“Hope” is the thing with feathers -That perches in the soul – And sings the tune without the words – And never stops – at all”

—Emily Dickinson

@ourtinycottage

Latest Posts

  • Life Academy

      We dream; we grow;We move; we flow;We laugh; we glow.While here below,We live in anticipationOf pomp and circumstanceAnd graduation.We are matriculated in the school of lifeArticulated by toil and tears and strife.We are students of all that passesWork and… Continue reading

  • Dying to Deadsville – a Morning Prayer

    "It is in dying that we are born to eternal life." – Prayer of St. Francis So, let me die today and die daily.There is nothing in my instincts to pray such a prayer.But then, there is nothing in my… Continue reading

  • On Judgment and Judging Not – Not Even Our Judges

      Judge – The defendant will rise.Defendant – Yes sir, Your Honor.Judge – This court finds you not-guilty of the charge of Grand Larceny.Defendant – Thank you, Your Honor. Does that mean I can keep the watch? Beloved, you do… Continue reading

  • The God of Unhurried Haste

    I was looking back over some notes I made on the scriptures for this day several years ago. I was in a bit of a hurry. It is one of the things I deal with. Sometimes I am inclined to… Continue reading

  • Entering the Mystery

    Prayer is a deep spiritual mystery. Mutual communication with God is going on far beneath the surface of our lives. Not only do we often not know what to pray, we often know not what we are praying. This is… Continue reading

  • Don’t Give Up Today

    At this very moment, out of the thousands receiving this post, someone is considering quitting. It is not their job that they are tempted to walk out on, or necessarily their marriage, or anything that anyone will immediately notice. It… Continue reading

  • Peace, Justice, and Gospel

    The thirst thought I have is to eliminate the "and" because an adequate definition of "shalom" includes "well-being" of all and that includes justice. Furthermore, an adequate definition of justice implies well-being and the righting of wrongs. Peace is not… Continue reading

  • Timing

    We set urgent goals, make urgent plans, play urgent roles,Pray urgent prayers, seek urgent interventions for urgent cares. God quietly, silently, patiently hears our cries, our fears, our sobbing tears. God speaks and cage-rattles as silently and patiently to our rage-… Continue reading

  • The Forgiving Avenger

    "O LORD our God, you answered them; you were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings." – Psalm 99:8 The psalmist sings another paradox. Paradoxes make great poems and songs. They are also, often, along with… Continue reading

  • Room at the Table

    Let us delight the heart of God and make room at the table for all who will come. My tribe has a checkered history with forced conversions, violent power-grabbing, and militaristic exercise of religious dominance. To deny that is to deny… Continue reading

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