‘People who are truly thankful don’t complain.  They find a reason to be truly thankful.’

I don’t say much about going to church.  The pastor at my parents church said the above this last Sunday.  He also said:

‘Thankful people don’t hoard.’

We all have reasons to not be thankful.  We all have things that happen to us.  We all feel like we need to hoard things against a future need.  Yet we may or may not actually really need what it is we’re saving.  Instead, when we hoard things they start taking the place of things that should mean more to us.  Hoarding is the art of collecting without any interest in sharing.  If you’ve ever watched the TV show Hoarders, many times the things the person is hoarding start mattering more than their families.  So many of these people have made their kids feel unwanted because things were more important.

Around this time of Thanksgiving, we need to count our blessings for this last year.  Bad things will happen.  If we focus on the good, we’ll be happier overall.  We won’t forget the good in our lives and the things that truly matter.

One more quote:

‘Thankful people realize that today’s troubles will be tomorrow’s miracles.’

If you’re going through troubles, remember it won’t stay that way forever.  There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel.  We’re always going to go through a hard time.  That’s how we grow and find ourselves.

However, I think it’s totally irrelevant to her parenting skills to say that her daughter is pregnant because she hasn’t paid enough attention to her family.  Umm no, teeange pregnancy happens, it’s a result of choices made by the teenager, not the parents.  It doesn’t make Sarah Palin less of a Christian.

I’ve read parts of the speech she gave at the Wasilla Assembly of God church.  I don’t agree with what she said about the mission in Iraq being part of God’s plan, or about the pipeline in Alaska being part of God’s plan.  What I disagree with the most is that she spoke as if she KNEW God’s plan instead of asking that people pray that God’s will be done. 

 I absolutely HATE that the media is talking as if she’s some sort of radical.  It’s difficult to get the whole transcript of the speech because the media just quotes the parts that they want to for sensationalism.  Unfortunately, because of the amount of traffic sent to the Wasilla church’s website, I cannot listen to the speech myself to determine how much was misquoted. 

 What makes me the most irritated though is the total jerks that are creeping out from under the rocks.  I’ve read comments on MSN and Newsvine that make my blood boil — not that that’s difficult when I’m pregnant.  I have little patience for sheer stupidity.  I grew up in an Assemblies of God church, as well as going to a Nazarene church, and a Baptist church.  I’ve seen them all.  I’ve gone to United Pentecostal churches, where I do not agree with everything they teach. 

Let me just get this off my chest now.  First, let me quote Wikipedia, “Snake handling is a religious ritual in a small number of Pentecostal churches” (emphasis mine).  Let me repeat: Not all Pentecostal churches are snake handling churches, and  Assemblies of God churches do not have snake handlers.

I seriously take exception to people assuming that all Christians are crazies who want to push their views on everyone else.  NONE of the churches I’ve ever attended have been like that.  Anyone who knows me KNOWS that I don’t do that.  I fully admit I’m not perfect, but you don’t have to be perfect to be Christian.  Christianity is believing in God, accepting that he died for your sins, and asking for his forgiveness.  It is not provoking war, it is not judging people.  Even Jesus said “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone ” (John 8:7 NIV).    It is also said in the Bible that we should not judge let we be judged by the same standard.  (Not a direct quote, if you’re curious, check Matthew 7:1-5 NIV).

Whether or not I agree with Palin on the anti-Semitic feelings of her church, or her pastor saying that if you disagree with Bush (or the pastor) you’re going to hell.. It irritates me that people think that THAT is what Christianity is like.  Umm no.  That’d be like me thinking that all Wiccans cast spells against those they don’t like.  I know better.