SPRING CLEANING...AGAIN!

I'm so excited that it is officially Spring!  Although some cities still have snow on the ground, there is hope for warmer weather and blooming flowers.  Since my January post about spring cleaning brought about a lot of conversation (thanks for the emails!)  I thought I would post it again.  So enjoy!

Don't you love it when spring time comes along and everything is fresh and new?  People often do deep cleaning and organization of their homes when the season comes.  My mother is a little different.  Spring cleaning would occur in December.  She always says, "You don't start the new year with dirt and a mess!"  So, every year, we would deep clean the house, rearrange furniture and get rid of things we didn't need and donate it to charity.   It was a tradition.  A few years ago I decided to take my childhood tradition and take it to another level: spiritual house cleaning.  As we say goodbye to one year and enter in to another, let's make an effort to go it with a fresh start and a clean house.    

Imagine this…

It is garbage day and you forgot to take the trash out to the curb.  Because of your busy schedule, you haven’t been able to put the trash out for quite some time and now you hear on the news that the sanitation department is on strike.  You panic because you already have a lot of trash built up and you have no idea when the next pick up will be.  Two things happen:

1.    Your home smells foul and is dirty because of all of the trash 

2.    You have no room in the house for the new furniture being delivered because the house is a mess

Of course, this example is a little extreme (hoping no one can relate to this) but it helps to explain the purpose of spiritual cleaning.  Many of us go through our busy lives fitting God in when we have time instead of making time for God.  As time goes by, we are busier and more detached spiritually.  We become used to the filth around us and become more exposed to the enemy’s tactics.  The results, similar to my example above, are two-fold:

1.    We become irritated and irritating. Our relationships suffer because instead of the sweet aromatic personality, we give off a stench of bitter garbage.

2.    Our spiritual house is so cluttered with junk, we have no room for the blessings God has for us.   Often times we can’t even recognize a blessing when it is coming our way because our focus is on the wrong thing.  

Spring cleaning - [spring klee-ning]

noun: the activity of giving a place a complete cleaning

We can polish our silver and organize our pantry but the spiritual cleaning goes deeper.  Sometimes we have things in our homes that leave us open to spiritual attacks.  Here is a list of few things that you would want to get rid of during your cleaning:

•  Ouija board and other items associated with witchcraft (even if you think it’s just for fun)
•  Things associated with past sins (there is no reason to keep the bong as a souvenir)
•  Art with demonic influence, such as, skulls, snakes death, etc. 
•  Mementos from past inappropriate relationships (that bracelet from the person you were having an affair with has to go)
• Pornography

If you have any of these items on my sample list, now is the time to part ways with them.  If you want to go in to the new year prepared for what God has planned for you, it starts with a spiritually clean house.  Once you have gone through and thrown away what doesn't belong, that's when the prayer begins.  Pray for forgiveness.  Pray for a spiritually clean home.  Pray that whatever spirits that were attached to those things are gone from your home and God's protection prevails.

The bible says in Hosea:

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Hosea 4:6 (ESV)

Now that you have some knowledge, what will you do with it?  In my last post for 2014, I encourage you to start the new year off with less junk, clutter and filth, physically and spiritually.  

If you want more information and details on how to spiritually cleans your home, email me directly at info@mendingmaria.com.

Have a blessed 2015!

Mending Maria

WHAT'S YOUR NAME?

When my dear friend found out that she was pregnant, she quickly ran out and purchased a book of baby names and their meanings.   A long time ago, names given to children were not only to identify who they were, but also who they were to become.  A name wasn't given because it sounded cute.  A name was given to bless and speak to the child’s destiny.  As years have gone by, babies are now being named after favorite family members, celebrities, or given a name with more syllables than necessary.    These days, names have been lost and labels have taken its place.  For example: hopeless, failure, pathetic.  The sad thing is, some of these aren't even labels given to us.  They are labels we've put on ourselves. 

I remember working in a fast paced environment that was very competitive.   It wasn't uncommon for people to be called “loser” or “vulture” depending upon their sales performance.   After some time, their personalities became exactly like the label put on them.  What label has been put on you that you’re living up to…Or living down to? 

I remember in the Bible when Rachel and Jacob were about to have their second child.   The labor was very rough on Rachel and she knew she slowly was dying giving birth to her son.  Genesis 35:16 says,

 With her last breath, for she was dying now, she named him Ben-oni (Son of My Pain), but his father named him Ben-jamin (Son of Good Fortune).

While his mother named him out of anger and distress, his father named him and blessed him with good fortune.  How awesome is that!

I don’t know about you, but I am sick of labels being put on people.  Sometimes even in everyday conversation, we can be tagged with a label.  “You’re so stupid!”  “You’re crazy!”  “You’re ridiculous!”  Here’s a thought, why don’t we take a lesson from the Bible and instead of pinning the labels on ourselves, we go with what our Father calls us. He calls us:

So tell me, what is your name?  Who do you say you are?

Mending Maria

ST. PATRICK'S DAY DESSERTS

This year is going by fast!  I have been so busy that March crept up on me before I realized it.  I am working on a huge project that I can’t wait to announce in a few weeks, but in the mean time, let’s eat!

Of course, for our monthly recipe, I have chosen desserts in honor of St. Patrick’s Day coming up on March 17^th.   All three desserts are centuries old but the taste are just as popular today.   Try one of these today  and celebrate Erin go Braugh!

Irish Soda Bread

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

3 tbsp butter

2 eggs

¾ cup buttermilk 

1/3 cup raisins

In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Cut in butter until crumbly.  In a small bowl, whisk 1 egg and buttermilk.  Stir into flour mixture just until moistened.  Fold in raisins.

Knead on a floured surface for 1 minute.  Shape into a round loaf; place on a greased baking sheet.  Cut in a ¼ inch deep cross in top of loaf.  Bear remaining egg; brush over loaf. 

Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.  Yield: 6-8 servings.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/irish-soda-bread

Irish Fluffy Lemon Pudding

2 tbsp butter

¼ cup berry sugar (or Castor sugar)

2 lemons

 2 eggs

½ cup flour

1¼ cups milk

Cream butter.  Add sugar and beat well.  Grate the rind of the lemons and squeeze out the juice, strain, set aside.  

Separate the eggs, add one yolk at a time to the butter/sugar mixture beating well between.  Stir in the flour and gradually add the lemon juice and rind.

Add milk.  Whisk the egg whites stiff and fold gently into the batter.

Place into a pie plate and bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 40 minutes. 

Serve with whipped cream.

http://www.food.com/recipe/irish-fluffy-lemon-pudding-20889

Irish Whiskey Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

2 cups all purpose flour

¼ cup Irish whiskey

¼ cup candied citron, chopped

¼ cup golden raisins, blanched and chopped

¼ cip almonds, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease two cookie sheets; set aside.  In a small mixing bowl, cream together the butter and the sugar.  Beat in the eggs until well blended.  Add the flour and Irish whiskey, and beat the dough until smooth. 

Add the fruit and nuts and mix well.  Drop cookie dough from a tablespoon onto the prepared cookie sheets.  Bake each sheet of cookies for 8-10 minutes.

Remove the cookies from the baking sheets with a spatula while still warm.  Place oin wire rack to partially cool.  Store the cookies in an airtight container with a slice of white bread to maintain their soft, fruity texture.

http://www.irishcentral.com/culture/food-drink/irish-whiskey-cookies-79245727-237359271.html#

Mending Maria