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Today's headlines could read: "Guns & God win out in PA"

Just in case you have missed the statements made a few weeks ago, Obama said that people in PA "...get bitter, cling to guns or religion..." This one line could very well cost him the nomination. Personally I don't think it will, but in light of the recent Clinton win in the Keystone state one has to wonder.

I am one of those who took offense to this statement and I don't even live in the state. It's not bitterness that makes me cling to God. It's not bitterness that gets me up in the early morning hours to grab a gun and go hunting. I hunt because I enjoy hunting. I cling to God because of the salvation that He has brought to my life.

This past Sunday there was a young lady who came to me at the end of our service to accept Christ. It was not bitterness that brought her to faith in Jesus. It was an understanding that without Him she was lost in her sins. She came to God for her eternal salvation, not a release from bitterness. It's a shame that someone like Mr. Obama (a self-proclaimed "Christian") doesn't understand that.

Interesting that he has gotten a pass on a lot of statements, the controversy of people like his pastor and the guy from weather underground, but this statement will continue to haunt him from now until the presidential election. Why? Because this statement affects individuals and their rights to religion and bearing arms. These rights are found in the Constitution of the United States. You know, he could have said that bitterness brings people to a place where they strap bombs to their bodies; but instead he went after the "simple" people who make up this part of the world and it cost him.

It's about time that someone in politics has to suffer the consequences for what they have said. I just wish it happened more often. The people in this country are free to worship. It's one of the very reasons this nation was founded. God is more than a crutch. God is more than just a religious exercise. God, to many of us, is the reason for our existence. He's the reason for our peace, joy, and ability to love. We were not bitter when we came to God. We were lost and the only way we could be saved was to accept Christ. Maybe Obama's misunderstanding comes from spending 20 years under a pastor who preaches hatred for this country and a twisted gospel message.

Every Sunday morning I gather together with anywhere from 150 - 170 men, women, and children. They don't look bitter. What I have seen is a group of people who are happy to worship. They enjoy their faith and they love their God. No, Mr. Obama, we aren't bitter - we are thankful. We are thankful for the salvation that was brought to us through Jesus' death on the cross. We are thankful for the freedom from sin and death brought to us by His resurrection. We are thankful for the peace He gives us in the midst of life's storms. We are thankful for the promise of His second coming.

I'm not happy that Clinton won PA. I'm just happy to see that people still respond when you demean their faith. Faith in Christ is not just for the poor, despondent, stupid, or bitter. Faith in Christ is for everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord. God's Word tells us that the "wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ." I don't go to God because I'm bitter. I go to God because I want life! Abundant life in Christ.