Jack’s Winning Words 5/13/16
“Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies.”  (Aristotle)  Cole Porter had the same idea when he wrote, “It's friendship, friendship  Just a perfect blendship  When other friendships have been forgot, ours will still be hot.”  The root meaning of “friend” is, to love.  “To love” is usually when two people are like one person…thinking, liking and appreciating the same things.  I wonder how Zuckerberg came up with using “friend/unfriend” for Facebook?    ;-)  Jack

FROM HONEST JOHN:  I love your point on FB.     We have cheapened too many words.    Even the term "love" is used in such meaningless ways today....mostly to mean "like".====JACK:  Other words that seem to mean "less" than they used to mean...God, work, value, loyalty etc.
====JOHN: Did you have Art Arnold?   He tried to recruit me to teach Homiletics...I had taught Freshman Homiletics at the Sem when I was a Senior.     I am glad that I opted for the parish instead.....loved that "work.====JACK:  Arnold was one of my preaching-profs.  That phrase...connect it up with life...came from one of the Augustana Sem profs of the 1930s.  He was far ahead of his time.  The phrase could stand to be re-visited today.

FROM TARMART REV:  I guess he must have thought we might not always welcome some of those requesting to be our "Friend" on FB . . . or perhaps some may be found as un-welcomed after a time . . . but ending this brief comment on a positive "musical note":
(v) "WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS, All our sins and grief’s to bear! What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer! O, what peace we often forfeit, O, what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer!
(v) Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged, Take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful Who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness, Take it to the Lord in prayer.
(v) Are we weak and heavy laden, Cumbered with a load of care – Precious Savior, still our refuge, – Take it to the Lord in prayer. Do thy friends despise forsake Thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer; In His arms He’ll take and shield Thee Thou will find a solace there.
====JACK:  "In the Garden" is another hymn that describes Jesus as a friend..."He walks with me and he talks with me, and he tells me I am his own."====REV:  Yes, Sir . . . one of my favorites as well . . . especially on down days!!

FROM RI IN BOSTON:  That ancient wisdom describing "friendship" expresses it so well.  Musically, Cole Porter wrote about friendship, and so did Charles Converse with his hymn, "What a friend we have in Jesus", the friend who showed perfect love.====JACK:  There's an old Swedish hymn that describes Jesus as a friend in this way...
I have a friend, so patient, kind, forbearing,  Of all my friends this friend doth love me best;
Though I am weak and sinful, yet when sharing  His love and mercy I am ever blest.

====RI:  Humbly and gratefully expressed.  I like the meter and how poetic it is.
====JACK:  It's even better in Swedish...
Jag har en vän , så patienten , slag , överseende , av alla mina vänner denna vän doth älskar mig bäst ; Även om jag är svag och syndig , men när de delar hans kärlek och nåd jag någonsin blest .

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  good quote.    is the exact quote,  "ours will still be red hot"?   or did i just dream that sometime in my life?  just curious...====JACK:  It doesn't rhyme when red is added.  Isn't it interesting how some acquaintances morph into friendships and how some friendships morph into lasting friendships?

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  👍🏻 Like====JACK:  I thought that you'd know the answer to the friend/unfriend question.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  What an interesting quote.  Are all your friends of like-mind? My friends, my dearest oldest friends are church friends so obviously we have a lot in common.  However, my newer friends and I have some things in common but not somethings.  They are fun too and good friends but not quite like the old.  The Girl Scouts sang and old song at their campfires... "Make new friends but keep the old; one is Silver and the other is Gold."====JACK:  Since we live in a diverse community, I find that many of my friends are diverse, too...color, religion, ages, gender, political views.  Perhaps the kindest and most "Christ-like" friend is a Muslim imam.