Name: Friendship Cake Brandied Starter
Ingredients: 1 c Pineapple; canned; cubed; 1 c Sugar; 2 tb Brandy; 1 c Maraschino cherries; And juice; 1 c Sugar; 2 tb Brandy; 1 c Peaches; and juice; sliced; 1 c Sugar; 2 tb Brandy

The Hebrew word translated wine in Genesis 14:18 is “yayin.” This word is used over 130 times in the Hebrew Bible to mean fermented wine, not grape juice. Alcohol is advised for medicinal purposes. Paul told Timothy, “No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments” (cf. Pro. 31:6; Mk. 15:23; Lk. 10:34). Wine was used in the Old Testament ceremonies of worship (Ex. 29:40; Lev. 23:13; Num. 15:5). Wine is described positively in the Bible (Gen. 27:28; Psm. 104:15; Psm. 104:14-15; Pro. 3:10; Ecc. 9:7; Jo. 2:24). Water needed to be purified in the biblical times so wine was added to it. And although the alcohol content was less than today, it was still considered wine and still commonly consumed by the people. I believe Jesus drank this wine (Mt. 11:18-19), made a better wine during His first miracle at Cana (John 2:1-11) and used wine when He instituted the Lord’s Supper (Mt. 26:29). Yes, people like Daniel (Dan. 1:8) made a choice to abstain. Others like the Nazirites (Num. 6:3; Lk. 1:5) and the Levites (Lev. 10:9) were commanded to go without alcohol. Kings are advised to avoid it (Pr. 31:4-5). Yet I do not believe Scripture necessarily forbids a Christian from drinking alcohol. Consuming alcohol may be a sin. But I believe to declare that drinking alcohol is always a sin is a legalistic addition and should be avoided. We are free to abstain from alcohol. I personally think that’s the best position. But we are not free to condemn those who choose to drink in moderation as being either sinful or less spiritual.

Randy Smith

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
		Cakes	1	Servings

INGREDIENTS

1	c	Pineapple; canned; cubed
1	c	Sugar
2	tb	Brandy
1	c	Maraschino cherries
		And juice
1	c	Sugar
2	tb	Brandy
1	c	Peaches; and juice; sliced
1	c	Sugar
2	tb	Brandy

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large one gallon jar, combine pineapple, 1 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons
brandy.  Let these ingredients sit in the jar for two weeks and stir daily.
At the end of two weeks, add cherries, 1 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons
brandy.  Let the mixture sit for two more weeks, stirring daily. The fourth
week, add peaches, 1 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons brandy. Let the mixture
sit for two weeks, stirring daily. Separate the liquid from the fruit. The
liquid is your starter and you can use the fruit on ice cream or cake. Now
you are ready to prepare the fruit for the cake. Do not refrigerate the
starter liquid.

A Message from our Provider:

“Gratitude produces deep, abiding joy because we know that God is working in us, even through difficulties.”

Remember God’s character. He is the holy and righteous Judge of all, and He hates injustice. He detests the taking of innocent life, and He is the Judge of all who participate in it. God is the Judge of mothers who have aborted babies, fathers who have encouraged abortion, grandparents who have supported abortion, and friends who have advised abortion. God is the Judge of doctors who have performed abortions, leaders who have permitted abortions, pastors who have counseled people to have abortions, and legislators who have worked to make abortion possible.

David Platt

Spiritual battles are fought on the turf of the human mind. It is not about identifying territorial demons or binding demons or rebuking demons. So are we battling the forces of darkness? Yes, because our ultimate battle is “not against flesh and blood” (Eph. 6:12), but no, because we are not called in Scripture to go toe-to-toe engaging in hand-to-hand combat with demonic forces. The war is over the control of human minds. Our aim is to liberate people from demonic strongholds. We are to free the prisoners of war. Our call is to convert not demons, but people. The arena therefore is not mystical, but intellectual. Therefore, according to 2 Corinthians 10:5, we “destroy [intellectual things] raised up against the knowledge of God.” How? We do it with the Word of God. We combat the error that has already been sown in people’s minds with truth. We, verse 5, “are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” This shows that the primary problem is that people have a wrong understanding of Christ.

Randy Smith