We have tended to turn the Christian faith into 'a relationship through Christ with a God who is the divine vending machine in the sky, there to meet our every need. ‘Unhappy? Unattractive? Unsuccessful? Unmarried? Unfulfilled? Come to Christ and he’ll give you everything you ask for.' We forget God is not primarily in the business of meeting needs. When we make Him out to be, we squeeze Him out of his rightful place at the center of our lives and put ourselves in His place. God is in the business of being God. Christianity cannot be reduced to God meeting people’s needs, and when we attempt to do so, we invariably distort the heart of the Christian message (David Henderson).

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CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
Grains, Dairy		All newly t, Rice and pa	2	Servings

INGREDIENTS

3	lg	Vine-ripened tomatoes
3/4	c	Canned black beans; drained and rinsed
2	tb	Extra-virgin olive oil
3		Cloves garlic; minced
2	tb	Chopped fresh cilantro
1	tb	Chopped fresh chives
1	tb	Fresh lime juice
1/2	ts	Ground cumin
1/4	ts	Ground red pepper
1/4	ts	Salt
1/4	ts	Black pepper
4	oz	Vermicelli; uncooked
1/2	c	Shredded Monterey jack cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

Peel tomatoes, and coarsely chop over a medium bowl, reserving juice.
Combine chopped tomatoes, reserved juice, beans, and next 9 ingredietns;
cover and let stand at room temperature at least 1 hour.
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Serve tomato mixture
over pasta, and sprinkle with cheese. Yield 2 servings.
Recipe by: Southern Living 1993 Annual Recipes
Posted to MC-Recipe Digest V1 #838 by L979@aol.com on Oct 12, 1997

A Message from our Provider:

“We can do nothing, we say sometimes, we can only pray. That, we feel, is a terribly precarious second-best. So long as we can fuss and work and rush about, so long as we can lend a hand, we have some hope; but if we have to fall back upon God — ah, then things must be critical indeed! #A.J. Gossip”