“Recently, an attorney at Debt Masters, a local collection agency, found out that one of his managers was cheating the business. Of course, the manager was fired, but he was given to the end of the day when he would be given his final check.

“The manager considered quickly, recognizing that he would soon be without a job and homeless, because it would be difficult for him to find another job. He refused to live on the streets, so he quickly came up with a plan.

“He looked up all his clients who were living in Portland and gave them a call. His conversation went like this:

Joey Velasco’s Crucifixion

Today is the day that the church celebrates the death of Jesus.  The death of forgiveness, the death that established a new nation, so that we need no longer live under the oppressions of this world.

Why was Jesus sentenced to die?

He didn’t die at the hand of Pharisees or at the hand of other enemies in Galilee.  He was killed by the elders and the High Priest, who used their political savvy to get him killed, even crucified like one who is no longer to be counted on the roster of world citizens.

Why did they kill him?

They killed him because he declared himself to be greater than the High Priest, and greater than the emperor of the world, Caesar himself.

They killed him because he threatened the religious establishment on which they depended.

They killed him because he stood with the second-rate citizens, demanding that they be treated as equals.

They killed him because he denied any laws or statutes or rituals that were in opposition to love.

I pray that we would be so wise, so brave, so forthright to stand for these principles, although we are derided, stripped of our authority, made vulnerable, arrested and even killed.  Because although we may make ourselves an enemy of the powers of the world, we are better off being an imitator of Jesus.

I have a friend who used to huff methylene when he was on the street and it messed up his mind some. He told me that he used a bit after he met me, but he soon quit. I was glad he had stopped, because it was keeping him from God. He told me that even when he was using, God was still directing him and helping him. I shook my head. He asked me, “Do you believe that God was with me, even in my addiction?”

I thought about him losing his mother who meant everything to him. I thought about him spending his childhood and youth in various forms of prisons, because he was emotionally unstable. I thought about his marriage, which ended with him completely losing contact with his four sons. I thought about him feeling that he was forced to leave his community because he was attacked by his ex-wife’s religion.

I am sure that he made a lot of mistakes. Sometimes horrible ones. But he lived a life of trauma. And he had more to learn to survive than I ever did. He learned to ride on his bike hundreds of miles just to get his mind right. He learned to read the Bible and take notes, finding truth. He learned to live with others and to calmly work through his problems. It took him a long time. I realized that I had no right to question how a person works through their trauma. Especially when they were in a better place.

In response, I nodded my head and said, “I am sure God was with you every step of the way. Talking to you. Helping you get to this place.”

Since then, he got in contact with all four of his sons and his family, and they all love him.

Pat is a regular at RedBarn, about my wife’s and my age, helping in various ways, both when she was homeless and now. She ran her own business that failed, and ended up living in her car. We would allow her to occasionally sleep overnight in the parking lot.

One night a group of three men came over to accost our homeless folks who were on and near our property. They woke up the few people sleeping in the next door park. They came to Pat’s car where she was sleeping, slammed their hands on the hood of the car and screamed at her, “You don’t belong here! Go away! Go away!” By the time she was able to get her keys out and get the car started, they were on all sides of the car, shaking it up and down. She was able to leave. I’m surprised she ever came back again.

Now she has her own apartment and a job. She’s not got much money, though, so she was out canning with a bag to get some dog food. A police officer saw her and asked her what she was doing, and where she was staying. She said that she was over by a certain corner. The officer replied with suspicion, “Are you staying at the Golden Knight?” (This is the cheap motel in town, where many homeless people crash if they can). She replied, “Oh, no. I have my own place in the apartment building.” Suddenly the officer’s suspicion turned to respect. “Sorry to bother you ma’am.”

It is fascinating that a homeless person can be treated like trash, but once they are housed they are respected. Perhaps we should stop looking at people’s station and treat people according to the kindness and respect they give others.

Amber lives on the streets of Gresham, and she is tired of being harassed. She has been told to move four times in the last three days. She is a good worker, preparing meals at a local church for the hungry two times this week, and working in their clothing room every week.

“They are telling us, ‘You know that camping is illegal in Gresham, don’t you?’ They told me that next time they see me they will arrest me for camping. Were are we supposed to go? I’m tired of being forced to move every day.”

People should not be forced to leave unless they have a place to go. Sixty five percent of the homeless in Gresham come from Gresham. It is time for Gresham to take care of their own, and provide solutions, not abuse.