Matthew 25 has long been a touchstone chapter for moderate and liberal Christians, who say the passage -- "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink" -- signals their focus on social justice concerns over hot-button cultural issues.

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If I'm thirsty on a hot summer day, I'll occasionally drink a 7-Up.

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"I called out 'Father, ' and he said, 'I'm thirsty, ' and he started crying, " she said.

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"I'm thirsty, " he said with a smile.

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So I sat, increasingly thirsty, in the dusty departure lounge cursing the fact there were no fans to ease the heat.

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My mother leaned against the arm of a vinyl reclining chair and said she was thirsty, so I went to the nurses' station to fetch her some water.

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"I always wanted a big family, but when I read Above Rubies it was like drinking when you're thirsty, " she says.

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Having launched Honest Tea 14 years ago with five thermoses and a belief that consumers were thirsty for a lower-calorie natural and organic beverage, I appreciate all he has accomplished.

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