Proud About This

woman with American flag
Patriotic holiday. Happy young woman with American flag. USA celebrate 4th of July.

Sometimes Americans–especially American politicians–say:

“America is the Greatest Country in the World!”

That is an expression of national pride but it also reflects an attitude called “American Exceptionalism.” Historian Ian Tyrrell has defined Amercian Exceptionalism this way:

“Exceptionalism requires something far more: a belief that the U.S. follows a path of history different from the laws or norms that govern other countries. That’s the essence of American exceptionalism: The U.S. is not just a bigger and more powerful country — but an exception. It is the bearer of freedom and liberty, and morally superior to something called “Europe.”

–Ian Tyrrell
https://theweek.com/articles/654508/what-exactly-american-exceptionalism

There is no inherent conflict between being a Christian and being happy to be an American. There is a problem if, as Americans, we believe ourselves to be greater or “morally superior” (to quote Tyrrell, above, again) than people from other nations.

Just like people from other nations, Americans are fallen, lost, and under God’s perfect wrath apart from the grace of Jesus Christ. What Paul wrote in Titus 3:3 applies to every American as equally and fully as it does to any other person who has ever lived:

“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.”

Titus 3:3

The next two verses in Titus 3 apply to us, too, if we have faith in Christ:

“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.

Titus 3:4-5

As Christians, then, we have nothing to be proud of except who are God is and what he has done for us. The Scriptures tell us this over and over again:

  • Jeremiah 9:23-24: “This is what the Lord says: ‘Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me….‘”
  • Romans 3:25-27: “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement… to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded…
  • Romans 5:1-2: “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.”
  • Romans 5:11: ” we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”
  • 1 Corinthians 1:28-31: “God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.’

I am happy to live in America and I enjoy the many freedoms that Americans have. But I am a sinner who is worthy only of God’s judgment and wrath. Therefore, I have the right to be proud of only one thing: Jesus Christ.

Be careful, Christian, that you are proud of nothing more than our God.

Mechanical Keyboard

I wrote recently about my 27-inch iMac.

Connected to that iMac is another tool I use: a mechanical keyboard.

Specifically, I use the Azio USB Mechanical Backlit Keyboard for Mac. That’s an affiliate link. If you click on it and buy one, I get a commission.

The iMac shows up with a great keyboard in the box. You can choose between a wired or wireless keyboard when buying the iMac. The iMac also comes with a great mouse.

But I enjoy typing on a mechanical keyboard.

There are webpages that claim that mechanical keyboards are better for your fingers. In other words, if you do a lot of typing, like I do, a mechanical keyboard will make it less likely that you have a repetitive stress injury to your hands. PBJ has not evaluated that claim for medical accuracy. It may or may not be true. It probably isn’t in fact.

There are also webpages out there that claim you can type faster and/or with fewer errors on a mechanical keyboard. Again, PBJ has nothing to say about that.

I just like typing on this keyboard. And, because it lights up, it looks really cool.

This keyboard is designed to be used with Apple products, like my iMac. If you write a lot, and like cool-looking tools, try this one out:

27 inch iMac

Designer workspace. Minimalistic home office. Blank screen desktop computer, Mockup desktop computer
Designer workspace. Minimalistic home office. Blank screen desktop computer, Mockup desktop computer, lamp, graphics tablet, keyboard, mouse, pen, succulent plant on white desk. Copy space.

In a world of smartphones and tablets, the desktop computer is becoming a dinosaur.

Or, as the late Apple founder Steve Jobs once said that computers “are going to be like trucks… used by 1 out of X people.” See Jobs say that for yourself:

I use a digital “truck” made by Apple called the iMac. It is a gorgeous, all-in-one desktop computer.

Specifically, I do most of my work on a 27-inch iMac. Here’s an affiliate link; if you buy one, I will get a commission.

In fact, I am writing this post on my iMac.

Mine is getting older. I bought it in 2017. But it still works great. I see no reason to replace it.

I use it for:

  • Bible Study
  • Video editing
  • Writing
  • Reading & research
  • Storing and retrieving files
  • Basic office tasks like email, spreadsheets, etc.

As an “all in one” computer, it is a simple object. You can (and I do) plug many things into it but the computer is built into the screen, so there are not a whole bunch of components strung together by wires.

Speaking of the screen, this iMac has a 27-inch, 5k retna display. It looks amazing. I have a bigger display at home that I will write about someday. That display is useful but it doesn’t look nearly as good as anything does on this iMac.

If you do a lot of your work on a computer, I highly recommend the iMac. You can get a smaller one than I have but get the big one. You won’t regret it.

Foundational Things First

a bricklayer who level the freshly poured concrete to lay the foundations of a building
bricklayer at work on a construction site during the laying of concrete to build the foundations of a house

I am a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ.

That fact is foundational to who I am, how I think about things, and what I do with my time and life. Most importantly, for this blog, I write as a Christian, so my goal is to infuse everything I write with the Christian faith.

Christ is my Lord and his word is my authority. And, make no mistake, his word claims authority over everything. Consider these texts:

  • Colossians 3:17: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus….”
  • Colossians 3:23-24: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
  • 2 Corinthians 10:5: “We… take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
  • 1 Corinthians 10:31: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

This is my foundation. As I write this blog, regardless of the topic I write about, I will seek to apply God’s word.

This post was provoked and informed by reading John Frame, Introduction to Systematic Theology, p. 28. Yes, that’s an affiliate link.