Rise and Fall (Part 3): Churches, Ministries and CGs

Saturday, 28th February 2026

Today we shall conclude with part 3 of this very sensitive, yet relevant topic about how the presence or absence of excellence in leadership leads accordingly to the rise or fall of organisations operating under the same.

You can read the earlier two parts by clicking on the links below, just in case you missed them:

Rise and Fall (Part 1): A Biblical Basis

Rise and Fall (Part 2): Modern-Day Examples

Readers of my blog will know that there are 2 specific churches in Singapore that are very, very close to my heart.

The first is Paya Lebar Methodist Church ("PLMC"), which I affectionately refer to as "the church of my forefathers".  My great-grandfather Rev Wee Chin Kam (1st-generation) was her Peranakan-speaking pastor, my granddad Loh Khie Lock (2nd-generation) and dad Dr Michael Loh (3rd-generation) served in various leadership capacities.  My dad roped me (4th-generation) into the LCEC at the tender age of 22 and I was appointed Treasurer and CG Leader in 2006.   My daughter Rachel (5th-generation) and her hubby continue the legacy, and the offspring that God blesses their union with would be an unprecedented 6th-generation!

The second is New Creation Church ("NewCre"), the church that my wife and I moved over to in 2018. We did so because Ps Joseph Prince and his pastors focus 100% on the person of Jesus and His finished work on the cross.  My own personal questions in my spiritual journey regarding the subjects of (1) losing of one's salvation, (2) tithing, (3) healing, (4) tongues and (5) the Rapture were 100% answered by God via Ps Prince's teachings!  Do remind me to blog about these 5 topics in a future post :-)

Now if you are a surface reader of my blog, you will get the wrong impression that I am very critical of PLMC, yet praise NewCre to the sky.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

Let's start off with PLMC first.  We will talk about NewCre later.

Let me make it very clear that I love my brothers and sisters that are members of PLMC, just like how much I love the country of Singapore.  And that is exactly why I want the best for both PLMC and Singapore.  It is the current leadership of them both that need to be addressed because it determines the rise and fall thereto.

Having grown up in PLMC, I have seen pastors, and I have seen pastors.  Let me name the ones that took PLMC to greater heights, and it is no coincidence that their tenure lasted 10 years or more.

• Rev Dr Kang Ho Soon: While under his 10 years being in charge from 1980 to 1989, PLMC's membership grew by leaps and bounds, and he was my late dad's all-time favourite pastor.  She used to be a kampong church, but now sits at #2 in terms of size behind Wesley, surpassing the likes of Barker, Faith, Bedok and Kampong Kapor.  That growth spurt into "megachurch" status is Rev Kang's legacy. I still recall till this very day the remarks Mr Seah Kim Chye (the then-PPRSC Chair) made at Rev Kang's farewell service.  He said that Ho Chee Sin's posting him out to Wesley as their PIC was, and I quote, "a demotion rather than a promotion".

• Bishop Emeritus Rev Dr Wee Boon Hup: Another exemplary PIC is old boy BE Wee, who helmed the reigns for 13 years from 1993 to 2005. He was a visionary who introduced the concept of "a cell church" when PLMC's breached the 2,500 mark in terms of membership. He understood that for a church to continue growing, cells had to be an integral part of church life. He sent the lay leadership to understudy Damansara Utara (the biggest Methodist Church in Malaysia) and even recruited 2 pastors from FCBC.  Infusing CG into the very DNA of the church is BE Wee's legacy. He left PLMC to take up higher office as TRAC President.  What is unprecedented is that he requested to remain as her PIC for a year as he had not expected TRAC delegates to elect him.  But after 47 rounds of balloting whereby the 2 front-running candidates for the Presidency could not garner enough support, he eventually emerged as the "neutral compromise" candidate acceptable by both opposing camps.

• Rev Dr Jonathan Seet: Another old boy of PLMC who was her PIC for a good 10 years from 2010-2019. I did not have much interaction with Rev Jon because my wife and I would attend PLMC's Youth Service whenever Rev Reuben Ng was preaching over there.  When Rev Reuben was posted out to Toa Payoh Methodist Church ("TPMC") in August 2012, we "moved along" with him and even signed up for TPMC's church camp in 2016.

Before, in between, and after these 3 illustrious PICs were others that came and went, and again it is no coincidence that their tenure was comparatively short-lived.  I shall not name (and shame) them because this blog is meant to be edifying.

But I do looking forward to Rev Alvin Chan's long-awaited homecoming after he completes his sabbatical this year.  Although I have not really heard any of Rev Alvin's sermons, something that happened in 1988(!) leaves a very deep impression on me till this very day. My wife has also briefly interacted with Rev Alvin, and being the perceptive woman that she is, tells me that he comes across as very sincere, polite and humble.

