A father searches for his son and finds his faith
"The Father's Love," a true-story about a father's search for his son and finding his faith, hit store shelves this week.
Danny Shaw | Intern
Thoughts of him being hurt, or even dead, swirled through Moore’s mind as he drove for hours on end. Meanwhile, his son, David, was hundreds of miles away from home. He was alive, but penniless and hungry.
A few days earlier, David had been home worrying about his first year of college at Eastern Michigan University. His grades were declining and the semester was almost at its end. On a snap decision to avoid letting his father down, David bought a bus ticket and ventured south, leaving a note behind.
“Dad, this is the most difficult decision I have ever had to make,” he wrote. “I would rather brave this tough world alone than feel like I’ve let you down or failed you.”
Moore, crying and feeling that it might have been his fault, packed a bag, filled his gas tank and headed out. He wanted to find his son and let him know he wasn’t disappointed and bring him back home.
That is the true story told in his newly released book “The Father’s Love,” written by Dave Moore about his search nine years ago for David and how he believes God reunited them back in their Ypsilanti home.
For Moore, the book isn’t all about a father and son’s journey, but what he unexpectedly found while searching — his faith.
“I really wasn’t a man of faith before then,” Moore said about his book. “So it really isn’t about me, it’s about God. I really wanted to tell the story of what God had done. There’s always hope with Godl I think that’s my main message.”
Dave Moore, the author of "The Father's Love."
Danny Shaw | Intern
In collaboration with his wife, Dorinda, Moore wrote the 106-page book over the last five years. The book, which hit store shelves March 1, chronicles the five-day journey which ultimately led him to Atlanta, Ga., in search of David.
Moore said getting to Atlanta was a challenge, but finding one person in a city of millions was another. He began to visit homeless shelters and contacted the police station, but he still didn’t find his son.
Defeated, Moore drove back to Michigan to continue his search with the rest of his friends and family.
More than once, Moore said, he felt as if his son was gone forever.
“I began to think the worst,” Moore said. “If he felt desperate enough to run, would he kill himself? Was he hurt?”
After returning home, Moore gave one last phone call to a homeless shelter in Atlanta that he said changed his life forever. The woman at the shelter offered food, shelter and help with navigating the streets of Atlanta if he were to continue the search for his son. She said if he were in the city, they would find him.
“Her saying that touched some place in my heart. She cared,” Dave said. “There was a Bible sitting next to me at the table, and I picked it up and held it in the air. I said, ‘God, I want to be just like this lady. If you save my son, I’ll serve you the rest of my life. I’ll never be part of the problem; I’ll always be part of the solution.’ As soon as I set that Bible down, the phone rang. My son was home.”
One of David’s friends had called his father to let him know he was back in town. David had collected enough money from holding up signs on street corners to buy a bus ticket home. When the family was reunited, tears and hugs replaced desperation and exhaustion.
“I cried out to God, and he answered my prayer,” Moore said. “It was just a life-changing event for our whole family. I thank God every day.”
Moore said he is keeping his word and has rededicated his life to Christianity. He is now a chaplain for Victorious Life Church of God in Ypsilanti.
David Moore said he, too, found God soon after and rededicated his life. He is currently living as a pastor in Florida where he is part of Mission Florida, a nine-month discipleship program that aims to raise up young adults to make an impact on the world.
“I think the situation strengthened our relationship in a way that can't really be expressed in words,” David said about his family. “I think it's comparable to people who go through a traumatic situation together and a bond is formed because of it.”