I Am The Seed

by Thomas Heng

I am the Seed,

The one that was Formed and Planted

by Your Loving Hand.

I who was Nothing,

I who now can Be,

Through Your Divine Grace,

I who have been Sown into this land.

I am the Seed,

The one that Emerges

Out of darkness, into the light

I who Creep a single green Shoot,

To Embrace the Warmth You Provide

And the cool light of the Evening,

The one who Shivers under

The First Dew You Caringly Placed.

I am the Seed,

The one that Wavers unceasingly

In the constantly fickle wind,

I who Care little about being a Sapling,

I who Worry more about juvenile Appearances

The one who Rebels against the Destiny

That You ahead of me Wisely Forged.

I am the Seed,

The one that Weathers both night and day

Through the erosion of tumult and strife

I who Strive for years

To be Addressed as a Tree,

The one who Shelters all and sundry,

Those whom You have Shrewdly Appointed.

I am the Seed,

The one that Succours many in need,

The one that Bears much Fruit,

The one that Releases thousands of seeds from captivity,

Yet I am but a Seed,

The one that was Formed and Planted

by Your Loving Hand.

THE OLD MAN AND HIS SHOE

This is one of my favourite stories, enjoy!

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One day an old man boarded a bus. As he was going up the steps, one 

of his shoes slipped off. The door closed and the bus moved off so he was 

unable to retrieve it. The old man calmly took off his other shoe and 

threw it out of the window. 

A young man on the bus saw what happened, and could 

not help going up to the old man and asking, "I noticed what you did, sir. 

Why did you throw out your other shoe?" The old man promptly replied, "So 

that whoever finds them will be able to use them." 

The old man in the story understood a fundamental philosophy for life - do not hold on to 

something simply for the sake of possessing it or because you do not wish 

others to have it. We lose things all the time. The loss may seem to us 

grievous and unjust initially, but loss only happens so that positive changes 

can occur in our lives. 

We should not always assume that losing something is 

bad, because if things do not shift, we'll never become better people or 

experience better things. That's not to say of course that we only 

lose "bad" things; It simply means that in order for us to mature 

emotionally and spiritually, and for us to contribute to the world, the 

interchange between loss and gain is necessary. 

Like the old man in the story, we have to learn to let go. The world had 

decided that it was time for the old man to lose his shoe. Maybe this happened 

to add momentum to a series of events leading to a better pair of shoes for the 

old man. Maybe the search for another pair of shoes would lead the old man 

to a great benefactor. 

Maybe the world decided that someone else needed the shoes more. Whatever 

the reason, we can't avoid losing things. The old man understood this. 

One of his shoes had gone out of his reach. The remaining shoe would not 

have been much help to him, but it would be a cherished gift to a homeless 

person desperately in need of protection from the ground. Hoarding 

possessions does nothing to make us or the world better. We all have to decide 

constantly if some things or people have run their course in our 

lives or would be better off with others. We then have to muster the courage 

to give them away. 

Ministry

This is a piece inspired by the hymn Lord, You Give the Great Commission.

Ministry

by Thomas Heng

The humble individual, while made of mere cosmic dust, is crticially important to the sustenence of all of Creation. While the Infinite creates all there was, is and ever will be, it is incumbent on the individual to respond with the Integrity that has been bestowed by the Infinite, so that the cycle of unity between that which is divine and that which is mundane remains unbroken.

While the cycle remains unbroken through the boundless grace of the Infinite, the individual is not bound to slavery. Alongside the gift of Integrity is the gift of Liberty, which allows for the full expression of the individual, according to the specific gifts that one has been so endowed. Restrictions are but an illusion that the individual imposes on oneself, such that they prevent the completeness and fullness of the Infinite from effectively channeling through oneself to all of Creation.

The reality of the individual's particular role in this Journey cannot be divorced from one's immediate surroundings -- plants, animals, the elements, and other individuals. Each of these constitutes the individual's immediate Community, and responds in perfect accordance to the mysterious and unfathomable system established by the Infinite. For the ultimate purpose of the Journey is to allow the individual to find Infinity within oneself, as well as to recognise and indeed rejoice in the Infinity that resides within one another.

Communities are seemingly disparate, yet these are seen as but one Society in the eyes of the Infinite. It is the continual task of each Community to recognise its limitations in Society's scheme of things, while proceeding to channel its strengths towards the benefit of its own, as well as towards the enhancement of other Communities.

Magnificent though Society may be, it is all too finite. For over time Society waxes and wanes, as it must exhale just as certainly as it must inhale. Society's breath allows it to remain constantly aware of its dependence on Eternity. Such is the power of Eternity that no less than the Infinite can wield it, with Grace, Joy, and Love.

O mystical Infinite!

Thy Grace, Joy and Love

Sustain the individual with Integrity

Strengthen one with your Liberty

Nourish the manifold Community

Unites them into one Society

Preserves us for all Eternity!

Here are the lyrics for the original hymn:-

Lord, You Give the Great Commission

Lord, You give the great commission: “Heal the sick and preach the Word.”
Lest the Church neglect its mission, and the Gospel go unheard,
Help us witness to Your purpose with renewed integrity,
With the Spirit’s gifts empower us for the work of ministry.

Lord, You call us to Your service: “In My Name baptize and teach.”
That the world may trust Your promise, life abundant meant for each,
Give us all new fervor, draw us closer in community.
With the Spirit’s gifts empower us for the work of ministry.

Lord, You make the common holy: “This My body, this My blood.”
Let us all, for earth’s true glory, daily lift life heavenward,
Asking that the world around us share your children’s liberty
With the Spirit’s gifts empower us for the work of ministry.

Lord, You show us love’s true measure: “Father, what they do, forgive.”
Yet we hoard as private treasure all that You so freely give.
May Your care and mercy lead us to a just society.
With the Spirit’s gifts empower us for the work of ministry.

Lord, you bless with words assuring: “I am with you to the end.”
Faith and hope and love restoring, may we serve as you intend
And, amid the cares that claim us, hold in mind eternity.
With the Spirit’s gifts empower us for the work of ministry.

A Prayer for Grace

by Thomas Heng

Oh Lord, I pray that...

When I arise, I arise well

When I take a shower, I take it well

When I eat a meal, I eat it well

When I commute, I commute well

When I complete my work, I complete it well

When I hug my loved ones, I hug them well

When I sleep, I sleep well

And should none of these come to pass,

I pray that I may have the grace to live for You the next day,

to Your Glory, Amen.