Victor Chen Ministries

For my first job upon returning to Malaysia at age 26, I joined the pharmaceutical industry as a Sales representative covering the government hospitals from KL to Johor.  My Malay colleague Nabil covered from KL to the northern ends of Peninsula Malaysia. Dad had bought me a silver Proton Saga to drive, and it certainly did its mileage. 

The General Manager, Kelvin Tan was an excellent man, brilliant in mind & leadership, was articulate and well-written. He was firm on all of us, yet we can feel his care and desire to see each of us develop in our careers. He was our boss but also a friend we can confide our personal matters with. I kept all his company memos, year-end letters to staff and annual reports for years; as every piece was a masterpiece, inspiring and touches the heart (those days no such thing as soft copy or email).  I told myself one day I want to write like him. I modelled myself to be like him in many aspect. I worked there for 9 years.

He lived his life truly as a man of God and shared with me many biblical things on life. He rose up rank & file, working while studying and had an MBA from the prestigious Strathclyde University. Those days I had to have 4 years working experience before I could enroll into a decent MBA course, unlike today you just need money.  I was reporting 3 layers below Kelvin, yet he had time to vet through my 12 MBA assignments (12 modules taught on campus by UK lecturers with exams each module) and my final dissertation before I submit them to the Uni.  And after finishing the course I had a 2 year bond.

I clearly remembered his words in a staff meeting “In any enterprise be it at an organization, church, workplace or friendship; it is not what you take, but what you put into the system that counts. This phrase may not resonate well in this modern world where people are mainly thinking of only themselves. 

Kelvin’s impact on us still lingers on decades later. The strength of putting others first, holdings things together when everything seems to fall apart. People see the results Kelvin produces but they don’t see the effort he puts in. They admire the calm he brings but don’t realized the storm he had weathered to create it.  This is the value of silent strength, it is not flashy nor seeks validation; it simply gets the job done. 

Stay steady when the world feels chaotic. In this rat race we often lose sight of our purpose. Being busy and busy may not equate to purpose. Your bosses will just crank up new numbers each year for you to chase. Maybe with an ever-advancing little carrot dangling in front. What is new?

The Bible tells us the times ahead will only get tougher, not easier. So as a Christian business leader, it is now time to develop depth in strength to help others, to carry them at their vulnerable moments.  The church needs you to be the backbone for others in your generation and those around you. The one who solves the problem and keep all going forward. You may be the one many look up to and assume you always get it together but no one needs to see the nights I lie awake; the tears I wipe away in private; the moments I question whether I can keep going; the times when I feel empty but still have to find a way to give.  This unhidden strength finds a way to pour even when the cup is empty. Not in material things but in energy, ethos and resilience. 

Strength is powerful but it is not limitless.  Even the most powerful need rest. Recover during this festive season to continue to pour into your own cup, and build your own dreams. I certainly need  this time of rest.  

Legacy, it’s a word we often associate with the end of a journey, something left behind after the dusk is settled.  Legacy is not about what happens after you are gone. Legacy is what you are building right now with every moment, every choice and each step you take. Legacy is not just what you leave behind but what you carry. Your legacy is being built brick-by-brick through the integrity of your actions, the sincerity of your love and the strength of your character.  It doesn’t require an audience, applause or recognition. Your legacy is rooted in who you are in Christ and the values you stand for. It is in how you treat others, how you rise after every fall, how you pour into the people and world around you. Whether anyone acknowledges it, your legacy is shaping lives, it is creating ripples beyond what you can see. Some of the lessons, the seeds may take years down the road to bloom. Some of the seeds you may not get to see them flourish but it doesn’t mean they won’t grow.   

