November 20th

"So who, then, are you to judge your neighbor?" James 4:12b

who indeed, God?

it is so much easier 

for us to assume that

because someone does not

believe the same way we do,

or hold the same political view,

or support the same issues that

they are wrong, or intolerant,

or filled with hate, or even evil.

and yes, maybe they are.

but if we pause, looking in the mirror,

realizing that folks may look at us,

making the same sort of 

quick assumptions about us,

i'm guessing (and it is only me)

that i would be pretty steamed

they are judging me without really

taking the time to know me.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

November 19th

“yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
   I will exult in the God of my salvation.” Habakkuk 3:18

even though it seems
as if compassion has gone
into winter’s hibernation,
and the fruits of the Spirit
have shriveled or rotted.
even though it appears
love can no longer seem
to elicit any sort of response
from people of privilege,
and community gardens which once produced
bumper crops of grace now lie fallow.
even if young people seeking acceptance
for the neurodivergent and genderfluid
are dismissed by uncaring politicians
and so many people want to become
ostriches when looking at climate change,
yet, i will continue to join God
in singing songs of hope,
and i will not stop believing
that God is with us in our times.

© 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

November 18th

"For there is still a vision for the appointed time;

   it speaks of the end, and does not lie.
If it seems to tarry, wait for it;
   it will surely come, it will not delay." Habakkuk 2:3-4

in these times

it seems we are taught

that what connects is division,

that the scarlet threads woven

through our common humanity

are anger and fear, and that

hate has finally become our god.

so we pray, that despite

all the seeming odds against,

we will let hope and grace

be the sinews in our relationships,

that love and kindness will be

the muscles which allow us

to work and share together,

and that justice and peace

are the nerves pulsing through

this Beloved Community you

are shaping in our midst.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

November 16th

"O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;

   his steadfast love endures forever!" Psalm 118:1

with all that goes on

in the world these days,

i could care less about

an aging boxer slash bully

slash narcissist match,

but i hope i am passionate

about those fighting hate.

i have no real feelings 

one way or another about

some superstar celebrity 

who has thousands of dollars

stolen while earning so much 

more playing a brutal game, 

but i am ashamed of a political

culture which seeks to rob 

people of their self-worth.

i hope i will never trust more

in the false promises and 

hollow lies offered every day

than i do in your love which,

however battered and windswept,

weary and frayed at the edges,

refuses to let go of me.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

November 15th

"Then afterward
    I will pour out my spirit on 

         all flesh; 

your sons and your 

         daughters shall 

         prophesy, 

   your old men shall dream 

         dreams, 

   and your young men shall 

         see visions." Joel 2:28

in these afterward days,

may our dreams of justice

not turn into nightmares

for the most vulnerable.

may our children continue

to call us to mend creation,

to speak the names of the cruel,

to challenge the privileged 

to open their eyes and hearts.

and may their children look back,

giving thanks that when you

kept nudging us, pushing us,

breaking through our shuttered fears,

we did not turn away or run away,

but opened our souls to the Spirit,

holding tight to one another and

becoming whirlwinds of grace,

of hope, of kindness, of love.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

November 14th

"Why do the wicked renounce God, 

and say in their hearts,
   'You will not call us to account'?
But you do see!
   Indeed you note trouble and grief,
that you may take it into your hands;
   the helpless commit themselves to you;
you have been the helper of the orphan." Psalm 10:13-14

they send cruel texts

to people of color, about

buses coming to take them

to plantations for work.

they rub their hands in glee

that they are not just going

to fall back for daylight savings

but hopefully all the way back

to those causes they think

have been lost along the way.

they believe that anger has finally won,

that hate has conquered love,

that bullies are your best friends,

that you have anointed them 

to share a fake gospel of hate.

but you are keeping an eye out,

continuing to give strength

to those who will not let 

grace disappear,

hope be consigned to landfills,

justice to be ignored,

kindness to be swept away,

love become dusty history.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman 

November 13th

“So he told them this parable: ‘Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?’” Luke 15:3-4

grace is running ahead of us
to show us the way to serve
the forgotten of our times.
joy is limbering up, ready
to turn cartwheels as we discover
the mercy to share with the broken.
love has cleaned away breakfast
and has a map so we can go
and search for those who have
been relegated to the ‘not worth it’ status.
hope has gathered up all the tools
we need to build housing for all
who have slipped away from life
without anyone noticing.
justice is ready, as always, to offer us
a refresher course in caring more
for the vulnerable than the privileged.
compassion? well, compassion will continue
to look after the folks who don’t really
require that much, while we are out
with you, searching, searching, searching
until all the others are found.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman