July 12, 2008 7:05 AM
Radio Hall of Fame: Vote for Dr. Dobson by July 15
On March 21, 1987 I became a Christian - thanks to Dr. Dobson's Focus on the Family radio show and the Barbara and Dennis Rainey's Weekend to Remember (see For He Is Our Peace).
Tripp and I have been fortunate to have met all three of our spiritual godparents and to thank them for the part they played in shepherding us to an authentic relationship with Christ. They are all very warm, very real people themselves and their ministries have been marked by integrity. I respect them immensely and continue to be grateful for their efforts to reach people with solid, practical help for raising families.
I was initially drawn to Dr. Dobson's radio show in 1986 as a mother of five from a hardscrabble background who was sincerely seeking to become a good parent. Not only did Dr. D have good parenting advice, but for a fatherless girl like me, his voice and his personal warmth resonated deeply. I was a New Age seeker at the time - really into Eastern religion - so I was very repelled by Christianity, which I saw as ignorant and unsophisticated.
I would never have guessed that in 1990 Tripp and I would actually sit across the table from Dr. Dobson in Pasadena (before the move to Colorado Springs) and do a radio broadcast on coming out of spiritual darkness to know Jesus Christ.
I will never forget how he began the interview - so unexpectedly: "Barbara, our radio audience can''t see, but I'm looking at a rose tattoo on your hand. There must be a story behind it."
To this day - as someone who now interviews people myself - I am impressed by how his first question unlocked the perfect door. I'd gotten my first tattoo in 1969 at a seedy tattoo parlor across the street from the Greyhound station in Washington, DC. I was a barefoot, braless hippie chick trying my best to stand out from the crowd - to prove I was special. In those days women didn't have tattoos - in fact not many people other than veterans had them.
Somehow in answering Dr. Dobson's question the connection between the struggles of my early childhood (abandonment, foster homes, sexual assault) and the rebellions in-your-face person I became really clicked.
At heart, I'd always been a little girl who just wanted to be special. And yet - as in Paige's Loving the Weirdo - the ways I chose to stand out were often repellent (keep in mind that in 1969 a woman with a tattoo was VERY different - and I had mine where no one could possibly miss it).
Through the years Dr. Dobson and I have stayed in touch. When I drove cross country with the children to Virginia in 2002 (Tripp had to stay in California for a couple months to sell our business), - 10 kids in a 15 passenger van and Josh's pickup truck (but that's another story!) - we stopped in Colorado Springs to tour the Focus campus, which is just lovely. Dr. Dobson wasn't there, but my kids got to see his office:
Six years have gone by since those photos were taken. And a lot has changed. But one thing hasn't changed, and that's my respect and admiration for a man who answered God's call to minister to families and whose ministry grew because families needed help.
Today - after 32 years of broadcasting - Dr. Dobson’s radio program is heard on more than 3,000 radio stations across North America and in 27 languages in more than 160 countries.
As many people who stand for the truth and work to preserve families, Dr. Dobson has withstood the hatred and abuse of those factions which would silence those who simply believe that a mother and father raising children together is still the foundation we should be encouraging and supporting.
I guess it's no surprise then that when Dr. Dobson was nominated for induction into the Radio Hall of Fame, his detractors would launch an active campaign to have the nomination withdrawn.
For those of you who also care about Dr. Dobson and would like to see him honored fairly as one of the icons/anchors of radio broadcasting, please cast your ballot for him by clicking below:
And please spread the word via blogs and email please.
Voting ends Tuesday, July 15.
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Comments
Growing up we always had Focus on the Family on in the morning before school, I feel like Dr. Dobson is part of my family. Thank you for giving us the chance to vote for him and help him get into the hall of fame.
Posted by: Bridget | July 12, 2008 9:17 AM
I love his voice. Dobson has an amazing talent for being easy to listen to even when you don't agree with what he is saying.
Posted by: paigeu | July 12, 2008 9:52 AM
I thank Dr. Dobson daily for helping my mom become an awesome parent and breaking the cycle of abuse she grew up with. He does have an extremely comforting voice, and when I hear it I have to smile.
Posted by: ChristyT | July 12, 2008 1:00 PM
Focus on the Family and Doctor Dobson's books were a lifeline to me when raising our 3 daughters.
I tried 3 times to vote for him but got hung up on the registration. Hope he gets in by a landslide.
Posted by: Judy | July 13, 2008 7:18 AM