Now back to that incident in 1988. Rev Alvin and I were participants in a joint Methodist Youth Fellowship / Sunday School Camp where we were divided into 12 groups, named after the tribes of Israel. I was the co-leader of Zebulun while Rev Alvin was the co-leader of Benjamin.  My group won the consolation prize for being the "most industrious" because we had to run errands like doing the dishes and mopping the floor in order to earn gold and silver "coins" to "pay" for our meals.

Rev Alvin's group won the overall 1st prize for earning the most "gold and silver coins" the "proper" way - through winning bible quizzes, games and activities.  When they were invited up on stage to collect their medals, Alvin went to the back of the queue to be the last to collect his!  He was then only a youth not yet 19 years old, but wow, that was a glimpse of servant-leadership at its very finest.  I am very sure he is going to make one of the best PICs in the history of PLMC.

Speaking of Rev Reuben Ng, he is now TRAC President.  This augurs well for the overall Methodist Church in Singapore ("MCS") because he is super-anointed and under his leadership, TRAC (and eventually MCS when he becomes her Bishop), will be taken to LAGI (MUCH MORE) greater heights.  Amen?

OK now let's move on to NewCre.  When my wife and I moved in 2018, I really thought we had joined the "perfect" church haha.  The overall leadership under Ps Joseph Prince is second to none, and God has continued to bless his ministry superabundantly over and above what anyone can ever imagine or think.

Despite persistent and fiery attacks, and especially so from the (not so) friendly fire of those supposedly part of the Body of Christ (like Ho Chee Sin and George Ong), God has jealously guarded His grace gospel delivery boy.  Weekly attendance across 5 services easily exceeds 50,000 with hundreds of thousands more tuning in online from overseas.  Unfortunately for Ps Prince's critics, they are kicking against the goads, similar to what Saul the Pharisee was doing. :P

Having said that, let us go back to what John C. Maxwell famously coined, that  "Everything rises and falls on leadership," ie. the quality of leadership is the primary determinant of an organisation’s, team's, or project's success or failure.

Note the mention of "organisation", "team" and "project".  In the context of the secular corporate world, there are levels/degrees of granularity in terms of groups of companies, then a single company and then departments within a company.  In a large church setting, there are "sub-groups" commonly referred to as ministries and cell/care groups.

Again, I do not intend to name (and shame), but within NewCre there are ministries, and then there are ministries, there are care groups and then there are care groups.  Suffice it to say that each ministry leader and CG leader is accountable and responsible for the respective servers and CG members that God has placed under their charge.

In the Context of Ministries

Ministries like Outreach and Rock Kidz are thriving because Ps Lawrence Lim and Ps Lim Lian Neo are aligned to God's calling in their lives.  Yet others are sadly and rapidly shrinking because of very poor leadership.

A brother from one such dwindling ministry told me, "Aiya, not to worry, God will step in to provide." What he had meant was that God will provide other servers to replace the ones that have left.

Unfortunately, that is *NOT* the biblical principle where spiritual leadership is concerned.  

Take finances as an example.  How does God provide?  Via money falling from the sky?  Nope, via the principle of tithing.  He who sows sparingly will reap sparingly, while he who sows bountifully will reaps bountifully. God loves a "hilarious" giver, as Ps Gabriel Tan aptly said once.

Back to leadership.  If the leader of that shrinking ministry does not quietly and humbly step aside to make way for others but chooses to hold on with his arm of flesh, God Himself will "step in to provide" by forcefully and visibly removing that leader in question.  In the worst case scenario, that entire ministry will become obsolete and fold.

Jesus Himself warns in Rev 2:5 that He will take away that messenger's candlestick.  That was exactly what He did to the leader of what used to be the biggest church in Singapore, and He will not hesitate to do it again because He cares too much for His sheep.

In the Context of CGs

My current CG keeps having numbers added because leaders Venn and Vivien See are such a wonderful and godly couple.  Yet other CGs in NewCre are either stagnant, dying or have shut down entirely, again because of poor leadership.

I have shared with those close to me why my wife and I changed CG in 2022. Many others will have their own stories to tell.  When sheep are malnourished because of neglect by their shepherd, they naturally look for other pastures.

Speaking of Venn and Vivien, I first got to know them as colleagues when I joined a Canadian MNC in 2008.  When my wife and I changed church in 2018, we had initially wanted to join their CG. But they "rejected" us because back then, the church operated in terms of 5 zonal "campuses", ie. north, north-east, west, central and east. Quarterly worship nights ("Campus Nights") and annual church camps ("Campus Camps") were also conducted at campus level.  We stay in the north-east whereas their CG meets in the east.

But Covid changed all that, and now attendees are free to join any CG of their choice, hallelujah! 

God has granted us so much favour with our current CG leaders that they even created a separate WhatsApp chat group (which they affectionately call "VV & MS") that has just the 4 of us!  (See photo at the top of this post). 

