Update: March 9, 2007: Dad's Day
Over the last two and a half years, God's grace--undeserved favor--has been abundantly evident in my life. By His grace, He gave me the opportunity to come on faculty at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. By His grace, after finishing my doctorate, He gave me the privilege of serving as Dean of the Chapel. By His grace, He has provided me with ministry opportunities I never could have dreamed of-- serving alongside our persecuted brothers and sisters in Sudan, teaching in underground house churches, and training seminary students all over the world to make disciples of all nations.

By His grace, He carried Heather and I through the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. And by His grace, He used those difficult circumstances to lead me to pastor The Church at Brook Hills, an honor that still overwhelms me on a daily basis. But in the middle of it all, something has been missing. It's certainly not that God's grace hasn't been enough... far from it. But there has just been a glaring void through the last two and a half years... a void I'll call "dad time."

My dad was my hero--and not just mine, but the hero of my brothers and sister--and, of course, my mom. He was the kind of dad who believed that his family was worth sacrificing his life for. And so he was completely immersed in each of his children's lives... he coached all of the sports teams, he checked all of the homework, and he challenged each of us to live up to the full potential God had given to us. During each of our senior years in high school, we had the privilege of spending concentrated "dad time" once a week. He would take each of us out to eat where we'd sit around talking about life, relationships, sports, the future, anything under the sun.

And these kinds of conversations never stopped. Whether in college or seminary, single or married, he would call all the time... just to make sure he was up to speed with everything going on in our lives. He wrote an email to me a few years ago that summed it up, saying, "You children have made both Mom and I as proud as any parents could be. If you had not noticed, your love for us has kept us totally involved in your lives. We are sorry if we have at times gone overboard, but your love is so contagious that we cannot help ourselves."

My dad was my biggest fan. As soon as I began preaching, dad started preparing sermons for me to preach. He'd travel all night at times to hear me preach anytime I was close enough. He loved quizzing me with theological questions throughout my time in seminary, and I'm convinced he was the only person on this earth who would ever be interested in reading my dissertation. But just a couple of months before that dissertation was finished, dad unexpectedly passed away from a heart attack. Thus the void began. Amidst all the highs of the last two and a half years, the one glaring void has been that "dad time." If there was one thing in this entire world I could have back, it would be one last conversation with dad. I still pick up the phone sometimes thinking I can call him, and I still long to hear his voice say one more time that he's proud of me. I really miss "dad time."

But today everything changed. Heather had to leave to go to the store, and so Caleb and I were left alone in the apartment. It was just me and Caleb--playing, crawling, laughing, talking. I started singing some of the songs I remember dad singing to me, I started playing some of the games I remember dad playing with me, and I realized... I was having "dad time." The void was filled. The only difference was that now I was the one completely immersed in my child's life, and I was the one who couldn't help going overboard with love for my son. And so as I knelt over Caleb lying on his back, I began to weep, thanking God for bringing "dad time" full circle...

Do I wish I could call home right now and tell dad about Caleb? Without a doubt... I'd give anything to hear his voice on the other end. But at the same time, I know that he is enjoying a whole new realm of "dad time" now with the ultimate Father. And the great joy of two days ago for me was when I called mom in the middle of the night and had the privilege of telling her that Caleb Thomas Platt was now in the family... his middle name comes from Dad.

O God, that I might be half the dad that You gave to me. By Your grace, I pray that You will make my life a sacrifice for Caleb in the same way my dad's life was a sacrifice for me...

We love you and miss you!
--David and Heather

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