June 22nd

“Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of faith.” Romans 3;27

like precious plants we nourish,
we bring our framed diplomas,
our trophies polished and gleaming,
our report cards
and perfect attendance records,

a memorized acceptance speech—
but when we stand before you,
they slip away like dust
to be carried away on a breeze
for all we can bring are empty pockets.
because faith is not a medal
but an open door
to your Beloved Community,
where your mercy arrives
before any of our successes
and your welcome before
all that we think is most dear.
and so, we are invited
to walk beside you,
no taller than anyone else,
no wiser than a kid
just learning to read,
but full of gratitude.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 21st

“The whole assembly kept silence, and listened to Barnabas and Paul as they told of all the signs and wonders that God had done through them among the Gentiles.” Acts 15:12

in the joy of a child telling
Grandpa about seeing her
favorite player score a goal
in the match she attended.
in the stranger who prepays
for the groceries for the
family behind him, who
are counting their money
while looking at what they
could put back if needed.
in the young person visiting
his grandmother in the
memory unit, and then begins
singing a French ballad
for her neighbor who has
no family to visit her.
in people we never notice
because of being glued
to our mindless devices,
in voices we never hear
because we have the
speakerphone turned on,
we miss so many of your
signs and wonders, O God.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 20th

"Then the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We are not able to go up against this people, for they are stronger than we are.’ There we saw the Nephilim (the Anakites come from the Nephilim); and to ourselves we seemed like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.’" Numbers 13:31, 33

there’s a trillionaire
who sells tickets to
billionaires so they can
travel to be among space
which is made up of
the same dust from creation
which we are (at no charge to us).
there are strutting, bulked up,
more inked than newspapers
folks performing in cages,
and then having the gall
to mock grace personified.
then there are those
delivering groceries to the hungry,
advocating for kids in the system,
marching proudly with neighbors,
bringing people out of captivity,
lifting up the forgotten and
never forgetting the rejected.
and you whisper:
‘blessed are the grasshoppers
for they are stronger than
all the knuckleheads
the world adores.’

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 19th

Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?" Matthew 18:21

because we cannot see you
as anything than an accountant
working from a spreadsheet
with debits and credits accruing
for each name in the system,
or like a team of professors trying
to come up with the ultimate
math formula which cannot
be solved by the next genius,
we have overcomplicated
the simple act of forgiving
(which is good, because it
lets us off the hook when
it comes to this question)
but for you, forgiveness
is a number so simple
it has no end, which seems
completely irrational to us.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 18th

“What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.” Matthew 18:12-13

duh!
it isn’t rocket science,
after all, is it?
of course, the forgotten:
the addict who has failed
rehab more times than
the family can count,
the hacker, the con,
the folks who hold cardboard
signs on every street corner
should be brought back
and welcomed back into
your Beloved Community—
but since we are too busy
rejoicing over the latest
snark that sticks it to all
those with whom we just
cannot stand to do anything,
we will let you take care of it.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 17th

"Or do you despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not realize that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?" Romans 2:4

sitting in the bar
at the No Regrets Inn
we sip at that well-aged
25-year-old bitterness
which we enjoy every day,
and thinking you are
of the same mind as us,
we send a bottle down
to you with our compliments
but
you wave it away, saying,
'thanks, but i think i will
stick with this,' holding
up a glass of crystal clear
grace on the rocks.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 16th

“Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
    my help and my God.” Psalm 42:11

we let our souls run barefoot
through shadowy valleys of fear,
instead of splashing in mercy’s pools.
nights may seem interminable in
those hearts weighed down by silence,
yet, God still hears the songs
buried deep within us.
for hope is not a denial of grief—
it is the candle we carry in such moments,
and should tears become our daily bread,
love is still nearer than breath,
more reliable than each morning’s sun.
so, let us sing lullabies of patience,
of faith, of listening

to our sad sack souls
for the One who carved canyons
still lays out paths to joy.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman