September 4th

“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the last he will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then in my flesh I shall see God,” Job 19:25-26

oh, how we hope
you are right, Job.
there are days when
we whisper it to ourselves,
and middle-of-the-nights
when the words catch
in our throats like a stone.
for grief manages to empty
the rooms inside our souls—
the laughter of others
echoing in places they
no longer inhabit.
still—
we hunger for hope,
not because we accept
why they are absent,
not because death finally
manages to make sense,
but because,
hidden away under
all the heartbreak,
the memories threatening
to slip from our minds,
the questions we tire of asking
and the platitudes the world offers,
especially the soul-eating silence—
we hear a faint heartbeat
that death cannot muffle.
and so, God of every broken heart,
meet us,
not after the tears stop,
not when we find the words,
not when the pictures begin to fade,
but here—
in the breaking of all
that we thought would never end,
until, somewhere, sometime,
somehow, we see Life
standing beside us,
making us whole once again.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo:@Thom-Shuman

September 3rd

"where then is my hope?
   Who will see my hope?" Job 17:15

it is there, folks.
in the classmates
who sit with the ones
everyone else mocks,
in that silly dog
who thinks every stranger
needs a sloppy kiss,
in the grandfather
explaining to the one
who will inherit his tools
how to best use them,

in every person who plants

seeds of grace, kindness,

justice, and peace in 

that garbage dump called

social media,
in the teacher who refuses
to believe that the new child
in her class deserves
the passed-on label ‘difficult’—
hope is there, folks,
every place
every day
every moment
every chance
every person

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo:@Thom-Shuman

September 2nd

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

that person over there
looks like you would need
a bag from a vacuum
for all their foolish mistakes.
and the one next door
probably requires one of those
33-gallon heavy duty trash bags.
while ours, of course, would only
take the smallest zipper bag.
but lest we forget,
God doesn’t seem interested
in hiding our sins
where we can pretend
they never happened.
yet, the good news is that
our grudges, those words
we wish we had never said,
those small betrayals which
seemed to expand overnight
are gathered up, all of it,
all of us, gathered, held,
in God’s hands—
and, somehow,
they are not held
against us
forever.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo:@Thom-Shuman

September 1st

“Will you speak falsely for God, and speak deceitfully for him?” Job 13:7

where is the Job
for these times, when we
invoke God as if
hatred were holy,
cruelty were courage
fear was the new faith?
where is the voice
we need to hear
in these days,
as people try to wrap violence
in the garments of grace
and claim that our enemies
are the ones God despises as well?
perhaps faith, the faith we need
takes place when we close our mouths
long enough to let God speak
in the cry of the vulnerable,
the outsider in the community,
the frightened children—
and if we dare to listen,
we might realize that if
our faith needs hatred
to prove we are holy,
it may not be God
we keep defending.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo:@Thom-Shuman

August 31st

“I am a laughingstock to my friends; I, who called upon God and he answered me, a just and blameless man, I am a laughingstock.” Job 12:4

ah, Job, you knew
what it was like to speak truth
and hear laughter instead of listening.
we know it as well these days—
empathy being mocked as weakness,
kindness seen as naïve,
when cries for justice are dismissed
even before they are heard.
Still, Job, you remind us
that being ridiculed
does not diminish truth.
so may we not be too eager
to offer the easy laugh,
to make quick judgments,
to dismiss others from
the comfort of our certainty—
but let us listen,
especially to those whose pain
makes us squirm.
for it just might be
that the voice we laugh away
is the one God is using
to snap us out of our
self-perceived blamelessness.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo:@Thom-Shuman

August 30th

“You will lie down, and no one will make you afraid; many will entreat your favor.” Job 11:19

told whom to fear,
what to be afraid of,
who is coming after us,
who we must blame,
has become our new currency—
shared from screen to screen,
screed to screed,
street to street.
but if we dare to dig beneath
the bitterness and sound bites,
the outrage and never-ending quarrels,
we might just hear that ancient promise—
‘you will lie down
and no one can make you afraid.’
not because the world has shouted
‘olly, olly, oxen free,’
or that justice no longer matters,
but that we don’t give fear power
over how we choose to live.
this morning, every morning
this day, every day,
this night, every night
ay fear not have the last word,
as we live in courage,
we give away compassion,
we share in the quiet conviction
that we belong to one another—
and that God’s grace
is still wider than our fear.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo:@Thom-Shuman

August 29th

 "'Why did you bring me forth from the womb? Would that I had died before any eye had seen me,'" Job 10:18

if you think i am good at complaining,

it's because i learned from the best.

those ancestors whose photos have

faded over the years until they look

like the dirt of Sinai they carried on

their sandals and clothes for decades.

it's from listening to the stories 

that the disciples forgot to redact

from the good news books 

they were so quick to self-publish,

with those clueless comments 

when they couldn't understand 

those simple, everyday stories you told,

or those knuckleheaded challenges

they threw in your face when you

let slip that your journey was going

to end with you crossing over into

a different sort of promised land.

so,

when i whine (and i will)

when i grumble (too many times)

when i murmur under my breath

thinking you can't read my lips,

be as patient, as forgiving,

as willing to stick with me 

like you were with all those 

whose words i am just repeating

(even though i think they are brand new).

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 28th

 "'If he would take his rod away from me, and not let dread of him terrify me, then I would speak without fear of him, for I know I am not what I am thought to be.'" Job 9:34-35

it was not out of faith
i began to follow you

but out of pure fear, of

all those terrible things 

dumped on me by folks

who crafted you out of the 

monsters of their own ids

and the preachers who were

simply echoing what they heard

sitting on those same hard pews

which became warmer with every word.

they still show up in the moments

when i wake up to stare into 

the shadowed future i cannot see,

those ghosts of worship past,

walking, watching, whispering.

but then,

i glance over and notice 

that rod which a young carpenter 

repurposed into a yoke

so we could journey together, 

i see you sitting in the corner,

draped in the warm shawl of grace

knitted by your gentle Spirit, just

waiting for me to listen to your

deepest hopes for me.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 27th

“He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, and your lips with shouts of joy. Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, and the tent of the wicked will be no more." Job 8:21-22

sorrow takes up far
too much room and delight
is like the stranger at our door,
so perhaps it is time
to go back to school
and relearn how to speak joy
once again for, as Job reminds us,
God remembers our laughter
and will let it slip back into our lives—
quiet as a friend’s surprising kindness,
gentle as sunlight tiptoeing
along the kitchen floor,
graceful as the song
which reminds us of
a treasured memory,
the soft moment when
when remember we are still here.
which might be all we need--
leaving the space
for laughter to slip in ,
learning to trust the God
who cradles our tears
longs to put a smile
back on our faces.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo:@Thom-Shuman

August 26th

“If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of humanity? Why have you made me your target? Why have I become a burden to you?” Job 7:20

blessed be Job who,
whether foolishly or courageously,
dares to ask God that question
we are too afraid to speak:
‘do we burden you, Holy One?’
and perhaps, in that moment,
grace begins—
not in the pause which just sits there,
but in the realization that
God is not afraid of the question.
for grace does not tell us
to stop asking questions,
it whispers of burdens shared,
reminding us that even when
we think God is not there,
when our prayers feel like
rocks skipped across ponds
until they sink,
God’s heart always turns
toward us, for God loves us
when we are shattered,
when we are filled with rage,
when all we can do is ask why—
which may be all we need
in such moments, to trust
God has not let go of us.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 25th

"When many of his disciples heard it, they said, 'This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?'" John 6:60

on a scale of 1 to 10
with 10 being how much
we can love our selves,
loving you is (we hope) 7.5,
loving our neighbors 5.6
(on really good days), but
loving our enemies . . .
does a negative number count?
and while we might manage
a $10 weekly pledge on a
pretty regular basis, and if
we make it big in life, we
can probably stretch to a tithe,
are you serious or just delirious
about giving away everything?
but then, as we grow older,
if we pay attention to all the
broken promises, the hollow words
of everyone around us, maybe
we can finally grasp the truth
that your words, your uncomfortable
and challenging and (yes) dangerous
words
are those which give us the life we
need.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 24th

"O Lord, all my longing is known to you;
   my sighing is not hidden from you." Psalm 38:9

convinced they know me
so well, they easily accept
those answers of how fine
i am doing, or that life is
simply going along swimmingly.
but i have become so adept
at keeping secret what is
lodged in my heart, i am
so cautious in letting anyone
get near my soul, for fear
they would hear the rattling
of the skeletons which are
not bones and the whispers
of ghosts which abide in me.
yet,
like an oyster farmer who knows
that there is a pearl of grace
deep within my crusty shell,
like a teacher who realizes
that the smiling child who never
says anything in class has
stories which will melt one's heart,
you calmly, patiently, persistently
wait, until we are ready to open up.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 23rd

"If one ventures a word with you, will you be offended? But who can keep from speaking?” Job 4:2

that old question from a dusty book
seems strangely modern, doesn’t it?
for in this moment when
almost any word can hurt,
any disagreement becomes
a declaration of war,
and uncomfortable truths
are just offenses waiting to happen,
we tend to hesitate.
but perhaps we just need to
speak – but gently as we can,
listen – as deeply as we can,
and when someone
(especially a friend) 

says something
we don’t want to hear,
leave some room for grace.
because usually,
the most loving thing
we dare offer to another
is not total agreement,
but the courage
to speak the truth
and the humility to hear
without getting all bent
out of shape.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 22nd

“For my sighing comes like my bread, and my groanings are poured out like water.” Job 3:24

grief can have a way
of becoming our daily bread—
sighs we cannot put down,
memories we cannot pretend away,
words we begin to speak aloud
into that all too familiar silence.
the glimpse of that chair
gently holding absence,
those towels still hanging
on the rack in their bathroom,
the reading glasses on that
unfinished book on the nightstand—
and tears groan from our eyes.
perhaps
when we think we need
to keep putting up a brave front
or force a smile as we
mover through the days,
we can simply bring our grief
into the heart of God,
where even the most silent
of sighs become prayers
God understands
all too well.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 21st

“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

we don’t always need
the solution to every problem,
or to come up with the
perfect answer,
do the right thing, or
even try to fill pauses
with words which only
amplify the silence.
sometimes
when a friend is going
through a patch so rough
it defies explanations,
or too deep to fill
with multitudes of platitudes,
or even too holy
for us to dare touch,
in that space, maybe
all we can do is
sit in the dust with them,
letting our presence whisper—
‘you are not alone.’
no making everything better,
no rushing to the next step,
no advice we read somewhere.
simply
being there
until the silence
is not so lonely.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 20th

“Transgression speaks to the wicked
    deep in their hearts;
there is no fear of God
    before their eyes.” Psalm 36:1

we like to believe
that these words do not
speak about us at all
but
when
we close our eyes
and see the demons
prancing in our minds,
when
we look into our souls
withered by memes and posts,
when 

we dare to walk down 

into the basement
of our hearts where we keep
evil locked in storage,
when
we let those words of anger
swirl in our mouths
like the finest of whines,
when 

we take a forkful
of bitterness which tastes
so good we want
others to try a bite,
when

we revel in the cruelty
we could so easily toss
another’s way—
we know,
oh yes, we know
that truth which seems
ancient is still
fresh as this moment.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 19th

 

“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

the aide who
tenderly cares for
the medically
fragile student;

the taxi drivers
who work extra
shifts,
their tips going
to a co-worker's
cancer fund;

the young people
who spend their
gap year
with the families
living in poverty

rather than following

a singer around the world,

your face shines
through so many
people!

© Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 18th

“And Saul approved of their killing him.” Acts 8:1

let us be clear—
our hands are clean
for we have not picked
up any weapon and actually
caused the death of another.
but in our apathetic complicity
in the face of senseless wars
in which lives are lost
without any apparent remorse,
in our silence
when transgender kids
are mocked and bullied,
in giving up
reaching out to
elected officials because
they never respond,
in simply getting angry
at all the posts/memes/reels
showing all the cruelty,
hate, isms in the world
rather than challenging
the systemic causes—
in truth,
we approve slowly 

killing our souls.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 17th

"Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord;
   give praise, O servants of the Lord,
you that stand in the house of the Lord,
   in the courts of the house of our God." Psalm 135:1-2

you nervous parents as
leg jiggling kids get on the bus,
you teachers lining the walks
to cheer them a welcome,
join hands in a circle of joy.
you lifelong farmers and
weekend gardeners, you
lawn care workers and
farmers markets shoppers,
dance jigs in the rain after
weeks of drought conditions.
you who sit by the beds of
strangers in hospital rooms
who don't know who you
are but are in your care,
you first responders and
street pastors who rush
to gather up the fallen,
the forgotten, the damaged,
and the delusional,
sing soft dirges of hope
in the small hours of night.
everyone, everywhere,
wherever God is and
however God is found,
sing from your hearts!

© Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 16th

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

we think we
need to show how
rigid we can be,
but the final
answer is compassion;
we memorize the
formula which conclusively
proves the errors of everybody,
but forgiveness is
like pi—
it goes on and on,
beyond what we can measure;
we can write a
lengthy essay on judgment,
but the only word
on the spelling test?
love.

perhaps it is not about
whether we know
all the right answers,
but whether Christ
is alive in us.
so look within.
test your heart.
check the margins
for mercy,
the footnotes
for grace,
the places where
compassion has been
written into the ordinary.
and if you discover
you haven't passed—

remember:
the teacher
is still sitting
beside you,
patiently
writing
love
at the top
of the page.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 15th

“When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’" John 5:6

we wait, don’t we,
beside those still waters
that never seem to move—
the hatred which has
no foundation in reality,
the cruelty we so easily excuse,
the polarization we put on
each day as if battle armor,
those mean-spirited words
we hurl into the world
under the guise of truth-telling.
we wait, don’t we—
because healing frightens us
far more than those grievances
which are part of our personality.
we wait, don’t we—
because answering the
simple question means
taking up our mat,
walking away from all
those places we hurt others.
well?
do we really want to?
Jesus is still waiting
for our answer.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 14th

“O Lord, open my lips,
   and my mouth will declare your praise.” Psalm 51:15

when we declaim
against the poverty
inflicted upon children,
when we refuse to let hunger
become an ordinary thing,
when we name the injustice
that steals tomorrow
from the youngest among us—
we praise you.

when we sing
songs of protest
against violence and death,
when our voices rise
above the noise of hatred,
when we dare to say
that every life is precious
and every person belongs—
we praise you.

when we cry out
that we will stand
beside the oppressed,
walk with the forgotten,
listen to those
whose voices have been silenced—
we praise you.

for praise is not only
what we whisper in worship,
it is what we do
when you open our lips
and we use our voices
to speak your love
into a world
still waiting to hear it.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 13th

“You show me the path of life.
   In your presence there is fullness of joy;
   in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11

we might not find it
on our device or in the voice
we choose for our GPS—
it may be just beneath our feet:
those ordinary places love shows up.
we find it around tables, where
people scooch together to make
room for new folks.
we discover it on sidewalks,
in the chalk drawings by kids
and chats with lonely neighbors.
we hear it in the tough conversations
as truth speaks with gentleness.
we walk it wherever
mercy interrupts safe lives,
hope digs in its heels,
newcomers throw block parties,
and God is walking right beside us
especially when we don’t notice.
for the path we are looking for
becomes plain every time
we choose life for the other.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 12th

“But he had to go through Samaria.” John 4:4

there are
those streets with suspect names,
the wrong side of the tracks
even where there are no trains,
the neighborhoods full of the wrong kind.
then there are
those borders set by fear,
the lines in prejudice’s sands,
the old wounds we rename wisdom—
all those places we know
not to go through.
but too often,
grace refuses to take the safe way,
love persists in walking with
the people we step to the
other side to avoid.
so today, may we dare to step
into the Samarias we dread,
and, if we are lucky,
find that watering hole
where Jesus has been waiting
to meet us all along.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 11th

"Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
    my help and my God." Psalm 42:11

soul weary—
worn out from truth
bartered for applause,
neighbors turning mean spirited,
fear masquerading as wisdom.
soul weary—
from every screen flashing crisis,
every notification full of outrage,
too many reasons to think
love has turned its back on us.
but listen, weary soul—
don’t surrender your heart
to despair’s coaches,
but hope in God.
not cheap hope which
would close our eyes to suffering
but dangerous hope which
dares us to open them wide.
hope in God—
whose mercy fills the streets
whose courage blooms in
everyday people,
whose voice calls us
to build bridges.
soul weary, yes—
but though the world
is wounded,
yet we will hope
because God is not done
with us yet.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 10th

"For there is no truth in their mouths;
   their hearts are destruction;
their throats are open graves;
   they flatter with their tongues." Psalm 5:9

they leave little tidbits,
tiny morsels which sound
so enticing, so enchanting
that we keep picking them up
nibbling on them as we follow
the trail of words which flow
from their hate-hardened hearts
thinking that at some point
they will begin to speak those
promises, that truth, that hope
for which we are searching,
until we come to the end
at the edge of the abyss
of yawning nothingness as
they whisper that the treasure
is waiting for us at the very bottom
where X marks the spot and
as we tumble in after each other
they take a shovel to cover us
with all those tiny morsels
of greed, fear, and bitterness
which we didn't have time to enjoy.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 9th

“If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” 2nd Corinthians 11:30

if we must,
may we not crow about
the walls we put around our hearts,
but of the cracks which allow grace

to tiptoe in,
of our hands which hope unclenches
so we can hold mercy’s bread.
for you are not found
on those stages with minions
holding up signs with your name,
but at those tables where outsiders
are offered the empty chairs.
your Spirit gathers our fragile fragments
like seeds carried on the wind,
whispering that weakness
is not the end of our story,
but the doorway through which
God's hope enters the world.
let us brag, if we must brag,
of Love which still kneels
to wash the feet of the forgotten,
of compassion outlasting contempt,
and the Risen One
who always makes our brokenness
a home for resurrection.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 8th

“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

perhaps the key was not
those folks had enough, but
that they discovered that
nobody should go without.
we keep scorecards of
winners and losers,
but God counts neighbors.
we keep running back
to the world’s fear-the-outsider store
buying lumber, nails, and tools,
to put up higher walls,
while the Spirit keeps oiling
the gates in our hearts, so
they will easily swing open.
for every loaf shared,
every debt forgiven,
every weary soul welcomed
becomes another verse added
to the gospel still being written.
the Beloved Community is seen
not when every voice agrees
but when each hand opens,
not when we share the same opinions
but when we shoulder everyone’s burden,
until no one is forgotten.
that is resurrection’s quiet revolution—
what i call mine becomes ours
and what we once thought
would never be enough becomes,
by God’s radical grace,
more than enough for all.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 7th

His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." John 2:5

for all who carry shame
for every exhausted parent
for every lonely person—
may we do whatever
grace tells us.
for those who live in fear’s shadows
for those who are on the margins
for all stuck in grief’s quicksand—
may we do whatever
hope tells us.
for those battered by violence
for polarized communities
for all called the enemy—
may we do whatever
peace tells us.
for everyone we forget
for all who are labeled failures
for any rejected teenager—
may we do whatever
love tells us.
for anyone whose best friend
is loneliness,
for those are told
they are not enough,
for those pushed aside
by us in our rush—
may we do whatever
inclusion tells us.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 6th

“I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
    and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
    more than those who watch for the morning,
    more than those who watch for the morning.” Psalm 130:5-6

i wait . . .
even on the mornings when
i wake to news which overwhelms,
when my device overflows with
more cruelty than compassion,
more hate than love—
for your grace still fills our world
if we will but notice.
i wait . . .
even as the day grows longer
and despair grows stronger
in the face of those who give
allegiance to lies and can
no longer distinguish between
what is right and what is wrong—
for your hope still fills our world
if we will but notice
i wait . . .
even as the shadows of weariness
merge with the dusk of fear
in these nights when even sleep
is afraid to close its eyes,
wondering what hobgoblins might
be hiding in the corners—
for your love still fills our world
if we will but notice.
i wait . . .
more than ever before—
for you still fill our world,
if we will but notice.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 5th

"'And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers.'" Acts 3:17

however we parrot the anger,
the bitterness, the demeaning
words which we hear from
those who claim to have our
best interests at heart,
wherever we blame a certain
party, or community, or people
for all the problems around us,
when we share posts and memes
which echo our world views but
which have no truth behind them,
have mercy on us,
Holy One of all people,
for we cannot claim that
we did not know any better,
while proudly boasting that
you are the One we follow,
whose words we believe,
whose life we seek to mirror,
whose love, grace, hope,
justice and peace are the pillars
which we fall off of all too often.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 4th

The Lord said to Gideon, ‘The troops with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand. Israel would only take the credit away from me, saying, “My own hand has delivered me.” Judges 7:2

that bootstrap we think we used
to pull ourselves up to where we are
was the neighbor who hired us
to mow the lawn and babysit the kids,
was the teacher who let us
retake that test we needed to pass,
was the supervisor who took a chance
on the untrained person sitting across
the desk in a botched job interview.
that self-made person we see
in the mirror every day and brag about
came about through the sacrifices
of the grandmother who worked in factories,
the uncle who drove a tractor,
that older sister who tutored us in math,
the parents who gave up their own dreams.
that success we enjoy which
so many others applaud and envy
is because of those who stayed
in the background silently nudging us
even though we left them behind
without a simple word of thanks.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 3rd

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

the narcissists really believe the lies
they tell so often, that the shadowy
substance of fear, of doubt, of worry
is exactly what people are longing
to have fill their lives.
the power brokers of cruelty and hate
think that all they have to do
is slowly turn the dial on love
dimmer and dimmer until
it disappears completely from
our lives and no one will care.
but then,
your little dot of grace
appears just at the edge
of the horizon, slowly
glowing brighter and brighter,
slowly growing closer and closer
as you wrap us in your
heart and we are held in your
hope forever.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 2nd

“Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2nd Corinthians 9:7

i remember watching my mom
sit at the kitchen table
on Saturday night, going through
the bills, the grocery ads, the
letter from school about books
needed for the coming year,
looking at the pile of jeans
she would find a way to patch
once again to make them presentable,
writing out menus for the week
which would make the food last.
and then,
she would count out
coins for each of us to have
the next day for Sunday School,
and put some paper currency
into the envelope with your name
written on it, and place it
safely inside her Bible.
then with a gentle smile,
she would go to bed and sleep
the deep rest of one who
had discovered the truth
that one’s heart is never
emptied by giving.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 1st

"Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them." Matthew 28:16

in the alleys and streets,
cleaning up the mess tossed
aside by midnight revelers.
on the playgrounds helping
the children of immigrants
learn the ins and outs
of the games their neighbors
have played for years.
walking through the hallways
of the retirement communities
checking to make sure each
resident is doing well in times
of extreme heat or winter's blast.
on the march down to concrete
palaces where the politicians
make decisions which affect
the people they never notice
while being driven to power,
we realize we are on the mountains
where you have called us to serve.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 31st

"O LORD, God of my salvation,
  when, at night, I cry out in your presence,
let my prayer come before you;
  incline your ear to my cry.” Psalm 88:1-2

it is when dusk dispels
the last bits of sun that
those words of contempt,
of ignorance, even of hate
begin to play like an
endless loop in our hearts.
it is when the shadows
of grief once more stretch
themselves across our souls
like an afghan that our granny
made for us when we were young.
it is when night slams
the doors of life against
grace and hope which want
to come and have a
slumber party with us—
those are the moments
when you drop everything
to run and gather us
in your lap, to listen
for as long as we need,
on however many nights
like these we endure.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 30th

   "I heard a voice I had not known:
'I relieved your shoulder of the burden;
   your hands were freed from the basket.
In distress you called, and I rescued you;
   I answered you in the secret place of thunder;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah'" Psalm 81:6-7

the expectations of others,
baskets heavy with worry,
the struggle of believing
we must go alone—
so many yokes on our shoulders.
but the One who loosened Pharoah’s grip
still puts salve on wrists rubbed raw
by fear and hearts scabbed by grief,
and gently whispers, ‘put them down.’
not so we will feel ashamed
for crying out like a frightened child
but so we might remember that
every honest prayer echoes
in the corridors of grace
for in the rattling windows of storms
and in dawn’s early hush,
God responds—
not by pulling us out but by
walking beside us in the wilderness,
until our shoulders know the touch of freedom.
so start today—
take one deep breath,
set down one burden,
sing one song,
trust the One who has
always been enough,
then rinse and repeat
tomorrow.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 29th

“While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them.” Acts 1:10

we’re good at standing—
in line for the latest tech,
tickets to the newest epic,
or for a cold beer at the game.
but standing up to cruelty,
confronting politicians about
their silent complicity to hate,
or standing in front of the vulnerable
the knuckleheads mock?
you will find us in our easy chairs.
we are so good at gazing—
at our devices for hours,
looking past those in need,
turning the elderly invisible
but noticing the forgotten,
paying attention to the stranger
asking for just a bit of kindness,
seeing creation crumbling?
we are resting our eyes.
we are so ready to get
to those pearly gates and claim
our mansions and our harps,
we never notice the hell
which poverty, apathy, fear,
loneliness, grief, and suffering
have established for those around us.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 28th

“For your obedience is known to all; therefore, I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and guileless in what is evil.” Romans 16:19

they tutor us in outrage,
they make us apprentices of fear,
those loud, angry voices insisting
that wickedness deserves all our attention—
yet, the good news never claims
we become fluent in evil but
invites us to learn the language of grace,
to choose gentleness over cruelty,
hope instead of fear,
peace before enmity.
so may we become adept
at love’s stubborn vocabulary,
those who know the names of mercy,
who glimpse resurrection blooming
in the cracked dirt of another day.
for in a world with
far too many prophets of despair,
may we be those
whose wisdom is shaped by goodness,
whose hearts remain untrained in hate,
and whose lives become
the quiet, persistent proof
that love has the final word.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 27th

"So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, 'I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves.'" Matthew 27:24

when they bring us in
and seat us in the
interrogation room, and
begin to question us
why we allow children
to go hungry each night
while our garbage bins
reek of thrown out food,
why we refuse to demand
those who want to open
up homeless shelters in winter
be given the same incentives
as the developers building
million-dollar gated communities,
or why we simply choose
to remain silent instead
of confronting bullies, we
simply wring our hands
under the table protesting
our innocence, while
you weep behind the
one-way window into our
souls.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 26th

"'Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.'" Joshua 24:15

we could listen quietly
sitting on our tongues
to make sure they do not
just get up and into
someone else's face.
we could sweep our fears
off the front porch of our hearts
and put out the welcome mat
so others know that they
can find a home in us.
we could walk Grace and Hope
down the street, letting all
the little kids (and the big ones)
run up to hug them and
get wet sloppy kisses to bring
healing to their wounded souls.
we could pause and turn
to see those that scare us
so much face to face, only
to discover we are looking
into the mirror.
or
we could choose
to keep living just
as we are right now.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 25th

“It is better to take refuge in the LORD
   than to put confidence in mortals.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD
   than to put confidence in princes.” Psalm 118:8-9

it is a shell game for
all those thimbleriggers in power,
as they place a distraction under
one of the social media posts
in the night, uploading them
so rapidly we never notice
they have snatched it away
and we are left with
another empty feeling.
the barnums of the world
know the truth of one being
born every minute, as we
cause their coins, sneakers,
perfumes, cameras, and
sketchy scriptures to fly off
the virtual shelves, while
stuffing their bank accounts.
and all the while you simply
offer a hand which
ill never let us go and
a heart which will never
stop loving us.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 24th

"This is the reason that I have so often been hindered from coming to you." Romans 15:22

we sit around hard tables
in chairs getting more uncomfortable
that we rush out of the place
never noticing you and the folks
with the towels, mops, bins
waiting to clean up the mess
we manage to leave behind.
we sit in our easy chairs
looking through those yearbooks
which carry the memories of all
those good old days, which were good
because we didn't have to make
any of the hard life-changing decisions
and so do not see you standing
on the sidewalk, pack on your back,
walking stick in your hand, and a
gleam in your eye, as you hope
to lead the way to even better days
than we could ever begin to imagine
as we sit wrapped in the past.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 23rd

“Transgression speaks to the wicked
    deep in their hearts;
there is no fear of God
    before their eyes." Psalm 36:1

they look at us,
a hunger in their eyes
for our adulation and
chants of their name,
of wanting to see us
waving our hands in worship
and a bending of our knees
in abject loyalty to them,
or a recognition that their
words overflowing with
hollow promises fill that
void in our shriveled lives
and their winks, nods, and
finger pointing our way
show a deep affinity with us,
a relationship which is abiding
beyond all words.
but
when we look deeply
into their eyes, all we glimpse
is that deadness of souls which
have shriveled because of
the contempt and distrust they
truly have for every single person
who is not them.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 22nd

"And there, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written." Joshua 8:32

sorry, Josh, but
we need to borrow the stone
which warns about having
any other Gods, to put under
the chair of our political choice,
and that one about honoring
our parents and their generation
we will place in their way so they
can stumble all over the place
proving we are right that folks
who are of a certain age are useless,
and those ones about not
telling falsehoods, or killing, no
cheating on those we swear to love,
and not being jealous of what others own,
well, gosh, they have just gone
out of style as far as we are concerned.
and just like that, your hopeful reminders
are ground into gravel we can walk
over on our way to foolishness
beyond imagination.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 21st

“Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.” Romans 14:10

do you ever shake your head,
drop it into your hands, and
mutter to yourself,
“how long? how long?”
for no matter who you send,
no matter who shares your words,
nor how often you repeat yourself,
we remain stubbornly insistent
that not only do we
get to judge others, and not you,
but we get to set the standards
as to who, how, and why
others around us are judged.
maybe that is why you are willing
to patiently wait, until we step
into your living room at the end of time,
just to see the look on our faces
when we see all those losers,
those deplorables, those prats,
curled up next to you on the couch,
eating the cookies you just
took out of the oven.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 20th

“Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.” Romans 13:10

not waiting for a committee report
or a vote of confidence,
love crosses every street
we have been told to avoid,
stepping onto those porches
and knocking on the doors
we teach ourselves to fear.
despite every voice demanding
we choose sides and not neighbors,
you whisper a different approach—
offering a heart before hearing a word,
healing wounds instead of arguing,
seeing your sibling in God, not a label.
when love is that quiet courage
to refuse harming simply to harm,
to put more chairs at the table,
to tear down walls to build wells,
then the law is fulfilled.
for when every barrier is removed,
every act of mercy replaces meanness,
then newcomers and old-timers
remember they all live
in the same neighborhood
found in God’s heart.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 19th

"So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpets, they raised a great shout, and the wall fell down flat;" Joshua 6:20

if only it was
as easy shouting
to bring down the walls
of division and discord.
if only all it took
was the world singing
to give peace a chance.
if only it was as simple
as marching in the
light of God to end
all hatred and oppression.
if only we had to pick up
our trumpets to turn
our communities into havens
of hospitality towards all,
of healing for the broken,
of kindness offered to
the forgotten and the vulnerable.
if only . . .

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 18th

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. Romans 13:1

but before we bow,
may we remember
that every seat of power
is on loan for but a moment
and rests on the foundation of dust.
for authority does not mean holiness
and power is not the same as love.
the Word who named the stars
knelt to wash the feet
of the vulnerable we ignore,
and chose to carry a cross
while never wielding a weapon.
thus, when laws brush past mercy,
when the smallest voice is silenced,
we will bend our knees
only to the God
whose justice lifts the forgotten,
whose peace confounds tyrants,
whose kingdom is based not
on any military strength
but a welcome to all, to all.
so may we always honor the good,
stand up to all that is cruel
and follow the Christ—
the One whose authority
is grounded in grace and love.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 17th

If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Romans 12:18

if we depend
on blustering politicians,
we should expect more
dangerous choices;
if we depend
on bile-filled voices,
we can expect
an increase in
hate and anger;
if we depend
only on ourselves,
the odds are we'll
screw it up;
but
if we depend on
you,
we just might learn
how to live
with each other.

© Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 16th

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2

when we have a mind
that folks need to earn
justice rather than
the privileged sharing
it freely with the forgotten
or
think kindness should on be
a random sort of thing
we do when someone needs
a door held open in the rain
but building affordable housing
doesn't seem to come
to pop into our heads
or
we believe that all is right
in the world when the rich
get breaks which bring more wealth,
when the power brokers
are never asked what is going on,
and when the celebrities
are granted permission for
all the knuckleheadness in the world,
obviously, we have a
far more skewed idea than you
as to what is good.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 15th

“Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us,
    even as we hope in you.” Psalm 33:22

there are mornings
when we wake before the alarm,
our hearts already weary
of the day’s headlines even
before we learn of them
and we want simply to
pull the duvet of apathy
back over our heads.
or if we should have
to venture out, we long
to clothe ourselves in
small, skeptical, mocking lives
and wander around the world
boxed in by despair’s heaviness.
yet, you would have us
not let fear, misery, anger
control our hope or our hearts,
so help us to listen,
to get up,
to speak out,
to act as those whose lives
are so filled with your
love which never gives up
on us or anyone else,
that we become
the resistance movement
to the chaos around us.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 14th

"Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.'" Matthew 25:24-25

afraid they might spend it
on addicts, the homeless,
and all the other losers
who hang out on our streets,
we keep your grace in
safe deposit boxes, throwing
away the keys.
we bury your hope ten feet
below the ground and then
pour two-foot-thick slabs
of concrete over the dirt.
we put all our justice
into bearer bonds which
won't mature for at least
another 50 years which by then
will make it someone else's problem.
we put put a lot of memes
and platitudes and posts
about how we can't look
at another person and know
what they are going through,
while turning our backs on
those standing on street corners.
all the while waiting for you
to pat us on the head
like good little girls and boys.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 13th

"So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace." Romans 11:5

in the din of the angry,
shouting, chanting voices
breaking all decibel records,
there is a little girl
singing of gentleness.
in the crowds of folks
who are pushing and pulling
at grace as if it was
a ball in a rugby scrum,
there is a referee reminding
folks that it is just a game, after all.
in the alley way, where
loneliness sits huddled in
a sagging cardboard box,
as tears from heaven
rat-a-tat over its head, a
homeless fellow walks by
offering a sip of hope, and
then walks on, saying,
'keep the bottle.'

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 12th

“They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” Mark 1:22

if only
i might be knocked
off my feet by your stories
about you coming to find
the lost (even me).
if only
i might be gobsmacked
by your simple assurance
that you welcome us
just as we are (even me).
if only
i might be stunned
by your insistence that
our worth is not based
on what we achieve,
but by God’s grace (even for me).
if only
i could be astounded
by that good news
which seems so comfortable,
so convenient, so ordinary,
that we yawn every time
we hear it (especially me).

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 11th

“Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives.” Matthew 24:46

when we roll up our sleeves,
our hands fragrant from
the bread we share,
cradling the tears of
those the world forgot,
and planting hope in all
the exhausted places,
we are merely blessings
as you taught us.
you don’t care if we
set the alarm for the
right time, but that we
were too busy caring
for the lonely,
the overlooked kids,
the weary souls just
at the edge of our lives.
so may we stop glancing
at the sky, and open our doors,
for you weave every act
of kindness into a welcome mat
as you arrive disguised
in all who show up needing
grace.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 10th

"But what does it say?
‘The word is near you,
on your lips and in your
heart’
(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);" Romans 10:8

like little kids taking
a vow to keep a secret
and miming locking
our lips with a key, we
seem reluctant to sing
of grace to those who
have forgotten the tune
as well as the words.
like a dog which builds
a 'fort' of pillows and blankets
to hide behind when the
fireworks are going off,
we think justice needs
to be protected at all costs
from those who would
sneak in and pry it from
our privileged grasp.
like those who are deaf
to the familiar words
their loved ones tell them
because they just
do not care any more,
we refuse to listen
to the joyous shouts
of those who discover
how easy it is to show
mercy to others, rather
than carry grudges
throughout each day.

© Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 9th

"What shall I return to the Lord
     for all his bounty to me?" Psalm 116:12

when, at the last,
i stand before you—
may i have no love left
because i shared it
without any conditions,
no grace in my pockets
because i handed it out
to those i met along the way,
no hope tucked away in my soul
because i set it free to run
and throw its arms around
those forgotten by the world,
no justice left in my hands
because i used it to build
better communities for all
judged unfairly by the privileged,
no peace because there were
people who needed it to bring
an end to ancient hostilities,
no ego because i met those
who set aside their dreams
to care for the most vulnerable
of all your children rather
than serve themselves.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 8th

"but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
   in those who hope in his steadfast love." Psalm 147:11

remind us, Tender Heart,
to look past that ancient bugaboo
that we are supposed
to stand before you,
shaking in our shoes,
knees knocking a rhythm,
terror's tremors reducing us
to seeming puddles of nothingness,
but
to see you holding out
your hands to gather all
our panicky, prickly fears
so you can rub them
to dust in your hands
and then blow them away
like dandelion puffs in grass
where the Spirit will transform
them into hope which will
shower us like cooling rain
on the hottest day imaginable.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 7th

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

not all our yesterdays
which try to pull
us back into foolishness,
nor our tomorrows
which crouch outside
with fear and worry;
not the doubts
we keep bumping
our heads on,
nor the slippery peels
of our banality;
not our towering
arrogance which
pushes you aside,
nor our unabashed
allegiance to voices
of animosity
will ever convince
you
to stop loving
us.

© Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 6th

 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. Romans 8:26

we always find
the words
to order off
desires' menu;
to finely craft
phrases to describe
our fears;
to pound out paragraphs
about the slights
we are forced to endure;
but
that ache
scraping the bottom
of our heart;
the hollowness
of our soul;
the emptiness
gnawing at the edges
of our faith?
only the Spirit
can discern them
and craft a
bridge of sighs
to you.

© Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 5th

“Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news." Mark 1:14-15

there—
where mercy is planted
and hands swaddle loneliness,
where chairs are added to tables
and the weary feast on hope,
where gentle words are spoken
and silence is the only prayer,
where love never gives up
and grace is shared freely.
there—
in that nurse who sits by the bed
and the neighbor carrying firewood,
in the shattered soul choosing forgiveness
and children who share lunch,
in people who refuse to hate
and in streets where justice is sought.
there—
in the ordinary and the forgotten,
in the vulnerable and the overlooked,
in the rejected and despised,
your Beloved Community
shines through the dusty windows
of a world which no longer believes.
there—
just out of the corner
of our eyes

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 4th

"I see him, but not now;
   I behold him, 

   but not near -- " Numbers 24:17a

help us to see you,
not in those well-known
and well-heeled superstars
on the pitch,
but in those who
sweep up the litter
after the match
whose names are lost;
not in those who
gather around arenas
and national lawns
to idolize those who
are so full of themselves,
but in those who
are dropping off food
to the homeless
and the forgotten;
not in the privileged
at the resorts and spas
on the beach,
but in those
who make the beds,
empty the bins
and clean the toilets.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 3rd

“it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God,” Romans 8:16

we don’t hear her
in the loudest voices,
for the Spirit uses the cracks
in our fretful hearts to slip through
to sit with the forgotten,
walk with those full of questions,
whispering to the frightened:
‘Beloved, you have always been
God’s own.’
and all those protecting walls
turn into open doors to strangers,
our clenched hands awaken
to that buried memory of being blessings,
our sore, sore feet find the courage
to keep following Love,
just one more time.
for in a world which would
stick a label on everyone,
the Spirit knows that name
given to us long, long ago:
children of God’s heart.
and so, may that witness
be what we carry into
every broken
every beautiful
every given day.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 2nd

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1

therefore,
may we stop
sending others
to some sort of imaginary
extended time out corner;
beating ourselves up
until our souls turn
every shade of yellow,
purple, and green;
tattooing XXL scarlet

 ‘A’s on our hearts;
shutting ourselves into
guilt’s crowded closet
and throwing away the key;
firing everyone from
being our own worst critic
because we have been
honing that skill
all of our lives;
now

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 1st

“How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the LORD has not denounced?” Numbers 23:8

how easy it is
to reach into our pockets
and grab a handful of snark
to throw up against the screen
when we see THAT politician,
person, outsider, whoever
who just ruins our moments.
how simple it seems
to pick up some of
the hate, the prejudice,
the cruelty which has fallen
on the ground from the mouths
of all the haters, the bitter hearts,
those pettifoggers who cannot see,
hear, or accept that any good comes
from someone they cannot stand.
and how difficult, apparently,
for us to see each and every person
as made in your image,
a beloved sibling of ours.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 30th

"In God, whose word I praise,
   in God I trust; I am not afraid;
what can flesh do to me?" Psalm 56:4

my once smooth skin
now is a patchwork
of wrinkles and age spots
and under a doctor's care.
my muscles no longer
impress anyone but flap
loose under my arms.
my luxuriant hair is
fading, thinning, disappearing,
oops, completely gone.
my once sharp as a
tack mind seems to be
duller and duller at times.
yet
i continue to trust
that you love me more
today than yesterday
and will be in love
even more tomorrow.

© Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 29th

"He will send from heaven and save me,
   he will put to shame those who trample on me.
God will send forth his steadfast love
   and his faithfulness." Psalm 57:3

when i want to hide under
the covers because it is just
so scary out there, send
those little birds who will sing
glad songs of hope.
when i need to go through
more physical therapy
because the knuckleheads
just refuse to stop pummeling
me with the bitter words, send
those gentle hands which
will ease the tight muscles
of my soul.
when it seems that i am
the only one who sees that
little glimmer of hope
there in the eye of the old
folks who everyone discounts
simply because, well because
they are old, may i not turn
away but learn from those
faithful, not-so-ancient-as-we-think
lives.

© Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 28th

"The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands," Acts 17:24

the multi-campus
congregation,
the high tech
sanctuaries,
the capital campaign
to build the
office complex
for expanded staff.
remind us where
we will find you—
in the hearts
of those who
refuse to build walls;
in the hands
of servers in
shelters and kitchens;
in the feet
of marchers for
human rights;
in the voices
of advocates
for justice;
in the lives
of those who see
you
in every person
they meet.

© Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 27th

Praise the LORD!
   I will give thanks to the
   LORD with my whole heart,
in the company of the 
   upright, in the congregation. Psalm 111:1

running
with the little kids
chasing fireflies in
summer's meadows;
sitting
with the seniors
monitoring their
bingo cards like hawks;
packing
sack lunches for
the volunteers
building affordable homes;
spraying
teenagers at the carwash
to raise funds for
an immigrant family's
move:
i praise you, with
all the young and old hearts,
the whole and broken hearts,
the wondering and wandering
hearts.

© Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 26th

Jesus stood still and called them, saying, "What do you want me to do for you?" They said to him, "Lord, let our eyes be opened." Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they regained their sight and followed him. Matthew 20:32-34

open our eyes
so we will discover
you in the dreamers
and the dissenters.
open our ears
so we might listen
to the stories of all
who have found their words.
open our arms
that we might draw
into an embrace of grace
everyone who has been
shamed by the world.
touch our apathy
as well as our boasting,
touch our fears as well
as our fickle foolishness,
touch faithfulness as well
as our stubborn refusal to follow,
so
you might lead us
into the grace of your
Beloved Community.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 25th

“When Moses went into the tent of the covenant on the next day, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted. It put forth buds, produced blossoms, and bore ripe almonds.” Numbers 17:8

don’t despair,
God still works—
not where sycophants kiss power
but in communities told repeatedly
that nothing good will bloom there,
not in behind flickering screens
but in hearts shattered by grief,
not in corridors of power
but in neighborhoods weary of worry.
don’t despair,
God still works—
where teachers never give up,
in friends who always show up,
in children who always hope,
in strangers sharing kindness.
don’t despair,
God still works—
in the steady noise of fear,
division, hate, and cruelty,
God touches those dry branches
which the world is ready
to use as kindling,
and grace, love, justice,
peace, inclusion, and joy
begin to bud.
don’t despair,
God still works.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 24th

"Hoping against hope," Romans 4:18a

though the poll numbers
about being able to restore
creation to better days are poor,
we hope we will be wise enough
to keep working at it.
though the expectations as
to whether we are able
to accept others for who
they ae seem to be diminishing,
we hope we will never stop
standing with those who are
bullied and shamed by the world.
though we know we cannot
bank on the wealthiest of the wealthy
to be willing to share from
their abundance, still we
will not give up hoping that
everyone, one day, will never
have to go without the very
necessities of life.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 23rd

“Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness.” Romans 4:4-5

we think faith
is a timecard
we use each day
to make sure God knows
how diligent, how hard working,
how compassionate and just,
how many hours we are accumulating
as we move through life
until that final paycheck
that gets us God’s good grace.
but it is that simple,
even foolish in the eyes of the world,
childlike trust we have, even
before we got out of bed,
before we had breakfast,
before we had planned our day,
before we did a single thing,
which is how God’s good grace
has gotten us.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 22nd

“Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of faith.” Romans 3;27

like precious plants we nourish,
we bring our framed diplomas,
our trophies polished and gleaming,
our report cards
and perfect attendance records,

a memorized acceptance speech—
but when we stand before you,
they slip away like dust
to be carried away on a breeze
for all we can bring are empty pockets.
because faith is not a medal
but an open door
to your Beloved Community,
where your mercy arrives
before any of our successes
and your welcome before
all that we think is most dear.
and so, we are invited
to walk beside you,
no taller than anyone else,
no wiser than a kid
just learning to read,
but full of gratitude.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 21st

“The whole assembly kept silence, and listened to Barnabas and Paul as they told of all the signs and wonders that God had done through them among the Gentiles.” Acts 15:12

in the joy of a child telling
Grandpa about seeing her
favorite player score a goal
in the match she attended.
in the stranger who prepays
for the groceries for the
family behind him, who
are counting their money
while looking at what they
could put back if needed.
in the young person visiting
his grandmother in the
memory unit, and then begins
singing a French ballad
for her neighbor who has
no family to visit her.
in people we never notice
because of being glued
to our mindless devices,
in voices we never hear
because we have the
speakerphone turned on,
we miss so many of your
signs and wonders, O God.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 20th

"Then the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We are not able to go up against this people, for they are stronger than we are.’ There we saw the Nephilim (the Anakites come from the Nephilim); and to ourselves we seemed like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.’" Numbers 13:31, 33

there’s a trillionaire
who sells tickets to
billionaires so they can
travel to be among space
which is made up of
the same dust from creation
which we are (at no charge to us).
there are strutting, bulked up,
more inked than newspapers
folks performing in cages,
and then having the gall
to mock grace personified.
then there are those
delivering groceries to the hungry,
advocating for kids in the system,
marching proudly with neighbors,
bringing people out of captivity,
lifting up the forgotten and
never forgetting the rejected.
and you whisper:
‘blessed are the grasshoppers
for they are stronger than
all the knuckleheads
the world adores.’

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 19th

Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?" Matthew 18:21

because we cannot see you
as anything than an accountant
working from a spreadsheet
with debits and credits accruing
for each name in the system,
or like a team of professors trying
to come up with the ultimate
math formula which cannot
be solved by the next genius,
we have overcomplicated
the simple act of forgiving
(which is good, because it
lets us off the hook when
it comes to this question)
but for you, forgiveness
is a number so simple
it has no end, which seems
completely irrational to us.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 18th

“What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.” Matthew 18:12-13

duh!
it isn’t rocket science,
after all, is it?
of course, the forgotten:
the addict who has failed
rehab more times than
the family can count,
the hacker, the con,
the folks who hold cardboard
signs on every street corner
should be brought back
and welcomed back into
your Beloved Community—
but since we are too busy
rejoicing over the latest
snark that sticks it to all
those with whom we just
cannot stand to do anything,
we will let you take care of it.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 17th

"Or do you despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not realize that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?" Romans 2:4

sitting in the bar
at the No Regrets Inn
we sip at that well-aged
25-year-old bitterness
which we enjoy every day,
and thinking you are
of the same mind as us,
we send a bottle down
to you with our compliments
but
you wave it away, saying,
'thanks, but i think i will
stick with this,' holding
up a glass of crystal clear
grace on the rocks.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 16th

“Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
    my help and my God.” Psalm 42:11

we let our souls run barefoot
through shadowy valleys of fear,
instead of splashing in mercy’s pools.
nights may seem interminable in
those hearts weighed down by silence,
yet, God still hears the songs
buried deep within us.
for hope is not a denial of grief—
it is the candle we carry in such moments,
and should tears become our daily bread,
love is still nearer than breath,
more reliable than each morning’s sun.
so, let us sing lullabies of patience,
of faith, of listening

to our sad sack souls
for the One who carved canyons
still lays out paths to joy.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 15th

“He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20

stop worrying about size,
we don’t need to XXXL
our faith in any way—
we just need to take
those particles so tiny
we are afraid we will lose
them in our pockets and
sprinkle them on the world.
stop thinking about volume,
our faith doesn’t need to boom
like thunder bouncing off mountains
and frightening everyone away—
it just needs to be a lullaby
sung to a world which is
too anxious to fall asleep.
stop trying all those tips
from seminars and books
to bulk up your faith—
sit down and listen to a
first grader learning to read,
caress the aged hands covered
with paper thin skin which
has held more grace than grudges.
stop believing that we
are the ones to move mountains.
God will do the heavy lifting—
we are called to be seed planters.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 14th

“The LORD bless you and
     keep you;
the LORD make his face
     to shine upon you, and be
     gracious to you;
the LORD lift up his
     countenance upon you,
     and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26

we bless others and keep them
as part of the fabric of life, when
we do not build fences shutting them out,
but cup our hands gently
around their fragile hopes.
we can turn toward the laughter
of children who glimpse joy in shadows,
toward the grace found in
checkout lines, at workstations,
and in all those everyday places
where people wonder if they are seen.
we can raise people out of fear
with a peace that is deeper than quiet,
out of loneliness by holding
neighbors and strangers alike,
out of grief by becoming
a glimpse of God’s love.
and as we do, we slip
blessing upon blessing beneath
the doors of weary hearts.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 13th

"And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. " Matthew 17:2

you take our anguish
and transfigure it
into hope others need,
you gather up the pieces
of our shattered hearts
and transfigure them into
the healing for communities,
you mingle our tears with yours
and transfigure them into that
roaring river of justice which
can give new life to the forgotten,
you lift our grudges from
off our wearied bodies and
transfigure them into grace
which can shine a light
in the shadows in which
we have chosen to live.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 12th

“If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.” Galatians 5:25

these folks who want us
to let them guide us through life—
they are like the people
in movies and TV shows
who stand at arrival gates
holding signs with someone’s
name written on them and
people blindly follow them.
for that is what these folks
want us to do, to follow blindly—
simply because they offer
the trendiest seminar,
the latest book of the day,
the top ten of whatever
list we carry around in
our buckets, until we realize
we are left with emptier pails.
but the Spirit?
the Spirit simply wants
to be that friend who has already
gone through the grief,
known the job loss,
dealt with broken relationships,
lain awake for night after night
and will show us the way out
however long a journey it might be.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 11th

“Send out your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will get it back” Ecclesiastes 11:1

for those shores flooded
with the flotsam of fear,
for those riverbanks which
overflow with injustice,
for those communities who wonder
if the dam will break from
the rising anger,
may we continue to keep scattering
grace like twigs little kids toss
into water running down the street.
we don’t know where it lands,
nor whose thirst it might slake,
or what souls it might nourish
long after it disappears
from our sight.
but God says to trust what is given—
healing words,
hands which refuse to let go,
an open door to a stranger.
for every act of kindness
we release upon troubled waters
becomes a part of that river
God is sending toward hope.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 10th

"The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouting of a ruler among fools." Ecclesiastes 9:17

these days it’s not with seltzer bottles
or cramming bodies into tiny cars
or seeing who has the most
slips on banana peels.
no, our pratfall of clowns
is obsessed with social media,
with cage fights on hallowed grounds,
with whom can take the greatest
offense at honest questions.
and there seems to be no end
to those who are jockeying
for the point position
in the flock of fools
which take to the air each day.
so when we are tempted
to run away and join this circus,
may we hear the songs children
make up in the backyards,
may we stop to hear the memories
of folks who have seen so many
traveling sideshows come
and go throughout their lives
they have lost count,
and pay attention to those
who teach us how to weave
unraveled hopes back together.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 9th

"They put them at his feet, and he cured them, so that the crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel." Matthew 15:30c-31

we aren’t asked to tell
folks to throw away their
walking sticks or wheelchairs.
we are called to make sure
children who lose breakfast or lunch
on summer break are fed.
that neighbors or friends
who have no transportation
get to doctor visits and clinics.
that kids who are in the ‘system’
have trained advocates who
will be their voices
that all who are transitioning
are known by their chosen name
especially ‘beloved.’
after all,
you do not expect us
to be miracle workers
but simply those who share
grace, compassion, justice,
and hope—
which is why we praise you.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 8th

“And his disciples came and urged him, saying, "Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us." Matthew 15:23b

we want you—
to tell the forgotten to stop
standing on the corner
with their pathetic signs.
to shush those stuck
in hopelessness voicing
their silly expectations that
we privileged will do more
than offer prayers
before heading out
to our safe, safe lives.
to place a restraining order
on compassion which keeps
stalking us, hoping we will
fall in love with it so deeply
that we cannot keep from
caring for the most vulnerable,
never realizing that when
we want to send the hurting,
the broken, the fearful,
the lonely, the grieving away,
forgetting that it is actually you
we want to get rid of.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 7th

“I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you;” Job 42:5

at first, it was the preacher’s rumors,
the hymn words i read
sitting next to my mom,
those hand-me-down stories
around summer camp evenings.
i learned to trace your name
in the dust of the faith of others,
filled the pockets of my soul
with answers stolen from friends.
but now:
after loneliness was my only friend,
after my doubts outnumbered stars,
after grief sat in the shadowed corner—
now my eyes are wide open.
not in easy certainty but
in that soft presence,
not in answers from whirlwinds
but in your whispering my name.
finally i can release
what i think i know,
my heart open to that
mystery woven from grace.
and while hearing about you
yesterday
was all i needed (and
maybe wanted)
today,
in the silence after the storm,
i see you.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 6th

“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

before the sunbeam creeps
across my pillow
before the kettle whistles,
before fear places today’s
lesson before me,
my soul wanders toward you,
not because i am strong
but because i am thirsty.
those deserts i carry—
worries in my wallet,
grief lurking behind my smile,
hope rubbed raw by waiting
cannot satisfy themselves
so i come searching
as i wait for that mercy
falling like showers
onto a parched desert.
you are the water
for my prayer seeds,
that well deeper than emptiness,
the dawn rising while
i am still discovering
how to trust light
and so, before it reaches out
for anything else, my heart
stretches out for you.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 5th

“Never be rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be quick to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven, and you upon earth; therefore let your words be few.” Ecclesiastes 5:2

carrying baskets so full of words
their handles creak, we come with
paragraphs of piety, promises on
the verge of breaking, excuses,
and prayers we have redacted—
yet in the silence which greets us
our syllables flitter away like butterflies.
you have no need for our noise,
you won’t be turned by tumbling words,
for you live in those still places
between one heartbeat and the next.
so, show us how to release
our tight grasp of flowery words,
model for us the holy art of listening,
so that as words become fewer
wonder will become greater,
and prayers are not performances
but those small candles of trust
we set gently before you.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman