just ask

thinking we need to

pry forgiveness from your grasp,

we grab any thing

we can use for leverage,

while we only need to pray.

 

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

 

click it

your faithfulness is

the seatbelt which protects us

when we crash head-on

against the foolish choices

we play chicken with in life.

 

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

every moment

each day, make kindness
for the most vulnerable
our laus perennis
 
© 2018 Thom M. Shuman
 
laus perennis is perpetual or continuous prayer

 

this day

remind us, O God,
that while someone’s daily bread
might not be what we
imagine they should have, it
is precisely what they need.
 
© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Trinity

God the thunder shaker,
   you whisper to us
   in the hushed awe
      of children
   watching lightning streak
      across the sky;
Jesus the injustice breaker,
   you call to us
      in the whimpers of the bullied,
      in the songs of protestors,
      in the lullabies of parents
         sung through border walls;
Spirit the risk taker,
   you invite us
      to share peace instead of anger,
      to shawl the hateful in grace,
      to forgive when fists are
         waved in our faces.

God   Jesus   Spirit

shake us out of our apathy,
break us with your compassion,
take us into the hearts of those around us.
 
© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

always

we circle in place,
we fall at the starting line,
yet every time, you
whisper, ‘I’m coming to help,’
and that you do, every time.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

finally, friday

Think for a moment how

Grace might just be the missing

Ingredient to turn around a

Friend’s journey into loneliness.

 

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

thump day

we lie cracked after

hitting the well-known wall, yet

like thumpty dumpty,

you pick us up, and by grace,

put us together again.

 

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

cling wrap

like a plastic bag

in full sail across a lot,

the Holy Spirit

smacks up against us, hoping

we will not push her away.

 

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Pentecost Tuesday

come, Holy Spirit, come
on days made soggy with tears;
come, Holy Spirit, come
to teach new dance steps to all
who are blessed with two left feet.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

post Pentecostal blues

on the day after Pentecost,
we spend the morning
picking out confetti lodged
   in the sanctuary carpet,
explaining to the fire marshal
   why the alarms kept going off,
folding the banners away for another year,
and tightening the windows
against the breeze that
keeps rattling our souls.
 
© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

loved

in the eyes
   that never look away;
in the hands
   that catch me every time;
in the heart
   that will always love me,
I am,
more than I will ever
   comprehend.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

cleanup

garbed in a bright yellow vest
with a trash bag in hand,
you walk the roads of the world
picking up the sins we throw
out the windows of our lives,
to recycle them into grace.
 
© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

faith

when the world’s wild storms

have knocked down all the signposts

and landmarks we know,

you are walking by our side,

holding our hearts as they break.

 

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

contemplative

helping a child read,
walking with a frail grandpa,
breathing hope for others,
may these simple acts become
my hesychastic prayer.
 
© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

wandering

we lose our bearings,
so you teach us to use grace
as our true compass.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

which word?

we focus so much
on who we must say ‘no’ to,
we miss offering
the ‘yes’ which will simply give
the life, hope, grace which they need.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

faith

when the deep shadows
of the dark night of the truth
tighten around us,
faith reminds us of the One
who walks with us to the light.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

mother

you bandage skinned knees
and comfort hope-broken souls;
you gather us up
to tell us stories of grace;
God our mother, we praise you.
 
© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

saint

in the little girl
preparing meals for neighbors,
we find today’s saint.
 
© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

school zone

God the traffic guard,

you step into sin’s fast flow,

holding up that sign

with GRACE emboldened on it,

as we safely head to life.

 

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

ascension

on this day, we ask
‘is this now when justice comes
or should we wait?’
and urging us, you reply,
‘don’t look at me; it’s your time.’
 
© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

teachable

less of us equals
more for others in your math,
O God our Teacher!

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

following Jesus

discipleship is
   that stillness poised in the midst of chaos,
   a pause taken before speaking,
   peace walking through the violence,
   the passion to challenge injustice,
   patient enough to learn from others.
 
© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

foodies

opportunities

abound to have groceries

delivered to us,

and so, food deserts will grow.

Lord, have mercy, have mercy.

 

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

hope

in the helplessness
of the cross, we discover
the hope we don’t have
 
© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

roots

rooted in stillness,
we can grow into those lives
where justice blossoms.
 
© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

just like riding a bike

training wheels in place,
you walk by our side, your hand
soft on our shoulders,
keeping your eyes wide open
as we learn to ride through life.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

words2

words can be bullies,
or repairers of deep pain –
which will we speak now?
 
© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

dictionary

when success is defined,
it does not involve a cross
or serving others.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

be careful

being with Jesus
may mean hanging out with those
we just cannot stand.
 
© 2018 Thom M. Shuman