What were you doing 10 years ago?

One thing I do is to plan 10 years ahead of time. What will I be doing in 10 years' time? What would I like to have achieved in a decade's time? Simply put, visit Europe and Jerusalem and write a couple more books. But what were you doing 10 years ago? 10 years ago, I suddenly received a call to lead our Bible College for one Semester (Jan-June 2016). It was the most exciting times of my life, filled with adventures at College and outside of College.

Before called to the College, I was pastoring a growing church of 300 worshippers in two Sunday services in the town of Ranau, right in the centre of town near the biggest shopping mall in Ranau. Quite often about 150-200 students would come and fill up the hall for the first session at 8am. More often than not, by 7.30am about 50 or 100 of them were already waiting at the gates of the church, waiting for the church door to be opened. More than once, I drove back from Kota Kinabalu, on a Sunday morning and all my weariness was gone when I saw 50 students calling out to me when they saw my car - "pastor! pastor!". 

What about 20 years ago in 2006? I was happy pastoring a growing church in the city of Kota Kinabalu, our HQ church, "gereja Pusat" as it was called since the church compound shared the same space as our HQ office. The worshippers in 2006 were close to 400 regulars and by the time I left in early 2008 to serve in Singapore, we were averaging 450 to 500 regular worshippers. 

What about another 10 years back in 1996? I was busy serving as the Treasurer-General of SIB having been elected during the 1995 AGM. Every month, I had to raise half the operational expenses, which I knew not where the funds would come, but the Lord is great and wonderful. Every church building and pastor's house was built and completed on time and I left a RM200,000 surplus to my successor at the end of my 3-year term, Nov 1998. When I started as Treasurer, I was handed only RM18,000.00 in the kitty.

Perhaps 10 years is a long time, but we can reflect on the things past in the last 5 years. Unless, we are focused in what we are doing and plan to do, 5 or even 10 years quickly pass us by. O Lord, teach us to number our days (Psalm 90). I am excited for the next 10 years, as if I am just beginning afresh. Having decided to leave my current place of ministry, what comes next is in the hands of the Almighty God and He will lead and guide me in His will for my life.