PHILADELPHIA EAGLES CHEERLEADERS

In the spirit of a recent talk about moral courage, I would like to share about past opportunities to show moral courage that I did not take advantage of. In this case, it was actually two opportunities, and I did not seize either.

The one and only time I have been to an NFL game was two years ago. A friend from church has tickets through his office and couldn’t go, so he passed them off to me. I took one of my close friends and we were excited to partake in the madness.

When we arrived, we found ourselves sitting next to four guys with beers who took turns cheering on the home team and whistling at the cheerleaders. My friend shot one of the four guys a dirty look, probably because the guy was with his son, who appeared to be about ten, and yet was probably the most lecherous of the bunch.

My friend was showing moral courage, taking a stand against lust instead of passing it off as what guys do at football games. I did not show such courage, probably because I had my hands full trying desperately not to give into that same lust, and lacked the integrity to call someone on it myself.

This guy didn’t take too well to my friend glaring at him. “What the %$#@! are you looking at?” My friend and I were petrified. “If you look at me like that again, I’m going to kick your %$#@! ass.” Here was a second opportunity to show moral courage, to stand up for my good friend, if not stand down this other guy.

But instead, I tried to distance myself. I wished I could somehow make it seem that I was not with my friend. I valued my own personal safety over sticking up for a friend who was doing the right thing.

Fortunately, my friend did nothing and neither did the guy. There was no fistfight, but the tension hung in the air for the next several minutes. Finally, I broke the ice: “So, did you get your tickets from ABC Insurance Company too?” We quickly engaged in some small talk, and everyone went about their business. I was relieved to be able to focus on the game and not worry about being in the middle of a brawl.

But two years later, I still look back with regret on that day. I strongly believe that crises demonstrate who you really are inside. You can think you’re one way, and even act that way most of the time. But when the chips are down, who you are in those moments is who you really are. And that day, not once but twice, I showed that I lacked moral courage.

MY PHILOSOPHY ON GOVERNMENT

I am an unashamed capitalist, who believes that societies and economies are at their best when they are run as much as possible based on free market principles. However, markets by themselves often do not take into consideration three important perspectives: 1) a long-term perspective, 2) a communal perspective, and 3) a moral perspective. That is to say, free markets, if left to themselves, will undervalue the long-term compared to the short-term, the communal compared to the individual, and the moral compared to the amoral.

These market failures (or, I should say, inadequacies) present opportunities for government to play a role – not to replace the free market mechanism, but to supplement it so that it works effectively and factors in the three aforementioned considerations. The environment, suburban sprawl, and social programs for the needy are three examples of issues that should neither be left to free markets to resolve nor taken completely away from free market mechanisms.

Rather, on these and other related topics, a government that facilitates capitalism, and that ensures that the long-term, communal, and moral are incorporated into its free market dynamics, is doing right by its citizens and is best safeguarding a healthy economy and a just society.

MORE BROWNIES

I had two of my close guy friends over last night to catch up and pray. Afterwards, we convened in the kitchen and I offered them brownies my wife had made that evening. Jokingly, I told them that it was with great reluctance that I was sharing these brownies, because every square they ate was one less I could eat. Continuing with the sarcasm, I told them I found consolation in the fact that I was married to the maker of the brownies, which meant that even if we ate all of the ones she made that evening, there was a good chance she’d make more later that I’d be able to enjoy.

It occurred to me then that this was a profound parable for God’s hospitality and ours. Christians, after all, are commanded to be hospitable, not just because we’re nice or it’s the nice thing to do, but because we know the source and maker of all that we have in our possession to share.

Sometimes I can be a stingy bastard. Like the pile of tasty brownies on my kitchen table, my possessions can tend to feel scarce, and every item I share with someone else is one less I can enjoy for myself. It will be good for me in those moments to remember that as I am married to a wonderful woman who can make incredibly delicious brownies, so am I in relationship with a God who has provided me with everything I have and who can and will provide more as I am faithful to Him to share my possessions with others.

RECLAIMING AN ASIAN PERSPECTIVE IN URBAN MINISTRY

I didn’t know what to expect when I first signed up for the L2 Leaders Forum in Chicago. Living and working in a predominantly African-American neighborhood and being married to a Caucasian woman and having mostly Caucasian friends, I hadn’t had many opportunities recently to gather with other Asian-Americans. Quite frankly, while my Asianness influences my worldview on race matters – such as black/white relations in America, living as a minority in this country, and topics unique to Asian-Americans – I engage with all of these issues in a detached, race-neutral sort of way. Not that I am embarrassed of my Asianness, far from it; and yet, I could make a list of adjectives and terms to describe myself, and “Asian-American Christian leader” might not have made the top ten.

And so it was with not a little apprehension that I made my way down from my hotel room to the forum’s first activity. I sort of dreaded not being the only Asian in the room; I ran in so many circles where I was the only Asian face that not having that distinctiveness suddenly made me feel uncomfortably vulnerable and plain. I scanned my brain for other ways I could distinguish myself when my conscience caught up with me and recognized this way of thinking as prideful and terribly self-centered. I said a little prayer and asked God to give me an open and soft heart to receive whatever he had for me at this conference.

God does indeed answer prayers, even from people who are prideful and self-centered, when those prayers involve His Name being glorified and His Kingdom being advanced. I ended up having a great time at the L2 Leaders Forum, and was inspired by the many wise words and interesting ideas that were shared by conference speakers and fellow attendees. The most enriching aspect of the gathering, though, was the opportunity to connect with other like-minded Asian-American Christians, to feel a sense of oneness with them in a common mission and shared experiences.

I particularly appreciated meeting others who work in the field of urban economic development. It turns out that my pride in being the lone Asian in my circles masked a deep insecurity in me about who I was as an Asian-American working among people of other ethnic upbringings. I cherished the opportunity to intellectually and emotionally explore these perspectives with other like-minded believers. It felt good to learn from others’ experiences: the unique opportunities and challenges of Asians bridging the black-white divide; second-generation Asians pursuing justice in their vocation to the dismay of immigrant parents who worked hard so that their children could become doctors and engineers; and Asian Christians reconciling their Biblical convictions about community development with unspoken cultural tenets inherited from previous generations.

I left the conference more rooted in my Asianness, more able to claim that and not some point of neutrality as the lens through which I see the world and face its challenges. Being a singular Asian among many non-Asians in my urban ministry circles is for me a source of sinful pride sometimes, but also a sad reality I hope will change over time. Like Elijah after his confrontation on Mt. Carmel, I needed God to show me that there are others like me, who come from Asian heritages and who fight for justice in America’s cities without bowing to idols (1 Kings 19:18). God introduced me to some of them, and privileged me with the opportunity to worship amongst them, laugh with them, and learn from them. And I am better for the experience.

WHY CHRISTIANS ARE RELEVANT

Yesterday was my first full day of classes at Fels. It has been fascinating so far to see the economic principles I learned at Wharton and have practiced at my non-profit organization now applied to a government setting. For example, in business, the free markets govern the interplay between producers and consumers in such a way that there is an efficient use of resources in producing goods and an efficient price at which producers and consumers agree upon transacting those goods. A producer of salad dressing, for instance, could not decide to multiply the price of his bottles by a factor of a hundred, just because he isn’t making enough money and wants to make more; for in the market, there are other producers of salad dressing that consumers can do business with.

And so it is with cities. The “good” that cities offer is the quality of life and of city services, and the “price” is taxes. And if cities can’t deliver a good value proposition for its customers, local residents, those customers will do business somewhere else. They will move to the suburbs, or Manhattan, or Phoenix.

Since the days of Adam Smith, capitalists have said that the system works so long as everyone’s out for the most for themselves. Economists call it “utility,” Whartonites call it “profit maximization,” and my public financial management professor calls it “happy-osity,” but whatever you call it, we are all out for as much of it as possible. And while that might seem horribly selfish, remember that “happy-osity” means different things to different people. To some it means making as much money as possible, to others it is quality time with the family, and to others still it is the opportunity to rescue orphans in Calcutta. Adam Smith and other capitalists say, whatever floats your boat, go for as much of it as possible.

While I’m a hard-core free markets kind of guy, I want to temper my capitalism with three mindsets that aren’t often taken fully into consideration: a long-term perspective, a communal perspective, and a moral perspective. That is to say, when seeking the most, 1) have the long run in mind rather than just the immediate, 2) have the group in mind rather than just the individual, 3) have morality in mind rather than just whatever feels good. It is my belief that when capitalism fails people, it is not because the capitalist system is evil but rather because we have undervalued one or more of these three perspectives.

The thing about these three perspectives is that they are hard to quantify and legislate. And yet they are three of the most fundamental aspects of what differentiates Christians from those who do not fear God. More so than others who do not confess Jesus as Lord, we believe that we are eternal beings, that we are interconnected to one another, and that we are accountable in our morality to an Absolute Judge. Should we Christians, then, not be more relevant, more vocal, and more influential in ensuring that the capitalist system that governs our economy, our politics, and the whole of our society, properly values eternity, community, and morality?

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

First day of school turned out to be an eight-hour orientation, including library orientations, getting an ID card, and taking half-hour versions of the two classes I’ll be taking the semester. Now all of those nightmares I have about going to class and not having my homework done can actually be true; I now have reading assignments and term papers and group projects to get through.

But while I was more than a little overwhelmed by it all, I was also energized. As I looked around the room at the other 25-30 part-timers, I wondered who’d become trusted confidantes, who’d be running for office, who I could help or be helped by down the road. Fels students get stuff done, here in Philly and around the country. And now I’m one of them.

WHY GOVERNMENT SCHOOL

Tomorrow I begin grad school, albeit part-time. A law school friend of mine whose Christian faith and personal integrity I respect recommended that prior to diving into the arena of grad school, I ought to have some sense of what I hope to get out of the experience. And so, briefly, here are my three reasons for going to government school:

1. To be trained in how government works and how stuff gets done in government.

2. To define the intersection between my moral principles and my political views; between what I think is just to do, when government can be used a vehicle to such ends, and when government needs to get out of the way in order for such ends to be achieved.

3. To meet people who will become my role models, mentors, partners, both politically and vocationally.

Many of my heritage and my generation find politics to be too sleazy, too gritty, or too impotent. I harbor these reservations, too. But there is another part of me that is hopeful, even expectant, that there is a place in government for smart and good-hearted people to make a difference for people, for systems, and for the Kingdom of God. By God’s grace, there I go.

GENERATION GAP

A fascinating theme that coursed through many of the conversations during the L2 conference I attended last weekend in Chicago was the generation gap between our parents (1st generation) and us (2nd). Many of us noted that while our parents are no less political than we, they were apt to be involved with homeland politics or with country-specific causes here in the US, whereas we were more apt to seek out pan-Asian issues. Our parents’ identity crises are related to their duality of citizenship, whether literally or not; our hyphenations are less about our countries of origin and more about being simultaneously Asian and American.

In our community development affinity group, we talked about the uneasiness or outright disapproval many of our parents communicated to us about our career choices. One participant mentioned that it was because of an immigrant’s natural desire, having worked hard to give his or children economic opportunities and financial security, to see the next generation garner lucrative and prestigious jobs. But I countered that while I might not end up earning as much as my dad did in his engineering career, I wasn’t making bad money; and my career path might end up garnering me more prestige and influence than him.

Rather, I offered, our parents’ generation definition of work was fundamentally different from ours. Work was a vehicle to provide for family, a means to a greater end. Technical careers, and therefore technical educations, were particularly sought after, because they allowed for a maximum of financial reward with a minimum of job risk. And in fact, for many in my generation, it is the same approach to work and career.

But for those justice-minded of my peers, work is a means to another, different end: for Christians, an opportunity to seek God’s kingdom and to right social wrongs. Again, such vocational trajectories may afford us greater honor than our parents, rather than less; we may end up as famous social change agents or respected community leaders or even powerful political officials. But our jobs will be less technical and more encompassing than those sought out by our parents and encouraged in their children, that of doctors and engineers and lawyers.

It was fascinating to explore these generational gaps with other like-minded peers. Faith, the immigration experience, and American values have all conspired to create the crucible in which these issues have risen to the surface. Thank God for fellow pilgrims with which to explore, consider, and grow.

MISSION YEAR FOR ASIAN-AMERICANS

(This is an excerpt from an email I sent to a friend of mine who works for Mission Year.)

