The day was October 17th. As my wife and I quietly slithered out of our room, we we’re praying that we wouldn’t make a noise. Across the hallway and into the next room we crept. There he was, having one of the most significant days of his little life and never even knowing it. It was our son Joshua’s first birthday. As we sang “Happy Birthday” to him, he looked at us as if we had lost our minds. It was his day, and we were going to go to his favorite place on earth… Disneyland!!! It was time for Joshua to experience his first ride as Disneyland. Joshua is a veteran of the park. He’s seen everything and been almost everywhere in the park, but on a ride? Not until today.
As my wife and I entered the park with Joshua, we headed straight for the Castle. Joshua’s first ride? The Dumbo ride. As I climbed into the airborne elephant, I strapped Joshua and I in. In moments, we were in the air… going up… going down! I had a great time… now Joshua was another story. Here’s my son, with a look of sheer panic on his face and the few strands of hair that he has blowing in the wind!
That night as we lay Joshua in bed, still clutching his Mickey Mouse balloon, my wife and I prayed for Joshua. We prayed that God would look over his little life and guide him. We prayed that God would reveal to Joshua his love for him… that he would come to know Christ. We prayed that Joshua would know that Mom and Dad love him with all their hearts.
As we quietly crept out of his room, I went downstairs and sat in our living room. I pulled out my journal and began to write. I wrote Joshua a letter, from his Daddy’s heart. I told him how much I love him. I told him what he means to me, how my life will never be the same since God gave him to us as a gift. I told him of my prayers for him and what type of Dad I wanted to be for him. I wrote and I cried. I wrote and I poured my heart out to my son whom I love with all my heart. My prayer is that someday my son will open the pages on my journal and see into his father’s heart.
You know, in it’s purest form that’s what the Bible is. God’s love letter to the world, letting us know how much He loves us. It’s a glimpse into the Father’s heart… and the kids we work with need to see it… need to be exposed to it… need to be changed and moved by it. The students that we work with need to hear the heart of their Heavenly Father as He pours out His love for them within the pages of His Word. I believe that’s one of the callings of the youth worker… to bring kids into contact with the living Word of God. It’s a message from the Father’s heart to ours. As you lead your students through the heart of the New Testament… listen carefully. The heartbeat you hear is the heartbeat of your Father.
From the HomeWord.com site.
Copyright © 2006 Jim Burns, Used with permission.
Read more from Jim at homeword.com
In response to the overwhelming needs of parents and families, Jim Burns founded HomeWord (formerly YouthBuilders) in 1985. HomeWord is a Christian organization designed to provide assistance to adults worldwide as they help young people make wise decisions and lead positive, vibrant, Christian lifestyles. Multiplication and Leverage: While absolutely committed to young people, HomeWord equips parents, grandparents and youth leaders; those who daily reach out to kids. By equipping adults, and leveraging those adults to reach kids, HomeWord reaches more young people more cost effectively.
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Jim Burns
Jim Burns, Ph.D., is a renowned youth and family expert, an acclaimed author, and the founder of HomeWord, a radio program that reaches more than a million people across the country each day. In partnership with Azusa Pacific University, he established and now provides leadership for the HomeWord Center for Youth and Family, a research and training institute offering biblically based resources for parents and youth. Under Burns, the center has become the largest provider of Christian parenting and youth seminars in the United States. His passion is communicating to adults and young people practical truths to help them live out their Christian lives. Burns is a three-time Gold Medallion Award-winning author and has written books for parents, youth workers, and students. He also speaks in person to thousands of people each year around the world. Burns and his wife, Cathy, and their daughters, Christy, Rebecca, and Heidi, live in Southern California. For more information about Burns, visit homeword.com.
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