Some have said that it is because we (I?) require "special" attention but we want to believe it is because they want to give us extra tender loving care haha.

Here are various photos were took with them.

• Top left:  Ayada Thai Restaurant, Sydney, 12 July 2019. We had both signed up separately for the Hillsong Conference, and only discovered each other's presence there. 
• Below left: Le Shrimp Ramen, Star Vista, 28 August 2022.  We approached them to tell them we wanted to join their CG, and they roped us in via Zoom shortly thereafter.
• Centre: CNY Service, Star Vista, 11 Feb 2024.
• Top right: on board the Royal Caribbean, Cruise Camp, 2 Feb 2024.
• Bottom right: PLMC, 21 September 2024. They witnessed our daughter's wedding.

In closing, please continue to keep both PLMC and NewCre in your prayers.

May God raise the equivalent of Ps Joseph Prince to be posted to PLMC, so that PLMC can also rise and thrive the way NewCre has.  God forbid that PLMC also go the way of many other organisations (including churches) who have fallen and become irrelevant because of poor leadership.  Amen?

Rise and Fall (Part 2): Some Modern-Day Examples

Friday, 27th February 2026

Yesterday, it was established that there is a New Covenant basis for leaders being held to account for the rise and fall of their organisations.

You can read that here in case you missed it...

Rise and Fall: A Biblical Basis

As promised, let me now give very specific and concrete modern-day examples that are much closer to home.

Out there in the secular world,
- the President/Prime Minister (or its equivalent) is responsible/accountable for the success/failure of his/her nation;
- the Group Chairman/CEO (or its equivalent) is responsible/accountable for the success/failure of his/her group of companies;
- the Chairman/CEO (or its equivalent) is responsible/accountable for the success/failure of his/her company;
- the department head (or its equivalent) is responsible/accountable for the success/failure of his/her department

(1) In the Context of a Nation (positive example)

Under the leadership of Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore grew from a third world nation to first.  It was undeniable that he put the interest of Singapore even above that of his own.  He could have just focused on being a top-notch corporate lawyer and earned hundreds of millions of dollars in his lifetime, but he made a big sacrifice for all of us.

I put on record that I totally support turning 38 Oxley Road into a national monument, so that generations will remember the extent of his contributions (sorry Hsien Yang, you may be a fellow PSP supporter, but this is one area we just have to agree to disagree on).

(2) In the Context of a Group of Companies (positive example)

Under the leadership of Mr Oliver Yeo, Elridge Energy Holdings Bhd was taken public on 22 August 2024 at 29 sen.  Since then, the Norwegian sovereign fund, a bumiputra GLC and a Saudi firm have taken equity stakes in it, and they have ongoing projects in Japan, Thailand and Indonesia. 

As I type this, the counter is trading at an all-time high of RM1.45, exactly 5 times its IPO price ;-)

In August 2025, I had the privilege of being introduced to Mr Yeo himself by David Pillay, an ex-colleague of mine (more about David in a future post). Mr Yeo is such a humble and unassuming person.

(3) In the Context of a Company (positive example)

Under the leadership of Mr Pang Hoe Sang, his company Hexacon Construction Pte Ltd grew from its humble roots into THE one that was appointed to build the largest church building in Singapore at a staggering cost of $500m.

That happened in 2012 and 14 years on, still nothing comes close to it.

I got to know Mr Pang through my late dad. And yes, Mr Pang is also such a humble and unassuming person.

(4) In the Context of a Department (positive example)

Under the leadership of a certain Finance department head (whose identity I shall not reveal lest he be accused of blowing his own trumpet), his department was the envy of other departments, with several staff even requesting for transfers into his department! (to carry out work that was more "administrative" and "non-accounting" in nature).

His peers accused him of "spoiling the market" when he granted his staff birthdays off and flexible working hours.  When he quit to move on to the next company, some even cried and asked if he could pull them over too (which he did, haha).

Until today, they still refer to him as "boss/ 老版“ and even turned up at his dad's wake, though he was no longer technically their boss anymore. They still tell him, "You are the best boss we had ever worked for, always fighting for our welfare, giving us big angpows, buying us birthday cakes, etc." :-)

While tidying up the Study recently, he came across a super-duper huge birthday card his then-staff gave to him (I have placed the $50 note there for the context of size, and not as a bribe).

The above principle also applies to non-secular organisations, and I will just list down the following 3 cases as negative examples:

• TT Durai and NKF
• Shi Ming Yi and Ren Ci 
• Kong Hee and City Harvest

I shall not go into too much details because the information is readily available out there. You just need to google "Charity scandals in Singapore".

Now let us move even closer to home to the context of churches, in particular those that I have attended / am attending.  The following holds true and I will again be citing very specific and concrete examples.

- The PIC (pastor-in-charge) is responsible for the church he is posted to
- The CG leader is responsible for the CG members under his/her charge
- The ministry leader is responsible for the servers under his/her charge

Stay tuned for part 3...

Rise and Fall (Part 1): A Biblical Basis

Thursday 26 February 2026

Two weeks ago, I mentioned about how the Lord had impressed upon me to start a series of reflections on the following

1) Chalk and Cheese
2) Rise and Fall
3) Initiator and Responder

You can go back and read about the first topic by clicking on the hyperlink.

I apologise that due to the CNY festivities and other events, I got a little "off-topic". Having gathered my thoughts and put distractions aside, let us continue with the very sensitive, yet crucial topic regarding Rise and Fall. 

"EVERYTHING RISES AND FALLS ON LEADERSHIP"

John C. Maxwell

Thanks to Google AI, the summary of the above quotation is reproduced in full below:

"Everything rises and falls on leadership," a principle famously coined by John C. Maxwell, means that the quality of leadership is the primary determinant of an organization’s, team's, or project's success or failure. It signifies that effective leaders elevate, while ineffective ones limit, potential, affecting culture, performance, and resilience. 

• Key Drivers of Success (The "Rise"): Organizations rise when leaders possess strong skills, good values, and foster a positive environment.
• Key Causes of Failure (The "Fall"): Organizations fall or experience stagnant performance when leadership is weak, unsupported, under pressure, or fails to adapt.
• The "Law of the Lid": Maxwell posits that a leader's effectiveness sets the maximum, or "lid," on a team's potential.
• Focus on Growth: The principle emphasizes that increasing one's leadership capacity directly improves the success rate of their organization

We see examples of this throughout the Bible.

In the Context of a Marriage (negative example)

Observation: Adam failed to exercise his leadership in his marital union with Eve, allowing the snake to engage in ungodly chatter with his wife.

Result: The fall of man.

In the Context of a Family (negative example)

Observation: Lot failed to exercise his leadership over his wife and daughters.

Result: His wife was turned into a pillar of salt, while his daughters slept with him to produce Moab and Ben-Ammi, whose descendants (the Moabites and Ammonites) became a constant thorn in the side of the Israelites.

In the Context of a Clan/Tribe (positive example)

Observation: Gideon himself described the clan (Abiezer) and tribe (Manasseh) he was from to be the least of the least. But the Angel of the Lord declared him to be a "mighty man of valour".

Result: Gideon defeated the Midianites and rose up to become a Judge over the entire nation, the only one from his "kampung" clan to do so.

In the Context of a Nation (both positive and negative examples)

Observations: We read in Judges and throughout the 2 books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles about Eli (bad priest), Saul (bad king), David (mostly good), Solomon (good initially), the kings of Israel (all bad), the kings of Judah (some good, some bad).

Results: Depending on the leader, the nation and kingdom/(s) would rise or fall. Ultimately, both kingdoms of the divided nation fell, and were brought into captivity and exiled by Assyria and Babylon.

"Aiya, bro, all that is Old Testament passages lah. Jesus was not yet come. It does not apply this side of the cross, under the New Covenant", I hear some of you saying already :-)

Well, let me give a passage that is not only New Testament but eschatological (end-times) too.  Here, Jesus Himself is speaking to the 7 churches, but note something very interesting and consistent in His opening addresses to each of them...

Rev 2:1

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

Rev 2:8

"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:

Rev 2:12

"To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:

Rev 2:18

"To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:

Rev 3:1

"To the angel of the church in Sardis write:

Rev 3:7

"To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

Rev 3:14

"To the angel of the church in Laodecia write:

Unfortunately, the original Greek word "angelos" used there is very much lost in (?non)-translation, so thanks again to Google AI, here is a better interpretation

The "angel" (Greek angelos, meaning messenger) in Revelation 2-3 refers to a figure representing each of the seven churches, with three main interpretations: human leaders/pastors, heavenly guardian angels, or personifications of the church's spirit. Most commentators argue for human leaders or messengers who delivered the letters.

Key Interpretations of the "Angel":

• Human Leaders/Pastors: The most common view is that the angel is the pastor, elder, or bishop of the congregation, responsible for guiding the church.

We see very clearly here that leadership is lagi (that's Malay for "much more") important and crucial under the New Covenant. The entire church in Philadelphia was being praised by Jesus because of the exemplary leadership of its senior representative (pastor/bishop), while the other 6 were equally admonished because of poor leadership.

Having established the biblical basis for the above principle, I will continue tomorrow with very specific and concrete examples closer to home (my own situation included), so stay tuned for part 2!

Title Holders and Influence Possessors

Monday, 23rd February 2026

No I am not referring to Liverpool, but rather those who hold titles such as Chairman, President or CEO.

At the height of my own career as a professional accountant, I was a CFO-designate. Now I own a sole-proprietorship and give myself the fancy title Chief Mover/Shaker. But for all intents and purposes, it is a paper entity with little to no activity.

