day 244

“When he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced.” Acts 11:23a

in the young girl

painting her room

so that it is hers,

in the couple pressing

hands against opposing

sides of a windowpane

because of the pandemic,

in the gentleness

of a cat curled up

in the lap of loneliness,

we catch a glimpse of

grace

and sing in joy

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

day 243

“’You will forget your misery;

    you will remember it as waters that have passed away.’” Job 11:16

we jump in the shower

to wash off our despair,

never noticing the

ring it leaves in the

tub, but you

knell on your knees

to scrub it away

with the grit of your hope

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

day 242

“’I loathe my life;

    I will give free utterance

           to my complaint;

     I will speak in the

           bitterness of my soul.’”  Job 10:1

we stomp on all

the sour grapes in

our soul, trying to

turn them into bitter

vinegar, but you

come along, and

with a simple touch

transform them into

the champagne of grace

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman      

day 241

“’Indeed I know that this

           is so;

     but how can a mortal be

           just before God?’” Job 9:2

climbing on the

backs of co-workers,

knocking friends

out of the way,

turning our backs

on those who

have been crushed

by fear and hate,

we know without

a doubt we need

a remedial course

in justice, taught by

God

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

day 240

“But my people did not listen to my voice;

    Israel would not submit to me.”  Psalm 81:11

like those pavlovian creatures,

we begin to salivate

whenever we hear the voices

of anger and ridicule,

but always seem to miss

the whispers of hope

from the hungry children,

the stories of grace told

by the old folks sitting

on their front porches

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

day 239

“‘Therefore I will not restrain my mouth;

    I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;
    I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.’” Job 7:11

in these uncertain, confusing,

agonizing, scary times

it is okay

to scream your head off

and holler to the heavens,

to keen your pain with the neighbors

and whisper under the covers,

to turn every prayer into lament

and sing only dirges in the shower.

‘it is okay,’ God says,

‘you are not saying anything

i haven’t felt myself.’

it is okay

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

day 238

“‘Those who withhold

           kindness from a friend

  forsake the fear of the

           Almighty.’” Job 6:14

we could feed

the hungry, but

lock our pantries,

we could comfort

lonely children

but our compassion

is in the lock box at the bank,

we could release

the forgotten from

the grasp of injustice,

but our hearts

are in the back

of the freezer

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

day 237

“he sets on high those who

          are lowly;

    and those who mourn are

          lifted to safety.” Job 5:11

while we are

grumbling about

the same-old weather,

you are getting

your boat ready

to rescue folk

while we are

lowering the thermostat

to cool us off, you

are putting on the

heavy gear for another

round with wildfires

while we race as

fast as we can, as

far away as we can

from problems, you

are running to scoop

folks up into your arms

and carry them to

grace

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

day 236

“But now it has come to you,

         and you are impatient;

   it touches you and you are

         dismayed.”  Job 4:5

IT

will show up

someday, through

someone, in some manner

and then,

will we let

IT turn

our grief

into grudges,

our hurt

into hubris,

our trust

into fears,

our loneliness

into bitterness

or will we let

you transform

US

into people of

love

faith

hope

grace

?

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

day 235

“when I am afraid,

    I put my trust in you.” Psalm 56:3

fleeing from

   wildfires,

sheltering in

place,

hunkering down

for a double whammy

from storms,

remind us, O God,

that you are with

us

in every place

of refuge,

in every silent

moment,

in every worry,

holding tight to

our hearts and souls

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

day 234

“They sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.” Job 2:13

though we think we should,

we are not always

called to rush in

and fix someone’s life,

to explain their suffering,

or defend God in such moments,

but

just sit by their side

silent and still

ready to be filled

with whatever their

emptiness offers us

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

day 233

“Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ (This is a wilderness road.)”  Acts 8:26

we are constantly looking for

those smoothly paved,

no-potholed roads

because we think that is

the way faith should be, but

we will find you down

the cracked streets

with the edge lines faded

and the sign bent or

completely knocked down,

for that is where the broken,

the lonely, the lost, the forgotten

travel, live, and are to be found.

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

day 232

“There are many who say, ‘O that we might see some good!

    Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!’”  Psalm 4:6

in the nurse behind

the mask and face

shield,

in the teacher

popping up on the

device,

in the delivery person

dropping off hope

contactless,

in the grinning

furry best

friend,

how can we fail

to see your

face?

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

day 231

“’I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I seek to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me.’” John 5:30

surprisingly,

when we let go

of our ego

of our pride

of our ways of doing

anything and everything,

and decide to simply

do the hopes of you,

Tender Heart,

we discover how much

justice can be offered

hope can be shared

love can be welcomed

grace can be poured out

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

day 230

“But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him,”  Acts 7:57

if we moved as quickly

to end injustice,

to feed the hungry,

to listen to the forgotten

as we are to rush

to duct tape their mouths

when they cry out for hope,

maybe

just maybe . . .

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

day 229

“Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless, indeed, you fail to meet the test!” 2 Corinthians 13:5

convinced the final of

Faithfulness 101 will be

multiple choice and we

only need to get 60% correct

to get a passing grade,

you hand out an essay test

to see how much we have

been paying attention, and

know how to put your teachings

to practical use

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

day 228

“Though I walk in the midst of trouble,” Psalm 138:7a

like the frog trying

to cross the road

in the midst of rushing

vehicles, i

cling to your hand

as we walk through

the traffic jam of

stalled hopes,

overheated rhetoric,

broken-down dreams,

and fears bearing down

upon us

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

day 227

“O Lord, open my lips,

   and my mouth will declare

         your praise.” Psalm 51:15

remind us that

speaking up for the

forgotten,

crying out for

justice,

teaching little kids

to read,

whispering lullabies

to older folks

is better than

any praise song

to you

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

day 226

“You show me the path of

         life.” Psalm 16:1a

 we could follow the

trail of grace crumbs

until we arrive at

your front door, where

we are welcomed in

love and hope

or we can continue

to twirl hoops with hate

and pin the tail

on our prejudices

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

day 224

“‘He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled.’” John 3:29

as we set up

the chairs, as

usher the guests,

as we hand out

the little bags of bird seed,

as we reassure him

(once again, for the 100^th time)

that we haven’t misplaced

the wedding ring, may we

continue to rejoice

in the privilege of being

the groom’s friend

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

day 223

“The Lord is gracious and merciful,

    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.”  Psalm 145:8

like a peregrine falcon,

our anger can swoop down

on another in an instant,

but

yours is like a turtle,

slowly plodding along,

occasionally moving its head,

until by the time

it reaches us,

all that is left

is your love

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

day 222

“He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?’”  Mark 4:40 

we tend to treat

fearlessness and faith

like that chicken and egg

question, as to which comes

first,

but for you they

are not

mutually exclusive

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

day 221

“Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common.”  Acts 4:32

strange how,

with all the -isms

folks claim are attached to

or spring from this verse,

faithism

is never one of

them

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman   

day 220

“Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim.  He said to them, ‘Now draw some out and take it to the chief steward.’  So they took it.” John 2:7-8

being half-glass

people, that is what

we offer to folks, using

the smallest cup we can find,

but you fill up barrels

with grace, until it spills

over the brim,

and invite everyone

to drink as much as they

need

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

day 219

“I kept my faith, even when I

         said,

   ‘I am greatly afflicted’;” Psalm 116:10

in these moments of fear,

in these days of uncertainty,

in such times we wander,

may we keep

hold of our faith

more securely than

all our fears,

all our uncertainty,

all our disappointments

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

day 218

“When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi’ (which translated means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’  He said to them, ‘Come and see.’ They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon.” John 1:38-39

at breakfast,

we came and saw

you pouring cereal

for all the neighborhood kids.

at noon,

we came and discovered

you sitting with the day laborers

no one had hired.

at tea, we looked

and you were sharing

a cup with the widows

folks usually ignored.

at midnight,

we saw you bedding down

with the rough sleepers,

as we were heading home

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

day 217

“But Peter said, ‘I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.’” Acts 3:6 

yet,

though we do

have plenty of

silver and gold, we

tell folk to pull themselves

up by their bootstraps,

and walk away, with

our pockets full of

apathy

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

day 216

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” John 1:5

even

in the deepest

shadows,

in the tunnel

no longer used

but by bats,

in the alleys

moldy with fears,

the tiniest dot of

hope

appears and burns

brighter and brighter

until it illuminates

the way

 

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman    

day 215

“The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” 2 Corinthians 9:6

sometimes,

rather than storing the

seeds in the basement

for better days (and they

begin they begin to sprout

and then decay in the damp

shadows),

we should plant hope,

grace, love, peace

in everyone we meet

until they all bloom

into marvelous bouquets

of God’s choosing

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

day 214

“O God, you are my God, I seek you,

    my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
    as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1

we act as if you

are so stingy with

grace and love that

it is like trying to get

water from a rusted

hand pump on dry farmland,

when

you are like the

faucet whose handle

has broken off and

the deep springs

from your hearts

cannot be shut off

really!

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman