January 31st

"The Lord God helps me;
    therefore I have not been disgraced;
therefore I have set my face like flint,
    and I know that I shall not be put to shame;" Isaiah 50:7

when we want to crawl

into a cave and hide from cruelty,

when we run out of words

to call out the hateful,

when we find ourselves 

afraid to engage with the powerful,

when we trust that our privilege

will protect us as others suffer,

when our fear fatigue wears down

that compassion deep within us,

when broken promises become

will-o'-wisps leading us away

from the truth we need to confront,

help us, Steely God,

to set our faith like flint 

to stand side-by-side with you

and our siblings in these times.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 30th

"Teach me to do your will,

   for you are my God.
Let your good spirit lead me
   on a level path." Psalm 143:10

when the new teachers 

would tell us that compassion

is outdated and not to be 

used in any classroom,

continue to stick little pieces

of paper in our pockets reading,

'blessed are the merciful.'

when the principal decides 

that empathy is now to be

considered a four-letter word,

keep adding the song

'won't you be my neighbor?'

to our playlists, so we not

only learn to sing along

but live out the words with

everyone we meet.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 29th

"saying to the prisoners, 'Come out,'
to those who are in darkness, 

'Show yourselves."
They shall feed along the ways,
on all the bare heights
shall be their pasture;" Isaiah 49:9

when the oligarchs

would slam the doors

of fear on us, 

you pick the locks

so we may walk unafraid.

when the chapels of our souls

are shadowed by worries,

you keep lighting as many

candles as we need.
when the powerful would

starve us of love and justice,

you gather us in fields

rippling with hope, handing

out plates piled high 

with grace.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 28th

"But surely, God is my helper;
   the Lord is the upholder of my life." Psalm 54:4

when the voices around me

urge me not to open my mouth,

give me the words (especially

yours) which need to be spoken.

when it would be easier 

to step away and simply sit down,

press your hand against my back

so i can stand up to the bullies.

when i am knocked down 

and afraid to get back up 

may i feel you pulling me 

to my feet, reminding me that 

none of us is alone as we

continue this pilgrimage 

with faith, grace, hope, love,

justice, inclusion, and mercy.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 27th

"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are confusing you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ." Galatians 1:6-7

when the hucksters try 

to trick us into believing that 

welcoming the immigrant

or caring for the vulnerable

or even showing mercy 

are no longer part of faith,

may we simply walk away

from their 3-card monte table.

when the aw-shucksters cozy 

up to us, putting their arms

around us to whisper in our ears

that God really doesn't mean it

about loving our enemies

or speaking truth to the powerful

or sharing from our abundance,

may we simply shake them off

to reach out to embrace the forgotten.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 25th

"even to your old age I am he,
   even when you turn gray I
   will carry you.
I have made, and I will bear,
   I will carry and will save."  Isaiah 46:4

when we were little

towheaded kids, you 

would kiss our booboos,

wipe our tears, hear our secrets

and now, you smile at

the stress highlights we earned

or the heads rubbed smooth

by too much worry.

you would chase after us

in the backyard, as we would

run faster and faster, daring

you to catch us, and now,

you put your hand under

our arms to steady us as

we do the old-person shuffle. 

you would take our balloons

inflating them when we 

couldn't huff and puff anymore

and would gently join in 

to help blow out candles 

on our cake each year,

and when we let out 

that very last breath,

you will gather us in

your loving arms, and 

carry us to rest in your

heart.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

 

January 24th

"And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was."  Mark 4:36

we would like to
clean you up, trim
your beard and
hair, wrap
you in armanied
array, a gold watch
rolled on your wrist,
or
we could get
as gritty with grace,
as dirty from
walking the dusty
roads of poverty,
as disheveled from
wrestling with injustice

as you.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 23rd

 "And he said to them, 'Pay attention to what you hear;'" Mark 4:24a

Holy God,

when we listen more carefully

to those voices which spew bile

than we do to children' songs of joy,

when we turn up our devices

so we can fill our brains with 

as much divisiveness as possible,

when we quickly share the latest rants

of all the immature narcissists

rather than the impassioned pleas

of young people who care more

for creation than they do themselves,

when we devote more time to following

the braying podcasts of anger's hosts

than we do to the older folks telling

of how they developed compassion over

all the decades of their lives,

have mercy on us, we pray,

have mercy.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman 

January 22nd

"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children," Ephesians 5:1

may we imitate your justice

when we seek to bring 

new life to the oppressed.