Many have cruelly called Dr Chee Soon Juan "unelectable" because he has stood as a candidate practically all his life, but has never been a parliamentary representative.  Likewise, I am currently considered "unemployable" because a typical FCA / MBA holder with more than 30 years of working experience would command an annual salary in excess of S$300,000.  Most talent management companies will tell me that their clients "cannot afford" to hire someone with such a short runway, given that I will become a hexagenarian next year.

In a nutshell, like Manchester United, my days as a "title holder" are likely to be behind me.

But God (yes that phrase again) has indicated to me that His role for me at this season of my life is that of an "influence possessor".  

The influence possessor is like the "hub" that connects the title holders, the "spokes".

Mr Lee Kuan Yew held the title. Mrs Lee Kuan Yew possessed the influence. Rumour has it that she organised his cabinets ;-)

Even in the Bible, we see a hub connecting to spokes at play.

Ps Prince himself mentioned in a sermon how in 2 Kings 5, it was the unnamed servant girl of Naaman, the Syrian Commander that connected him with Elisha, the Prophet. She was the influence-possessing hub that connected the 2 title-holding spokes. If not for her, Naaman would have died a leper.

Similarly, it was Abraham's unnamed servant who connected Isaac and Rebekah (Gen 24), the chief cupbearer who connected Pharoah and Joseph (Gen 41), the water-carrying man who connected Peter, James and John to the owner of the furnished and prepared Upper Room (Mk 14, Lk 22), just to name but a few more examples.

Closer to home, my mom was that hub too. She was a mere housewife, but wow did God bestow upon her such an abundance of influence. Her one phone call to Robert Iau, the then-Chairman of ACS BoG led to Wan Fook Weng, Principal of ACJC permitting her son a very late enrolment as a 2nd-intake student. It was a word spoken to Ling Sing Wong, then-Registrar of NTU that led her son to be able to stay on campus despite having insufficient CCA points.

And I see that now repeated in my own life.  Just last week, I met up with Mr Pang Hoe Sang, the one who built both my previous church and my current one.

Yesterday, he sent me a precious video of Ps Prince sharing a "mini-sermon" at the Star Vista construction site with his staff from Hexacon.  Mr Pang has given me his expressed consent to share it:-)

Mr Pang also forwarded me a couple of photos of him with Ps Prince himself, taken on 1 Feb 2011.  I declare that my turn is next, in Jesus' Name, Amen!

A snapshot of Mr Pang with Ps Prince

Another snapshot of Mr Pang with Ps Prince

My wife and I joined NewCre in 2018, less than 8 years ago. The organisational structure of our Church is somewhat as follows:

Level 5: Pastors (approx. 25)

Level 4: Deacons (approx. 250)

Level 3: Leaders (approx. 2,500)

Level 2: Servers / CG hosts (approx. 25,000)

Level 1: CG Members (approx. 25,000)

Level 0: Attendees (more than 50,000)

I am at Level 2, while my wife is at Level 1.  Yet God has somehow got us connected all the way up to many Level 5 Pastors and several Level 4 Deacons, so much so that a Level 3 Leader in my ministry who has been in NewCre for the longest time (let's call him AT) asked me, "How come you know so many Pastors, ah?" My answer to him was "God's favour, lor".

The point I am trying to make is that both title holders and influence possessors play vital and complementary roles. God raises some of us to be captains of our industry. Yet He bestows upon others the influence to make a difference that can even change the course of history.

So let us work hand in hand in establishing God's purposes here on earth. Amen?

But God

Sunday, 22nd February 2026

The title of today's post is a powerful, recurring phrase that appears in the bible 48 times. 

It emphasises God's sovereignty in our life, despite our physical circumstances.

I myself am in a very unique season of my life.

I do not hold any fancy title, BUT GOD has bestowed upon me influence :-)

I turn 59 in December.  Most people my age are still in active employment, whereas I have not worn long-sleeved business shirts, nor stepped foot into a formal corporate office setting since the days of Covid.

Yes, I formed a sole-proprietorship practice in July 2022, more so that I can tell people that I am SELF- rather than UN-employed. And also to keep my hard-earned Fellow Chartered Accountant designation.

I got myself a Tesla in October 2022, but it was really more to "show-off" to people that I could still afford to drive one, despite no longer drawing an active monthly salary since quitting as the CFO-designate of a listed company in July 2020, shortly after my late dad suffered a stroke in May 2020.  

The world will label people like me a washout, an underachiever, a what could-have-been.

Had I not rocked the boat in my previous church, I could have risen up the ranks to TRAC, GC and who knows, even become the "SoT" (Secretary of the Trustees) of the Methodist Church in Singapore :p

Had I not rocked the boat when I was a card-carrying member of the PAP, I could have risen up the ranks of the People's Association to chairing some CCC or RC, and gotten a PBM or BBM.

