Summary of Principles for Christian Stewardship: 1. Giving is to be in proportion to wealth - 1 Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 8:3, 11, 12; 9:8-11 (precisely what percentage that might be is never stated by Paul). 2. Giving is to be regarded as a privilege; indeed, it is an act of worship and praise - 2 Cor. 8:4; Phil. 4:15-18. 3. Giving is to be voluntary, not forced - 2 Cor. 8:3,11-12; 9:5,7. 4. Giving is to be preceded by the dedication of oneself to the Lord's work in whatever capacity possible - 2 Cor. 8:5. 5. Giving is to be characterized by a spirit of reciprocity - 2 Cor. 8:13-15. 6. The administration of Christian giving should take into consideration the principles [of integrity] that governed Paul's approach to the collection [he assembled] - 2 Cor. 8:16-24. 7. Giving is to be characterized by forethought and prayer - 2 Cor. 9:7. 8. Giving must never be characterized by sorrow over money lost or by covetousness - 2 Cor. 9:5, 7. 9. Giving should always be cheerful and joyous - 2 Cor. 9:7. 10. Giving should not be undertaken with a view to personal enrichment; rather, one should give with the expectation that God will supply the giver with abundance for additional giving - 2 Cor. 9:8-11. 11. All giving is to be understood as finding its source, power, and pattern in the grace of God in Christ - 2 Cor. 8:1,9; 9:14-15.

Sam Storms

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
Dairy	Mexican	Appetizers, Breads, Muffins & r	1	Servings

INGREDIENTS

3/4	lb	Fresh asparagus spears
1 1/2	tb	Plain yogurt — (nonfat if
		Desired)
1	tb	Sour cream — (light if
		Desired)
1/2	ts	White wine vinegar
1/8	ts	Garlic powder
1/8	ts	Dry mustard
1	pn	Sugar
		Red caviar — (any is fine
		But red looks very pretty)

INSTRUCTIONS

Remove tough ends of aspargus & peel off scales.  Cook asparagus,covered,
in a small amount of boiling water 6 min. or til crisp-tender.  Drain &
rinse with cold water & drain again. Chill. Combine yogurt & next 5
ingredients.  Cover & chill. To serve, divide asparagus in 4 servings. Top
each with 2 tsp yogurt mixture & a bit of caviar.
Recipe By     : Vonlisa
From: Western Mexican Cookbook
File ftp://ftp.idiscover.co.uk/pub/food/mealmaster/recipes/mmdja006.zip

A Message from our Provider:

“Jesus, what happened to your hands?#Little girl”

Jesus Christ demands self-denial, that is, self-negation (Matt. 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23), as a necessary condition of discipleship. Self-denial is a summons to submit to the authority of God as Father and of Jesus as Lord and to declare lifelong war on one's instinctive egoism. What is to be negated is not personal self or one's existence as a rational and responsible human being. Jesus does not plan to turn us into zombies, nor does he ask us to volunteer for a robot role. The required denial is of carnal self, the egocentric, self-deifying urge with which we were born and which dominates us so ruinously in our natural state. Jesus links self-denial with cross-bearing. Cross-bearing is far more than enduring this or that hardship. Carrying one's cross in Jesus' day, as we learn from the story of Jesus' own crucifixion, was required of those whom society had condemned, whose rights were forfeit, and who were now being led out to their execution. The cross they carried was the instrument of death. Jesus represents discipleship as a matter of following him, and following him as based on taking up one's cross in self-negation. Carnal self would never consent to cast us in such a role. "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die," wrote Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer was right: Accepting death to everything that carnal self wants to possess is what Christ's summons to self-denial was all about.

J.I. Packer