July 9th

"What shall I return to the Lord
     for all his bounty to me?" Psalm 116:12

when, at the last,
i stand before you—
may i have no love left
because i shared it
without any conditions,
no grace in my pockets
because i handed it out
to those i met along the way,
no hope tucked away in my soul
because i set it free to run
and throw its arms around
those forgotten by the world,
no justice left in my hands
because i used it to build
better communities for all
judged unfairly by the privileged,
no peace because there were
people who needed it to bring
an end to ancient hostilities,
no ego because i met those
who set aside their dreams
to care for the most vulnerable
of all your children rather
than serve themselves.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 8th

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

remind us, Tender Heart,
to look past that ancient bugaboo
that we are supposed
to stand before you,
shaking in our shoes,
knees knocking a rhythm,
terror's tremors reducing us
to seeming puddles of nothingness,
but
to see you holding out
your hands to gather all
our panicky, prickly fears
so you can rub them
to dust in your hands
and then blow them away
like dandelion puffs in grass
where the Spirit will transform
them into hope which will
shower us like cooling rain
on the hottest day imaginable.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 7th

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

not all our yesterdays
which try to pull
us back into foolishness,
nor our tomorrows
which crouch outside
with fear and worry;
not the doubts
we keep bumping
our heads on,
nor the slippery peels
of our banality;
not our towering
arrogance which
pushes you aside,
nor our unabashed
allegiance to voices
of animosity
will ever convince
you
to stop loving
us.

© Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 6th

 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. Romans 8:26

we always find
the words
to order off
desires' menu;
to finely craft
phrases to describe
our fears;
to pound out paragraphs
about the slights
we are forced to endure;
but
that ache
scraping the bottom
of our heart;
the hollowness
of our soul;
the emptiness
gnawing at the edges
of our faith?
only the Spirit
can discern them
and craft a
bridge of sighs
to you.

© Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 5th

“Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news." Mark 1:14-15

there—
where mercy is planted
and hands swaddle loneliness,
where chairs are added to tables
and the weary feast on hope,
where gentle words are spoken
and silence is the only prayer,
where love never gives up
and grace is shared freely.
there—
in that nurse who sits by the bed
and the neighbor carrying firewood,
in the shattered soul choosing forgiveness
and children who share lunch,
in people who refuse to hate
and in streets where justice is sought.
there—
in the ordinary and the forgotten,
in the vulnerable and the overlooked,
in the rejected and despised,
your Beloved Community
shines through the dusty windows
of a world which no longer believes.
there—
just out of the corner
of our eyes

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 4th

"I see him, but not now;
   I behold him, 

   but not near -- " Numbers 24:17a

help us to see you,
not in those well-known
and well-heeled superstars
on the pitch,
but in those who
sweep up the litter
after the match
whose names are lost;
not in those who
gather around arenas
and national lawns
to idolize those who
are so full of themselves,
but in those who
are dropping off food
to the homeless
and the forgotten;
not in the privileged
at the resorts and spas
on the beach,
but in those
who make the beds,
empty the bins
and clean the toilets.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 3rd

“it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God,” Romans 8:16

we don’t hear her
in the loudest voices,
for the Spirit uses the cracks
in our fretful hearts to slip through
to sit with the forgotten,
walk with those full of questions,
whispering to the frightened:
‘Beloved, you have always been
God’s own.’
and all those protecting walls
turn into open doors to strangers,
our clenched hands awaken
to that buried memory of being blessings,
our sore, sore feet find the courage
to keep following Love,
just one more time.
for in a world which would
stick a label on everyone,
the Spirit knows that name
given to us long, long ago:
children of God’s heart.
and so, may that witness
be what we carry into
every broken
every beautiful
every given day.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman