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!

This is why we exist...

One of the tiers of Son Safaris is for me to be invited as a guest speaker to speak at retreats, conferences, Sunday church services, or any other event.
My goal, after sharing stories of safaris and wild animals in Africa and combining this with God’s Word, is to draw people closer in their relationship with Christ.
The results are sometimes not instantly evident.
ALAS,
Midway Christian Church celebrated their 113th Homecoming & Revival this week. I was invited by John Birchfield to be their guest speaker. I spoke at all 5 events from Sunday to Wednesday. After the session on Tuesday, a lady from within the congregation, whom John had been mentoring for the past 4 years, approached me and thanked me with tears in her eyes. Her words:
“I have truly struggled making a concious decision to follow Christ. Tonight you have made it all make sense”.
Wednesday evening John had the honor of baptizing her and we were honored to hear her repeat these words:
“I believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and I accept Him as my personal Lord and Savior.”
-----------------
Thank you for your prayers for this ministry, and for me and my family to stay faithful to God’s calling. Your support helps life changes like this become real.
I am who I am, and I do what I do, because HE LIVES!!!

Son Safaris: On the Outside Looking In

Often times, we take for granted the interconnectedness of all life. We tend to forget that our lives are inextricably linked with those around us, whether they are human, animal, insect, etc. We forget that we are all God’s creatures, and that creatures other than ourselves may have valuable information for us.

On Wednesday night, August 25, 2010, I watched as Fledge Fiamingo was able to bring those messages to life to people who may have never considered them before. Fledge combines a strong faith with extraordinary experiences on safari, as well as the vast knowledge of wildlife needed to survive in the bush. Through the example of lions and hyenas, vicious predators and natural enemies of one another, he interwove a story that held the attention of the entire room. He challenges fellow Christians to take the final leap of committing fully to Christ by realizing that doing everything alone does not accomplish much for the Lord. The most moving part of the evening was when the congregation had the honor of witnessing the baptism of a member. A young woman had struggled for four years with committing herself to Christ but through Fledge’s message, was able to finally give her self over to Him totally.

We are all in this together.


Isabela Rzeznik

I love these guys

I had the great privilege of attending two reunions in the last week, one for the counselors of Woodland Camp, which I was a part of this summer as well as another one for 20 different men who have all served with me at one point or another.

The Woodland Camp reunion Saturday August 21st was great because I was able to see those wonderful people with whom I served over the summer, as well as getting to know their families. It is always great to see that people are progressing in their work for the Lord!

On Thursday August 19th, I met up with 20 people at the Taco Mac in Buford, GA, and the one thing all of them had in common was that they had been a part of my life and ministry over the summer. I regularly meet up with these friends every third Thursday of the month, this being our first meeting after summer vacation. We all come together because we understand that it is not about ourselves, it is about Christ, and realizing as well that there is no reason to serve Christ alone. Strength for the Lord comes in numbers, and having a group of people who believe in that is truly a blessing!

Starting the week renewed

This week, I’m going to be participating in the good ol’ Southern tradition of a Church revival! While I know that certainly there are revivals in the more northern areas of the United States, the South seems to have a claim on them that rivals any other. I really enjoy the idea of a revival because it serves as another way to wipe the slate clean for a church as well as for the people in the congregation. In a way, it serves as a rebirth of the church and a way to get back on track.

The particular revival I will be speaking during this next week will be held at Midway Christian Church in Winder, GA, about 20-30 minutes down 316. The event will be starting on Sunday, August 21st and ending on Wednesday, August 25th. I will be speaking twice on Sunday, and once every evening finishing on Wednesday. If you would like anymore information, please visit www.midwaychristian.net.
also see details:
http://midwaychristian.net/MCC%20Bulletin%2020100815%20Insert%20Homecoming%202010.pdf

Why we need to be like: a soldier, an athlete, & a farmer

I was reading and reflecting on 1 Tim 2: 3-7, in which there are three pictures painted by Paul of a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer. Paul connects these three occupations with being a Christian during Biblical times. I, however, saw a clear connection between those occupations pertaining not only to our modern times but also to myself and being a Christian today.

For me, the occupation of being a solider was the one which stood out to me the most, having spent time in the military. Paul shows that the obedience a soldier exhibits towards his commander should be the same that we as Christians should show Christ. When Christ gives a command we must follow it, just as a soldier must obey the commands of his superior, with no deviation and not listening to the rest of the world.

As an athlete, well, we have a fantastic example of UGA football here in Athens. While fans take great pride in the team, and we have a new season to start going for a national championship, half of the team appears to be in jail for not following the rules set out by the community, not to mention federal law. As Christians, if we do not follow the rules the Lord set out for us, how can we be expected to go out into the world and do his work?

While today farming is not as widespread of a job (in Athens anyway, but thank goodness we have farmers), we can still relate the work of a farmer to any work we do today. The farmer works hard in the field to reap the benefit of a good crop, and we work hard to reap the benefit of wages or salary. Working hard for Christ should come as second nature, and we know that we will reap the benefits when the ‘end of our day’ comes.

New Semester, New Start

While the first day of a new semester may not be quite as exciting as your first ever day of school, it is still an occasion to be celebrated. Why? College is challenging, especially for those students attending UGA, and comes with the myriad of different stresses. At times, students may not always have been able to achieve their academic goals at the end of the semester. With the beginning of a new semester, however, students have a shiny, new clean slate and get to start over.

When I was baptized in the Lord, I felt brand new. I had a fantastic and fresh lease on life, and felt like I could begin again, this time with a much better mission and reason for being. With the Lord in my life, I began to realize that with every new day, we get a second chance to correct any mistakes made yesterday. For that knowledge, I am thankful everyday.

Good luck to all of you college students on your first day today!

If 28 years of service was not enough...

My dear friend and mentor, Tim Hudson, is now a “walking miracle”.

As a pastor he baptized my wife and me as well as married us at the Campus House. He is also the supervisor and now chairman of the Son Safaris Board and an extremely important part of my life as well as my family’s.

On Saturday July 31, 2010, I found myself in a state of uncertainty and pre-mourning because Tim was not expected to regain consciousness after an emergency heart operation. I was finally allowed to visit with him the following day which did not help the situation because of my emotional state. I called for prayers from friends of mine as well as Tim’s and strangers. Together, we were able to manifest an unbelievable wonder.

Why not read about Tim's experience in his own words...?

http://shadowlander.wordpress.com/2010/08/10/what-happened-to-tim/

Oh Summer Where Have Thou Gone?!

6 weeks of camp food – $0
Sleeping in a tent - $0
Enjoying the outdoors - $0
Sharing Christ with almost 500 campers, and
Baptizing 4 teens into the Lord – PRICELESS!

As evidenced by my earlier blog, I have spent six weeks of my summer speaking at youth Christian camps. Let me tell you, running around behind those energetic teenagers has not only given me a great tan, but an opportunity to teach kids about Christ. In a non-school environment, away from the distractions of technology, I am able to get to know these young people in an intimate way, and really open up.

There is nothing that I love more than speaking at camps during the summer!
I have made many new friends and established incredible relationships with new youth ministers and churches. It only makes me love what I do more than ever.

I thank Christ Jesus, who has given me strength, that He considered me faithful,
appointing me to His service.

1Tim. 1:12

To top all of that off, I seem to have made quite the impression on at least one camper:

“FFLLEEDDGGEE!!!! I miss you friend!! I haven't been able to stop talking about the things that you have said! You really made an impact this week! All the things you are doing in the lives of young people is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! Hope you are enjoying time with your family!!! Looking forward to seeing you in the fall!!”
Katie Sparks-Woodland Christian Camp

I have to pay tribute to my amazing wife, Julie. Since I have been away at camp, she has been caring for our two children, Brody and Keaton. Every Friday I would come home for the weekend and on one of those visits she requested to go see a movie with a friend. “Sure “I said. Three hours later, upon her return, I ran up to her, kissed her all over her face and asked her why she in the world did she go off and leave the kids with me! I now have a wonderful perspective of what it takes to take care of two kids.The remarkable thing is she did it for six weeks all by herself!

Sweet Summertime

With summertime in full swing, its time for Son Safaris to go to camp! In fact, I’ve been at camp for about four weeks now, from the second I got off the plane from New York City. The camp I’m currently speaking at is North Georgia Christian Camp. As the motivational speaker I have to opportunity to interact with middle and high school students, about 60-100 during any given week. The week starts Sunday evening and goes until Friday morning, and I give presentations and speak in general about experiences on safari. My absolute favorite way to talk to these kids, however, is a night, around the camp fire. It is more one-on-one and intimate and the atmosphere provides for some of the greatest conversations and revelations. I can talk to them about my own journey to and through Christ, and give them advice or a shoulder to lean on in their own individual journey. Being able to be around wonderful young people who want to know Christ and are willing to come to a camp during a week of summer in order to be around others who want to know Him is special in and of itself, and I am incredibly grateful everyday to have been chosen as the guest speaker for these camps. Now, I am a little sleep deprived and I missed my family, however, the summer went swimmingly, and I’m happy to be home!

Maloof Money Cup: The Recap

Being in New York City is always a pretty awesome experience. When hosting a premier of South Africa, being able to speak your native language, as well as rubbing elbows with one wealthy, powerful, or just plain famous person after another, the experience is, well, even awesome-er.



First, a bit of explanation to questions I’m sure you are asking yourselves: What is a premier? What does any of this have to do with skateboarding? Who exactly were those famous people I mentioned seeing? And how did I factor into all of this?

A premier in South Africa is the equivalent of a governor to a state here in the United States. Hazel Jenkins is the premier of the Northern Cape in South Africa, and the reason for her being in New York City for the Maloof Money Cup, as mentioned in the previous blog, was to see how such an event would happen next year in South Africa and I was her host.

During the course of the weekend I was there, I was the premier’s “host”. I was responsible for taking her to interviews with CNN, FuelTV and other networks, making sure she enjoyed the local cuisine and was well hydrated, as well as chaperoning her around. Obviously, she did not come to New York by herself, and had twenty-two delegates with her.



As for the Money Cup itself, the occasion was exciting and full of energy. The reason we were all there was to donate the new skate park the Maloof brothers had built to the city, as well as to watch the professional and amateur skateboarding competitions, which had $10,000 and $100,000 rewards, respectfully. The park itself was also very interesting, since it features all sorts of iconic elements of skateboarding areas around New York. Of course, such an event brought out many celebrities, and not only did I get to meet some of the pro-skateboarders, I was also able to see big time Hollywood players, like Susan Sarandon.




The most important of the trip for me was being able connect with and speak Afikaans again with fellow countrymen and women and see how the new government in South Africa is progressing. I especially connected with Pat Seboko, the head of Department of Economic Development and Tourism in South Africa, and finding out that we had grown up not so far from one another. The entire event will truly put South Africa on the map, and encourage the world to take another look at my home country. The Maloof Money Cup will be held in South Africa in 2011, 2012, and 2013!

All in all, I was very grateful that Son Safaris was given such an incredible and wonderful opportunity by Limelight PR, and to be able to be around South Africans again. I am truly blessed!

New York, New York

So you thought the World Cup 2010 was the only sports event going down in South Africa. Well, I’m very excited to announce that this is not the case! Next year, Kimberly, South Africa will be hosting the world’s greatest skateboarding competition, the Maloof Money Cup.
The creators of the event, Joe & Gavin Maloof who own the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and the Palms Casino Resort, held a press conference over Skype with the premier of South Africa announcing the contest in May of this year from Durban, South Africa.

The Premier of the Northern Cape, Hazel Jenkins, who is probably the equivalent to being the ‘Governor of her Provence’will be arriving in New York City June 4, 2010 to celebrate this new launch. The Maloofs, are clients of Limelight PR in San Diego, California, I was invited by LimelightPR to host Premier Jenkins and her entourage during their stay in New York City from Friday, June 4th to Sunday June 6th.
What a great way to spend time with my fellow countrymen!

See http://maloofmoneycup.com for more details on the skateboarding tournament.

Also read the press release from South Africa
http://www.northerncape.gov.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=272:premier-ms-h-jenkins-to-lead-delegation-to-the-us&catid=43:pressreleases&Itemid=53

NYC here I come!!!!

Summing It Up

Imagine giving 28 years of your life to an organization. Imagine having married, baptized, guided, and counseled countless individuals in those 28 years. Imagine helping others achieve their dreams.

Now imagine summing that up.

Tim Hudson, the senior campus minister of Christian Campus Fellowship at the University of Georgia, my friend, mentor, and member of the Son Safaris board, will be leaving CCF this summer. While he will not leave ministry all together, as he has board duties with Son Safaris, he will be moving on from an organization which he ran for 28 years. Since Tim changed my life a significant amount and has been a huge part of my own dream, I volunteered to put together a 3-5 minute tribute video for his farewell dinner. While I am more than happy to do it, I did not realize how daunting of a task it would turn out to be.

How do you sum up 28 years of service? Truly, it cannot be accomplished because it would be impossible to measure the scope of such influence. We try everyday to “sum it up” or make it “short and sweet” and as a result, are more likely to remember the significant events that occurred rather than those small, ordinary occasions which mean just as much.

Even so, I’m still going to take the time to honor Tim in this little way despite knowing that I could never cover it all.

Being a Good Person in Christ

"I believe all you need is to be a good person"
"As long as you are a good person then that should be all that matters".

I couldn't tell you how many times in my travels around the world and in the conversations I have had with non or 'pre' Christians, I have heard them say, "If I'm good then why do I need Christ?"

Ok so if you are a good person and that is ALL you need, my question would be this: Then what? What happens after you have been that 'good person doing good things in your life? What is next for you?

If you are truly a good person, then you must not have any bad in you right?


If you honestly believe this then I think you are just fooling yourself.
I say this because there is no such thing as a 'good person' without Christ because we are ALL sinners. If all it takes is being good, then Christ is a liar.
If you can prove to me that you are always good without having any malice, hate, jealously, anger, ego, pride, conceit, etc, none at all, ever, then maybe, just maybe, you are a good person.


Can you really say that you have never felt those emotions, or done something that was not exactly within the realm of “good”?

Well, I believe that this CANNOT be the case because we have ALL sinned.

This is why we need Christ. He is the only one who can truly help close the gap as far as our sinful nature. Being good is good, and doing good is great, but you cannot live separate from the grace of our Lord and Savior.