July 18th

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. Romans 13:1

but before we bow,
may we remember
that every seat of power
is on loan for but a moment
and rests on the foundation of dust.
for authority does not mean holiness
and power is not the same as love.
the Word who named the stars
knelt to wash the feet
of the vulnerable we ignore,
and chose to carry a cross
while never wielding a weapon.
thus, when laws brush past mercy,
when the smallest voice is silenced,
we will bend our knees
only to the God
whose justice lifts the forgotten,
whose peace confounds tyrants,
whose kingdom is based not
on any military strength
but a welcome to all, to all.
so may we always honor the good,
stand up to all that is cruel
and follow the Christ—
the One whose authority
is grounded in grace and love.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 17th

If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Romans 12:18

if we depend
on blustering politicians,
we should expect more
dangerous choices;
if we depend
on bile-filled voices,
we can expect
an increase in
hate and anger;
if we depend
only on ourselves,
the odds are we'll
screw it up;
but
if we depend on
you,
we just might learn
how to live
with each other.

© Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 16th

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2

when we have a mind
that folks need to earn
justice rather than
the privileged sharing
it freely with the forgotten
or
think kindness should on be
a random sort of thing
we do when someone needs
a door held open in the rain
but building affordable housing
doesn't seem to come
to pop into our heads
or
we believe that all is right
in the world when the rich
get breaks which bring more wealth,
when the power brokers
are never asked what is going on,
and when the celebrities
are granted permission for
all the knuckleheadness in the world,
obviously, we have a
far more skewed idea than you
as to what is good.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 15th

“Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us,
    even as we hope in you.” Psalm 33:22

there are mornings
when we wake before the alarm,
our hearts already weary
of the day’s headlines even
before we learn of them
and we want simply to
pull the duvet of apathy
back over our heads.
or if we should have
to venture out, we long
to clothe ourselves in
small, skeptical, mocking lives
and wander around the world
boxed in by despair’s heaviness.
yet, you would have us
not let fear, misery, anger
control our hope or our hearts,
so help us to listen,
to get up,
to speak out,
to act as those whose lives
are so filled with your
love which never gives up
on us or anyone else,
that we become
the resistance movement
to the chaos around us.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 14th

"Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.'" Matthew 25:24-25

afraid they might spend it
on addicts, the homeless,
and all the other losers
who hang out on our streets,
we keep your grace in
safe deposit boxes, throwing
away the keys.
we bury your hope ten feet
below the ground and then
pour two-foot-thick slabs
of concrete over the dirt.
we put all our justice
into bearer bonds which
won't mature for at least
another 50 years which by then
will make it someone else's problem.
we put put a lot of memes
and platitudes and posts
about how we can't look
at another person and know
what they are going through,
while turning our backs on
those standing on street corners.
all the while waiting for you
to pat us on the head
like good little girls and boys.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 13th

"So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace." Romans 11:5

in the din of the angry,
shouting, chanting voices
breaking all decibel records,
there is a little girl
singing of gentleness.
in the crowds of folks
who are pushing and pulling
at grace as if it was
a ball in a rugby scrum,
there is a referee reminding
folks that it is just a game, after all.
in the alley way, where
loneliness sits huddled in
a sagging cardboard box,
as tears from heaven
rat-a-tat over its head, a
homeless fellow walks by
offering a sip of hope, and
then walks on, saying,
'keep the bottle.'

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 12th

“They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” Mark 1:22

if only
i might be knocked
off my feet by your stories
about you coming to find
the lost (even me).
if only
i might be gobsmacked
by your simple assurance
that you welcome us
just as we are (even me).
if only
i might be stunned
by your insistence that
our worth is not based
on what we achieve,
but by God’s grace (even for me).
if only
i could be astounded
by that good news
which seems so comfortable,
so convenient, so ordinary,
that we yawn every time
we hear it (especially me).

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

July 11th

“Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives.” Matthew 24:46

when we roll up our sleeves,
our hands fragrant from
the bread we share,
cradling the tears of
those the world forgot,
and planting hope in all
the exhausted places,
we are merely blessings
as you taught us.
you don’t care if we
set the alarm for the
right time, but that we
were too busy caring
for the lonely,
the overlooked kids,
the weary souls just
at the edge of our lives.
so may we stop glancing
at the sky, and open our doors,
for you weave every act
of kindness into a welcome mat
as you arrive disguised
in all who show up needing
grace.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman