October 7th

"The voice of the LORD causes the oaks to whirl,

    and strips the forest bare;
and in his temple all say, 'Glory!'”  Psalm 29:9

i have rested in old chairs

worn smooth by so many generations

and listened to their silent

prayers lodged in the memories

of the river stones in the walls,

and whispered, 'glory!'

i have taken my place in

decision-making church bodies

where the same discussion

keeps being tabled until

the very next meeting, and

muttered under my breath,

'good grief.'

i have sat on carpet squares

as little kids gathered around

to listen to a book being read

while their attention and hands

were distracted by the golden

retriever curled up on the floor

and sang to myself, 'thank you!'

  

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman 

October 6th

“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
   How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I bear pain in my soul,
   and have sorrow in my heart all day long?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?” Psalm 13:1-2

the people with the microphones
in their hands and cameras over
their shoulders want stories of resilience
while all many are trying to do
is find makeshift bandages for
their broken spirits.
Appalachia Strong, Boston Strong,
Manchester Strong all sound wonderful
in memes, on media, in songs, but
where is the sign which says,
‘shattered into tiny pieces and we
can’t even make a mosaic of hope.’
the pushers of platitudes talk about
‘we are at our best when the worst happens’
or
‘folks will rise like phoenixes from
this terrible moment,’
but they are not the ones
standing in ashes up to their hearts.
why is it, that in the most
excruciating grief for so many
the world (even those of faith)
seems to send the message
‘no laments allowed.'

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

October 5th

 "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

the loneliness which seeps

into us even in the most 

crowded of places seems

like our most faithful friend.

the barrenness of humanity

seems to make our world unable 

to produce any sort of crops

of goodness or of peace, 

of generosity or even simple grace.

the springs of hope which once

quenched our parched souls 

now seem to be only a trickle 

as if the pipes have been 

clogged by fear.

yet, 

and yet,

we will not give up, trusting

that as always, we will find you

in the most unexpected places

and the least likely people.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman 

October 4th

"Then he looked up at his disciples and said: 'Blessed are you '" Luke 6:20a

blessed are those who climb power poles
to run new lines to valleys and up hillsides

and those who haul generators on pack

mules up the water cratered mountains.

blessed are the ones who resist the urge

to ship boxes of things no one really needs

as well as those who make as many donations

as possible to those with boots on the ground.

blessed are stores which put out furniture

for the asking to those who have lost everything

and strangers who pile up the debris and haul

it away before anyone can catch their names.

blessed are . . . 

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

October 1st

"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:18

roads may be impassable
but God is still making a way
for the helpers to travel.
bridges may be washed away
but God is sending the engineers
with the equipment to build 

temporary crossings.

people may be stuck 

up on the sides of mountains

or down in isolated valleys

but God is using old-fashioned

pack mules and modern drones

to bring medicine, food, water.

cell towers may be out 

but God is still listening to you

and to all those offering prayers.

people may feel cut off 

from neighbors and friends

but God is stuck to them

like velcro.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

September 30th

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

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

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

September 29th

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

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

when a friend brings a generator

to someone's house so they

can keep medical equipment running,

as folks go door to door

making sure everyone in 

the community is safe and 

accounted for,

in the folks who bring food

which will spoil soon to churches

so meals can be prepared and

served to folks who lost everything,

there

in those moments,

those people,

those places,

the Beloved Community

has taken root.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman