May 7th

“For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome,” 1st John 5:3

it’s not a thick volume with
thousands of regulations
nor a suitcase crammed full
of guilt wrinkled and frayed.
it’s adding a pinch of salt
to the stew simmering on the stove,
it’s turning off the light
letting our loved one doze on the couch,
it’s weeding the neighbor’s yard
while they are away at graduation.
it is not so much a boulder on our back
as it is a butterfly in our soul.
it is not so much an order
but more like a whisper,
come sit a spell, let’s take a walk,
listening to the same silly joke
the little kid tells every time
we see them in the yard.
you see,
love just doesn’t weigh
as much as we tell
ourselves that it does.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

May 6th

“Come and see what God has done:
   He is awesome in his deeds among mortals.” Psalm 66:5

come,
with eyes wide open,
ears attuned,
souls stirring.
come and see,
not booming distant fireworks
but the quiet voice of a mother,
not breaking news
but bread slathered with jam,
not arrogant celebrities
but neighbors mopping up after floods.
come and see what God has done,
the welcome mat with everyone’s
name and picture on it,
gently massaged aches
by unseen yet always near hands,
sorrow rewritten as soft lullabies.
come and see
but stay long enough
to see joy renovate the
homes where weariness once lived,
and hear grace tell stories
which sparkle like fireflies.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

May 5th

"The LORD loves those who hate evil; he guards the lives of his faithful;
he rescues them from the hand of the wicked." Psalm 97:10

on a bookmark, in a hymn,
it seems so simple:
love God, hate evil.
but on Monday,
when evil stalks us in cynicism,
or chills our hearts with indifference,
we realize it never wears a nametag
or feels no need to identify itself.
O God,
of course, we want to love you,
to not jump on cruelty’s bandwagon
or follow the pied pipers of anger,
or remain silent when injustice
sits down next to us wherever we are.
so, like a mother staring out the window
as kids head off to school, watch over us.
let us not become so weary
we forget to share simple grace
with those with complicated needs.
wrap us in the shawl of hope
which warms us with the promise
that even as the shadows of fear
spread across our times,
your light never dims,
your love never gives up.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

May 4th

"Be hospitable to one another without complaining." 1st Peter 4:9

easy peasy – opening the door
with a smile plastered on our face
practiced words sliding out of our mouths.
but, cracking open the heart
without our questions slipping out,
without holding the spreadsheet
reflecting moments wasted,
meals missed, angry conversations.
yet
hospitality is not about
perfection, but about presence.
It is not about table arrangements
but the souls of those sitting around the table.
when we offer ourselves, no string attached,
when we move over to make room,
when we let the forgotten
be the guests of honor –
that’s the gift, that’s the heart,
that’s the grace we offer
every time we hold open the door
welcoming in everyone we can,
hoping that no one notices
the stray crumb of grumbling
we didn’t sweep up before
everyone arrived.

(c) 2025 Thom M. human

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

May 3rd

“We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers and sisters.” 1st John 3:16

i know love,
from the soft breath of my mother
while she read to me,
to the way friends do not
hold back in caring for me,
and in the life which is shared
with me by my soul mate.
i know how i want to keep
it locked away in my heart
like a miser putting funds
in a massive safe.
so may i dare not only
to speak the words,
but to spend love
extravagantly, even unwisely,
on those i am told
are not to be valued,
to turn towards them
so i can see their needs,
to lay down what many might
say is the most important
thing i will ever have,
but is simply a small piece
of who i am.
after all,
i know love because
you did not keep yours safe
but gave it away
for all your siblings.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

May 2nd

"Why should I fear in times of trouble,
   when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me,
those who trust in their wealth
   and boast of the abundance of their riches?" Psalm 49:5-6

they want us to be afraid,

don't they, God?

as they stack their crypto currency,

as tariffs draw closer like storm clouds,

as they polish their arrogance

so it will gleam in the bright lights

of their narcissism.

they want us to be afraid,

don't they, God?

so remind us,

that a sunbeam comes

free of charge, and blue skies

come direct from your palette.

remind us that you are

the meadow in which 

we can run barefoot,

you are the windbreak

when fears rush toward us,

you are the gardener 

who rakes up their words

like autumn leaves, so

we can run and jump 

on the pile, crunching them

into dry dust clinging to our clothes

which we will wash off

in your living waters.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

May 1st

"Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you." 1 John 2:24a

when we think

abide

means sitting in our

easy chairs of apathy, 

letting grace gather dust

out of disuse,

putting compassion

back in the box 

and on the shelf 

in the closet,

agreeing on that 

antiquated notion that

justice is a luxury for

the few, the privileged,

tip us out of our 

chairs, waking us from

our drowsy disinterest,

and leading us out 

into a world desperate

for those who actually

give a damn about 

others.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman