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

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
Dairy, Eggs		Bread	12	Servings

INGREDIENTS

1	pk	Active dry yeast
6	tb	Warm water (105-115 degrees)
2 3/4	c	All-purpose flour; divided
2	tb	Sugar
1	ts	Salt
6	tb	Butter; softened
6	tb	Heavy cream
4		Egg yolks
1/2	pk	(6-oz) Nestle Toll House semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1		Egg; beaten

INSTRUCTIONS

In small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water; set aside for l0 minutes. Add
3/4 cup flour; knead until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise in
warm place for 1 hour. In large bowl, combine remaining 2 cups flour, sugar
and salt; make well in center. Add butter, heavy cream and egg yolks to
well; mix until dough forms a ball. On lightly floured board, knead dough
until smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes). Knead in yeast mixture. Knead
in Nestle Toll House semi-sweet chocolate morsels. Reserve 1/4 of dough;
set aside. Form remaining dough into ball; place in buttered 8-inch glass
brioche mold.  If a metal brioche mold is used, raise oven temperature to
375 degrees.  Make deep depression in center of dough. Roll remaining 1/4
of dough into ball. Press into center of dough in mold. Pat topknot to
shape evenly. Cover with cloth; let rise in warm place until doubled in
bulk (about 1 hour). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush bread with beaten
egg. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Cover with foil. Bake 15
minutes longer. Remove from mold; cool on wire rack. Serve warm. Makes one
brioche.
From <Favorite Recipes: Nestle Sweet Treats>.  Downloaded from Glen's MM
Recipe Archive, http://www.erols.com/hosey.

A Message from our Provider:

“Christian ARE better BECAUSE they are forgiven.”