may we imitate your grace

when we walk the lonely streets 

with teenagers kicked out of their homes.

may we imitate your love 

when we open our arms

to embrace the forgotten.

may we imitate your peace

when we bring the powerful

and the war-torn to share a meal.

may we imitate your compassion

when we join drag queens 

in reading to little kids.

may we imitate your hospitality

when we welcome everyone, everyone

with absolutely no strings attached.

may we imitate your hope

when we build affordable housing.

may we imitate Jesus

when we dare to follow him

into all the uncomfortable places 

to have all those uncomfortable talks

with all those uncomfortable people.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 21st

"O LORD, you brought up my soul from Sheol, 

    restored me to life from among those 

    gone down to the Pit." Psalm 30:3

they can toss us in

the dumpsters of ridicule,

but you climb in to find us

because we are your treasures.

they can craft policies which would

exclude folks simply because 

of who they are, but you come running

to scoop your children up in your arms

and throw a big feast for them.

they can push us over the edge

of that pit dug by their hate and fears

trusting and hoping it is bottomless,

but you are waiting to catch us

and then show us the way out

because you were left there yourself,

and know the well-worn path to life.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

 

January 20th

"My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, 

    and all flesh will bless his holy name forever and ever." Psalm 145:21

may this be the day

we proclaim that compassion 

continues to build neighborhoods.

may this be the day

we speak of the justice which will endure
despite every attempt to demean others
and to despise their dreams.
may this be the day

we sing of that love which will not
be pushed out of the way
by the mongers of hate.
may this be the day

we remind the forgotten that
they will never be alone.
may this be the day

we sing of the grace which God
continues to pour out upon all
whose wells of hope have run dry.

may this be the day.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 19th

"I am about to do a new thing;
   now it springs forth, do
   you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
   and rivers in the desert." Isaiah 43:19

you set down the platter

of sliced hope, with the bowls

piled high with grace, hope, love 

on both sides, with warm just

baked bread wrapped in peace.

but no matter how loud 

you ring the dinner bell,

we prefer to sit in that desert

we crafted from our despair,

nibbling on our bitter hearts

convinced it is fine cuisine.

we could watch the videos

we have downloaded to our devices

of our disappointments and

dreams turned to ashes, or

we could get up and help

you mend the moral arc of justice

which has been damaged 

by hate, fears, and fairy tales

about a fabricated future.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 18th

"But now thus says the LORD,

    he who created you, O Jacob,
   he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
   I have called you by name, you are mine." Isaiah 43:1

if it takes my heart,

i will break it for you.

if it means leaving glory,

i will come to you.

if it means letting go of anger,

i will gladly open my hands

to let it slip away.

if it means giving you 

as much love, grace, hope

as you might need,

i have plenty to spare.

stop being afraid,

you are no longer alone,

i will never forget you.

never.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 17th

"I am the LORD, I have called
   you in righteousness,
I have taken you by the
   hand and kept you;
I have given you as a
   covenant to the people,
a light to the nations,"  Isaiah 42:6

when i think i am

destined to be an influencer,

call me to be insignificant.

when i focus too much

on how many likes i accumulate,

call me to walk with the lonely.

when i want a desk 

in the big corner office,

call me to be the night manager

at the homeless shelter.

when i want to fill my walls

with plaques, diplomas, awards,

and photos with the richly famous,

call me to be as forgotten as those

i rush past on my ill-chosen

path to imagined glory and success.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 16th

"So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called 'the uncircumcision' by those who are called 'the circumcision' —a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands— remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world." Ephesians 2:11-12

we probably have forgotten
but there was that moment

when we found ourselves lost

and someone came to find us,

when we sat alone at a table

and a stranger came over 

to share a quiet talk with us,

when we felt like orphans

and a family took us in as

if we were long lost kin,

when we were hungry 

and a child walked over

to share from their lunch,

when we were treated 

as pariahs by the privileged

and the vulnerable came over

and wrapped arms around us.

so then, let us dip deep 

into the wells of our memories

and share such grace with

the outsiders all around us.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 15th

"For I, the LORD your God,
   hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you, 'Do
   not fear,
I will help you.'” Isaiah 41:13

when anger comes bursting

out of nowhere like a wildfire

wanting to turn us to ashes,

you don the turnout gear

to pump living waters to put it out.

when those who claim to love us

suddenly turn a shoulder which

is colder than an arctic blast our way,

you quickly knit a shawl

to wrap around our hearts.

whenever the world get in

our faces threatening to knock

us flat on our back,

you gently caress our souls,

whispering,

'take no notice,

i am with you.’

