Focus on the Family

John Fuller: This is John Fuller and please remember to let us know how you're listening to these programs on a podcast, app, or website.

Mr. Whittaker: When we only think of a person as an enemy, we forget that they're also human beings, people with feelings, families, favorite basketball teams.

Zoe: The Bulls. He wears their jerseys.

Mr. Whittaker: Exactly. You see, changing physical hearts with someone can't change your personality, but God can absolutely change your symbolic heart through circumstances or through other people or through his love.

Don't you think it's possible that Dion's personality difference could be due to the fact that he just went through an emotional, life-changing experience?

Zoe: He did almost die.

Mr. Whittaker: Yes. And if God also desires, he can use that kind of situation to soften the hardest of hearts.

John Fuller: Well, that dialogue is from our popular children's radio drama, *Adventures in Odyssey*. I'm John Fuller, and today on *Focus on the Family* with Jim Daly, we'll be featuring one of the many powerful stories from that radio series, that drama, which helps children navigate real-life questions and discover what it means to live out their faith.

Jim Daly: And it's a lot of fun. Let me just say that. Since 1987, we've been producing wonderful, imaginative stories for kids of all ages. And now we have more than a thousand episodes available at our website and store, and families absolutely love it.

I think *Odyssey* is one of the best things we do. I'm so proud of our *Odyssey* team and the impact they're having, discipling generations of families with godly values and helping on average 9,000 children a year make a decision for Christ. Isn't that great? I love it.

And now we have an animated film project in the works called *Journey into the Impossible*, which will introduce more families to the *Adventures in Odyssey* stories and characters in a brand-new way.

John Fuller: We're so excited about this new movie. It's scheduled to release in theaters later this fall. While you're waiting, we encourage you to check out our *Adventures in Odyssey* website where you can learn more about the movie and all our audio episodes and the special club we have for kids so they can listen to the entire collection. Find all that and more at focusonthefamily.com/broadcast.

Jim Daly: And now for kids of all ages, we want you to experience an *Adventures in Odyssey* for yourself with today's episode called, "Have a Heart."

Zoe: Hurry, Buddy, we're going to be late for the bus.

Buddy: I'm coming.

Zoe: Really? My turtle walks faster and he only has one leg.

Buddy: You need to stop and smell the roses sometimes.

Zoe: What's going on? You're unusually optimistic today.

Buddy: Everything's just been going great lately. I got an A on my English project. I wasn't the first person knocked out in a dodgeball game for a record two days in a row. And my mom accidentally put the wrong kind of peanut butter on my sandwich today—the unhealthy kind. Things are finally going my way.

Zoe: Hi, Mrs. Meltzner.

Mrs. Meltzner: Hello.

Buddy: Hello. What are you doing with all that stuff?

Mrs. Meltzner: I am going to decorate this locker. Could you hold the sign for a second?

Buddy: Oh, sure. "Welcome back." Who's coming back?

Mrs. Meltzner: Dion Farkas.

Zoe: What? He hasn't been here in three months.

Mrs. Meltzner: It's been four, actually.

Zoe: I thought he moved to Chicago.

Mrs. Meltzner: No, he's still in Odyssey.

Buddy: Are we talking about the same Dion who declared the first Thursday of every month National Flick Buddy's Ear Day?

Zoe: Why hasn't he been in school?

Mrs. Meltzner: Dion should probably explain that himself. Once a month I come home with my ear looking like a wilted slice of salami.

Zoe: So he's back tomorrow?

Mrs. Meltzner: That's right.

Buddy: Well, we better go.

Zoe: Yeah.

Mrs. Meltzner: Okay, I'll see you tomorrow.

Zoe: Okay, bye. What would keep a kid out of school for four months?

Buddy: I bet he's been in a juvenile detention center.

Mr. Whittaker: No, Buddy.

Zoe: Do you think his family went to Europe or something and they homeschooled him, Mr. Whittaker?

Mr. Whittaker: No, Zoe.

Buddy: I bet I know where he's been.

Zoe: Where?

Buddy: Langley, Virginia.

Guest (Male): Dion, it's time to go.

Dion: What? Already?

Guest (Male): Get in the car.

Dion: I thought I had another six weeks.

Guest (Male): No. Your mission to be as annoying as possible to all living creatures in order to be a distraction from our top-secret mission was a complete success. We're all stunned back at headquarters as to how incredibly annoying you could be in such a short time.

Dion: Thank you, sir.

Guest (Male): Get in. It's time to go to Langley.

Dion: Well, I guess it's all part of the job when you work for the CIA.

Zoe: Earth to Buddy.

Buddy: The CIA. I'll bet that's it.

Zoe: Your imagination's in hyperdrive.

Mr. Whittaker: I know Dion's parents and I know his story. He hasn't been working for the CIA.

Zoe: So you know where he's been?

Mr. Whittaker: Well, I do, but it's a personal matter. I'm not going to betray his trust.

Buddy: Is he okay? I mean, did the reason he's gone include losing the use of his right index finger?

Zoe: What?

Buddy: The first Thursday of the month is coming up. That's his flicking finger.

Mr. Whittaker: I'm sure he's glad to be back and we should be happy for him.

Buddy: Really? Do I have to be? I mean, I feel like I just had four months of sunshine and now I'm getting a tornado warning alert.

Mr. Whittaker: Give him a chance, Buddy. Dion will need friends right now.

Buddy: Why? Because he just got out of jail?

Mr. Whittaker: Zoe, if you want to know what happened to Dion, you'll have to ask him yourself.

Zoe: Okay. I know. I'll interview him for the school newspaper.

Mr. Whittaker: Sounds like a good approach.

Buddy: I don't know. Dion's like a grizzly bear that's been hibernating for months.

Zoe: Huh? So you know, he'll be well-rested?

Buddy: Hungry.

Mrs. Meltzner: It is so good to see you again, Dion.

Dion: You too, Mrs. Meltzner.

Mrs. Meltzner: We've missed you.

Buddy: What's going on? Mrs. Meltzner looks like she's glad to see him.

Zoe: Maybe she is.

Buddy: No way. He was always a troublemaker in her class. So how are you going to get this interview anyway?

Zoe: I thought I'd just ask him.

Buddy: Yeah, like that'll work. I know how that would go.

Zoe (Fantasy): Hey, Dion, would you do an interview with me?

Dion (Fantasy): I will do the interview in exchange for three things.

Zoe (Fantasy): Okay.

Dion (Fantasy): Number one: say please.

Zoe (Fantasy): Please.

Dion (Fantasy): Number two: let me flick your ear.

Zoe (Fantasy): Go for it. Ow!

Dion (Fantasy): Number three: sign this document.

Zoe (Fantasy): What does it say?

Dion (Fantasy): It surrenders Buddy's right to all future happiness, love, and life purpose until the day he dies.

Buddy (Fantasy): What?

Zoe (Fantasy): Well, I guess. There we go.

Dion (Fantasy): Wait a minute. Oh, there's another place to initial on page five. It forbids Buddy from eating pizza forever.

Buddy (Fantasy): Brutal. No!

Dion: Buddy. Oh, hi, Dion. Welcome back.

Dion: Thanks, amigo.

Zoe: Dion, I'd like to write an article for the school paper about you. Would you be willing to do an interview?

Dion: Sure, Zoe. How about at lunch?

Zoe: That'd be great. Thanks.

Dion: All right, see you then. Bye, Buddy.

Buddy: Bye. What just happened there?

Zoe: Myocarditis?

Dion: It's a heart condition. Mine was really serious. When they figured out that I had it, they put me on all kinds of medication, but it wasn't enough.

Zoe: Wasn't enough for what?

Dion: To keep me alive.

Buddy: Whoa. Really? So what did they do?

Dion: Well, the only option: a heart transplant. I went on the list and we waited for a donor.

Zoe: For how long?

Dion: About a month. Then they did the surgery on November 8th.

Zoe: Where did the heart come from?

Dion: They wouldn't say. Those things are supposed to be confidential. But I heard my dad telling my mom that he saw the label on the container when it came in: Connelsville General Hospital. So I'm guessing it came from there.

Zoe: Wow. Were you scared?

Dion: It was pretty bad for my whole family. Look, I have pictures on my phone. Some of me in the hospital and some of me going home, if you want to use for your article.

Zoe: That would be great.

Dion: All right, I'll text them to you. Will you need anything else?

Zoe: No, that was perfect. Thanks.

Dion: There was something I wanted to say to you, Buddy.

Buddy: Yeah, I figured this was coming.

Dion: Let me have it. I'm sorry.

Buddy: What? Huh?

Dion: I used to be pretty mean to you and a lot of people. I called you a dweeb a lot, made you feel terrible, and it was terrible. Will you forgive me?

Buddy: Is this a trap?

Dion: No. That's okay. Look, just think about it, okay? Hey, Zoe, let me know if you need anything else. I've got a few more people to apologize to.

Zoe: Okay. Bye, Dion.

Buddy: Yeah, see you. Wow.

Zoe: "Wow" is right. Has Dion actually changed?

Mrs. Meltzner: Some of you have frogs and some of you have lizards for your dissections. You'll all get a chance to rotate so you can see each one. All right, now on your first cut, don't go too deep. You want to be able to see the organs intact.

Buddy: Oh, this is going to be so fun.

Mrs. Meltzner: Oh, Dion, we chose partners last week, but you're welcome to join Mackenzie and Cole right here.

Dion: Thank you, Mrs. Meltzner.

Buddy: Did you hear that? "Thank you." He's got to be faking.

Zoe: You want to cut this thing? I'm not really in the mood for a lizard autopsy.

Buddy: Oh, sure. Scalpel.

Zoe: There you go, doctor.

Buddy: Thank you, nurse.

Guest (Male): Pst.

Buddy: What?

Guest (Male): Hey, kid.

Buddy: Who was that?

Guest (Male): Down here on the table. The one you're about to dissect in the name of science.

Buddy: A talking lizard?

Guest (Male): Don't worry, I'm not going to sell you insurance. I just need you to do something for me. I need a new heart. Can you get me one?

Buddy: How am I supposed to—

Guest (Male): Just look around. You got 14 hearts just staring up at you.

Buddy: You want me to take one of the other lizard hearts?

Guest (Male): No, not a lizard heart. Give me a frog heart. I want to be able to like jump. I'm tired of crawling around everywhere. I got a rug burn on my stomach.

Buddy: Okay. What are you doing?

Guest (Male): The frogs are talking too?

Guest (Male): What's wrong with your lizard? Hey, wait a minute. Harvey, did you send this kid over here to take my heart?

Guest (Male): Oh, come on. Just switch with me. You barely even use yours.

Guest (Male): Oh, that lizard's been after my heart for weeks now.

Guest (Male): You don't even jump anymore. All you do is lie around and watch reruns of *The Muppets*.

Buddy: Lizards and frogs are both great. There's no need to argue.

Guest (Male): What do you know about it? Wait a minute. What are we doing, Harvey? Here we are talking about each other's hearts when we have the best heart right in front of us.

Guest (Male): His.

Guest (Male): Yeah. Imagine what we could do with a human heart.

Guest (Male): Exactly. We could run faster, eat better food. I'm so tired of flies. We could use reason and logic instead of always being like instinct, instinct, instinct. I could probably learn to do my own taxes.

Buddy: Stop!

Mrs. Meltzner: Stop what? Buddy, what are you doing?

Buddy: Sorry, Mrs. Meltzner.

Mrs. Meltzner: Get back to your dissection.

Zoe: What was that about?

Buddy: That's it. That's why Dion is being so nice.

Zoe: Why?

Buddy: It's his new heart.

Zoe: What are you talking about?

Buddy: Dion must have gotten the heart of a nice person. Wow. You think I'm right?

Zoe: No. I just never really thought about the donor. I should cover that in my story. Meet me in the library at lunch.

So, when did Dion say he had the operation?

Buddy: November 8th.

Zoe: Right. And he said the heart came from Connelsville. So we search for anyone who might have passed away in Connelsville on or before November 8th. Let's see. No, not that one. Okay, wait, keep scrolling. Let's see here. Oh, there. "Connelsville boy drowns in a boating accident on Pierce Lake." I remember this. Jensen Dunlap, age 13. Oh, how awful.

Buddy: Yeah. Oh, there's a picture. He looks nice, don't you think?

Zoe: Yeah. I bet he was incredibly nice. I've been to Pierce Lake. Well, now I know how to write the story.

Buddy: What do you mean?

Zoe: It should be on the importance of organ donation. All right, the Odyssey volleyball team has a game in Connelsville this week. If I write an article about the game, I could probably get a ride on the team bus.

Buddy: What for?

Zoe: To find out more about him.

Almost there. Thanks for getting permission for me to come on the bus.

Zoe: Oh, yeah. I forgot. The only way I could get you on here is if you agreed to carry all the equipment for the team.

Buddy: Awesome. I still don't understand why you wanted to come.

Zoe: I have to know if it's true.

Buddy: What?

Zoe: If switching hearts can change your personality. Think about it, Zoe. What if I was able to get the heart of some brave army guy? I could have the courage of a soldier. I wouldn't be worried about bullies ever again.

Buddy (Fantasy): If Buddy is going to be the first person to ever survive getting flattened by a steamroller, he's going to need some transplants. Do we have anything lying around the hospital that we can transplant into him?

Guest (Male - Fantasy): Yes. We have the legs of a cheetah, the muscles of a grizzly bear, the wings of an eagle, a couple of dolphin flippers, Einstein's brain, the neck of a giraffe, and about 4,000 snake skins sewn together. He's going to look ridiculous, but when we're done, we may just have the greatest superhero this world has ever seen. Excellent. Scalpel. Yes.

Zoe: Earth to Buddy.

Buddy: Huh?

Zoe: You know you can't just get a new heart like you're buying fresh batteries. You have to have a bad heart already. And the person you get the heart from, they have to die.

Buddy: Oh, yeah.

Zoe: We're here.

Buddy: Who are you interviewing anyway?

Zoe: Jensen's cousin, mainly. A kid named Eric.

Eric: We spent three days straight at the hospital and the news kept getting worse and worse. The doctor tried everything. And then one night he came in and just didn't have anything else to try.

Zoe: I'm so sorry.

Eric: Yeah, that was a really bad day. Jensen didn't last more than a few hours after that.

Buddy: What was he like?

Eric: Quiet, a little awkward, but man, he could be funny if he knew you. He just kept to himself mostly.

Buddy: Was he nice?

Eric: I guess.

Buddy: Was he, you know, polite, friendly?

Eric: We didn't talk that much. Yeah, he did yell at me once for eating his gummy bears. To be honest, I just didn't get along with him all that well. But I still miss him.

Buddy: So he was mean?

Eric: No. No, I wouldn't say he was mean. He was lonely. By choice, though. Liked video games more than people.

Zoe: When it came time to choose whether or not to use his organs, was it—

Eric: It seemed like an easy decision for his folks. They said if he could help someone else, that Jensen would want to do it. I don't know if I'm supposed to say this, but I'm pretty sure the boy who got his heart is named Dion.

Zoe: Really?

Eric: He lives in Odyssey. Wow. Is he a nice guy?

Zoe: He is now. There's Dion. Should I tell him?

Buddy: Sure. I'd want to know whose heart I had if I were him.

Zoe: Why? Because you want to know what kind of superpowers transferred to you?

Buddy: I bet he's curious.

Zoe: Hey, Dion.

Dion: Hey, Zoe. Buddy.

Buddy: Hey.

Zoe: I think I know something that you might want to know, but I don't—it might not be my place to tell you.

Dion: What are you talking about?

Zoe: Your heart.

Dion: Huh?

Buddy: We think we know who it came from.

Dion: Oh. Wow.

Zoe: There's a boy in Connelsville who died the day before you got your heart. We think he was your donor.

Dion: What's his name?

Zoe: Jensen. Here, I have a picture on my phone.

Dion: How did he—

Zoe: He drowned. A boating accident on Pierce Lake.

Dion: Oh. Would you—would you text me his picture?

Zoe: Sure. And I'll send you my article before I hand it over to my editor.

Dion: Thanks. I need to call Jensen's mom and ask her permission to write about her son.

Zoe: You're going to talk to his mom?

Dion: Yes. If that goes well, tell her I'd like to talk to her too.

Buddy: He was practically crying right there in front of me and he didn't even care that I saw. It was so weird.

Mr. Whittaker: Why was it weird?

Buddy: I've just never seen anything like that from Dion. I'm telling you, Mr. Whittaker, something happened with that heart transplant.

Mr. Whittaker: Such as?

Buddy: I don't know for sure, but I was thinking about what you always tell us, that the Bible is the best place to go when you have unanswered questions. So that's what I did.

Mr. Whittaker: And what did you find?

Buddy: This verse. I wrote it down. Ezekiel 36:26. "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."

Mr. Whittaker: And you think that's what happened to Dion?

Buddy: It's exactly what happened. It's obvious, don't you think?

Mr. Whittaker: Well, that may be what happened in a sense, but I'm curious about what you think it means.

Buddy: Dion got a new heart and so he got a new spirit. God removed his heart of stone and replaced it with something human.

Mr. Whittaker: Perhaps.

Buddy: All I can say is Jensen must have been way more human than Dion.

Mr. Whittaker: I can't say I agree there.

Buddy: You don't think Jensen's heart made Dion more human?

Mr. Whittaker: Not the way you seem to be thinking about it. The heart transplant that Dion received was a physical heart. The heart is a muscle. It doesn't literally have anything to do with your personality.

Buddy: Then what's the Bible talking about?

Mr. Whittaker: Well, in the Old Testament, the heart symbolized the center of the emotions, the center of morality. In the book of First Samuel, when God said that man looks at outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart, he wasn't talking about the muscle in your body that pumps blood. God looks at our spirit, our character, our thoughts and feelings.

Buddy: So the transplant had nothing to do with Dion's change in personality?

Mr. Whittaker: Oh, I believe it probably did. Here's the thing. You tend to see Dion as your enemy. But the problem is when we only think of a person as an enemy, we forget that they're also human beings, people with feelings, families, favorite basketball teams.

Buddy: The Bulls. He wears their jerseys.

Mr. Whittaker: Exactly. You see, changing physical hearts with someone can't change your personality, but God can absolutely change your symbolic heart through circumstances or through other people or through his love. Don't you think it's possible that Dion's personality difference could be due to the fact that he just went through an emotional, life-changing experience?

Buddy: He did almost die.

Mr. Whittaker: Yes. And if God also desires, he can use that kind of situation to soften the hardest of hearts.

Zoe: Can you turn off your burner, Buddy?

Buddy: Sure. Are you done with your article?

Zoe: Almost. I just need to figure out how to end it.

Mrs. Meltzner: Please wash out your beakers before you leave. The bell should be ringing in three or four minutes.

Dion: Hey, Zoe. Buddy.

Zoe: Hi, Dion.

Buddy: Hi. I like your shirt.

Dion: Bulls are my favorite team.

Buddy: Yeah, I know. Mine too.

Dion: Good man.

Buddy: Dion, I wanted to let you know that, well, I've thought about it and I do.

Dion: You do what?

Buddy: Forgive you. You asked me a few days ago and I said I'd think about it, and I did.

Dion: Oh. Thanks, Buddy. I appreciate it. Hey, Zoe, I wanted to invite you over to Whit's End after school.

Zoe: Oh, for what?

Dion: Well, I talked to Jensen's mother and we're going to meet at Whit's End at 4:00. And I thought you might want to be there, you know, for your story.

Zoe: It's 4:03. She should be here soon.

Dion: My parents just texted me. They'll be here in a few minutes.

Mr. Whittaker: That's good. How are you doing, Dion?

Dion: I'm kind of nervous.

Mr. Whittaker: Why?

Dion: I don't know. I mean, I just want Jensen's mom to like me.

Mrs. Dunlap: Hi. I'm looking for a Dion Farkas.

Dion: I'm Dion. Are you Mrs. Dunlap?

Mrs. Dunlap: Yes. It's so nice to meet you. How are you feeling?

Dion: Great. Doctors are kind of amazed how fast the recovery went.

Mrs. Dunlap: I'm so glad. So everything went well with the surgery?

Dion: Yes. I read Zoe's article about him—Jensen, I mean. He did cross country?

Mrs. Dunlap: He did. Not on his own. He was completely happy playing video games in his room, but we made him pick an extracurricular activity. He picked cross country because it was something he thought he could do by himself. Running alone in the woods. He liked solitude.

Dion: Well, I'm kind of the opposite. I like noise and being with people. I hate running.

Mrs. Dunlap: What do you like doing?

Dion: Drawing, puzzles, or playing with my dog. Black Lab. Sunny's his name.

Mrs. Dunlap: Jensen drew a little bit too. He used to make me the cutest birthday cards. I still have them. I've been looking at them a lot lately.

Dion: I really want to say that I appreciate—

Mrs. Dunlap: You don't have to do that, Dion. It's enough to look at you.

Dion: Well, I brought a stethoscope. Would you like to listen to your son's heart?

Mrs. Dunlap: I'd like that very much. Did you hear it? It's very strong. Can I hug you?

Dion: Yes.

Mrs. Dunlap: Could I listen again, please?

Dion: Sure. Here.

Buddy: I think you were right, Mr. Whittaker.

Mr. Whittaker: Oh? About what?

Buddy: God changing hearts. I think he just changed mine.

John Fuller: What a powerful conclusion of this special edition of *Focus on the Family* featuring an *Adventures in Odyssey* episode called "Have a Heart."

Jim Daly: It's a wonderful story, John, and so enjoyable for children. It's full of imagination and it allows people—this is the one thing I hear often from kids that I meet that listen to *Odyssey*. One, they know the script almost verbatim. Secondly, from the parents, they'll talk about how it helps the kids grow their imagination, which is why we do it.

But also those thought-provoking values that we want kids to catch. How God can transform anyone, even the school bully, and they hear that and it really is exceptional. And this is just one of many episodes we've produced over almost 40 years now.

John Fuller: And over a thousand episodes are available. That library is growing all the time and you and your children can listen to these dramas on the radio or purchase them from our website or sign up for the *Adventures in Odyssey* Club.

Jim Daly: And the big news is our new animated movie, *Journey into the Impossible*, which will introduce a new generation of families to *Adventures in Odyssey*. *Journey into the Impossible* is a thrilling origin story about Mr. Whittaker or Whit, as we call him, and his family moving to the town of Odyssey. It's kind of the prequel.

There's going to be lots of action and mystery and fun for the whole family, so check it out on our website to get a sneak peek.

John Fuller: And you can be part of helping us finish this film, *Journey into the Impossible*, and launch it in theaters this fall. Some generous friends have agreed to provide us with a matching opportunity up to $1 million, and we need to hear from you right away. Our fundraising deadline is May 1st, so every dollar you give is going to be doubled.

Contact us today, donate as you can. The number is 800, the letter A, and the word FAMILY. Or you'll find the details about *Adventures in Odyssey* and that *Odyssey* Club I mentioned, also the new movie of course, *Journey into the Impossible*. It's all at focusonthefamily.com/broadcast.

Thanks for listening to *Focus on the Family* with Jim Daly. I'm John Fuller, inviting you back as we once again help you and your family thrive in Christ.