Yours truly, the washout, underachieving, could-have-been ("WUC") FAILURE.

I recall ever asking God before whether I had sabotaged His plans and destiny for me.

BUT GOD responded by giving me a quiet assurance, that He is well-pleased with me.  He created me as a unique individual with a unique destiny for such a time as this.

He brought to mind the following 4 individuals:

(1) A Pharisee named Saul, who trained under Gamaliel, could have become the greatest Pharisee of all Pharisees in the history of Judaism. His career was short-circuited and his fellow Pharisees probably labelled him a WUC failure. But God changed his name to Paul and he became the great apostle that wrote 2/3 of the New Testament.

(2) A Catholic priest named Martin Luther questioned the corrupt practices and doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church and was de-frocked as a consequence.  He was a WUC failure in the eyes of his fellow priests. But God used him mightily to kick-off the Reformation, which we Protestants centuries later still celebrate every 31st October.

(3) An Anglican pastor named John Wesley broke ranks with the Church of England because they had become too aristocratic. He was a WUC failure, banned from numerous pulpits by his peers. But God raised like-minded Christians who resonated with him, and the people called Methodists today is the legacy he has left behind.

(4) A kindly doctor from Ama Keng named Tan Cheng Bock, saw patients for free and garnered (and still holds) the record highest percentage of votes in a general election. He could have happily retired, but saw how much the political party he was from had changed over the decades. They had increasingly put their own interest above the interests of the citizens they are supposed to be serving. He offered himself to serve as our President, but was prevented from doing so and even labelled a WUC failure by a former Prime Minister (let's just refer to him as Woody). But God has raised equally-disillusioned citizens who encouraged him to form an alternative party in 2019, a party that promises to put the interests of its citizens first.

I would like to add a 5th to that list.

(5) A 4th-generation, great-grandson of a Peranakan Pastor of Paya Lebar Methodist Church ("PLMC") had his life in the Methodist system cut out for him because of his rich heritage. Then, his son was born with a kidney condition, but no one in his church could provide him with any consistent answers as to why. He subsequently found them in Ps Joseph Prince's teachings and wanted to share his discovery with his CG members. Alas, Peter Koh and Barnabas Chong considers Ps Prince's teachings to be heresy, and made him step down from leadership.  Many of his peers in the LCEC and in PLMC itself still regard him to be a troublemaker and pariah, ie. a WUC failure.  But God has placed very strong convictions inside of him, that only deepens his resolve and resilience when faced with adversity and persecution. Despite him not holding any official title at present, God has supernaturally increased his influence and network, and brought numerous illustrious people to cross his path :-) 

And you dear reader, should put your own name in place of mine as the number 5 on that list.  You are equally God's masterpiece and handiwork, and placed on earth to fulfil His destiny and calling.  You, dear reader, are not a WUC failure. Amen?

In my next post, I will give you very concrete examples of the different yet important dual roles that both title-holders and influence-possessors play to carry out God's plans and purposes on earth. So stay tuned!

Two Heads Are *Not* Better Than One

Saturday, 21st February 2026

I start off today's blog entry with a picture of a double-headed snake.  Read on to know why.

Five days ago, I sent the following to various contacts on Whatsapp

Womenfolk, please don't crucify me. I'm merely the messenger...

A dear brother recently shared a "revelation" from Revelations regarding Christ and the church.

He said that whenever he had an argument with his wife, she would always quote Eph 5:25 to him about how he should love her as Christ loves the church blah blah blah.

Getting tired of being constantly nagged, he decided to quote back to her Rev 2-3, where Christ had some rather strong words of correction for 6 of the 7 churches.

He went further to tell her that the passage is not only New Covenant but eschatological (end-time) as well, which makes it doubly applicable.

He said Christ definitely loves His church, but the way He expresses that love may not be what the church expects or wants to hear...

His wife was left speechless initially. Then after a long pause, she said "You don't anyhow quote scriptures to me. Even the devil misquoted Ps 91 when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness."

Thankfully, both of them had a good laugh after that, and he was not banished from the bedroom.

Menfolk, do try out this experiment with your missus and let me know the outcome.

If you end up kana sleep outside in the corridor, I will pray for a pillar of fire to appear to keep you warm at night.

I received a couple of responses, which I reproduce in full below but with their identities masked for the sake of their own safety haha.

There was radio silence from the rest, for obvious reasons :p

Well, coincidentally, today's morning devotional was on the topic of "correction" and somehow it brought to mind Rev 2-3!

In summary, because God loves, He corrects.

I humbly submit to you that the marital relationship between a husband and a wife is a shadow and a mystery, the substance and revelation of which is the relationship between Jesus Christ and His bride, the church.  The sooner wives understand that this is *THE* biblical design and foundation of a solid, godly marriage, the better.  We are not "equals", or worse still, the wife is not the head of the husband.

