10 Years On Blogging

I did not realise that I had passed a decade of active blogging with V. 2 of my blog since August 2012. I started in May 2006 but stopped for about a year in 2011, making it altogether 15 years in active blogging. It's a combination of spiritual journalling and commentary of Biblical themes and concepts. In each blogpost I intend to give at least one spiritual precept or concept either citing a verse or two or some ministry experience that has theological background. Blogging has helped me to stay sane sometimes because it is an outlet to write thoughts and reflections and if I did not write it, it will go into oblivion. Strangely, when I wrote my "Departure Points" I did not once refer to my blog but instead relying on my memory of what I deemed significant in my first 25 years of ministry (1994-2019). Photo: Preaching in Batam Island, Indonesia in a Church Camp, 2010. It has been a journey from stage to stage from one starting point to another, from one departure point to another departure point. There are too many to count of God's goodness in this blogging journey. Perhaps, I will just name three of some of the most significant moves in my life which happened primarily through blogging. First, the first version of my blog (2006-2011) consistently ranked high in biblical blogs, often ranked in the top 50 and I was interviewed by two bloggers, one in the States (still available online) and one from Sweden. I had about 78 followers when I stopped mid-2011. 

Second, my teaching position in Singapore came about when a fellow blogger and reader of my blog communicated with me about the vacancy in Singapore and it happened so fast that I knew it was God's hand when God opened doors, no man can shut. I was flown over for an interview and offered the job within an hour with no one knew me except for what I stated in my CV. My denomination's letter in support came about three months after I started work in Singapore as a formality for filing purposes, so I was told. The College did not ask for referees. They must have read my book on Revelation or at least a review of it. 

Third, when my teaching stint ended in Singapore, I could have stayed on in Singapore as I had Singapore Permanent Residency then. According to my former Principal I was the first overseas lecturer granted SPR in his 13 years of principalship then (in 2012) when many applied but none was approved. Did I ever regret giving up my SPR to return to Sabah and served in the mission fields once more? Not for a moment! "I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision", quoting Paul, the apostle. But there were several months (July to October 2014) that I prayed and wondered whether it was God's will for me to return to Sabah and because of my blog, I met a friend (a reader of my blog for 7 years when I first met him) who until today is one of my closest friends. He let me use his vacant flat in Singapore and I stayed there for almost 4 months until my final move back to Kota Kinabalu.