Huang Family Newsletter, February 2014

 The first half of the month was a bit of a blur: Lee was crazy busy at work and then proceeded to get very sick, Amy and Jada were also laid out for a few days, and every other day seemed to bring massive amounts of snowfall.  The second half of the month was kinder: everyone recovered their health, work slowed down to a manageable level, and Jada hosted her very first sleepover to celebrate her birthday. 

Leverage in Three Weeks

I am on the board of Community Design Collaborative and we are having an event in three weeks called LEVERAGE: A Celebration of Design and Community, which will be an evening reception to celebrate good design work throughout the region. 

The event will be at University of the Arts on Wednesday, March 19 6p-8p.  If you’re interested in buying a ticket ($100) or being a sponsor ($750 and up), let me know and/or go here or here for more info.

I’m looking forward to the event and the networking and celebratory opportunities it will provide.  I hope you will be able to join me and I appreciate any way you can support this great event and this great organization. 

Lazy Linking, 110th in an Occasional Series

What I liked lately on the Internets:

110.1 1971: the year Switzerland let women vote bit.ly/1nUEVjC @kottke

110.2 0.3%: % of Walmart’s 1.3M employees who make the federal or their state’s minimum wage bloom.bg/1eTkJt1 @bloomberg

110.3 1 out of 2,602: # games Jeter played where his team was eliminated from playoff contention bit.ly/1dcFwZ4 @phillynews

110.4 +136% vs. +12%: China vs. US GDP growth 2008-2013 bit.ly/1p461bo bit.ly/1dcI4X4 @teconomics

110.5 19%: amt of est $31B wage gain from minimum wage hike that’ll go to families living in poverty 1.usa.gov/1faeIyh @uscbo

His Story

Even if you've never been in a church or read the Bible, you probably know much of what's important when it comes to the Christian narrative.  For example, you're probably familiar with the fact that we were birthed in a garden, and that that was where the serpent tempted Adam and Eve into sin.  You probably also know the story of the Tower of Babel: men wanted to make a name for himself and build a tower to the heavens, and in response God confused their languages and scattered them to the four corners of the earth.  And you're probably aware of the imagery of the end of the Good Book: all the nations of the world streaming into holy Jerusalem, the streets paved with gold, and the city lit with the very presence of God Himself.

Perhaps these stories are so known that they hardly warrant a second thought.  Well, I'd like you to give them a second thought this morning.  In particular, consider that despite all these twists and turns, God never had His hand forced.  Consider instead that He always had a better ending in mind: even though our waywardness, disobedience, and shame laid ruin to the good He prepared for us, they led to something even more good.  We may have been banished from the garden, but the city he then set everything up to lead to was never meant to be a consolation prize.

In the garden, evil lurked and God came and went; in the city, evil has been decisively vanquished and God's presence is constant and illuminating.  Pre-Babel, we were one people with one language and one aim, which was to exalt ourselves.  Post-Babel, we are again one people, but from many nations and tongues, and again one aim, which is now to exalt our God and Deliverer.

Seeing evil defeated, seeing God's presence, and seeing unity in diversity: these are not just nice things to hope for but fundamental to God's ultimate story for mankind.  Not only do they matter to God but they are central to how He is bending all of life towards.  We who claim to honor Him and seek His will, are we about the same things? 

Weathering Hardships

To say we've been battered with snow this season is an understatement.  Week after week, we've been hit with significant accumulations, enough to disrupt commutes, close schools, and even shutter entire cities. 

We talk about the weather a lot because it so affects our day-to-day, but also because there is a nervous acceptance of a force so mighty and unpredictable that we can't help but lament, joke, and commiserate.  A common strand of conversation has been to mock those who've seemed to be affected more by relatively tamer conditions.  Those up north laugh at school closures, East Coasters tease West Coaster and Sun Belters for being softies, and everyone makes fun of the South. 

All in good fun, I guess.  But, on another level, this is no laughing matter.  Weather conditions can cause considerable personal distress, economic loss, and even death.  We may roll our eyes at parts of the country that seem ill-equipped to deal with what we would consider an easy amount of weather-related hardship, but if it never snows in your part of the country why should you be expected to be ready?  And why do we so easily tend towards kicking our milder-climate friends when they're down, instead of rallying around them in their time of relative need and uncertainty? 

Here's why.  When we are suffering, and someone else who is suffering less than we are squeals harder than we do, it is hard to be sympathetic and it is easy to be dismissive.  Ragging on others feels good because we come out looking tougher and heartier.  But so what?  It still doesn't excuse the fact that it's not very nice of us and that we should know better.  A couple of inches of snow in some parts of the country may in fact be a worse hardship than a couple of feet elsewhere.  And besides, even if it isn't, it isn't very kind to respond to weakness by mocking it.  That's what bullies do.  How about let's not be bullies.

Lazy Linking, 109th in an Occasional Series

Things I liked lately on the Internets:

109.1 The beauty of...math equations bbc.in/1maQpUx @bbc

109.2 No easy fixes to scarcity of affordable homes, but making them costly to build is definitely not one bit.ly/M8YYiy @theportlandtrib

109.3 If these walls could speak? Actually, you can find out a lot by looking into them (literally) bit.ly/1hnJOnH @hiddencityphila

109.4 Sexual orientation, violence, & manhood in the NFL bit.ly/1iR17KC @tncposts

109.5 Miami Dolphins were racist toward Asians too bit.ly/1dAjJhI @angryasianman

The Makings of an Urban Christian

Tomorrow I will be on a panel discussion as part of an InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF) conference that is taking place in North Philadelphia.  I and others will be talking about what God's doing in the city.  We'll be speaking to college students who are as old as I was when God used IVCF and Philadelphia to make me into an urban Christian, so it is neat to think that He is still in the business of molding people who will be faithful in city settings.  Pray for me as I try to do my part by telling my story and answering questions. 

Growing Old

I have a friend whose dad is kind of famous.  He's super-accomplished, legendary in his work ethic, seemingly always on the go.  My friend marvels at his dad's prodigious good works and looks up to him greatly.  But he worries aloud to me that his father will not grow old well. 

Growing old is something we all do, and it's something none of us like.  It means losing a step if we're athletes, having less energy to excel in our field if we're professionals, and aches and pains and fading memories and "senior moments" for the rest of us.  Growing old sucks. 

It's also completely normal.  And, if we embrace it, it can be a wonderful process: I know many older people whose kindness, happiness, generosity, and wisdom I aspire to when I get to be their age. 

But I can relate to my friend's famous dad.  I'm not nearly as hard-working or driven, but I too like being able to do a lot of things and do them well.  And when your body and mind prevent that, it can be frustrating. 

Being sick on and off these past three weeks - mostly on, and mostly miserable - has been kind of like growing old.  I've had to miss things I wanted to do, I've lacked energy, and my mind has failed me at times.  Sometimes, I've felt so sick I haven't cared about not being 100% - I simply had no room for anything but thoughts of misery.  But, other times, I've chafed against my weakened state, hating it instead of accepting it.

I want to grow old well.  I don't want to be someone who is only good when all is well.  I want to shine like the older people I mentioned above, who have peace in the sunset of their lives because they know who they are and they know growing old is a normal and healthy phenomenon.  I've gotten a little practice in being like them, but I'm not like them yet, by a lot.  I still have a long way to go.

Lazy Linking, 108th in an Occasional Series

Things I liked lately on the Internets:

108.1 Zoo Balloon wrecked?!? We never got to go on it!?! http://bit.ly/1e6sWtl @phillyzoo

108.2 We’re prob never going paperless, but we can make paper more eco-friendly http://econ.st/1l6FZm0 @economist

108.3 All this snow has a silver lining: figuring out where to make more space for pedestrians http://bit.ly/1f4IQWn @thisoldcity

108.4 Advocacy is a lifestyle, not a fad/milestone/battle http://bit.ly/1d6IHFn @bread4theworld

108.5 Wait, is Oakland – blue-collar, Raider Nation Oakland – getting hipster? http://bit.ly/1g7QqCR @mercnews

Weather and Illness Wreck My Schedule and Heal My Soul

As a parent and a professional, I am constantly juggling things.  And, as an INTJ, I survive by planning ahead.  And when more things are added to the schedule, the planning intensifies all the more, until practically every minute is properly assigned.

Until things intervene that look at carefully laid out schedules and laugh a hearty laugh.  Things like weather and illness. 

A lot of folks have seen a bunch of both lately.  Much of the US has been pummeled with snow, ice, and all the havoc wreaked by snow and ice, like school closings and commuting nightmares.  Meanwhile, much of the US has also been pummeled by all manner of sickness, with the viruses spreading with each cough and sneeze. 

It's been a brutal last few weeks, and not just because it's harder to jam everything into my schedule given the added headaches of doctor's visits and traveling difficulties or the diminished energy from sinus infections and achy bodies.  For me, the harder adjustment is the uncertainty: not knowing if schools will be closed, not knowing if I need to leave work early to deal with a doctor's appointment, and not knowing if I'll be healthy enough to do my usual morning workout routine. 

I'm sobered by my frustrated state.  I know of people who have it much worse than me.  A neighbor of mine had to deal with the frightening emergency of her daughter's appendix rupturing.  A fellow church congregant has had to navigate multiple buses and icy sidewalks on his usual reverse commute to the suburbs.  And these are but temporary inconveniences: obviously, there are people who have to deal with chronic health-related issues for themselves or someone they're caring for, and there are people whose life situations are such that they are constantly dealing with adverse weather-related complications.  I have it pretty cushy and yet I'm a big ball of irritation and frustration and moodiness and self-centeredness.  

A favorite Bible verse of mine for times like these is Psalm 119:71: "It was good that I was afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes."  I believe in a God who tests us, and whose testing comes from a deep heartfelt desire for us to grow beyond our baser impulses and become holier and more whole each day.  The temporary frustrations of weather-related uncertainties and illness-related setbacks are actually blessings, then, blessings in the form of opportunities for us to shed our selfish and ungrateful ways and move to a deeper place of serenity and gratitude.  Or, at least, as is more often the case with me, at least an opportunity to see where I am still selfish and ungrateful so I can be changed for the better the next time should I choose to respond to affliction by rooting myself more fully in God's statutes. 

Faithful or Entitled

A crucial moment in my Christian journey was my job search senior year in college. Circa the roaring 90's, kids graduating from my alma mater were flocking to Wall Street or Silicon Valley for lucrative jobs at prestigious firms. I ended up sweating out employment at a small non-profit organization with a staff of four that had so little money that it couldn't officially hire me (even at a really low salary) until they got a federal grant (which I helped write the application for as a volunteer during my senior year).

What anchored me every day that fateful year - as friends announced job offers, I got few if any signals from my future employer about the status of the grant, and my parents wondered aloud if I'd lost my mind going in the direction I was going - was a promise contained in the Bible from the words of Jesus:

"And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom." (Luke 12:29-32)

God's soothing message to me in the midst of all my future-related anxiety was that My job was to seek His kingdom, and His job was to take care of me.  That whole year I had many moments of panic and fear but also moments of a purity of serenity that can only come from believing that the Creator of the Universe is taking it upon Himself to make sure I'm OK.  It certainly frees you to go hard after what you think "seeking His kingdom" means, and for a business major living and studying in inner city West Philadelphia, I thought at the time that that meant using my business skills to help urban entrepreneurs and revitalize urban neighborhoods. 

While I was far from perfect in the process, I do feel I was trying to be faithful.  And, much more importantly, God was faithful: as I sought His kingdom, He did in fact provide for me.  I have been richly blessed in all ways in my post-undergrad days, and for that I am thankful things broke the way they did.

But I do often wonder whether I was more able to be faithful in this way because of my privileged background, and whether such a perspective is possible for others not as fortunate.  In other words, my upper middle class upbringing afforded me a healthy childhood, good schooling, and the opportunity to attend an Ivy League institution.  I then chose to forgo loftier career tracks from that vantage point, and still ended up comfortably paying my bills and affording a comfortable lifestyle. 

Not everyone is so lucky.  When I share my story with others, and get to the part about my senior year in college and how I decided to work where I worked afterward, do people who are of less means get offended at my arrogance and sense of entitlement? How grand of me to trade down for higher purposes; most others have no such luxury.

I was reminded of this when I read this recent Slate article about how the mantra of "doing what you love and you'll never work a day in your life" bespeaks an entitled place in which one needn't sully oneself with doing anything besides what is pleasurable and exciting.  Is this how I sound when I talk about seeking God's kingdom first and letting Him take care of me?  For the vast majority of people who have to scrape and claw just to get by and who are one mini-disaster away from utter ruin, such a loftiness can come across as unbecoming and rude and cold. 

Now, there's a difference between doing what feels good and doing God's work.  And doing God's work is obviously not just for those of us who happen to be fortunate enough to have meaningful career choices to select from.  But let's not kid around: we who are of means can easily fool ourselves into thinking we're doing God's work when what we're really doing is acting like entitled snobs who don't even really how incredibly lucky we are that we can have any choice at all, let alone to choose less than what is possible for our working lives. 

I hope that is not what I have done or what I continue to strive to do daily.  But I am increasingly aware of just how unaware I am of the plight of so many literally all around me.  I have a long way to go to be a better person and a closer representative of the kingdom of the God I claim to follow.

Lazy Linking, 107th in an Occasional Series

What I liked lately on the Internets:

107.1 What Obama’s presidency has meant for Black America http://bit.ly/1bduemy @tncposts

107.2 Why making fun of the South for falling apart after 2” of snow is stupid & mean bit.ly/L9JeLc @gizmodo

107.3 Would love to take my kids to these playgrounds designed by those crazy Danes http://bit.ly/1ftyRLV @thisiscolossal

107.4 There’s been a lot of talk lately about minimum wage, but EITC might be an even better way forward http://slate.me/1aRc7Ix @slate

107.5 Gen Y wants to do whatever, find peace, not judge; but we’re wired for discipline, suffering, punishmt bit.ly/1jYdGan @rdispatches