Why Portland?

So, many times we get asked this question: "Why Portland?"

This question usually follows us explaining that we feel called to start a discipleship school in Portland. But not usually right after. The people asking this question usually wait two or three days and spring it on me at an inopportune moment, when my mind is totally engrossed with the sandwich I'm eating, or exactly how far I can tip that chair back without falling over, or something equally mundane. They'll just walk up to me out of the blue and say "Why Portland?" like I should have some deep insightful answer just sitting there, waiting for someone to ask me.

What usually ends up happening, is I stammer out a few stats about human trafficking, something about how much Portland needs it, or homelessness, or maybe something about how cool of a place it is. It's not convincing at all, and it sounds very much like I'm not committed, or that I haven't thought through this thing at all, but that's about as far from the truth as it could be. It's just that my mind doesn't switch into sales mode that quickly. I'm more apt to be wondering how the decay of the speed of light as a universal constant could be a convincing argument for creationism, or about how the organizational structure of YWAM spells it's own death, or about what light waves refract in the atmosphere above the clouds.

What I'm not thinking about is: "What's a cool way to communicate the vision I feel God has put on my heart for Portland and my future?"

So, here's an attempt:

Why Portland? I'm glad you asked! It's simple, really. God called us there. I don't understand all of his reasons. I just know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it's where he wants us to be. God is doing something special in Portland right now. There's lots of things being started there and being brought back there or moving there for the first time. I don't understand it completely, but Portland is spiritually significant right now.

Also, both Lydia and I feel that God is putting on our hearts some type of authentic community (yes, I know that's all the rage right now). Not like an ultra-hip church, though. I'm not ultra-hip, and I don't know how to be. Also, I don't go to church.

No, the community God is describing to us is a community of people that does life together. Instead of being committed to a "cause" or a "model" or something like that, they're committed to each other. Plain and simple. They live together, they eat together, they get involved in each other's lives. They don't all work in the same place - in fact, they interact with and react to the community at large, but are so filled up with love and refreshed and enjoying life and God that they become beacons of hope to people who have no understanding of unconditional love, who may even be hostile to God.

Now, Portland seems like an awesome place to make that happen. I envision myself running a discipleship school half the year, then working with the previously described communal group the rest of the year. And raising a family. And having awesome microbrews. And going on missions. And writing a (New York Times Best-selling) book(s).

Want to come?

I found it!

Here it is! The movie is "My Bodyguard," and the actor is Chris Makepeace. He even looks like he's crying when he's smiling.

To Hair or Not to Hair?

I've been growing my hair out recently. Or, not so recently, depending on how you look at it. Since about April of last year, or around 9 months now. "Out" is also a very apt term, since my hair doesn't grow long, it just grows out. And up. It looks vaguely like a character from a 70's movie that I can't remember the title of. The lead character is this dorky kid who makes friends with the bully and helps him rebuild a motorcycle, or something like that. Anyway, he cries a lot. My hair looks like his. Which is good, or bad, depending on how you look at it.

If you look at it like me, which is in the mirror generally only once or twice a day, it seems fine when it's still wet from the shower and I leave the house. Then, when I return home after a day of meeting with important people, giving lectures and some very intense personal discipleship to the students, and take the time to look in the mirror whilst brushing my teeth, I have a moment of "What the heck is that on top of my head?"

So every night I swear I'm going to shave it all off, then every morning I think "Eh, not so bad."

Lydia steadfastly refuses to comment on this issue. She will neither say yea or nay to the hair, probably because I have her trained that it is my one (ha!) area of insecurity and that I'll break down and cry like the aforementioned 70's movie character if she says it doesn't look good. So she's no help.

While we're on the topic of hair, Lydia is talking about getting dreadlocks. Which is fine with me, she can do what she wants. I merely pointed out to her that I have not ever seen a white person with dreadlocks that look good on them. Ever. She doesn't seem fazed. I'm still in denial about it.

So what am I to do? Randomly stop people in the middle of a conversation and say "Do you think my hair looks good? Or should I just shave it all off?" What if they expect me to return the favor and I'm forced to squirm uncomfortably, look at my shoes and say "Looks fine to me..." I don't think I could handle that kind of pressure.

So the hair stays. Or maybe not. No, no, it's definitely going.

Maybe.

Possibilities, Decisions, and Purpose

So we're at a turning point in our life.

Again.

In fact, when I think about it, there's only been about 18 solid months in the past 11 years I can look back on and say with confidence: "That was not a turning point in my life."

Most of this can be traced to brainwashing by YWAM, of course. Their seven mind-molders have effectively eliminated my need for what most humans know as "security." Once that's gone, all of a sudden you have unlimited possibility for what to do with your life. Fight sex trafficking in South Africa? Sure! Start a discipleship school in Portland? Sign me up. Move to some country I never heard of before yesterday? Not a problem.

Brainwashing aside, I'm fairly excited for this current turning point. I just have the feeling that it's got some momentum to it, like a big wrecking ball just waiting to be told where to swing.

The biggest factor that determines our next move is funding. If you had a chart, and had a level on it marked "Just Scraping By", we would be just below that level. Or possibly several levels below. The whole chart is hypothetical anyway, so the exact position is not that important. We just don't have enough money.

So that's what I'm spending my time doing, for the most part. Crafting heart-warming / -wrenching letters that will elicit funds from supporters for the next steps on our journey. Hopefully, it will prove successful and I can inform you more fully of what our next steps end up being.

-Luke