There is a saying that "two heads are better than one".  That is not found in the bible, and definitely does not apply in a marital union.  Christ is the head of the Church => the husband is the head of his wife.

There cannot be two heads. Look at that picture of the double-headed snake above, and you will get my drift.

As husbands, we ought to love our wives as Christ loves the church, and yes, that includes gently correcting them with our words, like how Jesus corrected the churches.

Having said that, we as husbands must also understand the huge commitment and responsibility placed upon us as the head.  God has put us "in-charge", as it were.  He held Adam solely responsible for Eve listening to the serpent and partaking of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, even though he was passive throughout the entire engagement.

And this concept of being in-charge and responsible does not just apply to the marital relationship, but extends also to the offspring that come forth from that marital union.  We, as fathers, have to be present and active in the lives of our children, especially during their formative years.  Too many cases of rebellious sons and wayward daughters can be traced back to one thing and one thing alone: paternal absenteeism.  Ps Prince himself attested to that in many of his sermons.

Having said that, those of us whose children have stopped attending church, or are mixing with bad company, please do not feel condemned.  Continue to pray for them and know that God is more concerned about their spiritual well-being than we can ever be.  Hold fast to Acts 16:31 where God promises that as long as one person in the household is saved, the entire household will be saved too!

Our God is a God of redemption and restoration.  No matter what the devil has done, God can and will reverse it and cause all things to work together for our good.  He will make all things beautiful in His time. Amen?

Boutiques, the Minor Prophets of Today

Friday, 20th February 2026

Regular readers of my blog will note that I usually blog about spiritual matters.

But today, God has placed in my heart to blog about something more secular in nature.  He destined me away from following the footsteps of my dad, who in his latter years said, "Son, it is better for you to be a good accountant than a bad doctor".  (I do not believe he was not referring to a certain Goh Jr who ventured into routes made of silk because he said that to me sometime in the early 2000s, unless dad was a prophet haha). 

So for today, and today only, please indulge me to put on my accountant's hat.

Many of us have this habit of "jumping on the bandwagon".  We "follow the crowd" and take pride that we drive the latest Tesla, or bought the latest iPhone 17 Plus Pro, or use the latest Lab Putter.

I myself am guilty of 2 of the above.

But what God has placed in my heart recently is that there is a place for what are known as the "boutiques" of the world. Read on.

The word "boutique" originated from the Greek word for "storehouse" but has morphed into the French word for "small shop".

A fellow colleague of mine from legacy Price Waterhouse went on to work for DBS corporate finance in the late 1990s.  After that, a handful of them came out to form a boutique fund management company, offering the same expertise as the big boy yet at a fraction of the cost.  His boutique helped to take many local SMEs public, including BreadTalk, Old Chang Kee and Soup Restaurant, just to name but a few.

Just last month, my wife and I attended a talk conducted by a rather large bank and I noticed an intentional focus and shift towards what is commonly known as "private markets". The bank even invited its partners in the private market space to set up booths, and for some reason God only knows, I took selfies in front of Blue Owl, KKR, and even BlackRock and Pimco (yes, the latter two have jumped onto the private market bandwagon).

Frankly speaking, I had only heard of Blue Owl that evening (which goes to show I am not really well-versed). But everyone will have heard of it today because it just made the headlines for the wrong reasons, viz:

Those close to me got a bit concerned because we are currently very, very exposed in the private credit space.

But the difference is this. We have invested not via a big boy like Blue Owl or KKR but via yes, a boutique player, which we will not mention the name of because it wants to remain so and its existence is known very much by word of mouth.

While they are seemingly in the same space, their investment strategies are like chalk and cheese.

The big boys take in tens of billions of dollars and have no choice but to deploy them into hundreds of private companies, hoping that one in ten will turn out to be a unicorn with maybe a 10x ROI to more than cover the other 9 that go belly-up. Many a times, it is a win-lose outcome.

The boutique takes in at most a hundred million dollars from investors.  They carefully select which company to partner with (yup partner with, not invest in), and run the race alongside them to the finishing line of going public, and even beyond! It is a win-win-win for the private company, the boutique and the investor.

Thank God for boutiques!

Oh ya, I cannot end this post without bringing up a biblical parallel, so please indulge me again.

Much is said about the "big boy" major prophets like Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and even Jeremiah.

But let us not forget the "boutique" minor prophets like Micah, Joel or even Malachi.  They also had a part to play in pointing us to Jesus and His finished work, Amen?

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah,

Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel,

Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.” Mic 5:2 (NKJV)

“And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;

Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams,

Your young men shall see visions. Joel 2:28 (NKJV)

Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house,

And try Me now in this,”Says the Lord of hosts,

“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing

That there will not be room enough to receive it. Mal 3:10 (NKJV)

The More, The Much More, and The Much Much More!

