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.

V.F.T.

One awesome benefit from being married to a teacher is, of course, spring break! Since my job is flexible, I can also take time off to be with her and our sons, without the usual distractions of work. I call this particular type of time off V.F.T or Valuable Family Time.

I have always strived to dedicate myself to work and have time with my family, and it is a constant balancing act. I decided when I first started Son Safaris that I did not want to sacrifice my family on the altar of ministry. In Ministry there is ALWAYS something more to do, and another goal to be reached. Ministry will always be there. It is really hard for me to not schedule that new important meeting or move that one-on-one meet with a student, because these are all important to the ministry. SO is my family. It is therefore extremely important for me to sync my calendar with my wife’s and place dates and times for V.F.T.

Without Christ and the support my family, I would never have become the man that I am today. I have to provide for them but I also wish to set a good Christian example. Brody and Keaton will grow into men one day and the first model of a man, husband, and father they will have is me, so it is my job to steer them in a direction that will hopefully guide who they will become, and my goal for them is to know Christ, and let Him be known. My family is a gift that I cherish above all others and my time with them is precious and of immense importance.

On that note, see you next week as I enjoy my V.F.T. – Valuable Family Time…

Paintball vs. Airsoft

Before:

Can a paintball enthusiast play airsoft? Tomorrow morning, I will find out, thanks to my good friend Sean Paul who has been hounding me for quite some time to try it. A rivalry exists between the two games, mostly due to the different types of ammunition used—in paintball, paint pellets and in airsoft, small, plastic pellets. The guns used in airsoft also vary from those used in paintball, those use in airsoft being more like real guns. If you would like to know more, click here!

I have been playing paintball with the Renegade Ratels for 6 years, but I didn’t have any interest in pursuing another form of shooting people on a field, until I realized that nothing should hold me back from trying new things. While I’m no young gun, I can certainly seek out and be open to new endeavors, as long as they are in keeping with my values and beliefs. I cannot wait to find out if airsoft is the fresh sport for me! Let’s see how it goes.

The Verdict:

My first airsoft experience this past Sunday was highly enjoyable and when I have some more time (and cash) on my hands, I would like to start getting more into it. The game itself was fun and family-oriented, with kids 12 years old and up, and even moms were playing, as medics, and of course, older guys, such as me. The concept of the game is the same as paintball, with the same rush of adrenaline, though much cleaner, in other words, no paint splattering everywhere. Also, one of my biggest frustrations with paintball had to do with my full-face mask, which would always fog up while I was playing and the de-fogging procedure exposed my face which is quite dangerous while playing. With airsoft, I can wear a mesh mask, or even small goggles which makes everything easier and a lot more fun. I had a blast with Sean Paul, and I look forward to playing in the future, and may be even forming a team for men’s ministry as a healthy way to get out all that male aggression, and can pray together and glorify God in all we do!

The Ellijay Experience

Yesterday felt like a real safari all over again: I was up at 6 a.m. on my way to Ellijay, and I arrived to Pleasant Grove Baptist Church at around 9 a.m. I spoke first during the 11 a.m. service, and I was astounded by the incredible feedback I received. The different perspectives I heard on the relationship between lions and hyenas in terms of the human connection with God were truly eye-opening and always great to hear. After the service, I decided to spend some time in Ellijay, and came back to the church to speak to the youth and elementary children at 6 p.m. Man, do I love talking to children! Animals are always a hit with them, and with the “Yell if you know the answer!” format I have for the presentation, we had a fantastic time talking about God’s creations as well as His cleverness in crafting animals the way He did. Although the day was long, seeing as how I did not get home until 9:45 p.m., I felt great getting into bed knowing that I had shared my message with the good folks up in Ellijay.

I even got a positive review!

“We had Fledge for a one day event. He ministered to the whole church Sunday Morning and then ministered to the youth and children Sunday night. Let me tell you: His presentations were like a cool breeze on a summer's day. He helped us focus in on the beauty and greatness of creation. However, he didn't stop there--- he used creation to take us back to its majestic Creator and the wondrous Gospel message of Jesus Christ. I know that our hearts were touched!”
David Taffin - Youth Minister - Pleasant Grove Baptist Church

Once again, I would like to thank David for inviting me to speak, and the great congregation of Pleasant Grove Baptist for listening to me!