Jean and I were big fans of Dr. Dobson and the Focus on the Family broadcast long before I came to work at the ministry. And while we didn’t have kids at the time, I personally benefited from Dr. Dobson’s insights into marriage—especially since I came from such a dysfunctional home. Considering the fact that my father was a gambler and an alcoholic who walked out on our family when I was six, I had no idea what a “healthy” husband and wife dynamic should look like.
When I first came across the Focus on the Family broadcast, you can imagine how I would soak up Dr. Dobson’s advice like a sponge. And now, decades later, I look back and marvel how I’ve both benefited from countless broadcasts and have had the incredible opportunity to be around him over the years.
That said, next week the staff of Focus on the Family will be gathering together to pay tribute to Dr. and Mrs. Dobson for their thirty-three years of service. I look forward to publicly expressing my deepest appreciation for all Jim and Shirley have done to inspire me to become a better husband and father. As you can imagine, that chapel service will be closed to the general public due to space limitations.
However, thousands of note cards have been received from friends all around the world bearing a word of thanks for the Dobson’s love and sacrifice over the years. Likewise, the staff is putting together a beautiful collection of tributes which will be bound in a book and presented together with the note cards to the Dobsons.
I thought it would also be a great idea for the readers of my blog to pen a personal tribute to Jim and Shirley. Why not think about the ways the Dobson’s have impacted your marriage, your parenting, or your faith in God. Maybe it was a specific broadcast, an insight gleamed from one of their books, or something you learned while watching the original Focus on the Family film series.
Did Dr. Dobson help you while you were Bringing up Boys? Did you get a few tips to handle that Strong Willed Child? Did you Dare to Discipline the kids? Have you found your Love for a Lifetime? Did you gain some perspective When God Doesn’t Make Sense? If so, why not say so? Whether you’re young or old, your tribute will be a lasting way to honor and thank Jim and Shirley for being faithful to God’s call upon their lives.
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