February 3rd

"By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.” Hebrews 11:20

it is so hard to see tomorrow,
much less that dim future,
when our streets are iced over
in so many different ways,
when our times are marked
by rivalry and regret, like siblings
that jostle for blessings and inheritances,
when nothing seems to be as sure
as the fact that uncertain days
fill every date on our calendar.
yet our ancestors in this mystery
called faith, left us with some hints—
dare to hold our hands open not clenched tight,
trust that God keeps bending us toward justice,
believe that mercy is never far from us.
so, when we fear that tomorrow will be so heavy,
we might drop it and shatter our fragile world,
may we, by faith,
offer blessings and not curses,
speak life rather than fear,
plant seeds we may never sit under,
choose love over cynicism,
trust that God weaves hope
into the messes of our lives,
and leave the future up to God,
knowing it is not ours to control.
may we be blessings of hope,
grace, love, peace, justice,
inclusion, and wonder,
by faith.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

February 2nd

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

Faith
has nothing to do with
answers clutched in our hands,
it is that gentle weight of hope
cupped in our palms.
it is there, just at the edge
of the future, with nothing
but a promise and believing
that is more than enough
to keep our knees from knocking.
it is learning to feel
the invisible breath of God
in all our ordinary moments—
cleaning bathrooms and
making grocery lists,
in knocked-to-our-knees
grief that keeps showing up,
as well as the joy which
takes our hands and holds tight.
it does not demand proof,
but simply sits with us
waiting
listening,
leaning its whole life
toward those whispers of love
lingering all around us.
Faith is gentle persistence
to live as if the light is real
even as shadows surround us,
trusting that what we hope for
is already wrapping its arms
around us.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

February 1st

“Abraham answered, "Let me take it upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes.” Genesis 18:27

ankle deep in the dust
of Abraham’s words, the ash
of that audacious hope in our throats,
we dare to speak our shattered hearts.
yes, we are insignificant, as others remind us,
but grace is burning at the edges,
justice is bent like a bruised reed,
mercy is shouted down by violence,
cruelty keeps jotting down names,
and fear creeps into our souls
like winter’s chill into arthritic bones.
yet, we dare not keep silent,
not so much out of dogmatism
but because silence is simply giving up.
so in those faint echoes of that ancient voice
may we have the humility to know who we are,
the courage to confront who we refuse to be,
and the persistent hope to ask
who we might yet become.
if only a remnant dares to speak,
if only a fragment of the faithful
can begin to make a difference,
then start with us.
our lives becoming questions
to challenge the powerful,
answers which will not turn to futility,
songs which keep walking
the streets of mercy,
and prayers taking one shaky step
at a time, but never backwards.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 31st

 “But he said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." John 6:20

they live in fear:
that person standing
in the road, not to annoy us,
but because the spot where
they stand to catch a bus
is covered with ice.
they live in fear:
the folks who walk
in the street, not because
they have had a few drinks,
but the plows clearing the roads
so we privileged can travel
in warmth and safety covered
up the sidewalks they need
in order to get to their jobs,
their homes, their lives safely.
they live in fear:
the folks who stand on corners
in sub-zero temps hoping someone
might slip them the cash
they need to get a warm room
for the night.
they live in fear:
because rarely do they see
Jesus coming toward them
saying there’s nothing to fear,

because we are too busy

to notice them.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo : @Thom-Shuman

January 30th

“My soul also is struck with terror,
     while you, O LORD — how long?” Psalm 6:3

how long indeed!
before those nightmares
which accompany our days
slip back under the covers
of our beds where they belong?
how long indeed!
before fear takes off its masks,
packs up its weapons,
loads up its vehicles built
strictly for intimidation, and
returns our streets, our neighborhoods
back into the communities
of kindness and welcome
they once were known for?
how long indeed!
before the chillblained hours of our grief,
where grace is thin as winter daylight,
are thawed by the warm rays
of hope, justice, compassion, and peace?
O Lord,
how long indeed!

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 29th

“’You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf. Yet you refuse to come to me to have life.’” John 5:39-40

we trace our fingers
down the verses
as if they were maps
pointing the way to our
preconceived destinations.
we take the words, turning
them over like stones, hoping
to find all our prejudices, our
anger, our fears living underneath.
but the pages rustle softly—
not about life but nudging us
toward it, like sunflowers
turning to that source of light
which stands before us.
oh, we can memorize all
the names of the bodies of water,
yet we miss the water lapping
gently at our toes.
we dip our nets into verses,
trying to pull forth a great haul
of judgement upon others, of
affirmation of our self-righteousness,
but love simply keeps whispering—
not in the margins or in the past tenses,
no, i am breath, i am now, i am
that door you keep reading about
but refuse, out of spite, to open.
and the Old Book
softly closes its pages
so that we might look up
and see life holding open its arms.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 28th

“but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
     in those who hope in his steadfast love.” Psalm 147:11

the politicians?
they would take it
in a heartbeat and
offer it to the person
who donated the most money
to their campaign.
the superstars?
they would leave it
on the pitch, covered in
the muck and mire of
just another game.
the religious scammers?
they would add it
to all the rest accumulated
from so many suckers as
they build more and more
campuses generating
more and more adulation.
but you?
you wrap it gently in your love,
tying a ribbon of grace around it
and place hope back into my heart.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman