A Stop by Focus on the Family

Our our vacation we stopped by the campus of Focus on the Family (See this link about visiting their campus).  Focus on the Family is a ministry started by James Dobson dedicated to strengthening the family.  We have been blessed through the writings of Dr. Dobson.  He has written classics on parenting and disciplining children.  Their website is a great resource for families and church workers.  While I do not agree with some of the doctrinal position of Dr. Dobson or the organization Focus on the Family, I appreciate their work for families.  Also, it should be noted that Dr. Dobson is no longer with Focus having stepped aside in the last several years.  He has started a separate radio program.

We enjoyed our visit to Focus, which is located in Colorado Springs.  We did not realize the campus was so large.  It involved several large office buildings.  We only visited the welcome center and bookstore.  The welcome center told their story and had an entire downstairs play area for the kids.  The kids loved the experience and learned about their Adventures in Odyssey series for kids.

I found the historical display upstairs fascinating about Dr. Dobson.  Here are a few of the details that are inspirational and insightful.

Cool Story # 1

This plague told this story about how Focus got its start and his first book “Dare to Discipline.”.  After beginning with a successful career at University of Southern California, Dr. Dobson had a choice between career aspiration and starting a new ministry to families.  After two years of deliberation, Dr. Dobson took a one-year leave of absence to open a two-office suite in Arcadia, California.  A small sign was posted on the front door:  “Help for Families Here.”  That was the beginning of Focus which now employs over 800.

His book “Dare to Discipline” came off of the press in 1970.  They requested 250 copies.  They prayed over the books and then mailed them out to a group of select recipients.  That was the beginning of his first best seller!

Cool Story # 2

In 1978, Dr. Dobson was speaking all over the country on marriage and family topics.  It was beginning to take a toll on his own family. So he decided to stop speaking.  Word Publishing suggested filming his final speaking engagement.  This was done in San Antonio, Texas in September of 1978.  The film series became an overnight sensation.  As a result of Dr. Dobson’s choice to stay home with his family, his message reached a much larger audience than he ever could have reached in person–an estimated 70 million viewers.