Selected by Thalia Thompson in April & May 2008
(some are uncredited)
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Cultivate the spirit of celebration in your life -
We celebrate because our lives overflow with things
to be thankful for, and because God gives us the eyes
to see how incredibly we have been blessed -
In the presence of hope - faith is born.
In the presence of faith - love becomes a possibility!
In the presence of love - miracles happen!
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May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace
as you trust in Him.
(Romans 15:13)
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Friends warm the world with happiness!
Time has a way of defining friends.
Passing years and growing distance are ineffective obstacles
to mutual love between friends.
Into all our lives, in many simple, familiar ways,
God infuses an element of joy from the surprises of life,
which unexpectedly brighten our days and fill our eyes with light.
(Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
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Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart,
and the pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel.
(Proverbs 27:9)
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To have a friend is to have one of the sweetest gifts that life can bring;
to be a friend is to have a solemn and tender education of the soul from day to day.
(Amy R. Brown)
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May you always find three
welcomes in life -In a garden during summer,
At a fireside during winter,
And whatever the day or season, in the kind eyes of a friend.
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Friends - they cherish each others hopes.
They are kind to one another's dreams.
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Winter preserves and strengthens a tree.
Rather than expending its strength on the surface,
the tree forces its sap deeper into its interior.
In winter, a tougher, more resilient life is firmly established.
Winter is necessary for the tree to survive and flourish.
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Our only response to God's holiness, and that of His Son, Jesus, is humility.
If you are interested in developing a long-term relationship with both God and others,
make humility your goal.
As we kneel at the feet of our Lord, He will lift us up.
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What does Love look like?
It has hands that help others.
It has feet to hasten to the poor and needy.
It has eyes to see misery and want.
It has ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men.
That is what Love looks like.
(Augustine)
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Time has a way of defining true friends.
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Say only what is good and helpful, and what will give a blessing.
(Ephesians 4:29)
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Every act of kindness
moves to a larger one
Till friendships bloom to show
What little deeds have done.
(June Masters Bacher)
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Love is not getting, but giving -
It is goodness and honor and peace and pure living -
Yes, love is that and it is the best thing in the world
And the thing that lives the longest.
(Henry van Dyke)
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If you believe in God, it is not too difficult to believe that He is concerned
about the universe and all the events on this earth.
But the really staggering message of the Bible
is that this same God cares deeply about you and your identity
and the events of your life.
(Bruce Larson)
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Friendship improves happiness and abates misery,
by doubling our joy and dividing our grief.
(Joseph Addison)
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Two are better than one - for if they fall, one will lift up the other.
(Ecclesiastes 4:9,10)
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There is something basic about friendship.
It is like the structure that holds up a building.
It is mostly hidden, and absolutely essential!
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It is a glorious thing
to know that your Father God makes no mistakes in directing or permitting that which crosses the path of your life.
"It is the glory of God to conceal a matter" (Proverbs 25:2)
It is our glory to trust Him, no matter what.
(Joni Eareckson Tada)
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It is God to whom and with whom we travel,
and while He is the End of our journey,
He is also at every stopping place.
(Elisabeth Elliot)
(and was at the beginning!)
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The support given God's children in need expresses the true meaning of friendship.
Friendship, like the immortality of the soul, is too good to believe.
(R. Waldo Emerson)
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To get the full value of joy, you must have somebody to divide it with.
(Mark Twain)
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