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Christian Counseling Connection
A Publication of the American Association of Christian Counselors
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Published quarterly by American Association of
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members, publications, or other resources. All
rights reserved. Copyright 2012.
FROMTHE PRESIDENT
BUILDING A FAMILY LEGACY:
Honoring the Life and Ministry of
Dr. James C. Dobson
“Great beginnings are not as important as the way
one finishes.”
These words of
New York Times
best-sell-
ing author, child psychologist and parent-
ing expert, Dr. James Dobson, continue to
challenge and inspire me—as a counseling
professional and a father and husband. This
past year, I had the joy (and agony!) of walk-
ing my daughter, Megan, down the aisle to marry a wonderful,
godly man, as well as standing with my high school senior, Zach,
when he signed on to play college baseball in an NCAA Division
I program.
I could not be more proud of my kids, but far more than
their accomplishments, I treasure their hearts to follow the Lord.
Looking back at their formative years, I am reminded of just how
significantly Dr. Dobson’s teaching shaped the decisions Julie and
I made about the kind of home we wanted to create, what mat-
tered most as parents, and how to love each other well.
And we are not the only ones. When Dr. Dobson left a suc-
cessful career at the University of Southern California School of
Medicine and Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles to open a small,
two-room office, little did he dream what God had in store. How-
ever, one thing he did know: “The family was falling apart, and
I just felt I ought to do what I could.” So he named the fledgling
ministry organization,
Focus on the Family
.
In the wake of a permissive parenting trend during the
1950s, moms and dads were desperate for answers. “The world
has yet to see what God can do with a man wholly committed to
Him,” D.L. Moody once wrote, and never could a truer statement
be said about Dr. Dobson. History was made when he filmed one
of the first ever Christian parenting video series in 1978, draw-
ing on the truths of Scripture. The message spread like wildfire
and was seen by more than 80 million people—one third of the
American population at the time.
Today, 37 years after launching Focus, Dr. Dobson’s writ-
ing and teaching have been translated into 26 languages and are
now available in 149 countries. He has authored more than 80
books dedicated to the preservation of the family, been active in
governmental affairs, and advised three U.S. presidents on family
matters.
Time Magazine
named him, “the nation’s most influential
evangelical leader” of our time.
In 2003, one year after celebrating Focus on the Family’s
25th year of ministry, Dr. Dobson stepped down from his role as
President. However, as Chairman of the Board, he continued to
be vitally involved in radio broadcasts, advocacy and speaking
until 2010, when he ended his illustrious 33-year career at Focus.
“I could easily have retired,” Dobson remembers, “and yet I felt
the Lord saying, ‘The job’s not finished.’”
“We’re in a death struggle,” he continues. “I am particularly
concerned about redefining the family, because it was not our
idea… it was God’s idea, going back to the Garden of Eden, and
we are about to throw it on the ash heap of history. I pray that we
do not, because we will not recover if we do.”
Dobson now serves as Founder and President of
Family Talk
,
a nonprofit Colorado Springs-based organization that produces
his nationally syndicated radio program heard on more than
1,000 radio outlets and listened to by hundreds of thousands of
families online.
Dr. Dobson’s humility, boldness, graciousness, and willing-
ness to engage have set an example for us all. At 77, he remains
as passionate as ever about protecting children, educating families
and empowering parents. Dobson is not afraid to address the is-
sues head-on, warning others of the challenges in today’s culture
that threaten the well-being of marriages and families.
Yet, what I appreciate most about Dr. Dobson is his deep
love, tenderness and commitment to his own wife, children and
grandchildren. He is a man whose passionate beliefs intersect his
daily living. I am convinced that no one has done more in our
Tim Clinton, Ed.D., LPC, LMFT, BCPCC
Announcing the development of the
James C. Dobson Center for Child
Development, Marriage, and Family Studies
