Our desires are not a given, but a fundamental choice. Desires are most often unruly, disorderly, inordinate affections for XYZ, a good thing that I insanely need. Sometimes they are natural affections for xyz, made sane and orderly by subordination to passionate love for God that claims my heart, soul, mind and might. Our desires are often idolatrous cravings to get good gifts (overthrowing or ignoring the Giver). Sometimes they are intense desires for the Giver Himself as supremely more important than whatever good gifts we might gain or lose from His hand.

David Powlison

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
Dairy, Eggs		Breads, And, Coffeecakes	12	Servings

INGREDIENTS

1	pk	Cream cheese; 8 oz, softened
1	c	Sugar
1/2	c	Butter
1 3/4	c	Flour
2		Eggs
1/4	c	Milk
1	ts	Baking powder
1/2	ts	Baking soda
1/2	ts	Vanilla
1/4	ts	Salt
1/2	c	Raspberry preserves
		Powdered sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

In lg. bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and butter on med. speed until
fluffy. Add half of the flour, eggs, milk, bkg pwd, bkg soda, vanilla and
salt; beat about 2 minutes or till well-blended. Beat in remaining flour on
low speed till well mixed. Spread evenly into greased and floured 13x9x2
pan. Spoon preserves in 8 to 10 dollops on top of batter. Marble with
knife. Bake at 350 for 30 - 35 minutes till toothpick tests clean. Cool
slightly on wire rack. Sift pwd sugar on top.
Recipe by: Don't remember where I got it Posted to MC-Recipe Digest V1 #676
by "Kathy Rogers" <kathyrogers@earthlink.net> on Jul 17, 1997

A Message from our Provider:

“Jesus: stripped, abused, assaulted, violated . . . for you”

What is the worst the opposition can do? Kill you – though doubtless that will occur, at least for now, in this country. But even if that were case, the Scripture strips away that excuse citing that death for the Christian is the greatest event possible because only death has the ability to break the seal and usher you into inexpressible glory. Could the problem be that we simply have a too great a fascination with the things going on here and not enough desire to spend eternity with Christ? If we really “prefer” to be “home with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8), intimate, personal, visible communion with Christ that far exceeds our communion with Christ here (Heb. 11:10, 13), then we must be “absent from the body” (2 Cor. 5:8). In other words, we must die. Therefore death from that perspective doesn’t sound so bad. Only death can release me from “absent from the Lord” to be “home with the Lord.” So the worst the enemy can do is send me to paradise!

Randy Smith