i went to a restaurant here in Brazil over the weekend that had what they called a “traditional Brazilian coffee.” A traditional Brazil afternoon coffee would serve as a full meal in anyone’s book. I remember being invited over for “afternoon coffee” at an acquaintance’s home back in the 80′s while living in Brazil. The [...]

I’ve had a really hectic week here in Curitiba, Brazil. The school I’ve been attending has been non-stop, beginning at 7:45am and going to 10:00pm each day. Typically we’ve not gotten back to our room before midnight. I was happy to have Sunday off. We slept late, went to a local mall then had a [...]

Last night I had the privilege of ordaining a missionary and pastor who has given almost twenty years of his life in service to the Kingdom. Why would I “ordain” someone who is already a pastor and missionary? This Brazilian pastor found himself in a position of not having a spiritual covering. Such a covering [...]

One of the characteristics of the training I’m participating in here in Brazil is it’s communal living environment. We are forced to live in a community, sharing resources and space. The experience is designed to help us be better counselors, to be more attuned to the needs, and quirks, of others, especially strangers we come [...]

I’m in south Brazil in a training class for spiritual counseling and inner healing. Though I have quite a bit of experience working in the cross-cultural setting of Brazil, there are still times where I’m caught off-guard. This morning was a good example. The fellow in front of me in the breakfast line gets a [...]

There are days when I wonder if I should have gotten out of bed. I get a phone call that went something like this: Caller: Doc, can you help heartburn? Me: Typically there is a lot you can do. Caller: Ok! What do you recommend? Me: I need more information about what is going on. [...]