End-of-the-Year Toss Up

I could toss and turn and wonder whether I should stay or go. I look back in the past year and there are highlights and equal amount of disappointment. Should I just take the latter in my strides and ignore all that are grievous? I know we live in a very imperfect world and there are many who let us down whether in deed or word or omission. He who knows what is good and fails to do it, it is sin, so says James the apostle.

“Your work will be rewarded” (Jeremiah 31:16)

Often times I laboured without reward. Even what was decided was taken away from me unjustly. Does anyone engage in warfare with his own expenses? Paul the apostle declared. I had to do everything on my own. For the first time in my pastoral experience I have not lodged a single claim for expenses incurred for church work and associated activity? I look to God for my recompense. I look to God alone for my reward and this evening He had spoken. I have been waiting for his Word since early December. Normally I will get a verse from the Lord at the end of the year for the New Year.

Preparing for New Year

I don’t think there are any surprises how a church pastor celebrates New Year. It is kneeling before God, waiting on Him preparing for New Year messages. I always try to preach the first two Sundays of the New Year to set the tone for the whole year. It might be ironic for me this time to start preaching from Proverbs, the whole chapter 8. The second Sunday could be on leadership since we are having our triennial AGM where we will elect our denomination’s leaders for the next three years.

It has to be settled this year

I know of one tradition that one has to settle one’s debt before the year’s end which is only 4 days away. In the Chinese tradition that I am more familiar with it is settling one’s debt before the Lunar New Year. I too have something to settle which came to my mind more than two months ago and was delayed twice. But now more than one month after the second delay I can’t delay any longer. Not only I saw the signs clearly one week ago in church, but in recent days I am quite sure of the course which I am about to undertake.

Justice comes 10 years On

This 1MDB case has occupied Malaysians for more than 10 years, the issue first broken into mainstream news middle of 2015 when I was pastoring a church in Ranau. It was earthquake literally in Ranau (5th June 2015) and financially for Malaysia as involved a huge sum of money several billion Ringgit misappropriated, and until now the government is still paying interest in tens of millions on the sum owed.

Christmas Eve

I tested the waters by suggesting a series of meetings over Christmas 2026, from Thursday night 24th, Friday Christmas Day another two sessions, morning and night. I made the case that only if they (the leaders) make Kota Kinabalu their village and own her as their own, then will we see revival in the city among the Malay speaking Christian community. It is hard to do anything if every holiday or weekend they think of their village and not think of Kota Kinabalu as their base. So it will be still long in making and fulfilment of it is still far off.

Noah was a Righteous Man (Genesis 6:9)

Only one man found favour with God out of tens of thousands or millions living the days of Noah. Only Noah was said to be a righteous man, blameless in his generation and he walked with God. Perhaps it was the last clause that was the secret - Noah walked with God, in his communion with God, Noah knows this one righteous God who hates wickedness and anyone who claims to worship this one God should reflect His character, upright, blameless and righteous.

Great Joy in the Midst of Grief

There was great joy last Sunday at our Christmas service. Altogether 150 adults packed into one shop lot unit heard the Word of God preached in power (of the Holy Spirit) and before the altar call was made I saw three or four people in front of me (front three rows) weeping. There could be more in the middle and back rows. Altogether 25 people came forward with about 10 men and 15 ladies, maybe the ladies could be more about 20 females making altogether 30 supplicants. There were three or even four rows in front which was quite narrow (barely 6 feet from the stage to the front row of seats) and I had to move to the back several times to pray for those who responded to the altar call. It should be how Christmas was celebrated, God's people understanding the truth and having their prayers made to God and their pastor there to lay hands on them as the Lord leads.

David Danced before the Lord

I was so joyful at the conclusion of my sermon on Sunday that when the men rose to sing one of favourite Dusun songs, I rose up and danced before the Lord in front of the congregation. That encouraged a number of youths seated in front to join me and I had a great time rejoicing before the Lord. But it went back to Saturday night where I preached for 35 minutes on Jesus being 12 years old in front of two politicians who came to church on my invitation. It was good and an honour to have them present, one of whom was the current Member of Parliament for Ranau where I was based for 4 years (2015-2019). 

Ministry Milestone: Ordination

On the second and last day of the leaders' retreat, in the first morning session, I showed for the first time in public (among 20 leaders) my ordination certificate on the screen in a slide. It happened that on 6th December 2025 was the 29th anniversary of my ordination as a full-time worker (pastor & elder) of Sidang Injil Borneo (Borneo Evangelical Church).

Leaders' Retreat & God's Will

It was by God's grace and His will that the Retreat proceeded as planned. I had prepared for it in the past 2 and a half months, half the time not knowing whether it was going to proceed or not. I will do my best to the last day has been my principle since the entry into full-time ministry, because it is for God and not for men. I am happy that at the end, one participant laid down what was at stake. The church needs a leader if we wanted to fulfil God's plan for the church.

Leaders’ Retreat

Twenty six leaders confirmed their attendance with half of them not part of the Church Council of 15 leaders with two absentees as one deaconess was transfered to Keningau last month. It is only a 21-hour long retreat with dinner starting at 6pm after check in on Friday and we will end by 3pm on Saturday. Some of the leaders will have to return to church at 7.30pm Saturday for the Sunday service rehearsal.

Voting in Sabah

In May 2013 my wife and I returned to Sabah to vote in the 13th General Election. We spent altogether SGD1,000.00 for our return airfare and other expenses incurred just perhaps 3 days back in Kota Kinabalu before flying back to Singapore to complete the marking of papers and College’s graduation. At that time we had been awarded Singapore Permanent Residence less than a year before (June 2012) and I had no idea that I would be returning to Sabah for good in just over a year after the May 2013 Election. Looking back the call of Sabah was just too great to ignore.