﻿<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>maria's Revelife</title><link>http://maria.revelife.com/</link><description>Latest Revelife weblog from maria</description><language>en-us</language><ttl>60</ttl><image><title>The Weblog Community</title><url>http://s.revelife.com/Partners/revelife/images/logo-110x36.gif</url><link>http://maria.revelife.com/</link></image><item><title>Wednesday, September 17, 2008</title><link>http://maria.revelife.com/674683936/item/</link><guid>http://maria.revelife.com/674683936/item/</guid><pubDate>Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:35:14 GMT</pubDate><description>&lt;P align=center&gt;&lt;OBJECT height=344 width=425&gt;&lt;PARAM NAME="movie" VALUE="http://www.youtube.com/v/anieuWFWe8s&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1"&gt;&lt;PARAM NAME="allowFullScreen" VALUE="true"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/anieuWFWe8s&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/OBJECT&gt;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P align=center&gt;plus&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P align=center&gt;&lt;A href="http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=24354"&gt;Obama is the Most Pro-Abortion Candidate Ever&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P align=center&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;</description><comments>http://maria.revelife.com/674683936/item/#firstcomment</comments></item><item><title>more on that single issue</title><link>http://maria.revelife.com/674035356/more-on-that-single-issue/</link><guid>http://maria.revelife.com/674035356/more-on-that-single-issue/</guid><pubDate>Fri, 12 Sep 2008 01:10:30 GMT</pubDate><description>&lt;DIV class="itemcaption snap_preview"&gt;&lt;SPAN id=text-1450643014&gt;&lt;P&gt;A friend commented: &lt;/P&gt;&lt;BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"&gt;&lt;P&gt;&lt;EM&gt;"G.W. courted pro-life conservatives but from what i've heard isn't really comited to the pro-life cause. i suspect mccain is doing the same thing."&lt;/EM&gt;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;/BLOCKQUOTE&gt;&lt;P&gt;Well, at least he's not &lt;EM&gt;committed&lt;/EM&gt; to preserving the "right" of women to kill their babies in the womb. &lt;IMG height=15 src="http://s.xanga.com/Images/sad.gif" width=15&gt;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"&gt;Honestly, whoever wins, wins, but I cannot in good conscience vote for someone (Obama) who is so strongly pro-abortion.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Bottom line&lt;/STRONG&gt; is&amp;nbsp;I'm just voting my conscience because I think about having to answer for that someday. My personal accountability matters more to me than the actual outcome of the race. It's the ol' "faithfulness" as opposed to "results." That's just how my brain works. - shrug -&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;I totally understand the "results" thinking and voting. I'm just&amp;nbsp;weary of folks thinking that those of us voting for the unborn, do so without thinking. No, we just think differently &lt;IMG src="http://s.xanga.com/images/happy.gif" width=15 border=0&gt;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;I'll be so glad when the election is over. I hate tension. &lt;IMG src="http://s.xanga.com/images/shocked.gif" width=15 border=0&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Peace &lt;IMG src="http://s.xanga.com/images/smooch.gif" width=15 border=0&gt;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;/SPAN&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;</description><comments>http://maria.revelife.com/674035356/more-on-that-single-issue/#firstcomment</comments></item><item><title>single-issue</title><link>http://maria.revelife.com/674026997/single-issue/</link><guid>http://maria.revelife.com/674026997/single-issue/</guid><pubDate>Thu, 11 Sep 2008 21:59:45 GMT</pubDate><description>&lt;DIV class="itembody snap_preview"&gt;&lt;P&gt;I'm so over the label "single-issue voter" being used in an attempt to "shame" some into viewing taxes as equal to murder in the womb.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;They are not equal. Restoring personhood to those from whom it has been taken is much larger than social security. &lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;If I had lived back in the time of slavery, I would have been a "single-issue voter" too. &lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Would you?&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;</description><comments>http://maria.revelife.com/674026997/single-issue/#firstcomment</comments></item><item><title>Sept. 11, 2001</title><link>http://maria.revelife.com/673996774/sept-11-2001/</link><guid>http://maria.revelife.com/673996774/sept-11-2001/</guid><pubDate>Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:58:45 GMT</pubDate><description>&lt;P&gt;From a friend's blog:&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P align=center&gt;&lt;A href="http://x08.xanga.com/4f58510bc3058210581201/b164187648.jpg" target=_blank&gt;&lt;IMG style="BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px" height=350 alt=sept11 src="http://x08.xanga.com/4f58510bc3058210581201/z164187648.jpg"&gt;&lt;/A&gt; &lt;SPAN style="WIDTH: 0px"&gt;&lt;/SPAN&gt;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P align=center&gt;&lt;A style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold" href="http://256.com/gray/thoughts/2001/20010912/pictures/attack/"&gt;&lt;FONT color=#3366cc size=6&gt;9/11 Pictures -- The Attack &lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/A&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;DIV style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center&gt;Never never never forget.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;P align=center&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;DIV style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center&gt;Lord have mercy.&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;DIV style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;DIV style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/DIV&gt;</description><comments>http://maria.revelife.com/673996774/sept-11-2001/#firstcomment</comments></item><item><title>unafraid</title><link>http://maria.revelife.com/672981965/unafraid/</link><guid>http://maria.revelife.com/672981965/unafraid/</guid><pubDate>Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:46:58 GMT</pubDate><description>&lt;P&gt;I don't have this book yet, but an online friend of mine does. Today she posted the following wonderful excerpts from it. The author taught Religious Education at St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary from 1954 to 1973 (emphasis mine):&lt;/P&gt;&lt;DIV style="MARGIN-LEFT: 40px"&gt;"In a very real sense we can speak of the "priesthood of parents." Their task is almost sacramental, for they bring God into the life of their infants and offer their infant's life to God. There is a holy "wholeness" about the task: the way a mother changes a baby's diaper, the way she feeds him, the way she cuddles him, is as meaningful for the religious growth of the child as the way she prays over him or the way she brings him to church. Whatever a mother does for the baby is religiously meaningful if through this action and relationship she expresses love and care and conveys a sense of security and happiness. The quality of that love will be affected by the kind of relationship the mother has with God.&amp;nbsp;A mother's love can be possessive, jealous, insecure, or full of fear and anxiety; in some cases a mother can be so unhappy, or selfish, or confused that she simply does not love her child. In such a case the infant is truly religiously deprived. But the joyous responsible, &lt;STRONG&gt;self-sacrificing&lt;/STRONG&gt;,&amp;nbsp;steady love that many mothers give their infants is religious in it's very nature, whatever the mother's beliefs may be. An &lt;STRONG&gt;unafraid&lt;/STRONG&gt;, joyous baby, eagerly discovering himself and the world he lives in, is a religiously wholesome baby."&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;P dir=ltr&gt;Just as it should be &lt;IMG src="http://s.xanga.com/images/happy.gif" width=15 border=0&gt;&amp;nbsp;(and just the &lt;EM&gt;opposite&lt;/EM&gt; of &lt;A href="http://www.ezzo.info/Articles/ezzo-babywise-controversy-101.htm"&gt;ezzo&lt;/A&gt; style "parenting" by the way).&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P dir=ltr&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://s.xanga.com/images/heart.gif" width=15 border=0&gt;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P dir=ltr&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;</description><comments>http://maria.revelife.com/672981965/unafraid/#firstcomment</comments></item><item><title>I will rejoice</title><link>http://maria.revelife.com/669832231/i-will-rejoice/</link><guid>http://maria.revelife.com/669832231/i-will-rejoice/</guid><pubDate>Mon, 11 Aug 2008 05:44:58 GMT</pubDate><description>&lt;FONT color=#000000&gt;&lt;FONT face="Arial, sans-serif"&gt;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;&lt;P align=center&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. &lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P lang=en-US style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in; FONT-STYLE: normal; TEXT-DECORATION: none" align=center&gt;&lt;FONT color=#000000&gt;&lt;FONT face="Arial, sans-serif"&gt;&lt;FONT size=3&gt;Habakkuk 3:17-18&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P lang=en-US style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in; FONT-STYLE: normal; TEXT-DECORATION: none" align=center&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;</description><comments>http://maria.revelife.com/669832231/i-will-rejoice/#firstcomment</comments></item><item><title>Help me to yield my will to Yours</title><link>http://maria.revelife.com/669796488/help-me-to-yield-my-will-to-yours/</link><guid>http://maria.revelife.com/669796488/help-me-to-yield-my-will-to-yours/</guid><pubDate>Sun, 10 Aug 2008 20:27:57 GMT</pubDate><description>&lt;P&gt;I turn to this prayer quite often. I've emphasized my favorite parts. &lt;/P&gt;&lt;P align=center&gt;Lord, how inscrutable are Your ways.&lt;BR&gt;I&amp;nbsp;confess that&amp;nbsp;my thoughts are not Your thoughts.&lt;BR&gt;And&amp;nbsp;my ways are not Your ways.&lt;BR&gt;You love&amp;nbsp;me far more than&amp;nbsp;I love You, &lt;BR&gt;And Your wisdom is far superior to mine.&lt;BR&gt;Help&amp;nbsp;me to yield&amp;nbsp;my will to Yours,&lt;BR&gt;And&amp;nbsp;my puny knowledge to Your Grand Wisdom.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Help me to see Your love behind everything that happens to me.&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;BR&gt;For You are at work for good in&amp;nbsp;my life when I place my complete trust in You.&lt;BR&gt;You know, Lord, how confused my mind is, and what great distress afflicts my heart.