Powerful Meekness after a Weakened Hurricane

Frank Friedmann, pastor of Grace Life Fellowship in Baton Rouge, testifies of going to New Orleans expecting to minister to masses of people as a pastoral counselor after the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Instead, he spent much time picking up trash. Then he was asked to help a physically impaired woman into the restroom when no females were available to escort the precious lady. He entered the restroom with the woman while apologizing to all of the other women...who assured him it was ok.

As Frank was helping the woman, another woman looked up at him and said through sad tears, "I just watched my whole family float away!" Through his own tears, Frank told these women of the precious love of Jesus. Frank's pulpit was not a polished piece of furniture…his pulpit was his heart molded from an old rugged cross…the very heart of Christ. The glory of Christ unashamedly shone throughout a restroom full of sadness and confusion.

This testimony encourages me to hear God's heart in Philippians 2 and to accept the humble heart of Christ as my own. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition…let each esteem others better than himself. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…who humbled Himself…even to the death of the cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Jesus as Lord…to the glory of God the Father.

Frank was led by God to experience a death to his expectations of what ministry is. Out of that death came a resurrection of true hope in the glorious presence of Jesus! As a Christ-one, you, too, have been called to the full-time ministry of Christ's glorious life. A friend of mine says, "God wants a Jesus just like you, with your background and experiences, to minister to others like no one else."

© Gregg Gibbons 2005