I HEART PORTLAND

If you read last week’s blog, you’ll know I’m a small-town boy from Prineville (and Monmouth, and Dallas, and …). So the transition to city boy has been a slow work in progress. For the record, I currently reside in Sherwood and formerly in both Newberg and Tualatin, so suburban city boy is more accurate. But as a local tour guide, I spend significant portions of my day in downtown Portland. And I love it!

Portland is once again in the news lately, for the wrong reason. This is nothing new for the Rose City, with its frequent protests, fentanyl crisis, and large homeless population. It is heartbreaking to see the broken lives on our streets, especially in Old Town. But as I’ve said before, when I see each one, I remind myself I am seeing the very image of God. It’s true. He sees them, too, and each one. And how wonderful to have groups like City Team, Portland Rescue Mission, Union Gospel Mission, and the Salvation Army all right in the thick of where the need is, expressing the love of Jesus just as He desires.

I also saw our mayor, Keith Wilson, on the street downtown today. He has his hands full, to say the least. He vowed to make the homeless crisis a priority and from what I’ve seen he has done so, though the need is still overwhelming. He’s also preparing for an invasion of sorts, as a reported 200 troops from the Oregon National Guard have been ordered to duty in Portland by President Trump.

My intent is not to make this a political rant, but simply to give a different perspective from what you hear and see reported on the news. My “boots” are already on the ground, almost daily, in downtown Portland and I can report with passion that the city I love is no “hell hole” or “war zone.” At least not more than any other large city in our nation. When I talk to guests they are often surprised at the state of things and report a much greater crisis in their own cities. Again, to be sure, there is much work to be done. Nevertheless, Portland is a great city, with much to celebrate. When you hop on my Sprinter van, I’ll show you. 

The vision of my downtown church (Bridgetown) is: “God’s Kingdom Come in Portland as it is in Heaven.” I pray this everyday as I come into the city on I-405. And then I again express my gratitude that I get to live and work here in the city that I love. And like the prophet Jonah found out about Ninevah, God loves Portland too, and the nearly 700,000 souls that call it home.

 So may God bless the 200 troops that are coming to town soon. But like many of my guests, I think they’ll be quite surprised by the state of things, and may need to head to Powell’s City of Books and Stumptown Coffee Roasters to pass the time.

Your small-town city boy,

JAY