Monday, March 31, 2014

Guaba foam or Espumilla

When I came to Ecuador people would sell pink and ivory colored foam in ice-cream cones on the streets.

It seamed a very antihygenic, especially with all the heat, the dust and the flies around.

When I heard you needed eggs to prepare the foam, I was certain I would never ever try it.
espumilla
Guaba foam or espumilla.

But the Ecuadorian hospitality came to rescue.

A friend of mine bought a cone for me and offered it so I could taste this wonderful thing called espumilla.

A real Ecuadorian treat.

There was no way to say no without insulting him badly in front all of our friends.

So, I took the cone and prayed I would not die from disentery or suffer very badly at least.

Then I took one bite and I was sold.

Luckily I was also able to learn how to make espumilla myself and be sure it would be fresh and refrigerated.

First of all you need a batch of guaba fruits.

I made a medium size bowl out of just three, very mature, fruits.

You need to wash them and cut them in halfs.

Then boil them until the fruits are soft.
Liquefied guaba fruits without the sugar and egg whites.

If the fruit is mature, like mine were, you can put them in the blender whole with the peel on.

After making a mash out of the fruits mix them in a bowl with lots of sugar and three egg whites.

Voilá!

You have espumilla.
Espumilla
Espumilla or guaba foam

You can use artificial sweeteners instead of sugar if you prefer.

Just make sure you hoard a big enough batch for yourself because this is REALLY tasty!

Sunday, March 30, 2014

We cannot live without God

God made us.

People throughout the history have been searching, trying to invent some kind of happiness for themselves outside of God.

What we call human history is really a recollection of how men and women have tried to find something other than God, apart from God, which would make them happy.
“‘Obey what I tell you. Do exactly what I command you. Your obedience will close the deal. You’ll be mine and I’ll be yours. This will provide the conditions in which I will be able to do what I promised your ancestors: to give them a fertile and lush land. And, as you know, that’s what I did.’” “Yes, God,” I replied. “That’s true.”
Jeremiah 11:3-5 (The Message)
And we can never succeed in this is because God made us.

He invented us.

And we need Him to be able to function, to be whole, and to be happy.
Jesus didn’t respond directly, but said, “Who do you think my mother and brothers are?” He then stretched out his hand toward his disciples. “Look closely. These are my mother and brothers. Obedience is thicker than blood. The person who obeys my heavenly Father’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”
Matthew 12:47-49 (The Message)
According to C. S. Lewis, “God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about religion. God cannot give us happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing”.

When God created us, He gave us conscience.
So it’s you who are in charge of keeping the entire commandment that I command you today so that you’ll have the strength to invade and possess the land that you are crossing the river to make your own. Your obedience will give you a long life on the soil that God promised to give your ancestors and their children, a land flowing with milk and honey.
Deuteronomy 11:7-9 (The Message)
This is the sense of right and wrong.

All through human history, everywhere we can see, there has been people trying to obey it.

But sadly none of us have quite succeeded.
kichwa children in the Amazon
When outsiders who have never heard of God’s law follow it more or less by instinct, they confirm its truth by their obedience. They show that God’s law is not something alien, imposed on us from without, but woven into the very fabric of our creation. There is something deep within them that echoes God’s yes and no, right and wrong. Their response to God’s yes and no will become public knowledge on the day God makes his final decision about every man and woman. The Message from God that I proclaim through Jesus Christ takes into account all these differences.
Romans 2:13-15 (The Message)

This post is part of an on-going series.

To begin, read Natural law. A post about the law we all have in our hearts.

If you would like to know what comes after read the post about Moral law.


Having read that, you'll need to know Which moral law to choose

If you agree we need to choose a moral law, maybe you'll agree that We need God  


After we have understood the need we have for God, it is time to research What is sin

Having accepted your need for God, what kind of God is exactly a Christian God? This you can find out about in What we Christians believe

Why is it so hard to follow Christian faith? What prevents you to believe in God?

Do not let yourself to be fooled by Christianity and water

Who was first? The chicken or the egg? Read the post Of good and band - who was there first? The chicken or the egg? 

If God is above everything else and did not create evil then Why God accepts the evil in the world? 

Saturday, March 29, 2014

More thoughts and questions on St. Teresa of Avila’s book “The Way of Perfection”

“Those who worry too much about the alms that they are likely to be given will find that sooner or later this bad habit will lead them to go and ask for something which they do not need, and perhaps from someone who needs it more than they do. Such a person would gain rather than lose by giving it us but we should certainly be worse off for having it”. St. Teresa of Avila – The Way of Perfection
@ Marja Sormunen
Do you ask from the people who have less than you do?

Are you able to wait for God to provide for your sustainment?

Are you blessed by what you give to others?
@ Marja Sormunen
“Poverty is good and contains within itself all the good things in the world. It is a great domain – I mean that he who cares nothing for the good things of the world has dominion over them all”. St. Teresa of Avila – The Way of Perfection
Do you think poverty is good?

Would poverty be good for you?

Why does St. Teresa say that it is good for us?

And why does she say that the person who cares nothing for the good things has dominion over them?

@Marja Sormunen
If you enjoyed this post maybe you would like to read the first post I wrote about St. Teresa of Avila's book: Thoughts and questions on St. Teresa of Avila's book "The Way of Perfection"