Portland is America's #1.....

The following is post is taken from my friend George Bradley....Thanks George for following Christ and making disciples in Portland!

If you live in Portland, you know all about our town. If you don’t live in Portland, let me share some of our cultural context. The information that follows appears this week in the Portland Tribune and Willamette Week newspapers.

We’re #1! - PORTLAND LEADS the NATION - PORTLAND is AMERICA’S #1:

·       Best City (Motovo)

·       Unhappiest City (Business Week)

·       Most Unbelieving (Irreligious) City (US Census)

·         Most Strip Clubs per Capita (tuscl)

·       Best Beer City (Travel & Leisure)

·       77% identify as Liberal (Values & Beliefs)

·       Top City for Casual Sex (OKCupid)

·       Top City for Book Lovers (Livability)

·       Best City for Movie Lovers (Motivo)

·       Best Bike City (Bicycling)

·       Most Green City (Popular Science)

Some are saying that the TV show Portlandia is not a comedy but a documentary! Portlandia - Forgot My Grocery Bag

Jesus is asking you and me to invite others to fall under His loving discipline. He asks us to make disciples. I have a yearning to be a follower of Jesus in Portland and to make disciples here. Maybe you do too. 

Jesus doesn’t ask us to convert Portlanders to Christianity. Converts change religions. Jesus is asking us to be disciple makers. Disciples change masters. Converts follow a system. Disciples follow the Person of Jesus. Converts build a religion. Disciples of Jesus build the Kingdom of God. Converts adapt rituals. Disciples of Jesus embrace His entire worldview, character, teachings, way of living and dying. Disciples baptize others in the context of “teaching them to observe all that I command you.” Converts love numbers. Followers of Jesus long for transformation. 

Jesus has allowed me to share Him with people from every continent. Then, together you helped us send missionaries from here. In recent years I’ve worked to make Jesus followers in Portland. You and I belong to Jesus. We are sold out, whole route. The people of Portland are wonderful and this town is amazing, despite our ambivalence about Jesus. Portland and I need your prayers.

Thank you for helping us share Jesus in Portland.  

Yours for transformation,

George Bradley