September 30th

 "From there I will give her her vineyards, and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.  There she shall respond as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt."  Hosea 2:15

however long it takes,
may the hollows of East Tennessee
once more ring with Dolly's songs of grace,
may families hike up Greybeard Trail
while others stand atop Chimney Rock
gazing over Hickory Nut Gorge,
may the beaches of St. Petersburg
and the wonders of Florida's Big Bend
attract folks from all over the world,
may the hallowed grounds of Augusta
echo the whispered prayers of golfers
and churches which became shelters
for neighbors and strangers ring bells
of rebuilt communities and new life
as the debris and devastation of Helene
are crafted into valleys of hope.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

September 29th

"'The kingdom of heaven is like . . .'" Matthew 13:44a

where out of state crews
drive hours to be in place
to restore power in storms,

when a friend brings a generator

to someone's house so they

can keep medical equipment running,

as folks go door to door

making sure everyone in 

the community is safe and 

accounted for,

in the folks who bring food

which will spoil soon to churches

so meals can be prepared and

served to folks who lost everything,

there

in those moments,

those people,

those places,

the Beloved Community

has taken root.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

September 27th

"By the rivers of Babylon— there we sat down and there we wept when we remembered Zion." Psalm 137:1

as we slowly wring our hands,
we watch the unlucky weather person

tasked with standing in harm's way

of the winds and rain lashing homes

we had driven past every day before

we were told to get out fast.

holding our breath, trying not

to let the smoke choke our lungs

or blur our vision as we cling to

only what we can carry in our arms

(including our beloved fur babies)

as the rescuers urge us onto the

vehicles which will carry us to life.

and the tears run down our faces

as our memories are turned to ashes

or carried out to a burial at sea.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

September 26th

"So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed." Acts 19:20

the unheard take in deep breaths

to shout your hopes for justice

so that even the most uncaring

of the privileged will hear it in

their soundproofed panic rooms,

while the whispered dreams

of little children staring into

the shadows of their bedrooms

fall like gentle rain so that

the wise ones among us will listen

and understand that our task

is to do everything we can

to make them come true.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

September 25th

"He entered the synagogue and for three months spoke out boldly, and argued persuasively about the kingdom of God." Acts 19:8

we go to multiple seminars,
read far too many books,

organize committees and then

sit on even more committees,

all trying to come up with just

the right way to sell the kingdom

to a consumer-driven culture, 

and so we neve discover it

smack dab in our midst

in the older folks whose memories

are like mustard seeds which

grow into marvelous shrubs

filled with life and hope,

as well as in the immigrants

planting their own dreams

which they long to bring forth

a bumper crop of life for

all the future generations.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

 

September 24th

"I call upon you, O Lord; come quickly to me;
   give ear to my voice when I call to you." Psalm 141:1

we sit by the window

with the lamp illuminating

the page we keep reading

and re-reading because 

we keep glancing down the road,

wondering if, like the prodigal,

we might see you coming,

so we can rush out to throw

our arms around you and 

begin to tell you all that has

been happening to us, all

the worries which weigh us down,

all the fears which stalk us,

every word we dare not utter

to anyone else but you.

and all the while, you sit

in the shadowed corner,

a cup of tea warming your hands,

wondering if we will ever notice

that you are not the one 

in this strange relationship

who has drifted away.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

September 23rd

"And the crowds asked him, 'What then should we do?'" Luke 3:10

in the midst of the crowd at the rally,
inspired by the impassioned rhetoric
of the speakers, we loudly proclaim
our commitment to speaking the truth, 

but we go home, and there is the person

we have known for decades as not

just a neighbor, but also a friend, and

they are posting a sign in their yard

with a message which breaks our heart.

and now,

what shall we do?

remain silent, not wanting to hurt

this relationship, this person, this

soul we have always known to be

as good and gentle as our very own?

simply post our own sign, hoping

that might serve as a statement

of honest differences of opinion?

or shall we take that hesitant 

first step, our hand open wide

in peace and trust, hoping that

relationships are stronger than rhetoric,

that common bonds are uncommonly strong,

that truth can be found in hearts

which care more for others 

then slogans on signs in two yards?

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman 

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

September 22nd

“Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.” James 1:22

words, words, words,

they're so sick of words.

we sing of grace, but amaze

others by our ungraciousness.

we claim to seek justice, but

too often only for the streets

where the privileged live.

we treat hope, compassion,

kindness, inclusion, and love

as illustrations for Sunday morning.

no wonder the broken and forgotten,

the lonely and the lost, 

the silenced and the stragglers

are so sick of our

words, words, words.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

September 7th

"'Oh, that I knew where I might find him,
   that I might come even to his dwelling!'" Job 23:2

we put on our masks and
play dress up with garments 

woven from our fears and worries,

going from house to house 

hoping to find the one where

grace and hope will be offered,

not platitudes filled with sugary promises.

we linger outside on summer evenings

when everyone else is heading in

for an evening of being seduced 

by the mindless pap on all devices,

continuing to gently call out,

'ollie, ollie, oxen free' in hopes

you will rustle the bushes or

giggle from behind your hiding place

so we can join you, enveloped by

your loving arms, as you sing 

gentle lullabies until we fall asleep

and you carry us to our beds,

where we will sleep all night in peace,

while you sit in the corner, the light

turned down low, keeping watch

as you always do, even when 

we think you are looking the other way.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

September 6th

"Then Job answered: 'How long will you torment me, and break me in pieces with words?'" Job 19:1-2

they were wrong to teach us
that childhood mantra,
for in truth, words do hurt us.

the peers watching us while

giggling behind their hands, might

as well be shouting 'loser!'

the friend who suddenly shares

all those secret fears and doubts

with folks i barely know, breaks

my heart into a million pieces like

Humpty falling off that wall.

and the family member who 

cannot seem to be able to keep

from bringing up that epic fail

every time we gather for holidays

keeps ripping the scab 

off my soul, just when i think

it is finally starting to heal.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman 

September 5th

"'where then is my hope?

    Who will see my hope?'" Job 17:15

if you notice the single parent
at the sports event of their child
who, when it ends, kisses them
and then heads out to a second job
so they can keep living in their home.
if you catch the teenager who goes
through the neighborhood, stopping
at the homes of the oldest residents
to mow their yards, walk their dogs,
set out their garbage cans for the morning.
if you drive past the empty parking lot
where a community's grocery store
used to be before corporate closed it, 

and wonder about the knot of folks
gathered to offer meals to any one

who just happens to show up,

well,

now you know from where 

my hope

comes.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

September 4th

"'my transgression would be sealed up in a bag, and you would cover over my iniquity.'" Job 14:17

every day, you come by,
tapping on the door, and
as you holler, 'housekeeping,'
you step into our lives, 

stripping the beds of the sheets

damp with those tears of grief

over our lives not turning out

the way we thought,

dumping the ash trays

where we snubbed out 

the embers of our faded hopes,

using the broom to sweep up

all the broken promises which

we let fall from our lips and

shatter on the floors of another's soul,

stacking the washer with the glasses

and plates of another meal of misery

warmed up in the microwave, and

as you carry the bag out to the curb,

you turn to whisper, 'i'll keep coming

back to help, even if you hang the

do not disturb sign on your heart.'

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

September 3rd

"God is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day." Psalm 7:11

it is not just at night any more, 

that you wake up calling for

Jesus to bring you a glass

of cold milk or for the Spirit

to bring you some antacid tablets.

the heartburn you experience

while you watch our hearts grow

colder towards those who are

ignored by the powerful (which 

are most of us, in truth) and who

are forgotten by the privileged

(again, us when we look in mirrors)

churns your stomach into a 

cauldron of aggrieved acid which

sticks with you every day.

so,

may we be the healing YOU need

by becoming more compassionate

more caring, more gracious, and

more just, so the ulcers we cause

will finally go away.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

September 2nd

"For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
   nor the hope of the poor perish forever." Psalm 9:18

we gaze at the night sky
and think of your skills

as an incredible astrophysicist.

we watch tiny little ants

carry loads far outweighing them

and marvel at your biological acumen.

we take note of the rich variety

of plants, of minerals, of birds,

of animals, of humans all around

and are stunned by your imagination.

but

when we listen to the songs

of Hannah and Mary about

your overturning our orderly ways

and rearranging pecking orders,

when we pay close attention

to the people Jesus chooses

to hang out with all of his life,

we can't help but conclude 

that you see your sole vocation

as being that of caring for the

forgotten.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

September 1st

"If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and do not let wickedness reside in your tents." Job 11:14

when we want to reach
out and hold tight to the hand

of temptation as if we 

were teenagers on our first date,

slowly loosen our fingers, 

helping us to flex them so

we can stroke the fur of a

frightened dog who shakes

every time the thunder rolls.

when we think the best route

is to turn our souls into 

airbnbs for the knuckleheads

of cruelty to rent out for 

as long as they need, gently

whisper in our ears that we

might want to turn them 

into shelters for the grace,

the hope, the justice which

has been kicked to the side

of the road by the privileged.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman