I grew up listening to James Dobson with my mother on his audio broadcast on Moody Bible Institute's radio program. As I grew older and stayed in the Nazarene Church I continued to become indoctrinated in his philosophy, "Dare To Discipline". You see, I was in the military at the time and discipline was the upmost importance; so it was extremely unfortunate that I took Dr. Dobson's discipline to heart. In the late 1980's, I was married and had two boys. My son's would make mistakes and become rebellious. I would administer corporal punishment in excess, extreme excess. If this happened today I would have been incarcerated for child abuse. And while writing this, I tear up re-living the harsh punishment they endured. My boys were estranged throughout their teenage years; however, after high school and their pursuit of a military career we came together and made amends. I see through their own lives and their own family they learned from my mistakes. I tell you this to warn you on how you interpret Dr. Dobson's discipline doctrine.
Like Paul, I know nothing except Jesus Christ is Lord. You, Paul, Chuck Swindoll, and J. Vernon McGee were mainstays in the early days of my sobriety. That was 43 years ago. Prayer and all of you helped me relinquish my need to know the answers to my pain and the inexplicable suffering of others. Through prayer with God, and your teachings, I came to realize that my faith was in God and it was sufficient for me to fully trust that God knows. While I still struggle to understand the whys of the inexplicable, I’m comforted by the knowledge that God knows. Thank you for all your hard work and for sharing your knowledge and faith with the likes of people like me.
I'll never forget Chuck Swindoll, and J. Vernon McGee growing up with my mom and listening to them on Moody Bible Institute's radio broadcast. Mostly J. Vernon McGee with his Thru The Bible series. It was supposed to have been a 2 1/2 year series but he realized he needed another 2 1/2 years to complete. It seems I read somewhere that he recorded the complete TTB series before his death and the broadcast continued even after his death to complete the 5-year journey.
Dear Dr. Dobson Thank you so much for this profound Teaching. I personally found that there are verses that now preach not only because they are in the Bible, but I have tasted them in my own life. I believe such teaching as this is lacking in the Body of Christ. More of it is needed to equip God's children for trying times.
Someone we don't know may be watching as we go through our tragedy. We as Christians have a tough time like everyone, but if we go to the Lord and work through our situation and gain strength on our journey, it may encourage someone to seek Jesus. We never know who's watching.
Dear Dr. Dobson, I took German from Dr. Ernst at the same time his beloved daughter, Karen, was losing her husband. During class he asked us to pray for them. One night while I studied in the library Karen came in and focused hard on her studies, just a little after her husband had died. She didn’t look happy, but she kept working. As my life unfolded, and the bad times indeed happened, as well as the good, I often remembered Karen’s courage to keep on going. I loved studying with Dr. Ernst, and all he taught.
