Upgrade Your Patriotism — Do Your P.A.R.T.

Morgan Farr is committed to biblical truth, and it touches every part of her life, even how she lives as a citizen of the United States. In this enlightening July 4th UPGRADE, she describes the difference between patriotism and nationalism, and encourages every American Christian to do their part as a citizen.

“Recently, during a conversation about serving our nation, my eight-year-old asked, ‘Where is America in the Bible?’” Morgan says.

“This question spurred a conversation about patriotism, nationalism, and our citizenship as Christians.”

I (Dawn) don't think enough Americans understand the difference between patriotism and nationalism, so I'm glad Morgan addressed this.

Morgan continues . . .

My husband is a soldier in the United States Army. This value of service matters to my family, because serving others is foundational as we look at how to imitate Christ. In wanting our children to learn the importance of service, we volunteer as part of our homeschool curriculum.

After my eight-year-old asked how America fits into the timeline of the Bible, I checked a quick sketch of the world timeline.

I realized how easy it is to assume that patriotism is a Christian principle today. I want to share how to upgrade your patriotism by doing your P.A.R.T.

First, a couple of definitions.

“Patriotism” Includes Pride of Country. 

Mark Twain said, “Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it.”

Patriots faithfully serve their community to the benefit of everyone within its borders. Pride in your community and the willingness to share it with others is a benchmark of true patriotism.

Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary describes patriotism as: “love for or devotion to one’s country.”

A deep emotional pride in your country's cultures, histories, and traditions causes this loyalty and devotion.

The goal of patriotism is pride in the nation which is shared and celebrated.

Patriotism does not come at the cost of one's conscience or to the detriment of another person.

Does patriotism differ from nationalism?

“Nationalism” is Exclusionary.

Many people use nationalism and patriotism interchangeably despite the fact that they have different definitions and outcomes.

Although we hear about nationalism a lot in the news, it isn’t a new concept. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines nationalism as “loyalty and devotion to a nation, especially: a sense of national consciousness, exalting one nation above all others, and placing primary emphasis on promoting its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups.”

Nationalism is seen throughout history in things like the concepts of Manifest Destiny, White Nationalism, Black Nationalism, American Exceptionalism, Ethnonationalism, and, of course, in recent news, Christian Nationalism.

The basic idea of nationalism is, “This is our table, and only certain people can sit here.”

So there is a big difference between patriotism and nationalism.

Charles de Gaulle said,

“Patriotism is when the love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first.”

When we look at the history of nationalism, we can see that this idea often elevates the interests of one group of people above all others. It is a philosophy of grandeur and superiority for those in the right group or category.

But it creates a marginalized group of others who don't fit the standard.

Which Approach Reflects Christ?   

The marginalization of people different from us in favor of ourselves contradicts what we are told in Philippians 2: 3-4:

Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not [only] for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

As Christians, we must carefully examine what is espoused by any “ism” we align with.

Any ideology that leads to xenophobia, prejudice, or a superiority complex cannot reflect Christ.

Do Your P.A.R.T.

How can you upgrade your patriotism in a way that honors God? Consider these four points, each beginning with a letter in P.A.R.T.

1. Pray about It.

Step one in anything should be prayer. James 5:13 says, Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.

As you look at serving your community, volunteering, or voting, pray about all of it.

• Pray over every name, both on your side of the political spectrum and the other side.
• Pray for servicemembers and their families.
• Pray for leadership and the new recruits headed to boot camp.
• Pray for clarification of the values that God is calling you to uphold.

2. Ask about It.

Ask questions about everything. Asking questions is biblical. The Bible records more than 300 questions that Jesus asked in the first four books of the New Testament.

• Ask what political parties and politicians stand for.
• Ask about the values of the institutions you frequent.
• Ask about the beliefs and values of your pastors, elders, and deacons.
• Ask about things that you don’t know the answers to in theology, in the Bible, and in life. Then square those answers with the Bible.

3. Read about It.

Read your Bible. No, the United States isn’t mentioned. However, the Bible gives us direction for dealing with economics (Mark 12:17), government (Romans 13:1-7), and where our citizenship truly lies (Philippians 3:20).

• Read it in your preferred translation.
• Read it in a different translation.
• Read commentaries about the Bible.
• Read about the historical context of the time.
• Read to learn and grow, not just to check the box.

4. Teach about It.

As you wrestle with difficult questions or topics, tell others what you learn.

• Tell your friends in Bible study.
• Teach your children and your grandchildren.

The way we battle nationalism in favor of patriotism is by boldly speaking up for the truth of the gospel.

Paul, just after telling us to don the Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18), called himself an “ambassador” (v. 20). We are called ambassadors too (2 Corinthians 5:20), and we’re told to boldly declare the mysteries of the gospel.

An ambassador is “a diplomatic agent of the highest rank accredited to a foreign government or sovereign as the resident representative of his or her own government.”

As children of God in the country where we live, we must do our part to represent Christ well. We do this by loving God above all else, and caring for our neighbor—every neighbor.

Which part of P.A.R.T. can you do today?

Morgan Farr is a succulent-cultivating book nerd and aspiring author. She spends her days homeschooling her four young children and training her working dogs. As an Army wife, Morgan has learned to lean heavily on Jesus as she walks out military life. She is the Director of Publishing at Planting Roots, the Graphic Designer for Mission: Milspouse, and is heavily involved in her local PWOC and military chapel. You can connect with Morgan on all major social media channels using her handle: morgandfarr.

Graphic adapted, courtesy of Stephanie McCabe at Unsplash.

Honoring Heroes at Home

Ellie Kay is known as America's Family Financial Expert, but she's also the founder and CEO of Heroes at Home and an alumnus of the Military Family Advisory Network. She is an Air Force spouse, mother of seven—including three in the military—and the author of 15 books. In this July 4th UPGRADE, with a special emphasis on the military, Ellie shares financial tips for the military that are helpful for everyone!

"I looked out at the audience of 1300 young Airmen who had gathered at Sheppard Air Force Base to watch Heroes at Home Financial Education event." Ellie said.

"They were tired, hungry and had been told that: 1) they would skip dinner at the 1800 hour, and 2) they were going to sit in on a mandatory 2-hour financial brief.

"To say they were not a happy audience would be a gross understatement."

I (Dawn) got to know Ellie Kay because of her emphasis on financial freedom, but soon found out her strong passion for the military—which is why I wanted her to write something for July 4th. In this article, she combines two of her passions: financial freedom with helping our military Heroes at Home.

Ellie continues . . .

During our live Twitter contest, they were to tweet the best financial tips from the show and a winner got the prize.

Instead, they tweeted photos of hamburgers, tacos, and fried chicken.

One of our resourceful team members had a conversation with the powers that be and we got the chow halls to stay open past the normal time, so they could eat. When our emcee made the dinner announcement, it got the biggest applause thus far in our show!

But by the time we finished with our high-energy, quickly-paced show, they were smiling, happy and getting into the tips we shared. We are dedicated to helping military families and all Americans, find financial freedom. 

We celebrate Independence Day and the less than 1% of our nation’s population who serve in our military, to protect the rights and freedoms of the other 99% of us. 

But we can all support our military members by saying, “Thank you for your service,” and letting them know we appreciate their work on our behalf.

If you want to go above for those who have gone beyond, then you could also:

• send care packages during deployments,
• offer to do free yard work for the family left at home,
• or give a military family gifts cards for the movies, restaurants or other forms of entertainment.

One more way to thank our military is to help them with financial readiness.

Here are some tips that apply to everyone.  

1. Credit Scores

Military members can lose their security clearance if they get into trouble with credit, so their jobs depend on having a decent credit score and what that represents about their debt.

No matter what your financial picture is, it’s critical for every person to improve their own FICO (Fair Isaac Credit Scores). These scores determine not only the APR you pay on a home or car loan, but they also impact auto insurance premiums, whether you’ll get the promotion or the job (many employers check FICOS), whether you pay a security deposit for utilities, and much more.

You can go to Credit.com  or Experian.com to check your score and they’ll even give you specific ways to improve each area of your credit score.

You can improve your FICO in three easy steps:

• Pay early. Set up automatic payments online so you will never be late.
• Pay More. Add $5 to $10 more than the minimum balance that is due; this indicates you are paying down debt.
• Pay Proportionally. Also known as credit utilization, make sure that you don’t have more than 30% of the available credit charged on any one card at any time. For example, a card with a $5000 limit should never have more than $1500 charged.