&lt;BR&gt;In my utter weakness I cry out to You, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?"&lt;BR&gt;Have mercy, Lord, have mercy on me.&lt;BR&gt;I&amp;nbsp;confess that You are never nearer to&amp;nbsp;me than when my heart is broken.&lt;BR&gt;Come to&amp;nbsp;me in my weakness, Lord, increase my faith.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Help me to pray as You did in Your agony, &lt;BR&gt;"Shall I not drink the cup which You, the Father has given me?"&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;You are my only hope, dear Lord, I seek refuge under the shelter of Your wings.&lt;BR&gt;I bow down before You, the God of mercies and bounties.&lt;BR&gt;Full of love for Your children.&lt;BR&gt;You alone are the Physician of our souls and bodies, &lt;BR&gt;And to You we give glory. Amen.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P align=center&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;</description><comments>http://maria.revelife.com/669796488/help-me-to-yield-my-will-to-yours/#firstcomment</comments></item><item><title>25 Reasons You May Be a Racist</title><link>http://maria.revelife.com/669408054/25-reasons-you-may-be-a-racist/</link><guid>http://maria.revelife.com/669408054/25-reasons-you-may-be-a-racist/</guid><pubDate>Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:03:28 GMT</pubDate><description>&lt;H3&gt;Got this from one of my&amp;nbsp;xanga friends, who happens to be &lt;EM&gt;&lt;U&gt;a black female Republican&lt;/U&gt;&lt;/EM&gt;.&amp;nbsp;Thank you! &lt;/H3&gt;&lt;H2&gt;25 Reasons You May Be a Racist&lt;/A&gt; &lt;/H2&gt;&lt;UL&gt;&lt;P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"&gt;The tendency of Obama supporters to see racist impulses behind every criticism of their candidate has&amp;nbsp; evolved into absurdity. Now even&amp;nbsp;the first&amp;nbsp; black president feels compelled to declare he's not a racist.&amp;nbsp;By this measure,&amp;nbsp;nearly every American is at risk of being branded a racist at some point in the campaign. To assess whether you're at risk just consult the list below (apologies to&amp;nbsp;Jeff Foxworthy ):&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"&gt;1.If you think Obama's the most liberal member of the senate you...may be a racist.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"&gt;2.If you object to Obama raising your payroll, capital gains and estate&amp;nbsp;taxes you...may be a racist.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"&gt;3.If you'd prefer a president have at least some foreign policy experience you...may be a racist.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"&gt;4. If you're in favor of drilling for oil and building nuclear power plants you...may be a racist.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"&gt;5. If you think "Vero Possemus" is Latin for "Massive Ego"&amp;nbsp;you... may be a racist.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"&gt;6. If you wonder why Obama was hanging around William Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn you...may be a racist.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"&gt;7. If your pastor is nothing like Rev. Wright or Father Pfleger you... may be a racist.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"&gt;8.If you don't want the majority of justices on the Supreme Court to be like Stephen Breyer you...may be a racist.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"&gt;9. If you're not impressed with Obama's 100%&amp;nbsp;NARAL rating&amp;nbsp;you...may be a racist.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"&gt;10. If you're not sure whether Obama opposed or supported FISA reauthorization you...may be a racist.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"&gt;11. If you&amp;nbsp; don't think America is a "downright mean" country you...may be a racist.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"&gt;12. If you think Obama should've visited wounded troops at Ramstein and Landstuhl you...may be a racist.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"&gt;13. If you&amp;nbsp;think the surge is working and that's a good thing&amp;nbsp;you...may be a racist.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"&gt;14. If you oppose racial preferences in employment, school admissions and contracting you...may be a racist.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"&gt;15. If you&amp;nbsp; think "we are the change we've been waiting for" is a line from a Monty Python skit you...may be a racist.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"&gt;16. If you prefer that&amp;nbsp;a president have a smidgen of executive experience you...may be a racist.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"&gt;17. If you're appalled that &lt;A href="http://townhall.com/columnists/TerenceJeffrey/2008/01/09/obama_is_the_most_pro-abortion_candidate_ever" target=_new&gt;Obama voted against&amp;nbsp; treating infants born after an abortion attempt&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;the same medically&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;as other infants born alive&lt;/A&gt; you...may be a racist.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"&gt;18. If you were proud of your country even before Obama's candidacy you...may be a racist.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"&gt;20. If you don't think American troops are just "air raiding villages" you...may be a racist.