“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

  • On the One Hand and on the Other

    On one hand, is the mighty man, boasting of evil.On the other side is God, whose steadfast love remains and endures.  "Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The steadfast love of God endures all the day" – Psalm… Continue reading

  • Getting Stretched into Shape

    We are being stretched by the challenges that extend us and strengthened by the storms that beat upon us. Lent is coming, but it feels like we are already in it. Pre-Lent is a bit of a an enigma, yet… Continue reading

  • Who Can I Lift Today?

    Who can I lift todayFrom dregs or rags or rubble?"Who will lift me?" replies the bit of me within meWhose focus, inverted and cross eyed causes me to Stumble over unexpected opportunities."Refocus!" Shouts the me within me that can see,Refocus and… Continue reading

  • Words Matter

    Words matter because, in some mysterious way, they are alive. "Logos," is defined most often as "word," but it is also "principle," "idea," "truth," or "the things spoken of." It is also the act of speaking. It is both in-transient… Continue reading

  • Teach Us to Number Our Days

      A few years ago, reflecting on the news of a friend's death, I wrote: So many deaths … My wife said to me last night, "It's going to be more and more," as I informed her of the death… Continue reading

  • Prayer of the Weak

      I am weak, Lord. I am lowly. I bring nothing in my hands.  offer no credentials, no reputation, no resume worth reading. My track record is checkered. My focus is scattered. My mind is here and there and everywhere. I… Continue reading

  • Friend of the Friendless

      Friend of the friendless, May I be A friend, A friend, A friend to Thee. May I friendly Friendly, Friendly be To one who, Scattered, Lost at sea  Who May somehow, Somehow, Be set free By just one human… Continue reading

  • Lincoln, the Unlikely Hero

    Yesterday was the birthday of the sixteenth president of the United States. He was an imperfect and flawed man, but he was the man of the hour, accomplishing what no one thought he could accomplish and things that, perhaps no… Continue reading

  • Prayer of the Day

    Abba, today, I pray. I pray with words that elude me and with scattered thoughts. I pray out of the distractions of my soul. I pray out of profound need to connect with loose strands and slippery handles. I pray… Continue reading

  • What Is Truth? Come and See

      If you are like Pilate, and to some extent, we all are at some point, you just don't get it. We can't get it when we try to impose our own or society's definitions of power, might, prestige, and… Continue reading

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