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 14th

"and he cried out, 'What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.'” Mark 1:24

we are so enthralled

with the powerful who 

forget us the moment

they move on down the line,

we never notice it is

the vulnerable who know you

as the mother hen 

who gathers her chicks 

to protect them.

we are so busy tik-tokking

with all the influencers,

we never realize the forgotten

see you as the one 

who calls them your Beloved.

we are so eager to be like

those with perfect hair, teeth,

looks, bodies, lives,

we never understand why

the broken see you as that

balm which can make them whole

because it is made out of 

the tears of your shattered heart.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 13th

"He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will." Ephesians 1:5

because we are your children,
sometimes you are like

a single parent working

two or three jobs to ensure

we are fed, clothed, sheltered, loved.

sometimes you are 

a same-sex couple who 

adopts special needs kids

because they know that 

love can defeat the cruelty

of the world.

sometimes you are 

a foster parent who takes in

a teenager feeling they have

run out of chances, while you

have more than they will ever need.

sometimes you are 

grandparents who set aside

all their retirement plans

to begin a journey they never

expected to take again.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

Baptism of the Lord

“You make springs gush forth in the valleys;

they flow between the hills,” Psalm 104:10

we have more then

enough grace to fill

every Olympic sized

swimming pool, yet feel

we must share it with

just a drip here, a drop there.

we have more then enough justice 

to correct every wrong in the world

and to bring everyone into

your beloved community, yet

we tighten the faucet so that

it just dribbles out to a select few.

we have more then enough 

love so we could make hate 

extinct,

but we are content with 

offering just a drop here

or a drip there.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo:@Thom-Shuman

January 11th

"I am coming soon; hold fast to what you have," Revelation 3:11a

when we are so determined
to never let go of all those 

grudges we have accumulated,

whisper to us of the grace

you slipped into our souls

when we were not watching.

when we close our fists 

around the worries we have

about the future, as if we were

to release them they would

fly back into our faces,

remind us of that future 

full of hope you hand to us

as our inheritance.

when we push others out 

of the way so we can grab

the last bit of cruelty before

the shelves are emptied,

show us the supply chain 

from your heart which, even

now, is dropping compassion

off at our doors, enough to

share with everyone we meet.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 10th

“I held out my hands all day long
    to a rebellious people,
who walk in a way that is not good, 

   following their own devices.” Isaiah 65:2

holding tight to the wheel

as we drive through that

dodgy neighborhood, we

give ourselves the perfect excuse

not to hold out help to others.

knowing more than you

could ever imagine, we

keep swatting your hands

away as we run through

the fields of foolishness,

until we reach the edge

of the cliff of nothingness,

where we find your grace

reaching out to us, so we

can grab hold and find 

our way back to you.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 9th

"The Lord is my light and my salvation;
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
    of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalm 27:1

you came down, Timeless God,

so we would not be afraid 

of any grudges we imagine 

you carry in your heart,

but so grace might hold

our hands as we walk 

through our lives.

you came down to walk 

the dusty roads of our doubts,

foot-sore Jesus,

so we would not fear

all those worries of our souls,

but follow that trail 

of hope crumbs 

you left just for us.

you came down to gentle 

our hearts, Spirit of peace,

so we would not be afraid

of the broken, but care enough

to wrap them in healing love,

to listen more to the vulnerable

than we do to the vultures of cruelty.

