Portugal

Today is my last day in Portugal--for now. What an interesting place!
History is everywhere. The culture is fascinating. The evangelical church is only 1.4 percent of the population of 11 million!
Compare that with 25% of the population of Brazil.

The pastors and leaders I met are heroes. They work in the middle of a first world economy but the spiritual "economy" is fighting a truly uphill climb.

Here are a few thoughts and a few pictures from Portugal.

1. Christians are the same everywhere, but they are definitely impacted by the culture that surrounds them. The portuguese culture is a melancholy culture. According to the pastors here, the people of Portugal have a tendency to see life as always tragic. They expect trouble. This has an interesting impact on the health, wealth and prosperity message that is so powerful in the USA and in Brazil. It does not have much appeal here.

2. Social customs are are generational and hard to change anywhere. Europeans see wine as a part of every meal except breakfast. I think a sermon about drinking wine would be a challenge. It would be kind of like preaching against Hamburgers at the headquarters for McDonalds. Everyone knows that hamburgers make you fat, but they have also made McDonalds rich.

3. The abide message is powerful anywhere. The two mentoring days I led on Nov. 24th and 25th were received the same way they are received in Brazil. The difference here seems to be that the melancholy nature of the portuguese makes them deeply reflective and deeply emotional. As I spoke it was like they were a deep river that flowed with the thoughts. It was moving to feel the depth of their thinking and emotion.

4. I believe the abide message is perfect for a country where only 1.4% of the population truly understands the Gospel.
Lord willing, I will be back.