season in life. And to be there best person that you can be, through His grace and love. You're special...love who you are and who He has made you.

You've been someone special in my life...and always will be.

LOVE & HUGS!

Oli

Glam Ex Shepherd and Sheep!!!

2005-12-15T18:49:00.000+11:00

Glam Ex Shepherd and Sheep!!! hehehe!
Originally uploaded by olivialoh.

This is Trina...a very special friend / sheep /confidante / sister in Christ and someone who has continuously encouraged me in my life.

She may be young but she's gone through so many storms that she is matured beyond her age. Sometimes, she may think too much but it's because she cares for the people around her, especially her parents.

Trina, thank God for you!!! :)

The Many Faces of Prince

2005-11-02T19:12:00.000+11:00

Prince is so much a part of my life that I can barely imagine how living in Melbourne would be without him. He's the loveliest, cutest and most loving dog you can find on the face of this earth. Every dog owner speaks like this don't they? ;P

I love him to death...Lord, can he come to heaven with me?

Thanks.

Sisters for Life

2005-11-02T19:11:00.000+11:00

Do we look alike? Well, can't really tell with the sunnies sitting over my eyes. But I think there are similarities in the way we look. But it immediately ends there! Yup! Right there! Other than the odd clothes that we share and that we both think looks great, we're as different as the sun and the moon. I mean, it makes like more interesting, doesn't it?

She's shy, but no one will ever tag that on noisy and nosy me. She's totally dependent on her other half, I'm totally independent (which is not necessarily a good thing aparently). She's a pig, I'm a monkey...literally. She loves to sleep and can do 13-15 hours straight. I can't sleep past 11am without feeling all groggy after. And I'm jumpy and giggly and talkative, while she prefers her corner, out of crowd's way. I'm not intimidated with meeting people day in and day out and can feel comfortable with someone almost instantly, she prefers to be with her close group of friends and just appreciate knowing her surroundings and the people around her before she feels comfortable. She's gentle, I'm not-gentle (to put it simply). I want to save the world, she wants to quietly slip into her place in the world.

But I love her still...And I love that she never gets angry for long. And I love that she's so predictable! And I love that she's my sister...Muaks!

2005-11-02T19:09:00.000+11:00

Prince of my life...

You're My Hero...

2005-11-02T18:51:00.000+11:00

Picture of Graduation Bliss about a year ago...

It's more than a year since I graudated and started working. And I must say. Graduation wasn't as big a deal as a lot of people were making it out to be. Now that I've worked for a year, you start to realise - "Hey! Working life isn't as fun as I thought it to be as well." The worst and best part is that you start to be fully independent of who you are and the life that you now lead.

Who I am today...I have a lot to thank my Dad for. He's always taught me to choose to do what I love, not what I feel I have to do. And to work hard at everything I put my hands on...My uncle once said, "Robert (my dad) has a lot of characteristics that are Christ-like, whether he realises it or not." But of course, my dad being a very staunch free-thinker shrugged that off and didn't think much of it. But he has indeed been a huge influence on our family...we wouldn't be who we are without him.

Now why did I spend half of my first Post on this blog on sharing about my dad. Cause I miss him and I think he deserves every honour I can give to a man who has never stopped loving and being there for his family. Few give the way my dad gives to his own family. He doesn't drive a flash car because he doesn't need to. He doesn't even have a suit of his own even though he is one of the best tailors in KL until my brother got married.

If I knew I was going to go to Heaven today, Dad would definitely be the first person I want to see and hug and say thank you to...

Why I'm sharing this with the world? Cause my Dad deserves every bit of it...