America by Heart by Sarah Palin

Yes, I am a Sarah Palin fan. Unashamedly.

I just finished reading her new book. 

As a mom, and a Christian, and a pastor, and an American, I enjoyed this very much. She takes a few chapters each and discusses what's great about America and what we may have forgotten. Faith - our belief in God and determination that we are a country that promotes freedom of religion, not freedom from religion; Family - that we are a country that believes the states know better than the feds, the city knows better than the state, and the family knows better than the city; and Flag - that America is an exceptional country and we should never apologize to anyone for believing it. 

Despite Sarah's critics' claim that she is horribly uneducated, I found her to be well-read and well-versed on American history, politics, and current issues. Which proves what I've always felt - if you don't like what she says, just disagree. Don't label her stupid. It's a sign of a critic's own insecurity to have to denigrate those they criticize.

Admittedly, this is not the best written book in the world. I enjoyed her quotes from others (especially Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, etc.) much more than her own writing. But again, Sarah Palin is a politician, not a writer. She simply joins the ranks of others who are better at doing other things (singing? cooking? preaching?) but decide to write also. That's okay. It's still a good message.

One thing that inspired me after reading this? Inspired that I need to read the US Constitution and Bill of Rights to my kids and make sure they understand it. Ask yourself, when was the last time you read the Constitution?

The Importance of Earned Success - from "The Battle" by Arthur Brooks

"Earned success means the ability to create value honestly - not by winning the lottery, not by inheriting a fortune, not by picking up a welfare check. It doesn't even mean making money itself. Earned success is the creation of value in our lives or in the lives of others. Earned success is the stuff of entreprenuers who seek explosive value through innovation, hard work, and passion. But it isn't just related to commerce. Earned success is also what parents experience when their children do wonderful things, what social innovators feel when they change lives, and what artists feel when they create something of beauty. People who believe they have earned success - measured in whatever life currency they want - are happy. They are much happier than people who don't believe they've earned their success....

If money without earned success does not bring happiness, then redistributing money won't make for a happier America. Knowing as we do that earning success is the key to happiness, rather than simply getting more money, the goal of our political system should be this: the give all Americans the greatest opportunities possible to succeed based on their hard work and merit. And that's exactly what the free enterprise system does - makes earned success possible for the most people. This is the liberty your founders wrote about, the liberty that enables the true pursuit of happiness. "

- Arthur Brooks, from The Battle: How the fight between free enterprise and big government will shape America's future

Good Quotes from Sarah Palin's new book, America by Heart

"Remember: Nobody owes you a living. 

Don't be misled into believing that somehow the world owes you a living.

The boy who believes that his parents, 

or the government, 

or anyone else owes him his livelihood 

and that he can collect it without labor 

will wake up one day and find himself working for another boy who did not have that belief and, therefore, earned the right to have others work for him." 

- David Sarnoff

Great blog about Preaching the Gospel, from (who else?) Tim Keller!

It's found here.