 

© 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 8th

"The LORD saw it, and it displeased him 

    that there was no justice.
He saw that there was no one,
   and was appalled that there was no one to intervene;" Isaiah 59:15b-16

and since the celebrities

were too busy with the

swag bags they didn't need,

you turned to the forgotten

to speak up for those who

sleep in the streets and scrounge

dumpsters for an evening meal.

and since the powerful 

were too comfortable in their

perfectly climate controlled 

homes to pay any attention,

you asked the young people

to confront the politicians who

continue to pooh-pooh the notion

that global warming is real.

and since we seem to talk more

about being appalled at injustice

than actually doing something,

you continue to search for 

that remnant, however small,

willing to risk everything

for those who have nothing.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 7th

"who turns the rock into a
   pool of water,
the flint into a spring of
   water." Psalm 114:8

funny.

we are being told

we need to make our

souls as solid as rocks

to be used to build wall

between us and others

and to harden our hearts

so that, like flint, they 

might spark fires which

would destroy all compassion.

but you would crush rocky

souls to become gravel

walkways for refugees to

follow to hope,

you would take our flinty

hearts and turn them into

baptismal fonts of grace

for all forgotten by the world.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

 

January 6th

“In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,” Matthew 2:1

what if
they weren't wise

but just typical guys

who were too stubborn

to ask directions.

what if

they weren't from the East

but others who came to be

registered and heard rumors

about an unusual family.

what if

the gold was costume jewelry

the frankincense a smelly puppy

the myrrh an ointment for diaper rash.

what if

we felt we had to prettify

this story about a makeshift crib,

a soon-to-be-refugee family,

and a baby whose resemblance

to any sort of messiah raised eyebrows.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 5th

 “And what more should I say?” Hebrews 11:32a

i could take you on a pilgrimage

following the drinking gourd

down that invisible railroad

ending in freedom.

i could take you to

that museum which holds

the bus Rosa made her refusal.

i could walk with you in Birmingham

past the statues of God's innocents

being set on by hates hounds

and hosed with the waters of anger.

you could ride the ferry

to stand in that cell where

Nelson lived dreaming of freedom,

or we could stand on the steps

where thousands stood one

August day as Lincoln gazed down

with gratitude in his eyes.

i could show the tiny town

where a peanut farmer learned

from his family, neighbors, and faith

to become a servant leader to the world.

and then, gathered or scattering,

we can go to try to live

such lives of grace, of hope,

of justice, of humility,

just as they have done.

© 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 4th

"I am writing to you . . . because . . ." 1 John 2:12

the word of hope

tweeted in the wee hours
to a lonely teen;

the email dashed off
to the across-the-ocean
friends just diagnosed
with cancer;

the heart emojied
to the one loved
in silence;

the lifetime shared
with children
in a classroom . . .

you don’t always
write in cursive.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 3rd

"And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it." Genesis 28:12

sometimes, faith is 

that two-step ladder which

makes it easy to reach 

the cookie jar.

sometimes, faith is 

that ladder which reaches 

the roof so we can clean out

the gutters of our lives of

all the debris which fills us.

sometimes, faith is that

scaffolding wrapped around us

so you can do a total renovation.

but best of all, faith is that

ladder which lets us climb to

the top bunk, while you sleep

on the bottom, there to catch us

if we should ever roll off.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 2nd

"So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother’s son Lot, and all the possessions that they had gathered, and the persons whom they had acquired in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan." Genesis 12:4-5

went.

there's that small, meaningless word,

but perhaps the most important.

he went, she went, they went.

packed up their belongings 

in an RV, maybe towing a trailer,

and headed out to a place 

that could have easily been labeled

'here be dragons.'

but they went.

and all they had

was a challenge from a strange

(to put it mildly) God,

nothing in writing, just some 

odd words about being blessings,

as well as some vague directions

consisting of the word 'go.'

but they went.

and truth be told

if this strange God 

gave us the same challenge,

our response would probably be

to tell God to get lost.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 1st

On the lips of children and of babes
you have found praise . . . Psalm 8:2a (The Grail)

in the soft breathing

of the newborn placed

in its mother's arms, 

we hear the Spirit 

moving on the first

morning of creation.

in the excited jabber

of the toddler whose eyes

grow bigger every time

a firefly floats across 

the night sky, 

we hear the Word

calling all life into being.

in the young ones

who begin to make up

their own stories, as we

carry the closed book 

out of the room at night,

we hear the Imagination

of the universes saying simply,

'that's so good!'

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman