Embracing Him

Today is St. Patrick’s Day, so I’ve decided to repost my favorite corned beef recipe.

Most corned beef recipes I’ve come across require you to boil the meat before placing it in the oven to finish. To me, it’s just an extra step I don’t want to be bothered with, so my solution is to toss everything into my Crock Pot with a wonderful sauce and let it slow cook all day.

I usually use a brisket weighing about 3 pounds or so. Add potatoes and other veggies into the Crock Pot for a complete meal. You can serve the meat without placing it in the oven, but I like to have a sweet crust on top of my brisket so I broil it before serving.

Wondering what to do with the leftovers? Make a yummy Reuben sandwich by piling the corned beef on bread and topping with Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing.

Sweet and Hot Corned Beef Brisket

1 corned beef brisket
1 cup apple juice
1 cup ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup bourbon (may use ginger ale as a substitute)
1 tablespoon mustard
1 ½ teaspoons red pepper flakes

In a medium sized bowl, combine the apple juice, ketchup, brown sugar, bourbon, mustard, and red pepper flakes.

Place the brisket into the Crock Pot and pour the sauce over it. Cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 4 hours.

Just before serving the brisket, remove it from the Crock Pot and place in it a baking dish. Transfer the sauce to a pot and bring it to a boil. Add a teaspoon or two of cornstarch to thicken it. Baste the corned beef with the thickened sauce and place under the broiler for 3-4 minutes. Basting may be repeated as many times as you wish.

When ready to serve, slice the meat across the grain and drizzle with the remaining sauce.

Photo: Courtesy of stu_spivack (Flickr)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Hebrews 12:1)

Today I’m joining the conversation over at Cafe Chat, a weekly gathering sponsored by Internet Cafe Devotions. Our hostess Kim has asked us to address the following question:

How can we be set free in Christ from our strongholds and struggles?

In these modern times, many people are quite comfortable talking about their struggles. The bearing of hearts seems to be the “in” thing and television and books bear witness to this new found transparency. Talk shows and radio broadcasts have a constant stream of guests eager to share their stories of struggle and authors fill hundreds of pages as they write about the giants in their lives.

It is wonderful that we can be so transparent and that our stories can be used to let others know they are not alone in their struggles. However, bearing our hearts is not all that needs to be done. We must do more more than face the giants in our lives. We must slay them! And so the question becomes, how can we free ourselves from these struggles?

Breaking free of our struggles is not easy to do, but thankfully, we do not have tackle the task alone. We have a mighty Savior who is willing and able to help us move from victim to victor! However, we must do our part to show that we’re ready to break free of our struggles. Here are five steps and a few scriptures I use to help move along the path to freedom.

1. We must admit that we are struggling. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. Every single one of us has been trapped in the snare of sin. Because of this, we all experience struggles and we must admit to ourselves and God that these struggles exist. Denying that we have a particular struggle delays a resolution and pushes us further away from the One who has thrown us a lifeline. We must recognize that we’re drowning in our struggles and reach for The Lifeline.
2. We must force the fear to flee. Though it is easy to be paralyzed by fear, it is dangerous for us to remain in its grip. When we’re too afraid to move, we can’t wage war against our struggles. 2 Timothy 1:7 reminds us that “…God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” As believers, we have the Holy Spirit living inside us. When we yield to the Holy Spirit, we can push aside the spirit of fear and focus on attacking our struggles. Running away in fear is not an option because the Holy Spirit helps us continue to move forward.
3. We must let go of the guilt. Sometimes we cannot experience the freedom of releasing and overcoming our struggles because we’re burdened by guilt. We trick ourselves into believing that we’re so guilty that God could not possibly choose to rescue us from our struggles.  Isaiah 43:25 paints a very different picture.  “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins. When we come to Him in sincerity, God will forgive us. Likewise we must release the guilt, forgive ourselves, and break free of strongholds.
4. We must work to break free of our struggles every single day. Matthew 24:13 tells us “The one who endures to the end, he will be saved.” Some of our struggles won’t disappear overnight. In fact, in order to gain the upper hand or to prevent ourselves from being defeated by our struggles, we must work chip away at them through prayer and even fasting. If we forget to prune the thorny bushes of sin each day, they’ll grow up and choke us with our struggles.
5. We must remember that God has a great plan for our lives. Even though we struggle, God has good things in store for us when we stay in His will. Jeremiah 29:11 clearly shows this. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Knowing this should encourage us to continue fighting to stay on top of our struggles. As we fight, we may be encouraged my remembering that God uses struggles to teach us something or to help develop more Christ-like characteristics within us.

Just because we are Christians does not mean we are exempt from struggles and the only way we will overcome these struggles is with the help of God. The key to overcoming our struggles is to walk along side our Savior, seek His advice, and follow His divine directions. We will never regret that we did.

Earlier this week a big Nor’easter blew in and the snow kept us indoors for the day. When the weather turns cold and frightful like this, I prepare comfort food to help warm us up. Beef stroganoff is the perfect cold weather meal: hearty, comforting, and relatively simple to prepare.

I’ve prepared this stroganoff with beef cubes, sirloin, and even ground beef. No matter which cut of beef I pull from from the freezer, we always enjoy the results.

Serve the stroganoff over the traditional egg noodle or opt for rice instead. Just be sure you offer some type of pasta or grain to absorb this yummy sauce. And if you’d like a lighter version, use low fat sour cream. We find that the stroganoff still takes great.

Beef Stroganoff
1 pound beef cubes or sirloin
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup white wine
2 cups beef broth
1 cup sour cream

Season the beef with salt and pepper and dredge it in flour. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the beef and brown it in the skillet. Remove the beef from the skillet and set it aside.

Stir in onion and garlic and sauté until slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Mix in mushrooms, and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Stir in the wine and beef broth and cook until slightly thickened.

Stir in sour cream and season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes or until meat is tender. Serve over egg noodles or rice.

Photo: Courtesy of sergeant killjoy (Flickr)