Pastor Freddie Takes Off for Heaven

Following the umpteenth visit to Haiti to minister to a nation in dire need, and following the countless preaching to his congregation in inner city Savannah, GA, our beloved Pastor Freddie went to sleep with his wife and our dear Sister Kim and woke up in the arms of the Lord – having been promised eternal life with the Lord God almighty through his faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Pastor Freddie, ever with the joy of the Lord, ever with the love of the Lord, ever loving and serving – now, in the Kingdom of God resting in the Lord…….

Who can ever express in words how the Lord blessed the world – literally in multiple nations – through the heart of Pastor Freddie and his endless love bestowed on those in most extreme need through the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, through the teaching of God’s Word, and through his relentless acts of physical service to the lost, the broken, the homeless, the hopeless, the starving, the dying, and so very many more.

Those of us who were blessed to know and partake of the Lord’s blessings through Pastor Freddie know that we did not merely witness the love, the service, and the heart of a man with a servant’s heart. We witnessed a man that was so yielded and submitted and surrendered to the will of the Lord in his life that we experienced not merely the heart of a man who was ever filled with the joy of the Lord. We experienced the heart of Jesus Christ Himself – of Jesus living, breathing, through our pastor, our friend, our brother in the Lord, our daddy in Christ, and so very much more.

Though Pastor Freddie’s passage to be with the Lord came as a shock to so very many, given he had preached the very same day at Christian Revival Center just after his most recent trip to Haiti, his passage to be with the Lord is not such a surprise when we truly reflect on the way he lived his life. Pastor Freddie is a man who refused to rest, for his love for the Lord and his passion to share the Gospel and serve the poorest of the poor, the hungriest of the hungry, and the neediest of the needy demonstrated the unfailing love of the Lord – with the simple refusal to stop to rest when he knew someone in the world had a need he could help meet through the provision of our Lord.

At last, our Pastor Freddie is resting – resting in the arms of the Lord. And he does not merely leave behind a legacy of the countless people he helped in multiple nations. He leaves behind the fruit of his labor – an untold number of people not only helped, but an unfathomable amount of people whose lives he sowed God’s Word into and helped train and prepare to step out in God’s calling on their lives to minister to a lost and dying world.

The Bible says that one plants, one waters, and the Lord gives the increase. We thank God for all the planting Pastor Freddie did in the hearts of so many through his tireless labor of love in his pursuit, and commitment, and entire success in obeying the Lord’s greatest commands – to love Him with all our hearts, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

How can we ever thank the Lord enough for giving us all these years with our beloved Pastor Freddie? How can we, despite missing him so intensely, ask to have him back when we know he is now experiencing the joy of Jesus, and how can we go backward, or even stand still, when our beloved pastor taught us to walk by faith – to love and serve the Lord with all our hearts. Just like he did. With the heart of the Lord alive inside us, with the Word ever filling us and moving through us. With the heart of the Lord Himself, yes. And for the Lord’s glory.

Oh, Lord, how we long to see our pastor once more. How we long to hold him in one of those awesome hugs he gave. How we long to experience his joy in person. But Pastor Freddie taught us not to grieve when someone moves on to heaven. He taught us to rejoice, to celebrate, and to carry on with our love and service to you. Lord, we love you. And we thank you for Pastor Freddie. And we pray, in Jesus’ name, that you would lead us and guide us in carrying on as the baton of your great love is passed on to Pastor Freddie’s children in the Lord. Let us honor you, Lord, and praise you, for the mighty work you have done through him. And let us move forward with rejoicing, and yes, tears, following in your footsteps, Jesus, and praising you, Lord, for using Pastor Freddie to teach us how to follow after you, how to walk with you, how to love and to serve you with all that we are – worshiping you, truly, in spirit – and in the Truth of your sovereignty, in who you are, what you did on the cross, and what you do even this day through your unfailing love and endless mercy. Amen. 

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