Just wanted to report that I had a great time at the L2 conference in Chicago. It was nice to meet like-minded Asian-American Christians, particularly in my Community Development Affinity Group sessions. On that note, we were commissioned to write up a project idea (I knew my Business Boot Camp training would come in handy!), and our idea ended up sounding a whole lot like Mission Year, except focusing on Asian-American participants. It was particularly interesting for me, because:

1) I think Asian-Americans by and large are less inclined to such career trajectories, and so recruiting them for an Asian-American type of Mission Year activity would be good for the Kingdom, and

2) Asian-Americans have unique challenges and opportunities in the field of city service and its related race issues, which a supportive community type of situation like a Mission Year would really provide participants with the camaraderie and wisdom they’d need to navigate these dynamics, and

3) Despite the “model minority” myth, there are as you know pockets of great economic and social brokenness in predominantly Asian-American ghettoes. Not that I’d want to send such teams to just Asian communities, but also not that I’d want none of the teams to serve other Asians.

Anyway, thought I’d pass these musings along to you. One of my fellow conference participants and affinity group teammates has already reached out to me in the hopes that our project ideas can actually be implemented in some tangible way in the Chinatown neighborhood in Chicago where he works and lives. I’d love to include you in this running dialogue.

AN OPPORTUNITY FOR MORAL COURAGE

I was power-walking the five blocks home after a church leadership meeting tonight when I heard across the street a woman cursing out her teenage daughter. As I got closer, I could begin to make out the daughter’s sobs during the pauses in the woman’s profanity-laced diatribe. As I crossed the street, I came into the path of the daughter who was staggering away from the woman’s house.

My mind and body raced with competing thoughts. Do I get away from this situation and get home as soon as possible? Or was this a “Good Samaritan” moment, an immediate opportunity to practice the kind of moral courage that was talked about in theory all weekend long at a Christian conference I had attended in Chicago? I was scared and tired, but felt I simply had to say or do something or else I would feel ashamed.

“Hey, are you OK?” My voice wasn’t as warm as I wanted it to be, and my body language communicated that I hoped I could soon be on my way. The teen mumbled, “Uh-huh,” and continued sobbing. Of course she was not OK. I didn’t want to press. “Are you sure?” This time my voice softened a little. She nodded. I passed her by and continued my power-walking pace.

As I got to my door step, I thought to myself that it would’ve been nice if I could’ve made a little bit more eye contact, just to let this teen have some sort of human connection at a moment of abandonment and shame. I decided that while I wasn’t a total coward, I wasn’t nearly as spontaneously courageous as I wished. I said a little prayer – for myself and for the teen – and went inside.

NFL PREDICTIONS

I just got back from an amazing conference, the L2 Leaders Forum in Chicago. Lots of blog-worthy topics, which I hope to get to over the next few days, even though I’ll be pretty busy catching up from being out of town and gearing up for a very busy month in terms of juggling work, school, and personal responsibilities.

But first, it’s that time of the year to make some NFL predictions. Last year’s choices didn’t pan out too well: for example, I had the Steelers, 49ers, and Raiders among the final four with the Eagles. Well, one out of four ain’t bad. So maybe I ought to tone down my Pennsylvania and Bay Area bias this year. Without further ado:

AFC E: Pats 3, Jets, Bills, Dolphins
AFC N: Ravens 4, Bengals 6, Steelers, Browns
AFC S: Colts 2, Titans, Jaguars, Texans
AFC W: Chiefs 1, Broncos 5, Raiders, Chargers

NFC E: Eagles 1, Cowboys, Giants, Redskins
NFC N: Vikings 2, Packers 6, Lions, Bears
NFC S: Panthers 3, Bucs, Falcons, Saints
NFC W: Seahawks 4, Rams 5, 49ers, Cardinals

AFC Wild-card: Bengals over Pats, Ravens over Broncos
NFC Wild-card: Packers over Panthers, Seahawks over Rams
AFC Divisional: Bengals over Chiefs, Colts over Ravens
NFC Divisional: Eagles over Packers, Vikings over Seahawks
Championships: Colts over Bengals, Eagles over Vikings
Super Bowl: Eagles 30, Colts 23