I LOVE Maryland Lump Crab Cakes, especially the ones you can get at Legal Sea Foods. Lots of lump crabmeat, spiced up, breaded and fried equals DELICIOUS! Well, it’s not easy to get to Legal Sea Foods where I live, but I did get inspired by my nostalgic flashback.

I had some chicken leftover from chicken quesadillas that we made a couple of nights ago and needed to use the rest of the chicken. I didn’t have any more tortillas, so I wondered how Mexican Chicken Cakes would taste. So, I used my food processor to pulse the shredded chicken, cilantro, and red onion. I then added a bit more spice, a couple of eggs, and breadcrumbs, and came up with my new favorite leftover-inspired recipe! The orange slices added a nice citrus zing to the dish.

Here’s the recipe (approximately)

Ingredients:
2 cups shredded chicken breasts
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, rough chopped
1/4 of a small red onion
2 eggs
1/2 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1 TBS olive oil (any cooking oil will do)
Orange slices (for garnish)

Directions:
1. Heat oil in nonstick pan on medium heat.

2. Add chicken, cilantro and onion to food processor. Pulse a couple of times to a fine consistency. If you don’t have a food processor, just finely chop these ingredients.

 3. In medium bowl, combine chicken mixture with rest of ingredients until well incorporated.

4. Form into 4 patties (not too thick), and cook until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes each side.

I’m definitely making these again soon. Next time, I’m gonna try a Mexican-inspired sauce to go with this recipe, and have it as a sandwich with lettuce, tomato, and a couple avocado slices. Enjoy!

From Matthew Henry Daily Readings by Randall Pederson

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock.

If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,

I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”

Revelation 3:20

Christ is graciously pleased by his word and Spirit to come to the door of the heart of sinners; he draws near to them in a way of mercy, ready to make them a kind visit. He finds this door shut against him; the heart of man is by nature shut up against Christ by ignorance, unbelief, sinful prejudices. When he finds the heart shut, he does not immediately withdraw, but he waits to be gracious, even till his head is filled with the dew. He uses all proper means to awaken sinners, and to cause them to open to him: he calls by his word; he knocks by the impulses of his Spirit upon their conscience. Those who open to him shall enjoy his presence, to their great comfort and advantage. He will sup with them; he will accept of what is good in them; he will eat his pleasant fruit; and he will bring the best part of the entertainment with him. If what he finds would make but a poor feast, what he brings will make up the deficiency: he will give fresh supplies of graces and comforts, and thereby stir up fresh actings of faith, love, and delight; and in all this Christ and his repenting people will enjoy pleasant communion with each other. Alas! What do careless obstinate sinners lose by refusing to open the door of the heart to Christ!

Boy, can I identify with this prayer!

This is re-posted from A Prayer for Parenting and Re-parenting by Grace by Pastor Scotty Smith, who blogs at http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/scottysmith/

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Ps. 127:1-3

Heavenly Father, it’s a peace-generating joy and a heart-liberating privilege to address you as the architect and builder of your own house—including the household of faith and our children’s place in your family.

As I look back over the years of my pragmatic parenting, I’m saddened, but I am also gladdened, for you’ve always been faithful to your covenant love, even when I was overbearing and under-believing. The move from parenting by grit to parenting by grace has been a fitful but fruitful journey. Take me deeper; take me further.

You’ve rescued me from parental “laboring in vain”—assuming a burden you never intended parents to bear. Father, only you can reveal the glory and grace of Jesus to our children. Only you can give anyone a new heart. You’ve called us to parent as an act of worship—to parent “as unto you,” not as a way of saving face, making a name for ourselves, or proving our worthiness of your love.

Oh, the arrogant pride of thinking that by my “good parenting” I can take credit for what you alone have graciously done in the lives of my children. Oh, the paralyzing unbelief of assuming that by my “bad parenting” I’ve forever limited what you will be able to accomplish in the future. Oh, the undue pressure our children must feel when we parent more out of our fear and pride than by your love and grace.

Since our children and grandchildren are your inheritance, Father, teach us—teach me, how to care for them as humble stewards, not as anxious owners. Help us to appreciate and celebrate the uniqueness of our children. Should you give them a personality and passion, gifts and callings other than what we would choose for them, give us grace to enjoy, rather than just endure who they are. More than anything else, show us how to parent and grandparent in a way that most powerfully reveals the unsearchable riches of Jesus in the gospel.

Give us quick repentances and observable kindnesses. Restore the years eaten away by the locusts of both co-dependent parenting and non-engaged parenting. Write wonderful stories of redemption and restoration. Convict us quickly and surely when we don’t relate to your covenant children “in line with the truth of the gospel” (Gal. 2:14 NIV). So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ powerful and faithful name.

The Cayman Islands is a wonderful place to live–white sandy beaches, clear blue seas, mild temps year round, great food–what you would expect on a tropical island. Some would even call it “paradise”. It seems idyllic, but for many, this beautiful place can be quite lonely. Most of the island is populated by ex-pats–people who work in Cayman but whose native country is elsewhere. Because of this, most people are far away from family and friends, and many find it hard to live here. Missing special birthdays, not being able to comfort or serve grieving or ill family and friends, longing for the familiar–can lead one to become very homesick. Not being with family and friends for holidays, especially Christmas, can make you feel very lonely.

I read this helpful quote from Elisabeth Elliott, and will be praying this for those who are experiencing loneliness this Christmas.

Be still and know that He is God. When you are lonely, too much stillness is exactly the thing that seems to be laying waste your soul. Use that stillness to quiet your heart before God. Get to know Him. If He is God, He is still in charge.

Remember that you are not alone. “The Lord, He it is that doth go with thee. He will not fail thee neither forsake thee. Be strong and of good courage.” (Deut. 31.8) Jesus promised His disciples, “Lo, I am with you always.” (Matt. 28:20) Never mind if you cannot feel His presence. He is there, never for one moment forgetting you.

Give thanks. In times of my greatest loneliness I have been lifted up by the promise of 2 Corinthians 4:17, 18, “For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, because we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.” This is something to thank God for. This loneliness itself, which seems a weight, will be far outweighed by glory.

Refuse self-pity. Refuse it absolutely. It is a deadly thing with power to destroy you. Turn your thoughts to Christ who has already carried your griefs and sorrows.

Accept your loneliness. It is one stage, and only one stage, on a journey that brings you to God. It will not always last.

Offer up your loneliness to God, as the little boy offered to Jesus his five loaves and two fishes. God can transform it for the good of others.

Do somethings for somebody else. No matter who or where you are, there is something you can do, somebody who needs you. Pray that you may be an instrument of God’s peace that where there is loneliness you may bring joy.

“The important thing is to receive this moment’s experience with both hands. Don’t waste it. “Wherever you are, be all there,” Jim once wrote. “Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.”

taken from Passion & Purity: Learning to Bring Your Love Life Under Christ’s Control by Elisabeth Elliot

I have heart issues. My heart is prone to wander. My heart is too easily broken when it should have been humbled. Rather than inclining my heart toward wisdom and knowledge, I readily feed upon the foolish dainties the world offers. In times of affliction I often cower and whine and complain, rather than counting it all joy when I face trials and momentary afflictions in this life.

I was recently reading Proverbs 15:13-15, and came across Charles Bridges commentary on this passage. I thought his words were worth further pondering and prayer as I work on my heart issues.

Proverbs 15:13–A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.

Bridges: [T]he first step in religion is not only beginning to be serious, but to be happy. To maintain our Christian balance, even “godly sorrow” must be disciplined; lest it break the heart, which it was intended only to humble; lest it give advantage to the enemy, and bring hindrance to the Church.

Proverbs 15:14–The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.

Bridges: Warm affections need the discipline of knowledge to form principle and consistency, Christian completeness and proportion: seeking for wholesome food, not intoxicating draughts; not deeming novelty the most desirable thing….But while the man of understanding is never satisfied with knowledge, the fool is fully satisfied with folly. So brutish is his taste, that his mouth feeds upon foolishness. It is his meat and his drink. His spirit “is of earth, earthy.” Many such fools we find in religion, who prefer empty speculations and disputings on matters indifferent to the rich pasture of the children of God. Let us ponder the responsibility of “going on to perfection; that, being of full age, we may have our senses excited to discern both good and evil.” [Heb 5:14]

 Proverbs 15:15–All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.

The abounding consolation of Christian affliction does not blot out its penal character. As the fruit and chastening of sin, it is an evil; and therefore all the days of the afflicted are evil. Yet the child of God in affliction is not so miserable as he seems to be. The darkest of these evil days can never make “the consolations of God small with him.” [Job 15:11] He can sing in the prison as in a palace….He can praise his God, when he hath stripped him naked. He can rejoice in him, as his portion in earthly destitution….What real evil then can affliction bring? Or rather, what does it bring but many feast days? A few days’ feasting would soon weary the epicure. But here the merry heart hath a continual feast–And ‘all his trouble is but the rattling hail upon the tiles of his house, ‘, not disturbing his enjoyment. Fed with this heavenly portion, shall I not thank my God, that he hath rooted me up from present satisfactions? “Let me not eat of this world’s dainties. Thou has put gladness into my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased” [Psalm 141:4; 4:6].

excerpts from An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs by Charles Bridges

