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