Tag: Vanuatu

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Who are the Real Savages?

In his autobiography, John G. Paton uses very politically incorrect terms when describing people from Vanuatu. Among other things he calls them ‘savages’ and ‘heathens’. This may not be pc language to use in 2010. But I really don’t have a problem with him using words like ‘savage’ when describing a people group who are known for cannibalism (and not just of Christian missionaries!), infanticide and the random sacrifice of women.

The people of Vanuatu are very different from what they were like 170 years ago. They no longer practice cannibalism, infanticide and the sacrifice of women. They really are beautiful people displaying the fruit of the Spirit.

It got me thinking. Who are the real savages?

Lots of Australians visit Vanuatu each year. I’d argue that as a generalisation, we as a people group are the savages.

  • Corporate culture in Australia is almost cannibalistic in people devouring one another to get ahead.
  • Some 100,000 young Australians are systematically destroyed in the name of free choice and convenience.
  • I’m confident many of the end of season footy trips from Australia to Vanuatu are characterised by players treating women without dignity and respect, little more than a piece of meat.

170 years ago, Western culture would have had a thing or two to teach the people from Vanuatu. Today though, I think there is much more that we can learn from them about what it means to be human.

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You Will Be Eaten by Cannibals!

Last November I went on a Mission trip to Vanuatu. I’ll be going again very very soon! I’ve had 4 almost finished blog posts waiting to be finished since the start of the year. I figured I should finish them before I go again!! READ THE FIRST 8 POSTS HERE.

Prior to gaining independence from Britain and France in 1980, Vanuatu was known as the New Hebrides. On November 20 1839, John Williams and James Harris, were the first Christians missionaries who sought to make Jesus known among the locals in the New Hebrides. Within moments of arriving, they were both killed and eaten by cannibals.

In the decades that followed, other missionaries ventured out to the New Hebrides seeking to proclaim Jesus to those perishing. Many were met with a response like the one that Williams and Harris received. But on some islands, the gospel bore much fruit with, in at least one case, the whole island professing faith in Jesus!

One of the missionaries who accepted the call to take the gospel to the New Hebrides was John G. Paton. He was a successful urban missionary in Glasgow. After hearing the plight of the people in the South Pacific, he was compelled to leave the comforts of his home city to travel to the other side of the world to proclaim the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection to a people desperate to hear it. All this despite the real threat of being eaten by cannibals.

During 1858, in his first 6 months, Paton’s wife and new born son both died as a result of fever. This was the beginning of a treacherous 4 years on the island of Tanna. He met with opposition on so many fronts. People were violent in their opposition to the gospel. The weather conditions were harsh. And they were at the whim of shifty trade ship captains to move around islands.

Continue reading “You Will Be Eaten by Cannibals!”

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Jesus is Nambawan!

I like soccer. I love Jesus. It used to be the other way around. While in Vanuatu, it was fun to combine soccer (football) and Jesus. The Nivans are football crazy. So we ran a bunch of football games with the locals. Find a field. Start kicking a ball. People turn up. At each game, I gave a short talk. It was interesting to think through how and what to say in a short period of time to a group of people who aren’t all English-speakers.

Jesus is numbawan!

After interacting with local kids in the schools and at the football games, the common message became “Jesus is nambawan!” (“Jesus is number one!”). Football? It’s number two, because Jesus is number one! I shared from the most famous verse in the Bible on what Jesus has done and how “faith” is having Jesus as number one: “God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die” (John 3:16). We also prayed together that God would help us to have Jesus as number one.

High-fives were replaced with high-ones and “Jesus is nambawan!” was often heard from the windows of our buses! I think it was an effective message. Vanuatu is a country where the majority of people are living with Jesus as number one. So most of the kids who played football are already Christian. Hopefully we were an encouragement to them to keep living with Jesus as their king. One day, they might look back fondly at those crazy white guys who were crazy about Jesus. Not crazy about Jesus? Check this out…

With all this talk of Jesus as number one, I’m reminded of the following video. It’s probably the pinnacle of my film-making career (below the jump):

Continue reading “Jesus is Nambawan!”

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Top 10 Books to Read in Your First Year out of School

In Vanuatu I gave a list of my top 10 books for a Christian to read in their first year out of school. The list actually had 11. And then it kinda grew to almost 20. Here is the final list. Shout out to Dan Godden, bro-in-law and co-host extraordinaire, who helped me to decide what made the cut. Have you just finished school? I believe that if you read each of these books it will give you a good foundation for the rest of your life. 10 books works out to be a book per month with 2 months off throughout the year. As you work out your reading plan, make sure your first priority is to have programmed into your daily schedule time with God to hide his word in your heart.

most of these covers have since been updated...

  1. Don’t Waste Your Life – John Piper – Piper has a stack of books worth reading. This is a good place to start. You get some of the thesis that runs across all of his books, that the chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying him forever. The book is cross-centred in the way it calls you to live with urgency as you invest in eternity. You can also download it for free (along with a billion other Piper books).
  2. Guidance & The Voice Of God – Phillip Jensen & Tony Payne – as an 18 y/o this radically changed my thinking about how to make decisions. In speaking to teens and twenties, I regularly have the framework from this book in the back of my mind.
  3. Knowing God – JI Packer – gold, pure gold. This really is a beautiful book. It’s all about knowing God and being known by God. I often go back and re-read the section on ‘Sons of God’.
  4. How Long O Lord, Reflections on Evil & Suffering – DA Carson – the way of the cross is suffering, it’s normal for Christians to suffer. This book will equip you to know how to suffer. Deals with key Bible texts. You won’t find a better book on this subject.
  5. The Cross Of Christ – John Stott – my aim is to read a book on the cross every year. There is no better place to start than this one! It’s thick, but readable.
  6. Sex Isn’t The Problem, Lust Is – Josh Harris – one of the great things about this book is that it is PG. It’s suitable for guys and girls, young and old. Josh Harris takes holy living and fleeing from sexual immorality seriously. You’ll be armed to live God’s way in a fallen sex-crazed world.
  7. Know & Tell The Gospel – John Chapman – crystal clear on what the gospel is. Very practical on how to share the gospel. Highly recommended!
  8. A Book By A Dead Guy – there are 2000 years of Christian church history. Some pretty sweet gear has been penned by some dead heroes of the Christian faith. Find one. Read it. Meditate upon it. Here’s a few suggestions: Holiness by JC Ryle; Mere Christianity by CS Lewis; A Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan; Morning & Evening by CH Spurgeon; Classics of the Reformation by Luther, Calvin & Cranmer.
  9. A Book About A Dead Guy – some of those dead heroes also had books written about them. Biographies will help you to learn from the successes and failures of those who have gone before us. John Piper’s brief biographies are a really good starting point: Athanasius, Owen & Machen; Tyndale, Judson & Paton; Bunyan, Cowper & Brainerd; Augustine, Luther & Calvin; Newton, Simeon & Wilberforce. (All free to download).
  10. A Piece of Classic Fiction – reading fiction helps you to read more betterer. Do it. Here’s some suggestions: Moby Dick by Melville; Robinson Crusoe by Defoe; Gulliver’s Travels by Swift; Pride & Prejudice by Austen; The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien.

Each of the authors in books 1 through 7 are great. If you like the book I’ve suggested, read anything else by the same author you can get your hands on.

Most of the links above are to the publisher’s website. In some cases you might want to buy them direct from the publisher. Looking for a bargain? Check out booko.com.au – they find the best online prices for purchasing from Australia.

If you’re having a crack – let me know how you go!!

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Beautiful People part 2

Part 1 was all about beautiful people from Vanuatu. This second post is all about some beautiful people from Australia. Is the language ‘beautiful’ a bit gooey? Bare with me. Who are these beautiful people from Australia? The Schoolies. NOT the drunken Schoolies that congregate on the Gold Coast, but a beautiful bunch of 20 young men and women intent on being counter-cultural in their end-of-school celebration.

Beautiful People Australia

These beautiful young adults were gathered from all over NSW as part of the Scripture Union Schoolies in Vanuatu trip. Bruce Boyle, Ali OpdeVeigh and their SU team did a great job in leading the trip. Following are three ways that I was impressed by this extraordinary group of beautiful people.

1) Expression of God-given gifts

At the start of our time in Vanuatu, I ran a training session on the nature of our ministry amongst the Nivan people: Encouragise; Empathise; Evangelise. (Downloadable from here). Let’s be honest. They really didn’t need much of an encouragement! God has clearly gifted each of these young men and women. They were constant in their encouragement of the local believers to keep trusting Jesus. When we visited the hospital, many Schoolies again showed an incredible ability to empathise, listen and pray. Likewise, they were bold in making the most of evangelistic conversation. It’s beautiful to see young men and women joyfully using – and discovering – their God-given gifts.

2) Love for Jesus and the Scriptures

I’ve been on 50+ youth camps in the last 10 or so years and probably spoken on 20+ of them. Of all those camps, this one was unique in the amount of quality time in the Bible. The Schoolies took reading and studying the bible with great seriousness. Our series, Don’t Waste Your Life, was a helpful platform to think about living life with eternity in mind. It was beautiful to look out on the lawn at random times of the day and see Schoolies scattered around under trees reading and meditating on the Bible. Then at other times to hear many of them grappling with big questions about God, Jesus and life. We hit on many of the big issues of God’s sovereignty and human responsibility, and it was a delight to see them willingly submitting to the authority of the Bible. Finishing school is a significant time of life, I’m confident that, under God, these young people are poised to make the most of their lives by growing in their love for Jesus.

3) Depth of Character

Teenagers aren’t expected to be godly. Society has low expectations on young people. My heart was warmed in seeing the way that these beautiful people are rebelling against these low expectations by living with great depth of character and maturity. (See this post for some links to great articles by the Harris brothers about Doing Hard Things). On our arrival back in Sydney their godliness was poignantly  illustrated. After the customs people confiscated half of our souvenirs, we walked past this massive TV. On the TV there was a news report. The volume was turned off, but the images and text on the screen said it all. It was a scene from Schoolies on the Gold Coast. Something like: “three times as many arrests, three times as many alcohol fuelled incidents, three times as many fights on the beach”. What a contrast! While the majority of their peers were living for themselves and this world, our Schoolies were living for the sake of others and with a view to eternity.

The gospel really does change people. I really love these young people and the way that God is shaping and moulding them to be more like Jesus. Who knows, of all those 50+ camps, this was probably my favourite!!

Did you arrive hear via searching for “schoolies” in google?? This blog post probably sounds bizarre. Check out this gear about Jesus – God could change your life!!

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Beautiful People Part 1

As beautiful as the landscape is in Vanuatu, the people are of far greater beauty. Many of the Nivans we met were characterised by gentleness, kindness, warmth, love, overwhelming generosity and a unique ability to show hospitality. Walking around the streets of Port Vila was a little bit like walking around the streets of Sydney during the 2000 Olympics. For Sydney, that was an exception. For Vanuatu, it seems to be the rule.

Beautiful People Vanuatu

It was good fun making friends with locals as we hung out the bus windows and waved to every person in sight! A number of us also enjoyed sharing meals with random locals in cafes and the markets. At each point we were made to feel welcome.

We were shown the depths of the generosity of Christians in Vanuatu in the first church we visited. After an encouraging night of fellowship around the word, singing and prayer, we were treated to supper. By rich middle class Australian standards, it was nothing special. Bread, biscuits and tea. However, these weren’t rich middle class Australians. This community was made up of a cluster of corrugated iron houses in close proximity. This basic meal would have come at significant financial cost.

One of the elders in that community, likewise, was very generous in giving me a hand-crafted model canoe to give to my son. With a little bit more work, canoes like this could fetch up to $70 in the markets.

Another beautiful aspect of the Nivan people, was their joy. On the day that we prayed with patients in the hospital, we saw first hand joy, not to mention perseverance and courage, even in the midst of very difficult circumstances.

Upwards of 75% of the population are Christian. As you meet many people you can see the Fruit of the Spirit evident in their lives. Their joy and beauty is firmly rooted in the change that the gospel of grace brings to the life of the believer.

In a future post, I’ll share the amazing story of how the gospel of Jesus came to Vanuatu.