2. Cut Existing Costs. 

It only takes 15 minutes to save hundreds of dollars. Once you save money in one area, then use those funds to pay down consumer debt or to build up a savings account.

• Auto Insurance. Once a year, compare policies by getting a variety of quotes. Take the cheaper price back to your existing provider and tell them you will switch companies unless they can match the price. Be sure to check out quotes from USAA.com since you are military and qualify to be a member.
• RetailMeNot. Download the RetailMeNot app or bookmark it on your computer. This is a code site that offers 400,000 coupon codes at any given time. Just enter the store’s name and you’ll see all the codes to get the better prices. Use this on entertainment, travel, electronics, or any kind of online shopping or in the mall.
• CouponMom.com. I was one of the original extreme couponers, and I saved 161k while raising my kids by using coupons. If you go to this site, she’s done all the work for you and will tell you what is on sale in your neighborhood, what codes are available, what coupons are out for the item and which stores double coupon. I calculated that over the course of twenty years, I saved our family over 160K!

3. Free Credit Counseling

With a slow economy comes an influx of those who want to "help" prepare you for the worse by consolidating your debt. However, most “for profit” debt-counseling companies charge a hefty fee for their services, which is usually tacked onto your debt load.

Instead, go to the National Consumer Credit Counseling Service found at www.nfcc.org and use their FREE services.

4. Budget Baby

If you don't have a budget as part of your lifestyle, then yesterday was the day to start.

Set one up with a budgeting app such as mint, Wally or Every Dollar.

The problem for a lot of families is not having a budget, it’s sticking to a budget.

Set up a “budget date” once a month with your spouse to revisit how the plan is working. This kind of regular accountability works as well in finances as it does in Weight Watchers. When you know there will be someone asking you why you bought that purple mohair sweater for $198, you’re less likely to give into the impulse to go off budget.

EVERYONE: During this time of the year, be sure to thank those Heroes at Heroes at Home—and if you know a Vietnam Vet, then say “welcome home” because most of them have never heard those words from a grateful American.

For more information on where Ellie Kay’s Heroes at Home is visiting next, explore their website at HeroesAtHome.org.

Ellie Kay is the best-selling author of fifteen books including Lean Body, Fat Wallet, and Heroes at Home. She is a Toastmaster Accredited Speaker as well as a popular international speaker and media veteran who has given over1,200 media interviews including appearances on ABC, CNBC, CNN and Fox News. As a popular columnist, she writes for six national magazines and has been a Subject Matter Expert for the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post. Currently, Ellie provides financial education to military members through her “Heroes at Home Financial Event” sponsored for USAA. Ellie is married to LTC Bob Kay and they have seven children.

Graphic adapted, Flags of the Military, Wikipedia.

The Strength of a Nation

In this Independence Day UPGRADE, Dawn Wilson encourages us to focus on our homes, the heart of our nation.                

President Abraham Lincoln said it well, "The strength of a nation lies in the homes of its people."

My heart is heavy for the homes of America.

We have forgotten God, the One who built this nation.

Psalm 127:1 says, "Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain."

Without the Lord, our "building" is fruitless.

We need the strength that comes from building on the solid Rock. As the old hymn says, "On Christ the solid rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand."

Look around at the confusion and chaos in our nation. Selfish agendas and godlessness reign.

We desperately need the wisdom and peace that comes from intimately knowing the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:30; Colossians 3:15).

Won't you take a minute in your INDEPENDENCE DAY celebration—today or tomorrow—to CRY OUT TO GOD on behalf of our homes, our churches and our nation?

Let this Independence Day be an awakening to the presence of God, and fresh DEPENDENCE on Him.

Dawn Wilson, founder and President of Heart Choices Today, is a speaker and author, and the creator the blog, Upgrade with Dawn. She is a contracted researcher/reviewer for Revive Our Heartsand a writer at Crosswalk.com. She and her husband Bob live in Southern California and have two grown, married sons, three granddaughters and a rascally maltipoo, Roscoe.

Graphic adapted, courtesy of Entab at Morguefile.