I think about the good teachers, bosses and pastors who shaped my life. Some of them may not be here anymore but the lessons they taught, the example they set and the love they gave is still with me. That  is LEGACY.  It is the impact that lingers long after someone is gone. Just as their legacy live in you, your legacy will live in others.  So focus on living your legacy in the present. Show up as your best self even when unseen. It means stay true to your values even though it is hard. It means choose kindness over bitterness; purpose over distractions; and courage over fear. Yet we all know it is not going to be a perfect path. You will stumble, still have doubts and at times feel like giving up. But it is ok. It is about how to rise after each fall, how you respond after people hurt you, how you keep pushing forward even when the road is rough and it will be. I tell myself to be resilient, to persevere. That is the part of your legacy that will inspire others the most. So just live a life for not only yourself. Be an example for those who are watching. People are paying attention to how you handle life and stay true to your values. It is about leaving the world better than you found it. In this new lunar year, God will move mountains for you. You may not feel it, or see it but He is there to refill your cup. So live boldly and love deeply. Your cup will not go dry in 2025.

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

# posted by Eleventh Hour @ 1:56 AM 0 comments

My last trip to Shanghai was the longest I have been away from home since 1999 when I worked in Singapore. I was away for nineteen days.

I left home after Primary 3 to study alone in Perth. I vividly remember when I had to leave home when holidays were over, my heart always heavy during the last few days here and my tears flowed for weeks when I had returned Perth. Those days there were no mobile phones or WhatsApp. Mum would always comfort me and tell me that she will work harder so she can afford to bring me back home every term holidays instead of just year-end holidays. She indeed kept her promise. 

I knew in my spirit God will bring me back to China. Just didn’t know when and how. Now that God has unfolded that return, I feel nostalgic as I always had mum to cover my emotional needs, even as an adult. She has been supportive and cheering me all along. I share with her all my fears, my insecurities, problems, and she had always comforted me. Now she being ill and in cognitive decline, I don’t have that support anymore. It is just me! And after work in Shanghai, it is just me in my hotel room trying to figure out what my life is all about.  I work form 930am to 6 plus, 7 days a week in the hospital, then sometimes go out with our agents for dinner/PR.

It is sad not being around for my ailing parents to pursue the next phase of my career. It is my biggest regret, a thorn inside my heart. Dad has bad eyesight (legally blind) and fell down this week. My feelings are ambivalent, a whirlwind of emotions. I wasn’t even around for mum’s birthday on Dec 14 for the first time in my life as I was in Shanghai. Dec 15 was the birthday of the girl who left me. I have no ill-feelings as love cannot be forced and must come from the heart. I only wished I had been a better testimony of Jesus and His love to her. Life is full of endless possibilities and probabilities. It could have been like this or that instead…., but destiny has made its turn. But I know my prayers from the hotel room in Shanghai will summon God’s hand to protect and bless them. The comfort is mum has accepted Christ and is heaven-bound.

It is also hard to leave home albeit only for weeks after such a wonderful 2 weeks back home. All the friends, people I love and care for, the celebrations, laughter, the friendship. But I know the world has no room for people who are weak so once again I need to overcome these emotions, muster the courage to go back to that Shanghai hospital to do my best, and stay strong to do the  work that God has planned for me.

# posted by Eleventh Hour @ 6:25 PM 1 comments

I look back at the years of isolation I faced; the years when all I had was taken away, my career, my finances, my dreams and aspirations. It didn’t feel good, and it wasn’t easy. But if you can endure, push through it, that’s when all blessings are born. For those are the periods when character and strength are developed, elements needed for blessings to sustain in your life.

Isolation is the preparation that God uses to prepare you for the breakthroughs. Now looking back I see that the time of isolation was indeed necessary. A seed cannot grow if it is surrounded by weeds and poor soil. Likewise God had to isolate me from all the distractions, for me to reflect inwards, to recalibrate, to realign, and grow into my potential. 

Think of all the leaders, the captain of industries and the trailblazers like Elon Musk. They too faced ridicule, isolation, loneliness and had moments of doubt and setbacks. Nelson Mandela and Anwar even spent decades in jail before becoming prime minister of their countries. They didn’t let it break them. Instead they channeled the pain as fuel for renewal and grew in silence. 

