My Last Book

The book of Revelation is the last book of the Bible. Craig Koester's commentary on Revelation that I ordered online early September 2014 has finally arrived, after more than 12 months in waiting. I had practically given up hope that the book would ever reach me. I wrote patiently to the online vendor and the person in charge was good most times to reply to my queries. When I bought the book at USD120 plus another 19USD in postage, altogether it cost USD139. One year ago at about 3.1 Ringgit to the Dollar, it was RM430.00. At today's rate, my book is now RM615.00 (4.43RM to the Dollar). The Ringgit has fallen 30% against the USD in just over a year. That's why I called it my last book because at the current exchange rate, it is simply unaffordable to purchase books from the USA.
Of course I have purchased books since, but it was well within the RM50 range (16.1SGD). You won't get many good books below SGD20.00 or USD12. I am bracing myself for severe economic turbulence going into 2016. I don't think there is much chance of recovery until there is political stability and resolution of domestic issues that haunt the country for the past 6 months. If anything, it only gets worse when racially charged rallies were allowed to roam the streets recently. There is a vacumn in political leadership to move the country forward and not allow it to recede from the progress made decades ago by our founding fathers.

I will occupy myself with reading Koester's commentary from cover to cover in the next 3 months. That will keep my mind calm in the midst of intense ministry. I just received news that the preachers assigned for today's prayer meeting and Friday's cell group could not take up their engagements. It falls back to me and with Wednesday's service my turn to preach, it is going to be 5 sermons this week plus a whole day on End-time this Saturday. I don't know how I had coped. It's a remarkable run, a kind of stuff for my grandchildren and posterity. There is plenty now for my last chapter of my book, "Memoirs of the Modern Missionary". It is only a matter of getting two week's leave to finish up the book. Yesterday I thought it was only a family's prayer request at night but at noon, a youth knocked on my door for some urgent counselling and that took one whole hour, listening, praying and advising.