POLITICS AND LAND USE

My independent study this summer is under the heading of “politics and land use.” I’ve been looking at a local hospital’s plans for high-density and mixed-use expansion around their campus and between two transit stops. It is a form of what some folks call “transit-oriented development.” What I’ve uncovered is that when it comes to these kinds of land use, indeed there is lots of politics involved. Interest groups are digging in on issues like zoning ordinances, public hearings, and eminent domain. And at times, it has been quite contentious.

As a good friend of mine at work said when I told him about my paper, “next to religion, land is what people fight about.” He’s absolutely right. His comment got me thinking about the Middle East, and how much politics and land use are intertwined there. I guess that whether in faraway countries or down the street, when it comes to land use, it’s all about the politics.

I like to read my fair share of scholarly papers on metro issues like land use, and am even using a decent number of them in my paper. But when I read them now, I read them a little differently. For their rhetoric on what makes sense from a birds-eye view, which sounds so neat and tidy, needs to be filtered with the messier political dimensions that are happening on the street level.

TWENTIES AND THIRTIES

My wife and I did a rare night out earlier this week, although even that wasn’t that spectacular: walk five blocks to the grocery store, buy a couple of sandwiches, and sit outside a row of restaurants on a street that serves as the western border of the PENN campus. I had gotten home pretty late that night, so even though we left the house shortly after I got home, we didn’t end up sitting down with our sandwiches until about 9:00pm.

As we sat and talked, I spotted two interns from work walking up the street. I remembered that a number of our interns were going out dancing that night. I smiled as thought to myself that by the time they arrived at the club, my wife and I would be heading home and going to sleep.

The next morning, not a few of the interns looked a little bleary-eyed. One exclaimed that he didn’t get to bed until 4:00am, to which I replied that that was less than an hour before I got up from bed. I shook my head as I considered just how old I felt at that moment.

My social life is boring as heck. I haven’t gone to a movie or bought a CD in at least a couple of years. The rare night I’m up past 10 I’m yawning the whole time after 10. My weekly schedule is a never-ending treadmill of work, school, chores, studying, more work, and more studying; I break it up with things like crossword puzzles and news magazines, not the kind of thing that makes for cocktail party conversation the next day.

And you know what? I couldn’t be happier. I’m not in my twenties anymore. I’m 32 going on 33, happily married, in good health, a kid on the way, mortgage is reasonable, and a whole new chapter in my professional and personal life ahead. Someone in their twenties might look at my life and just shake their head. But me, I’m loving it.

INFORMATION PACKRAT

I know a lot of people who are packrats, but I’m not one of them. I give away clothes and books as soon as I can, I subscribe to the theory of “use it or lose it,” and I love a spartan desk.

But I do have packrat tendencies when it comes to information, especially in the form of magazine articles. The thirst for knowledge, the need to document, and the hope that someday I’ll need to look back on that piece that I remember reading six years ago all conspire to create in me an obsessive desire to save and catalog interesting articles. Any time I come across something save-worthy, I put it in a big box in my closet, and every six months I go through that box.

Today, I went through that box, and carefully sorted all the papers into one of the following categories (in alphabetical order):

Asia

Business and economic theory

Christian stuff

Europe

Global hunger/poverty

Magazine covers

Middle East and Africa

Philadelphia

Science and technology

South and Central America

Sports

Urban issues

US business

US politics

World economy

In reality, I have hardly ever gone back and looked at these archived articles. But the fact that they’re in my closet, organized and ready to be read, is enough to satisfy the little packrat in me.

GOOD NAME, BAD PR

While I’ve read all about the tasteless 49ers video, I hadn’t actually seen it until today (well, at least the first ten minutes or so, until the feed pooped out on me). The image was grainy but the message was clear, and after watching it, I was embarrassed, offended, and saddened.

If you’ve missed it, the 49ers PR department put together a bootleg instructional video on what not to do, only they did everything wrong you could think of. Sleazy nudity, unnecessary lesbian action, and a terrible Asian caricature are just some of the stupid things that ended up on this video.

I stopped around Minute 11 when the narrator looked into the camera and said, “And remember, you don’t just represent yourself; you represent the whole organization.” Oh, the irony! The 49ers are going to suffer for this amateurish production for many years to come.

Solomon said it best in his textbook of proverbs: “A good name is to be more desired than great riches; favor is better than silver and gold.” For my own sake, and for the “organizations” I represent – my family, my workplace, my school, my church, and all of my other affiliations – may I seek not great riches but a good name.

A BUSY MONTH

By the time July is over, I will have taken five and a half days off this month. Nothing unusual for a summer month, right? The problem is that five of those days will have been to stay home and study; ugh. (By the way, the last half-day is for going down to Baltimore for my sister’s graduation.) My public budgeting class is THE notorious class at Fels in terms of amount of work, and in that regard it hasn’t disappointed: a research paper on a state budget, a presentation about that state’s budget, several assignments related to a city budget, and the creation of a consolidated city budget with about thirty revenue departments and thirty expense departments; yikes. Great class, no doubt; but tons of work.

But that’s not all. My other course unit this summer is actually an independent study, which I have chosen to do on transit-oriented development in Bryn Mawr, about a hospital’s plans for expansion within a mostly residential neighborhood, and the community’s response, with all the attendant economic and political dynamics that go along. It’s a fascinating story, to be sure, but again a ton of work: reams of readings just to get familiar with the subject matter, interviews and long hours at the local library, far too many hours of footage of public hearings and panel discussions. I’ve got about two weeks to get my head around this assignment and crank out a paper that will most likely end up in the 50-75 page realm.

Fortunately, I have an easy day job. No wait, I don’t. Life continues to be crazy at my workplace, as I frantically try to manage multiple departments and ready the systems to continue in my permanent absence. Thankfully, this frenetic juggling of work and school comes to an end by the end of this month, when I get a one-month break from coursework, after which by the time I resume my studies I will be done at the office. But then, of course, a new juggling act (hopefully) begins: prepping our home and our hearts (and the regular rhythm of our daily schedules) for a little one, who will change everything when she arrives. I can’t wait.

A BETTER CITY

I want to thank our pastor Scott not only for giving a great sermon this morning (he is a truly gifted communicator of Biblical truths) but for also giving me three more reasons why the City is better than the Garden (from his exegesis of Revelation 21:22-27):

1. God’s revelation is fuller there (v.22). In the Garden, God is always coming and then going. But in the City, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are always there, illumining the entire city.

2. It better represents the fullness and diversity of creation (v.24, 26). In the Garden, it’s just Adam and Eve. But in the City, all the nations and tribes will bring their unique perspective on God and worship to the party.

3. There will be absolute security from danger (v.25, 27). In the Garden, the serpent’s lies cause Adam and Eve to sin. But in the City, lies and sin aren’t allowed in, and evil has been so vanquished that the city gates never need to be shut.

The mind-blowing thing about this is that those three truths are still true even if there was no Fall. God intended for us to end up in the City because the City is better than the Garden. How wonderful!

ABSOLUTE TRUTHS IN RELATIVE TIMES

I just finished reading through the book of Acts in my morning prayer time, and will be beginning the book of Romans tomorrow. The end of Acts finds Paul in Rome, explaining the Christian way to interested Roman citizens; while Romans is a letter Paul had written to Christians in Rome. This context is important, as context is always important, because who’s writing and to whom and in what setting makes all the difference in your interpretation and enjoyment of the Bible.

In this case, 1^st century Rome was a cosmopolitan and intellectual place, not unlike many urban centers around the world today. It is striking, then, that Paul spends so much time on the absolute truths of the Christian faith, tenets that were probably just as unpopular back then as they are now. He condemns homosexuality as a sin, acknowledges God as the ultimate judge of humanity, and warns that unfaithful living will cause you eternal separation from God. You might easily read the first few chapters of Romans and conclude that the Bible is hopelessly dated and old-fashioned, that society has moved past such intolerance and moral rigidity and has become more accepting, more progressive.

Ah, but such is the reality of absolute truths in relative times: they do not go down easily. Indeed, many of Paul’s listeners at the end of Acts not only refused to believe his message, but got downright unruly in their opposition. And so it is today. The true Christian message is rejected and itself condemned for its claims of absolute truths in a time where relativism is sacrosanct.

The sad thing is that we Christians are failing on two counts as it relates to absolutism and relativism. We fail to hold the line on truths that are non-negotiable, like the consequences of sin or the primacy of Jesus. And while we are tolerating half-truths and outright lies, where we are intolerant is in areas where we ought to not only be tolerant, but lead our society towards greater tolerance, like pursuing racial harmony and loving the morally outcasted and seeking economic justice.

Which is why I look forward to studying the book of Romans. For while it was written to 1^st century Christians in Rome, it applies to 21^st century Christians in urban centers around the world. We too live in cosmopolitan settings, where intellectualism is esteemed and people wonder why we can’t just all get along. We too need to be fed with the message that there is absolute truth and there is a loving and merciful God. Such are the foundations for Christians and Christian communities that hold the line on non-negotiable truths, and that can simultaneously demonstrate genuine outreach and loving tolerance to a society that desperately needs it.

BEFORE AND AFTER 8

I didn’t get a chance to go to the Live8 concert on Saturday (Amy and I were at her parents’ in New Jersey for the day), but as a Philadelphian, I am proud that it went off as well as it did. It probably won’t surprise you that I was holding my breath about this, given Philly’s reputation for not-so-sterling incidents while on the national stage. (Remember when part of the stage fell on top of Sandra Day O’Connor a couple of years ago?)

This time, before, during, and after, Philly represented well. In the days leading up to the concert, it was all people were talking about. Co-workers and classmates of mine were making plans to meet up at various places. The morning of, I took a bike ride deep into Wissahickon Creek and stopped for a breather next to a man brushing his dogs. As I was leaving, he asked me, “You going to the concert?” I realized then how big this thing was for the city, that it would bring everyone together like that.

Again, I was outside of the city during the concert, but by all accounts, the concertgoers conducted themselves superbly. There were no major unruly incidents, people helped each other to water and aid stations, and a whole mix of ages and races partied hearty.

As for the aftermath, I made sure my run this morning got me to the Ben Franklin Parkway so I could see the carnage of several hundred thousand revelers from a couple nights before. Only there wasn’t any carnage. True to Mayor Street’s promise, the streets were so clean you couldn’t tell there was anything major just 36 hours before. I’d never seen so little trash on the Parkway, quite frankly.

As I neared the Art Museum from City Hall, vendors and event people were setting up for yet another concert, the one that always precedes the big fireworks show on the Fourth of July. I whizzed past the people dutifully setting up stages and sound equipment and booths, crossed the Spring Garden Bridge back into West Philadelphia, and headed home, proud of my city for hosting such a great global event, and then doing such a good job of cleaning up afterwards, and then getting it all set up all over again.

SUMMERS IN COLLEGE

Every once in awhile, I get asked this question by Christians in college, so I figured I’d post my usual answer. First, the question: “What’s the best way to make the most of your summers in college?” My answer is first, don’t think of individual summers, and having to do everything in one summer. Consider that you have three summers. I usually suggest to students to try to spend the equivalent of one summer at home, one in the city where they go to school, and one somewhere else (preferably outside the US).

As for what you do, school in the city you go to school is the only thing I don’t recommend. Other than that, between studying, working, getting involved in a church community, spending time with family, doing community service, and investing in meaningful relationships, you want to have a nice mix for your three summers. Once you graduate, you’re probably never going to have 3-4 months to do these kinds of things in the same kind of way. So make the most of your three summers in college.

Ironically, for someone who loves Philadelphia and loves when students stay in Philadelphia and get to know its charm, I myself never spent a summer in Philadelphia. I ended up spending 1.5 of my three years at home (California) and 1.5 years outside of the US:

Summer 1992 – 1st half: home in California, working for a family friend in the morning, volunteering at a homeless shelter in the afternoon, helping out with church in the evenings

Summer 1992 – 2^nd half: went to the infamous “Love Boat,” a cultural study tour in Taiwan

Summer 1993 – home in California, working for two stockbrokers during the day and helping out with church at night

Summer 1994 – 1^st half: worked for a consulting firm in Russia, helped out with a church there

Summer 1994 – 2^nd half: worked with churches in Albania, Hungary, and Romania

I actually didn’t start working until halfway through the summer after my senior year, so technically I had 3.5 summers in college. And since I spent that half-summer at home with my family, that makes 2 full summers at home and 1.5 summers abroad. So if I had to do it all over again, I would’ve spent a summer in Philadelphia, working and hanging out with friends. But other than that, I’m happy with how I spent my college summers.