March 4th

"As a deer longs for flowing streams, 

   so my soul longs for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
   for the living God."  Psalm 42:1-2

i am so hungry,

Gentle God,

starving for a taste,

even if only a crumb,

of your grace 

in these graceless moments.

i am so parched,

Living Water,

my lips are cracked

and my throat is as dry

as the grass on a blazing

summer's day, because 

no one, no one seems 

willing to share from 

those deep wells of love

you have poured into each of us.

i search,

wandering God,

i search high and low

far and wide

for just a glimpse 

of hearts which overflow

with compassion and hope

in these days when it seems

being heartless has become

the newest social media challenge.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

March 3rd

“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” Deuteronomy 6:5

i can do a cannon ball
into the deep end
of that pool filled with my foolishness.
without any hesitation
at all on my part, i
will give into every lust
which shows up on
the front porch of my heart.
when fears surround me
and begin to lay siege
to my soul, i will wave
that proverbial white flag.
and heaven help anyone
who gets in my way
climbing the ladder
to power and fame.

but you?
well, i am afraid
all you get, God,
are the leftovers
of me.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

March 2nd

"Then from the cloud came a voice that said, 'This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!'" Luke 9:35

you call us to listen,

not to scare us 

out of our wits, but

so we might discover

the lost art of listening

and in the listening,

we open ourselves

our hearts, our souls

to another's words,

another's heart, another's soul,

offer them a home,

a safe haven, a hope,

a place where they 

can lodge their life.

not just their words,

their hearts, their souls,

but their very silence,

that deepest, most holy

ground in any of your children.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

March 1st

"But just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scripture - “I believed, and so I spoke” - we also believe, and so we speak," 2 Corinthians 4:13

most days

believing is more 

than enough.

in troubling days,

it is not enough

just to believe, we must

speak and pray and tell

that good news of goodness

and love and grace.

but on extraordinary days,

days of worry and fear,

when disbelief stabs our hearts,

we must move beyond 

simple telling and simpler belief

to be

to be the truth that 

will not let lies spread,

to be the courage that

goes toe to toe with bullies,

to be the justice 

which is ripped from 

the souls of our siblings,

to be the love that 

will not let hate conquer

humanity

much less us.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman