60 Club

More than 5 years ago just a few weeks before I turned 55 years ago I wrote blogpost titled “55 Club”. What have I done in the past 5 years? I was waiting for my next appointment 5 years ago just as I am now, though I might not receive one anytime soon. Five years ago I was furiously completing two books “Departure Points” started in 2014 but completed and published at the end of 2019. I am also writing two books at present, a Malay version of Departure Points (up to date version) and second volume of a commentary on John’s Gospel 13-21. The latter is going well with three chapters done and six more to go which means I am already one third into my commentary.

Then, at the end of 2019 I was appointed to my third pastorate, second in Kota Kinabalu and I pastored that church for two years at the height of the pandemic. I wrote another book started in 2019 in 2021, a concise commentary on the Song of Songs and well loved by my students last Semester who took my course in Malay though my book is in English. A few could not read English but with Google Translate it wasn’t that bad for them. So is was my third book in two or three years. 

When I ended my pastorate at the end of 2021 I started writing again, a commentary on Paul’s letter to the Galatians as I deem the Gospel of John and Galatians two foundational NT books for Christians. By end of 2022 I completed the commentary but there was no appointment in sight. So I also revised the commentary on Song of Songs early 2022 and managed to publish it on the occasion of my 40th anniversary in Christ and 10,000th day in full-time ministry. What are the odds that the two dates fall on the same day so there is a verse in Song of Songs’ commentary that “all the days of my life are ordained before Thee before one of them came to be.” 

Last year late August when I was appointed lecturer in Sabah Theological Seminary the whole faculty went to South Korea for a week but I did not join them as the decision to go was made before I joined the Seminary so I was not obliged to go. But that week was fruitful to say the least. I edited four essays and five written sermons (out of 1,000 sermons only five were written script long hand) and I wrote a 9,000 word essay on theological education in Sabah. I got that published in Nov 2023 making it the fifth book in less than 5 years before I reached 60. At 55 I was a one book wonder and before reaching 60 I had published altogether 6 books, three in English and three in Malay.