I told myself that I am not going to be a person who succumbs to fear and doubts in the midst of uncertainty, and nor should you. I had to trust the process of preparation that isolation brings and come out of it stronger and now I can say “I am ready”. I am going to be unstoppable. I am ready for my blessing. The blessings of God are only for those who can handle it, and now I am ready. Looking back I wasn’t isolated, I was incubating. 

The years of pain forces me to grow, forces me to stretch beyond my comfort zone. Comfort never leads to greatness. Comfort is the enemy of progress. Many people want to level up but fear changes and what is unfamiliar to them. It is the difficult moments, the challenges, the struggles that are the genesis of breakthroughs. God is saying “please conquer your inner battles, slay your inner demons and recalibrate your heart” for when you step into your blessings you have to be ready to own it, and not be owned by it. God does not want material things to own me and cause me to fall morally.

Yes you have to earn the ability to own it, to keep it, multiply it and to share it. It is not a gift given to someone who hasn’t earned it.  From writing as a hobby, I developed into a writer of many books – on health topics, Christianity and inspirational. From someone who didn’t know why I landed in medical school to a consultant to several health outfits. 

I am still progressing. My Chinese language is poor and I can’t quickly read the reports churned out by a health monitoring machine to consult my patients.  But I will improve by the hour, by the day. I am currently self-learning Chinese up to 4 hours a day. I am even preparing to emulate my University modules in Chinese and to be able to deliver it in Chinese in 6 months. It is a tough call, but if there is anyone that can evolve in such a short time, I tell myself it must be me. The breakthrough blessings is bestowed to those who are willing to fight, to endure, who persist, and for those who know all that is happening has a higher purpose. I will soon stand tall in all I do. I am willing to sacrifice for the blessing is not in what I get, but in what I become in the process. I will be a multi-lingual, international teacher, lecturer, preacher, businessman and inspirational speaker.

I am not ashamed of the gospel, nor what I went through. I had faced my crisis head on- the banks, the creditors, the legal suits. Pain is the fuel to power me to the next level. What I write is experiential and not theory. I am being prepared not just to change my life but those around me. You too! You are being prepared to build a legacy. Legacies are not built by people who take the easy road, not those who are unwilling to leave their comfort zone. They are built by people who face adversities head on, calls a spade a spade, accepts failure as a failure, and who rise up when the world knocks them down.

I know God is preparing me for more than I can imagine. That’s what the bible says in Ephesians 3:20. He prepares your mind, your heart, your strength and your character to receive the blessings. You will surely need it. The character to handle success, the wisdom to stay grounded, the vision to keep pushing forward and the courage to lead others. If you don’t grow, if you don’t go through the process you won’t be able to handle what is coming. And what is coming is big. God doesn't do things half cooked. His blessings when it comes is huge, as big as you have been prepared to handle them.

Isolation has created a warrior in me. With clarity of purpose, every step I take will be impactful. I have let go of all my fears and my doubts. Imagine a general in the battle field who is double-minded, and unsure. His battalion will lack confidence and the battle is already half lost. When God has prepared you, you will be sure footed and unstoppable. Your enemies will fear you as they know you are prepared and calculated.

I am building a future that I dreamed. Every moment of shame in the past, isolation, setback, every struggle was part of a bigger plan that God used to prepare me. I was not held back, I was being prepared. My dreams are too big to be given to me when I was not ready. But I am ready now. 

Every setback is an opportunity to learn.

Every roadblock is an opportunity to innovate

Every moment of doubt is an opportunity to prove that I am stronger than anything that life can throw at me.

I am sure the destination God has for me is amazing, but it’s the journey that transforms me, inspire others and makes me unstoppable. 

Happy New Year

Victor Chen.

# posted by Eleventh Hour @ 3:42 PM 0 comments