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"&gt;21. If your grandmother isn't a "typical white person" you...may be a racist.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"&gt;22. If you don't think rural, working class people are bitter and "cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them" you...may be a racist.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"&gt;23. If you're not sure invading Pakistan is a particularly&amp;nbsp;good idea&amp;#8212;what with their nuclear weapons and all&amp;#8212;&amp;nbsp;you...may be a racist.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"&gt;24. If you don't want the president to meet without precondition with the leaders of state sponsors of terror you...may be a racist.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"&gt;25. If you don't care how Hollywood or the European elite think you should vote you...may be a racist.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;This campaign has, to paraphrase Moynihan, defined racism down.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;A href="http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NTVlNDI1YTFkMzZmYjYyNzNhODg3NmRmZDM3NzAxY2I=" target=_new&gt;National Review Online&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;/UL&gt;</description><comments>http://maria.revelife.com/669408054/25-reasons-you-may-be-a-racist/#firstcomment</comments></item><item><title>however wrong your offenders may be</title><link>http://maria.revelife.com/669125683/however-wrong-your-offenders-may-be/</link><guid>http://maria.revelife.com/669125683/however-wrong-your-offenders-may-be/</guid><pubDate>Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:02:28 GMT</pubDate><description>&lt;P&gt;This book is just so amazingly good. &lt;/P&gt;&lt;BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"&gt;&lt;P&gt;So make it a rule for yourself: when you meet with injustices, injuries and attacks, pay no attention to them, however wrong your offenders may be, but keep your attention firmly on one thing alone &amp;#8211; that God let his happen for your good and that you will deprive yourself of this good if you admit impatience, irritation or contention in connection with it. And do not try to analyze the exact reason why God has allowed this. Do you believe that God is always right and merciful? Then believe that on this occasion too He shows you justice and mercy, although you do not see how.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;/BLOCKQUOTE&gt;&lt;P&gt;Man. &lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;It also says that the wrongs done to us that we can see are &lt;STRONG&gt;intentional&lt;/STRONG&gt; and are from &lt;STRONG&gt;those to whom we have been good&lt;/STRONG&gt; are "the hardest to bear." It continues...&lt;/P&gt;&lt;BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"&gt;&lt;P&gt;If God sends you this, know that it is precisely what is most useful for you, and to this realization add the inspiring thought: God sees that you are strong enough to bear it and expects you actually to bear it with a good heart, without complaining. So do not disappoint God's expectation...&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;...Therefore, knowing this, wishing and seeking it, we must accept this cup from the hands of God, shutting the eyes of inquisitiveness, and, with complete faith, clearly see in it the great love of God for us and the assurance of our spiritual progress. &lt;/P&gt;&lt;/BLOCKQUOTE&gt;&lt;P&gt;A little intimidating, but very inspiring.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;</description><comments>http://maria.revelife.com/669125683/however-wrong-your-offenders-may-be/#firstcomment</comments></item><item><title>Friday, July 25, 2008</title><link>http://maria.revelife.com/667610652/item/</link><guid>http://maria.revelife.com/667610652/item/</guid><pubDate>Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:58:57 GMT</pubDate><description>&lt;P&gt;I came across this prayer in one of my Orthodox prayer books (thank you Presv. Lisa). &lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;I think I know someone who will really like it.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P align=center&gt;&lt;U&gt;When Children Quarrel&lt;BR&gt;&lt;/U&gt;O gracious God, Father of us all, I ask You for help and guidance &lt;BR&gt;when my children quarrel.&amp;nbsp; Often I wonder how these children, loved as &lt;BR&gt;they are, can be so unloving and unlovely.&amp;nbsp; Their teasing, provoking, &lt;BR&gt;and fighting hurt me, Lord, and make me lose my temper as well.&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;Grant me patience and understanding.&amp;nbsp; Help me to establish within our &lt;BR&gt;home and family an atmosphere of harmony, but help me too, to &lt;BR&gt;remember that my children are not adults and that trying their strength &lt;BR&gt;is part of growing up.&amp;nbsp; Keep me sane, Lord, calm, and unruffled, ready &lt;BR&gt;to quiet, to comfort, and to smile.&amp;nbsp; Amen.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;&lt;IMG src="http://s.xanga.com/images/heart.gif" width=15 border=0&gt;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;So different from "Lord, help me make them submit," or "keep me ready to punish."&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Our example is Jesus with his disciples, His spiritual children. &lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;</description><comments>http://maria.revelife.com/667610652/item/#firstcomment</comments></item></channel></rss>