WHY DO YOU SAY YOU HAVE NO TIME OR YOUR PLATE IS FULL?

My apologies. Blogspot does not allow me to do a nice layout. Things just keep running out of alignment.












I want you all to watch this.

This is exactly how I see my life.

Everyone says she has a full plate and no time to learn a new language.

Let me share with you my hectic schedule:

• I write books and press releases/ video scripts for my clients
• I am also a media consultant and we produce magazines for clients
• I am a father of two children, and I have to cook for them and fetch them for their activities. I also spend time tutoring them.
• I am also a theological student doing my Master of Christian Ministry part time
• I also provide training in public speaking to a group of kids 
• I am doing a lot of troubleshooting to solve people's problems 
• I preach occasionally

Yet, I still find the capacity to learn Hebrew and will embark on learning Greek in January next year (2020).

I am not a superman. Neither am I a genius. Nor am I any more special than most people. I am just an ordinary Malaysian, but I fill my idle time doing something productive. Since childhood, I have always learnt to redeem my time.

For example, while waiting for my clients, I would scribble away the Hebrew alphabet. That was how I started learning back in May and June this year (2019).

There is another person whose productivity is also a wonderful example that I often admire. 

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About Dr Alex Tang Tuck Hon

Biographical Sketch: Dr Alex Tang is a Senior Consultant Paediatrician at the Johor Specialist Hospital, Johor Bahru. He obtained his basic medical degree from the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (National University of Malaysia) and did his postgraduate training in Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States. His specialty is in General Paediatrics with special interest in neonatology, respiratory medicine and biomedical ethics. He is a member of many professional bodies, and of the International Child Health Group.

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I attended Dr Alex Tang's module on Spiritual Formation at STM. He is the author of many books, besides being a senior consultant paediatrician and a Monash lecturer.

I share this so that you know ou don't have any excuse to say that you cannot learn the very languages that God used to communicate with us. If He found it important enough to communicate with us using Hebrew, we should likewise spend time to learn it.

Great Benefits Learning to Read in Hebrew

This is how I benefited. As I studied the book of Ruth in Hebrew, I realised that I was able to participate in the pow wow between the three widows after the death of Elimelech, Mahlon and Chilion.


First, the Elimelech family were economic migrants. There was economic depression in the land of Judah. Due to low rainfall, famine had forced the children of Israel to go to Egypt looking for food. Now, during the time of the Judges, there was also economic depression that forced the Elimelech family to emigrate even to the open fields of Moab. Moab was not even a state or a nation like Ye'hudah. It was only an open field, which suggests that the Depression that hit Ye'hudah made it far more unbearable to the family of Elimelech.

To this family who was always looking for the greener pasture, anything is better than to die of famine in the land of Ye'hudah. Elimelech and his two sons did not survive very long. When Naomi heard that God visited the land of Judah, and learnt that the people were enjoying good GDP, she decided to go back to Beth Lehem where they came from.

You can feel and enter into the world of Ruth and Naomi when you hear them in the original Hebrew language. Fresh insights into the book started to flow.

If you do not believe me, do this experiment. Watch a movie in your own mother tongue.

Start off by turning off the audio and read the sub-titles as you watch the movie. After that, turn on the audio. You will be able to feel the pulses of the people in the movie when you can hear them speak in your own mother tongue.

This is what I experienced when I was reading and listening to the reading from the book of Ruth in Hebrew by Abraham Shmuelof. I have split the book into its four chapters. You can download the audio files of the four chapters of Ruth from here.

This is how you can build your vocabulary in Hebrew and be able to read and understand what is read to you. First, work your way through the text. I find using the Accordance Bible Software a great help. Next, listen to each chapter many times for at least one week. You can do it while you are driving or cooking.