AUS and USA differences

One of the most common questions I am asked about Australia is, "What are the biggest differences between Australia and the States?"  This is a difficult question to answer because everything is very similar yet everything is a little different.   A common misconception is that people assume that Australia is the same as the United States because they speak English.  People also believe that Australia is a Christian nation because America is.  These are both false assumptions and the longer you live in Australia the more clear this becomes.  But because inquiring minds want to know, here are my top five differences between the States and Australia in no particular order:

• Australian people have an insatiable appetite for American news, especially politics.  When I met new people, one of the first things people would ask is about President Obama or health care reform.  Australians care more about American politics than most Americans by far!  Australian newspapers and newscasts are completely saturated with American news.  The "balloon boy" hoax, swine flu, the Fort Hood shootings, even obesity in America is captivating and intruiging to Aussies.  I spoke to a gentleman who travelled to Chicago around 2001 and experienced what he thought was poor reporting.  To receive the news coverage of America he was accustomed used the internet to access Australian news channels to get American news!  We don't hear much about Australia, save natural disasters like wildfires that have been raging for weeks before we hear about them.  And if there is one in a million in America that knows Kevin Rudd is the prime minister of Australia or any of his recent policies, that would surprise me.
  
• Buying anything in Australia is expensive.  When I arrived back in the United States, I felt like an American going to Mexico for cheaper prices!  All electronics are at least twice as costly in Australia as in the States.  A new video game for the Wii is $110 plus tax, and CD's are around $25.  A Snickers bar at Cole's or Woolies is $1.75.  Tools are at least two to three times the cost and the quality is far inferior to American tools.  Some American brands like Channelock and Rigid are availble but at a inflated cost.  A gallon of Zinser primer which costs $15.99 at Home Depot runs $88 at Bunnings (Australia's "do it yourself" style store).  Two polo shirts in the mall I saw on special for $79, and Old Spice aftershave costs $19.99.  And then there's added cost to drive on the motorway (freeway) with automated tolls as you drive under them, costing around $2.50 a beep.  It is not uncommon on a trip covering 20 kilometers to have at least $15 in tolls that will automatically be deducted from an account.  Buying a car?  Let's not even get into that! And mobile phone plans?  Downright criminal.
  
• Christian religious education is compulsory even in public schools from grade 8 and down, and is optional in college (grades 9 - 12).  Volunteers are allowed to go into public schools and teach the Bible with curriculum provided by the state which is actually quite good.  I spoke to two people on planes who were not believers but thought it invaluable their children be taught the Bible so they could make an educated decision on what to believe.  There is ignorance but also a openness to solid Bible teaching.  Even unbelievers believe that there is some truth contained within that pages of scripture, and after a brief explanation are convinced that there might be more to the Bible than previously thought!  Despite the religious classes, there is not the Biblical foundation that we have in America in churches.  The vast majority of people do not know the scriptures, and they are unlikely to be exposed to the Bible in most churches because of the topical, subjective style "studies" that are held forth as sermons.  Pray that real Christian volunteers with a passion for God's Word and anointed to teach are in these classes!
  
• Everyone from grade 12 and below wear school uniforms, complete with hat.  It reminded me of school children in England when I would drive during the mornings when kids walked to school.  Every school has their uniform:  boys wearing suits or jumpers with girls wearing skirts and sweaters (jumpers).  It is a law that all kids outside while at school or participating in sport wear a hat.  Most of these hats are round wide-brimmed for girls and boys resemble old-school painter's hats with a piece of fabric hanging from the back.  Unlike the States where uniforms are not the norm, the exact opposite is true in Australia.
• Australians see themselves in relation to the world and relish their country.  As I watched television adverts or listened to the news, I began to hear something said over and over again:  "in the world."  For instance, I read that Brisbane had the largest gathering for Buddah's birthday in the world.  Brisbane also boasts the hottest (spiciest) hamburger in the world.  Every day I would hear things like, "Australia has the most cases of skin cancer in the world," "Australia has the largest underwater forests in the world," "Australia has taken the title of the most obese country in the world from America," "Koalas are unique in the world only to Australia," and even "Australia has the best bees in the world!"  When I went to a house, I said "Australia has 5 of the top 10 most venomous snakes in the world!"  A young bloke said with enthusiasm, "Yeah, and they are the top 5 of the top 10 as well!"  This is not true according to my study of the subject, but you understand my point.  In America, we often don't compare ourselves with "the world."  Maybe it's because we're not insecure or we're very self-focused.  I think the latter is likely more true.

If you have any other Australia-related questions, I'd be happy to answer them.  I'm no expert to be sure, but I have learned more in two weeks first-hand in Australia than I learned in 34 years about Australia in America.  I absolutely love the people, the culture, and appreciate all the little nuances and differences.  We must be careful we do not stand in judgment of those who are from different cultures and backgrounds.  Often it is not a matter of right and wrong.  The left side is not the right side of the road to drive on, nor is the right the "wrong" side.  Aussies say "tomahto" instead of "tomato" and "emew" instead of "emu."  The differences are not as important as how we are the same:  all people have been made in God's image.  We all have a need for forgiveness and salvation through Jesus Christ.  How shall they hear unless there is a preacher?  How shall I preach unless I am sent?  Praise be to God who has sent me and will provide my family as we take steps to obey God's call.

Furyball!

During my time in AUS, I've had a lot of unique experiences.  Today I ate kangaroo and crocodile for the first time, and experienced a game that I have to shake my head with a smile and say, "Only in OZ!"  It's called Furyball, and I made a video to share a little slice of country life in Canberra.  Enjoy the action!

All in Due Time

It is a great challenge to wait upon the LORD expectantly.  We find a great deal of comfort with schedules, future plans, meetings, and appointments.  We find joy in looking to the future and saying things like, "This time next year, we'll have a baby" or "A month from now, we'll be living in our new home."  There's a certain amount of joyful expectation for me to say, "In five days, I'll be back in the States."  I know I have a ticket for a plane departing to LAX next Thursday, so this isn't a stretch.  If by God's grace I manage to be at the airport at the right time, I have a seat reserved for me to go home.

People love to predict.  Watch any pre-game NFL program and listen to the commentators posture and argue concerning game predictions.  Every single week ESPN has predictions of the points each player will score.  It seems that predictions seem to give a sense of control in the outcome, even though they do not affect the scoring in any way.  We find this same prediction-mongering in politics, government, newscasts, reporters, and even among religions.  There is a certain amount of comfort in believing we know how things will turn out in the end.

I remember when I spoke to my wife's parents about marrying Laura.  They asked me reasonable questions about my future plans, which at the time centered around joining the Local 5 Insulator's Union.  I was asked what I would do if the plan to join the union fell through.  I really didn't have a "backup" plan apart from working hard and using all God-given ability to be successful.  It turned out that I was able to excel in the trade and I worked up the ranks from pre-apprentice, apprentice, journeyman, and later a foreman.  There was a logical progression which was very predictable.  At a point I could say, "In two years, I will be a journeyman and make such and such a wage."

It is strange to me that I have no such logical plan laid out before me and my family than obedience to God.  The stakes seem higher to people now that I have two boys in addition to my wife, but they remain the same:  will I be obedient to God and allow Him to direct my future?  God can provide food for the sparrows and knows when a single one falls.  Won't He abundantly supply my needs as well as my wife and kids?  I can make no prediction about what I will be doing in Australia, where I will be living, or how God intends I serve Him beyond preaching and serving.  Is that enough?  It is enough for me, and I don't know how much labor I should put into convincing others.  It boils down to faith.

Hebrews 11:13 says this concerning the patriarchs of faith:  "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth."  Here are prime evidences of faith:  assurance that God's promises are true, embracing the promises and denying even what is seen, and confession of these promises in word and deed.  I suppose we can ask ourselves, how do we measure up to this standard of faith?  How willing am I to take God at His word?  Am I willing to lay aside all things that my arms might be free to embrace God's truth?  Whether we live of die, may we do it for the glory of the God who is, was, and who ever will be.  Faith needs no backup plan when faith is placed in God's Word.

Only God Knows

"He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. [5] As you do not know what is the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, so you do not know the works of God who makes everything.  [6] In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening do not withhold your hand; for you do not know which will prosper either this or that, or whether both alike will be good."

Ecclesiastes 11:4-6

One aspect of following Jesus Christ in faith is not knowing exactly where He is heading.  We know that all things work for good to those who love God, but we often don't know how He will make good of a situation.  It is not until much later we begin to recognize the hand of God leading, guiding, and protecting us.  During my evening reading last night, I came upon this verse and was very blessed.  I have been asked many times by people in OZ how the LORD is leading me in future decisions:  if I have a sense where I will move, how I will obtain a visa, or if God has revealed His ultimate plan for my family and myself.  I know this is a small precursor to the barrage of questions I will no doubt face upon my arrival back in the States, and frankly I'm not prepared to answer them.

What goodness and peace we gain from the Word of God!  As I was reading, this verse was a great comfort to me.  With all of my travels, personal connections, and newly forged friendships, I don't know how God will use them in the future.  But just like I don't know how the bones of a child form in the womb of a mother, so I cannot comprehend the ways of God.  Solomon paints a picture of a reluctant farmer who will not plant because the wind is too strong, or will not harvest because the sky is overcast.  In his wisdom Solomon exhorts that we not be slack in our labor because of supposed hindrances, but labor while it is day.  It is God who will bring the increase.  Jesus said in John 9:4, "I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is day:  the night cometh, when no man can work."

I have no doubt the connections I have made throughout Australia will be instrumental in my future by the grace and mercy of God, as true as I know that a healthy pregnancy results in a baby.  I don't know how God knits the baby together, but I know that He does.  Conception preceeds new life.  When the call of God is fertilized with faith, new life develops that can only be imagined at first, not explained.  But as the child emerges into the world, the parents rejoice to see the little person God fashioned according to His perfect design.  In the same way, I don't know how God is using this trip.  But I know He is using it to change me and prepare everyone for the work He wants to do.  And when this baby ministry is brought to the birth, all will see and rejoice in what God has done.  It is a miracle that God includes man in His plan.

I encourage you to trust God whether you know how He is using your present situation or not.  When God has spoken truth to your heart through His Word and Holy Spirit, add to that truth faith in Him.  He says in Isaiah 66:9:  "Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD:  shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God."  God makes all things beautiful in His time, and childbirth is a painful, laborious process.  A life of faith is a difficult one, but wrought with countless blessings.  A life of faith is one without end, for Christ gives all those who trust in Him eternal life.  Only God knows the difficulties and struggles you face, and He is able to use every one of those for good that He might be glorified.  Rejoice in the process, for the end result is beyond compare!