Manuscript Ready

As expected, as I said about writing a commentary on Galatians in 2022, completing, revising and editing a book for publication is like labour pains, like giving birth to a child, which pains can last for a few weeks as I took much longer this time round to make corrections for my commentary on John's Gospel. I am not sure whether my current printers will agree to printing my book this time, let's pray and commit it into the Lord's hands. Many things changed in the last two years.

Price and costs on almost everything have gone up many times post-pandemic and it has been terrible. In Sabah, the cost of printing is even dearer and the quality is not as good. 

In the past three weeks, I have lived with my book night and day, literally I read it during bed-time, read it on rising and did not let it go until about 8.15am this morning after another 2 full hours of checking before sending it to my printers and asking for a new quotation as the pages are now 214 pages plus two pages one the front page and another page for dedication. If there are no further changes, it will be 216 pages in total. 

I added a few things that I felt important for the second half of John's Gospel as I attempted to explain the Godhead and Jesus' relation with the Father. With the name of God controversy, I tried to stay away from this, and hope my book will at least start a new way of reading and speaking God in our national language. It's close to 100 years now since the missionaries landed in Sarawak to evangelise the tribes of Borneo. My job now is to water what was planted three or four generations ago and see that the plant matures and bears forth fruits for the glory of God.

The last thing I added in my introduction was a verse from John 6:45 when Jesus said, "all shall be taught of God" quoting Isaiah 54:13. Unfortunately, it is difficult nowadays since not many people like to read so I say, "I pray that the church of God will read, search (menelaah) and learn with all humility in fulfilment of the prophetic word that all of God's children will be taught by God. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed the past 100 days of writing, revising and editing. It was exactly 100 days as I started writing in earnest on 5th February, a month after I tendered my resignation as pastor and as the burden was lifted from me, it took me about 52 days to complete the first draft by mid-April with about two weeks' break in March. Then, revising and editing took another month plus until this morning I felt the sense of peace to send my manuscript off. It's now in Your hands, O God - "My times are in Your hands, O God" (Ps 31).