May 30th

"Let them curse, but you will bless." Psalm 109:28a

they store up their
grudges to pile them
onto my weary soul,
but you fill me with grace
so it might overflow
into the lives who need it.
they learn as many
new profanities as they
can, especially in
other languages, but
you teach me the language
of love, so each may hear it
without needing an interpreter.
they mock us, seeing others
as nothing but trash
tossed out of a car, but we
are the heirlooms of hope,
justice, and welcome
you would share with
others.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

May 29th

“Where can I go from your spirit?
   Or where can I flee from your presence? Psalm 139:7

in that dimly lit
pub where we hope
no one knows our name,
you hand us a pint, and
wiping down the bar,
you stand, in the silence,
just in case . . .
we sit on the bench
in the shadows of the trees
at the cemetery, so you pause
and lean on the rake, gazing
with us at our love’s marker,
just in case . . .
as we trudge down the
side of death’s dusty road,
you pull up beside us,
open the door,
and offer us a ride,
just in case . . .
whenever,
wherever,
however
we are convinced that
we can make it on our own,
you show up
just in case . . .

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

May 28th

“Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse;
   the cautious will keep far from them.” Proverbs 22:5

words sharpened by snark,
headlines which never end,
promises which lose their glitter
leaving splinters in our souls,
how crowded are the avenues
of our lives, O God—
these are the thorns
we feel in our impatience.
and yet, you show us
other paths to follow—
walking just a bit slower,
taking time to listen (deeply),
taking on compassion
as our guide on this pilgrimage
while anger tries to shove us off
so keep a watch over us,
Gentle God,
opening our hearts to kindness,
making us wise enough
to recognize every pitfall,
and gracious enough to pick
the paths which lead toward
love,
justice,
hope,
peace,
you.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @ Thom-Shuman

May 27th

“The beginning of strife is like letting out water; so stop before the quarrel breaks out.” Proverbs 17:14

it is just an annoying drip
at first, not falling that often
or so loud that we can’t sleep—
but then
the off-the-cuff thought a friend
tossed in our direction,
that rudeness of a stranger
while we were waiting in line
(rather patiently, i thought),
a cold stare the lover gave
when we had hoped for passion
and suddenly
the drips start falling faster,
the noise slowly slides like
a trombone into a din,
our hearts begin to beat faster,
our blood pressure rises,
our anger is fueled by hurt
and
a friendship
a community
a love
is swept away simply
because we refused
to turn off the drip
when it first plopped
into our hearts.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @ Thom-Shuman

My 26th

“Better is a dinner of vegetables where love is than a fatted ox and hatred with it.” Proverbs 15:17

me?
i would rather share
a bowl of soup around
a scarred kitchen table
where stories and laughter
are louder than the kettle’s whistle
than sit at the head table
of a gold-trimmed ballroom
where cruelty is sharper than any knife.
because love isn’t plated on plenty
but in torn bread shared,
in the quiet ‘how are you, really?'
in the hand resting on the grief
of the silent person next to them.
which is why Wisdom advises us
to find the table where grace still is served,
to enjoy that simple meal crafted from need,
to gather with those whose kindness
outshines their imperfections,
and where mercy, inclusion, love
is more than enough
to make even the smallest portion
a banquet for those starving
for community.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @ Thom-Shuman

May 25th

“The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.” Proverbs 10:3

in this time of empty shelves
and overfull portfolios,
of news which feeds on hunger
and tables reserved by fear,
may it be enough
that you move among us
like food passed hand to hand.
you will not forget all who rise
tucking hope into weary souls,
who weave together meals and prayers
and wrap others with this faith.
you know that hunger
which lies below physical hunger—
for hope, for grace, for someone
to notice or listen or just be.
as you discomfort all
who consume without seeing,
gather without sharing,
confuse possessions for peace,
may we learn your economy of grace—
opening our hands to outsiders,
trusting that enough is holy,
believing that your abundance
was never meant only for our tables.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @ Thom-Shuman

Day of Pentecost

“you make the winds your messengers,
fire and flame your ministers.” Psalm 104:4

Spirit of the Living One—
you slip through the cracks
of our locked rooms,
not with thunder first,
but with the soft sigh
of God breathing dust into dancing.
you make your messengers winds,
the psalmist whispers;
and we know now
those winds carry names,
carry stories,
carry fragile hearts into streets
they never imagined walking.
today, fire does not consume—
it illumines.
tongues become bridges.
silence learns to sing.
and somewhere,
amid the chaos of newsfeeds, sirens,
and weary prayers folded at midnight,
your Spirit still moves over creation
like a mother smoothing
blankets over restless children.
so breathe on us again,
until our fear becomes welcome,
our bitterness becomes bread,
and our lives become small Pentecosts
set loose into the world.