No one in church today wished me Happy Chinese New Year. But half the church council did on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. I guess I served in a church that the pastor is the only Chinese among about 200 members. We have one or two spouses of church members who are Chinese but they don't attend church regularly. But in the past 20 years and more in Sabah I have served races other than my own, mostly the indigenous peoples of Borneo. Only when I was in Singapore, I served Singaporean Chinese 99% of the time with the exception of a few Indonesian services which I ministered in. But it's the year of the Ox. The ox or oxen also figure in the Bible including the New Testament.
Apostle Paul likened God's servants to be oxen plowing the field and that their mouths should not be bound but allowed to eat the fruits of the land (1 Cor 9). I have taken a whole month break from preaching but I am not slowing down in the work of the ministry. Every Wednesday I conduct a Google Meet Bible Study for my teenagers' group with 20-25 people online each session. And during New Year's Eve and Lunar New Year I wrote a paper for the Doctrinal Committee on Marriage, Divorce and Re-Marriage and its relevance to the qualification of elders and pastors (2,000 words with 40 points). I thought of beginning my 5th book, but there is no leading one way or another on what I should write. Will it be another commentary or should I go more topical this time? It's the year of the ox, and I intend to labour even more fervently in the field of the Lord.
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