Thursday, 19th February 2026

I was just updating the links to my "blog list" to remove those that are broken and happen to click on the link to my ex-church, Paya Lebar Methodist Church ("PLMC").

Guess what their theme for this year is!!!

I seriously kid you not!

Last year, God prompted me to bid $10,500 for a painting done by Darren Teo, the Head of Prophetic Arts of PLMC because the drawing had the same name as our church's theme for 2025, Third Day!

You can read more about that Kairos encounter here:

At the Crossroads (Part 5)

This year, the law-based, anti-NewCre PIC (let's call him K) of PLMC came up with a theme somewhat similar to NewCre's.

But of course, being grace-based, NewCre's theme is MUCH more, ie. 更多更盛

Perhaps God is telling me to get ready because He is going to cause Ps Alvin Chan, son of Robert Chan, to return back home in 2027, after completing his sabbatical, to replace K as PIC?

Background info: while Robert was in leadership, he did not want his son to be posted to PLMC lest he be accused of cronyism.  Well, Robert has since retired from active leadership so that concern of his is no longer valid, and his son can finally return home.

So let's all pray in agreement for that to come to pass!  Then PLMC, like NewCre, can experience God's MUCH MUCH more!

Recently, I teased Ps Alvin, who is a hardcore Liverpool supporter, that his team waited 30 years for a Premier League title.  He graduated from Trinity Theological College in 1995, so that's coming to 31 years being out of the "promised land".

England last won the World Cup in 1966, and are favourites to win it this year, 60 years on.  May Ps Alvin not have to wait that long to return home. After all, in the year 2055, we would all either have been raptured or most of us would have returned to our true home in heaven.

"He's coming home, he's coming home, he's coming. Alvin's coming home!"

By the way, some PLMC members have warned me not to "sabotage" Ps Alvin's posting, but I will tell them I am so small and insignificant in the overall scheme of things.

My dad has gone back to be with the Lord, while I myself am not even attending PLMC. If it is God's will for Ps Alvin to be posted there, then not even the devil can stop it.

Just like how I went public in July 2010 about my relationship with Ps Reuben Ng, which you can read about here:

Confessions of a Denominational Church Escapee

That did not in any way stop him from becoming TRAC President in 2025 (and who knows, even the Bishop one day?) because it is God Himself who was, is, and will be, the one to orchestrate everything to establish His kingdom purposes. Amen? 

Let's all believe for God to give us much, much, more!

Oh ya, speaking of Ps Alvin, both he and me grew up in Sunday School together, and our dads were the best of pals, serving faithfully for decades in the LCEC and PPRSC together.

While tidying up the Study. I came across this one of us guys celebrating CJ's 21st birthday in July 1988. We were the only ones wearing blue.  A sign? ;-)

From L to R: Vincent Chang, Alvin Chan, Jeff Mok, Andy Toh, CJ, Philip Huan, Kervin Tan, me, Andrew Chiang, Charles Chee, Raymond Huan.

CJ, the rose among the thorns.

CNY Family Photos: An Annual Tradition

Wednesday, 18th February 2026

A most blessed Year of the Horse, my dearest readers of ROOTSS!

May this year bring all of you much more of God's blessings into your marriage, your family, your relationships, your health, your finances, your career and your ministry!

2026: Year of the Horse / Much More!

Our family started this tradition of taking photos dressed up in CNY garb in 2014. The first time around it was at Joo Heng Restaurant in Joo Chiat.

2014: at Joo Hing Restaurant

The following year, we would become more purposeful and started to subtly carry objects that coincided with the zodiac animal for that year.

In 2015, our champion is holding onto a toy sheep.

2015: Year of the Goat/Sheep

In 2016, our sweetie is holding a toy monkey.

2016: Year of the Monkey

We took it a step further in 2017. All of us would hold zodiac animal related paraphernalia, and I would include a zodiac animal related greeting too.

Here's how we ushered in 2017 (Rooster) and 2018 (Dog):

2017: Year of the Rooster

2018: Year of the Dog

After my wife and I officially moved to New Creation Church in 2018, I upped the game further by making reference to the theme of that year.

2019 (Pig): Latter Rain

2019: Year of the Pig / Latter Rain

2020 (Mouse): Time & Space

2020: Year of the Rat / Time & Space

2021 (Cow): Hazon Vision

2021: Year of the Cow / Hazon Vision

2022 (Tiger): Rest & Acceleration

2022: Year of the Tiger / Rest & Acceleration

2023 (Rabbit): Kairos

2023: Year of the Rabbit / Kairos

2024 (Dragon): Upper Room

We did not include any dragons symbols for obvious reasons.

2024: Year of the Dragon / Upper Room

2025 (Snake): Third Day

Likewise, no snake symbols either. Also, with our sweetie's hubby inxcluded in the picture, I removed the mention of 卢家.

2025: Year of the Snake / Third Day