He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
–Proverbs 28:13

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
–1 John 1:7

Do not say that your sins are too many and too great to expect to find mercy. No, be they ever so many, be they ever so great, but the blood of the Lord Jesus will cleanse you from all. God’s grace, my brothers, is free, rich, and sovereign. Manasseh was a great sinner, and yet he was pardoned; Zaccheus was gone far from God and went out to see Christ, with no other view but to satisfy his curiosity; and yet Jesus met him, and brought salvation to his house. Manasseh was an idolater and murderer, yet he received mercy; the other was an oppressor and extortionist who had gotten riches by fraud and deceit, and by grinding the faces of the poor; so did Matthew, too, and yet they all found mercy. Have you ben blasphemers and persecutors of the saints and servants of God? So was Saint Paul, yet he received mercy. Have you been common harlots, filthy and unclean persons? So was Mary Magdalene, and yet she received mercy. Have you been a thief? The thief on the cross found mercy. I despair of none of you, however vile you have been; I say, I despair of none of you, especially when God has had mercy on such a wretch as I am. Remember the poor Publican, how he found favor with God when the proud, self-conceited Pharisee, who, puffed up with his own self-righteousness, was rejected. If you will go to Jesus, as the poor Publican did, under a sense of your own unworthiness, you shall find favor; there is worth enough in the blood of Jesus to pardon greater sinners than he has yet pardoned. (From George Whitefield: Daily Readings, October 28)

You better watch out! You better not cry
You better not pout, I’m telling you why
Mommy’s going out–of town!

I’m making my list, checking it twice
Making sure we have plenty of chicken and rice
Mommy’s going out–of town.

Who’ll make them do their homework?
Who knows when they’ll awake?
Who knows if they’ve been bad or good?
Why, their Dad for goodness’ sake!

You better watch out! You better not cry
You better not pout, I’m telling you why
Mommy’s going out–of town!

I’m missing my family already, but looking forward to a great time of fellowship and sharing God’s Word with the women of Guilford Baptist Church in Sterling, VA. I’m so blessed to have a husband who is so unselfish, and who joyfully takes my load when I’m away. Add to that, two super responsible girls and a boy who takes seriously his role of helping Daddy take care of the family, and I swim in a sea of gratitude for the family the Lord has given me!

There are two great precepts for the conquest of the world for Christ—the first is preach the Gospel—but the second is live the Gospel and if we do not live the Gospel, we shall not succeed in preaching the Gospel! In fact, those members of our churches who do not live the Gospel, undo through all the week what the preacher of the Gospel endeavors to do on the Lord’s Day! It is a fine thing to preach with your mouth, but the best thing in the world is to preach with your feet and with your hands—in your walk and in your work! And if you are enabled to do this, the people will be able to say very little against the preaching of the Gospel when they see the result of it in those who accept it! God grant that we may be all preachers in some way or another! – Charles H. Spurgeon, The Soul’s Awakening, “Exposition of Matthew 11:1-6.”

“we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” (Romans 5:3-5)

The following conversation is taken from Revive Our Hearts radio program in a series entitled “Walking Through Life’s Deserts”. It is an interview featuring Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Kim Wagner, Holly Elliff, and Maria Johnson.

Kim: I think if we don’t get through that process where we walk through the tribulation to the point that we understand what perseverance is, that we get to the point ultimately of hope because God’s Spirit is being poured out through us. If we stop short in that process, then potentially we will end up angry and bitter because we miss the bottom line, that at the bottom of that pit Jesus is there.

Nancy: Of course, we want to get to the hope and the good product in our lives without going through the process of tribulation.

Holly: We want to get out of the process, mostly. We just don’t want to be in the process or maybe don’t want to be in the process as long as it takes to get to the end of it.

Maria: It’s like we forget the process is part of the plan. Our objective is to get out of this. Our objective is, yes, we want to be conformed to Christ’s image, but we want to be there now.

Holly: Well, I think, especially in America, we have been raised with a comfort mindset where if things are not going well or they’re tough or they’re difficult, we are very uncomfortable with that.

Kim: Comfort, instantaneous change and also easy three-step formulas to get there. When you were reading that in Romans 5, it so reminded me of in one of my most recent deserts, this verse in 1 Peter 5:10.This is such a precious promise to me where he says, “After you have suffered for a little while the God of all grace who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself [then] perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you” (NASB). It’s after you have suffered for a little while. We want to get to the end of that verse immediately, but we have to go through the suffering to get there.

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17 NIV 1984)

Amen and Amen!

How can we learn to “hate the sin and love the sinner”? We must remember that we are sinners, and we are loved.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8

“Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his
brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his
brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him
to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother
is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness;
he does not know where he is going, because the
darkness has blinded him.”
1 John 2:9-11