Comfort Zones

Everyone has a comfort zone, whether it is a specific routine, a close group of friends, or as simple as using the same shampoo to wash your hair. These zones occur in all aspects of life, including our work. I have been presenting the “Ancient War” four part series for a year now and as a result, I’ve become confident in communicating a truly exciting message. I have been invited to share the series at many events and have honed the presentation to where I have it down. It has become my Son Safaris comfort zone and I have been blessed because of the powerful message it sends.

But let me tell you a story…

 Back in 2003, when Julie and I were married, during the ceremony when we were exchanging our rings, Tim Hudson shared a story.  He began to explain that a goldsmith obtains gold first by extracting it from the rock. In order to do so, he heats it to melt the gold but it is not yet ready to be used. He then turns up the heat again, and carefully removes any impurities which float to the surface. The impurities are then scooped off the top and the heat is turned up again. This process continues until the gold becomes so refined that the goldsmith can eventually see his own face reflected off the pure surface. Now the gold is ready to use.

I have been asked to create a new series to present at Cornelia Christian Church, and the process has been stressing me out. The Lord has been turning up the heat in my life. Like the goldsmith, he has begun turning up the heat under my comfort zone in order to get out more of those impurities. This is happening and will continue to happen until, eventually, the Lord can see Himself in me.

Even though I may be a little anxious now, I know the Lord is blessing this ministry and my family. I welcome all the new opportunities the Lord has given me and ‘Thank Him’ for opening up new doors for Son Safaris to step through and present exciting and incredible messages where God communicates through His creation.

 

Here are a few of the events coming up on my calendar this weekend:


www.sonsafaris.com

When: Friday, 29 October, 11am – 12pm

Where: Chapel @ Atlanta Christian College

Son Safaris has been invited to speak at A.C.C.'s ''Friday Special Events' service.

Contact: whuxford@acc.edu


When: Friday, 29 October 4pm

Where: Apalachee High School

Fledge will be speaking before the football game with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.


When: Sunday, 31 October, 9:45am – 12:00pm

Where: Cornelia Christian Church, Cornelia, Georgia

Fledge @ Son Safaris will be speaking twice on Sunday, and once on Monday and again on Tuesday.

Contact: Barry Steiner

On the Subject of Plans...

With lists, deadlines, PDAs, and other scheduling devices to help plan our days to the last detail, there is often no minute unaccounted for. When traveling, scheduling is even more important. My family and I recently flew to Pennsylvania, and while the trip there went smoothly coming back had its difficulties, to say the least! We were supposed to fly back to Atlanta at 7:30pm on Monday but as a result of possibly snowy weather, our flight was delayed until early Tuesday morning but actually left later that morning. We finally made it to Atlanta on Tuesday but alas our boys’ car seats seemed to enjoy the flight and therefore did not arrive in Atlanta on our plane. We borrowed seats from the airline until our seats were later delivered to us at home.

Thankfully, Buzz Roberts and his wife Betty opened their home to us while we were delayed. Crista, who works for CSF, was a trooper. She picked us up at 5.30am and then carted us back and forth to the airport. She even sat with our kids and took us out to breakfast while we waited for our later flights. Thanks Crista for your servant-hood. A small miracle for Julie and I was how well Brody and Keaton behaved while being shuffled through the airport and sitting for hours. The entire experience got me thinking about how elaborate our plans for the day, and more broadly, life are and just how quickly they can change. God can turn our plans upside down faster than we can make them. While we can and should make plans for the future, it is wise to keep in mind that God is really in charge and everything is subject to change! Life flows according to His schedule and not ours.

Penn State Retreat

Buzz Roberts, senior campus minister of Christian Student Fellowship at Penn State for the past 28 years, invited me to lead their statewide campus ministry retreat Oct 1-3, 2010. What a great pleasure it was to travel to Pennsylvania to do a Son Safaris retreat for their students. Buzz and I met in August at the Association of College Ministries’ National Student Conference. I was there to teach a 3 day workshop and Buzz was there with his students. I want to thank Buzz publicly for the opportunity to speak to the CSF students of Penn State. Thanks Buzz!

The most wonderful part of the entire experience for me was having my family there with me. I view family as a ministry in itself, so I was extremely happy that mine was invited to come with me. Buzz and his wife Betty were the perfect hosts. Our kids had a blast! The 30 students present enjoyed playing football, Frisbee, and kickball with them. We all became one big family over the weekend!

Living here in the “Bible Belt” for the last 10 years, I have become used to Christianity being the norm here. It certainly is not the norm in the Northeast! I was struck by the hunger of the students at the retreat to find truth. The dynamics of living as a Christian are completely different there, and it was a real eye opener to see students seek truth with such passion. In fact, on the last night that I was speaking, a few students who had to leave before my final presentation the next morning were adamant that they wanted to hear how the series ended. So much so that they wanted me to keep speaking for another hour!

All in all, the Pennsylvania trip was a great experience! I got to share my love of Christ with even more people, to have my family with me and, by God’s grace, to bring these truth seeking students closer to the One who is “the Way, the TRUTH, and the Life.”!

Happy First Birthday, Son Safaris!

Son Safaris, Inc. is one year old! On Wednesday, September 23, 2009, Son Safaris was incorporated as a non-profit charitable corporation in by the State of Georgia. What a blessed, wonderful year this first year has been! As if to say happy birthday, the IRS granted Son Safaris, Inc. 501(c)3 tax exempt status retroactive to it’s incorporation. What a fine birthday present for a one year non-profit mission!

Thirteen months ago I stepped out on faith with no idea what the next year would bring. God rewarded my trust in Christ by bringing my dream of Son Safaris as a full time ministry come true. I have been blessed with so many opportunities this year. I will never forget the endless support I received from friends and family without which Son Safaris would not have survived to celebrate its first birthday.

My calendar is rapidly filling up as Son Safaris begins its second year. By all indications I am going to be busy, busy, busy! But I assure I will not be too busy to dream God-sized dreams! I cannot wait to see what God has in store for Son Safaris second year!

Check out my calender for upcoming events!

The Lord has Opened the Floodgates!

I’ve been so busy I hardly have time to think! My calendar for October is already booked solid with Son Safaris presentations at churches, retreats, and various other events. The first weekend of October, I will be heading up to Pennsylvania to speak at the state wide Campus Ministry retreat hosted by the Christian Student Fellowship at Penn State.

My typical day starts at 8:30am when I go to my “office” at Starbucks to take care of any Son Safaris related business until about 1pm. I take care of my boys while Julie is at work from 1 until 4. On a good day, both Keaton and Brody go down for a nap at the same time which gives me an hour or so to write letters and work on presentations. During the evenings, I go to work, bringing Son Safaris message to both groups and individuals.

The Lord has opened the floodgates of blessings! The future for Son Safaris looks even busier and more fruitful. Six years ago when I did my first Son Safaris presentation, I never imagined that Son Safaris would grow into the ministry it is today. I am grateful for the word-of-mouth advertising spread by the great network of people God has raised up. I’m fortunate that almost everyone I’ve met has been supportive and that most Son Safaris presentations have resulted in invitations to return again and again. I can only hope that as the Lord keeps opening up doors for me that I will keep stepping through them and sharing my mission with more and more wonderful people.

A Family of God

North Georgia Christian Camp invited me to speak at their Deeper Life Retreat. This weekend retreat on the campus of the North Georgia Christian Camp was held from Friday September 17th to Sunday September 19th. My family and I had the great pleasure of being there with 150 middle school kids from 11 different churches. The retreat seemed to be all about family especially since my wife Julie and our sons Brody and Keaton were able to join with me for the weekend. Brody had 150 babysitters who played with him non-stop throughout the weekend, and he even learned how to play some football!

I was struck, however, by the family that was created from the combination of the churches. Instead of one church hosting a retreat for members only, 11 different churches brought their kids together. Separate church families blended together into the larger family of God to give their kids this opportunity to experience a Deeper Life together in Christ. Especially because of my own emphasis that family is a ministry in itself, it was a true joy to see the family of God working together as a family towards a common end.

An Outpouring of Blessings!

At the end of September, Son Safaris will be celebrating its one year anniversary! The year has brought hard times as well as joys but at this point, the blessings just keep pouring in! My calendar is filling up quickly with events in Georgia and even a few in other states. For full details please go ahead and check out my calendar on the Son Safaris website because there is too much for me to list here! Check out the fan page on Facebook for quick updates as well.

More importantly, this year could not have been so wonderful and productive had I not had people who believed in me. I cannot possibly thank all of you now but you all know who you are. Thank you for making Son Safaris what it is!