Dr. James Dobson has to be one of the biggest, if not the biggest, influences (outside of my family) on me in my life. I started listening to his radio broadcasts in the early 1990s after graduating from college, and have never stopped. He is a clinical psychologist, author of 25 plus books, father, husband, leader, and has been and still is a radio show host of several popular broadcasts across the globe. His books have helped me become a better man, father, husband, and follower of Christ. His influence on me has made a huge impact in helping shape my character. The stories from his broadcasts have stayed with me, so much so, I often share them with others when I'm in conversation. Dr. Dobson is one of the most influential men in the country over the past 40 plus years. His writings, broadcasts, and appearances have influenced literally millions of people. Last year he was voted as one of the top twenty Evangelical Leaders in America. He also recently was awarded the Winston Churchill Lifetime Achievement Award from the Faith & Freedom Coalition. The reason Dr. Dobson was on my list is because he not only helps families stick together, his endurance and steadfastness throughout his lifetime has been a strong example of being a man of his word. He stands for truth, and isn't afraid to confront those who want to eliminate it, though he does it in a respectful and loving manner. The stories I've learned from him on his broadcasts will stay with me forever. They have helped shape my character, and strengthen my resolve for living a life of faith, and putting my family in the forefront on my existence. I will end this section with a short story that he told about his son on one of his broadcasts. Dr. Dobson's son, Ryan, had a bad ear infection. So bad, that the doctor had to immediately scrape it out without anesthesia. The doctor told him to hold Ryan down on the table so he could get to his ear. As Ryan screamed from the pain, Dr. Dobson held him as tightly as possible. As the doctor proceeded with scraping out the infection, Dr. Dobson discovered a mirror on the opposite side of the table away from the doctor. Ryan was staring at his father with the look of terror on his face, as if to say, "how could you do this to me"? Dr. Dobson, knowing the reason why, had to continue to hold his son tightly down on the table, knowing he was hurting his son in order for the doctor the completely rid Ryan's ear of the infection. He knew by holding Ryan down, he was causing him so much pain. He knew that Ryan was confused about why his own father would do such a thing to him. Then he realized, this is exactly what God does with us, what we see as pain, God sees as necessary to rid our lives of something that will eventually harm us. Some times, He has to allow us to go through painful trials, in order for us to get better. Some times, we feel betrayed by Him in the heat of our circumstances. Some times, we can even want to look God in the face and question His motives. But in the end, God does what He does for our good. Some times that means holding us down on the table of hardknocks while the doctor of life scrapes our infectious behavior out of our pattern of living. He does it because He loves us, and has our best interest at heart. Thank you, Dr. James Dobson, for being the man you are, not perfect, just consistent, loving, and with eternity in mind. As you told your son Ryan once, "BE THERE", if we never get to meet again, I will cherish this moment, and see you on the OTHER SIDE.
If you'd like to read about the experience, read on......
When I started out on this Men of Influence journey, I thought it was going to be smooth sailing. I contacted 25 men who have made an impact on my life, more so my faith, but as soon as I made the contacts, I started receiving rejections. I had about 4-5 "maybe"s and two "it's possible". I was visiting the hospital back in March, and I received a phone call from Brad, Dr. James Dobson's assistant. He told me that he loved my work, and hopefully photographing Dr. Dobson would work out. Almost three months went by and no word from Brad. We were planning our Summer vacation trip, and two weeks before we were to leave I received a call from Brad. Photographing Dr. Dobson was now a reality. I couldn't believe it. In the excitement of the news, I now had to pack my lighting equipment, along with all of our "stuff" for a week of hiking in the mountains of Colorado. This was by far the biggest challenge. Wouldn't you know it, when I picked up the car rental, I was offered a Chevy Suburban for the same price as the van we were scheduled to use. I knew this was the beginning of the "Divine Appointment". Brad helped me book the session, the enterprise associate got me a huge car with tons of space to haul my equipment, and now I was on my way to hike the great outdoors, with a break in the middle of the week to photograph Dr. James Dobson in Colorado Springs. After two days of hiking in the mountains, the day finally arrived. In the chaos of packing for the trip and planning the photo session, I forgot to pack my photography shirt to wear. That meant, a trip to the store on the way driving down to Colorado Springs. In order to make the 9 am arrival and setup time, I left about 5:30 am, not knowing Denver traffic. I was cruising, beautiful light and grand scenery, it was a dream. Things couldn't get better. I made it to Denver in about one hour, then traffic. I'm not talking light traffic, I'm talking "Houston during rush hour" traffic. It took me over an hour to get from north Denver to south Denver. Accidents everywhere. After the chaos on the road, I finally arrived in Colorado Springs. I had to stop and get a shirt to wear, so Wally World it was. Found the perfect shirt, and was back on the road, heading to Family Talk Headquarters. I arrived at 8:50 am. Brad met me and helped cart in all my equipment. I got the quick tour and settled in the conference room for the session. Brad shared with me how he presented Dr. Dobson with my photographic proposal. He told me the story and I was so grateful to him for going about it the way he did. After an hour of setting up, we got a call to go up to Dr. Dobson's office to meet and greet. Walking in his office was a spectacle. His office has a gigantic window that frames Pike's Peak in its extraordinary shape. We shook hands, said our "nice to meet you's" and sat down on his couches. We talked about many different things; why I wanted to do this, what was it's purpose, and my history. The conversation included Winston Churchill, a painting that reminded Dr. Dobson of his daughter, USC football, and his wife Shirley. She called him during our conversation (more on that later). After about 25 minutes of "chatting", it was time to do what I came for. When Dr. Dobson showed me his "good side", I explained I already knew that (I do a facial analysis on every single person I photograph). He seemed impressed that I did my homework. We photographed his profile first, then did some black and white, more dramatic style images. We finally moved over to the v-wall. Dr. Dobson, seemed a little uneasy, so I broke out the football jokes. As I photographed him, he would tell me stories, I would respond, and share a few of my own. I asked him to go to his "happy place" (think of something that makes him happy and joyful inside). A few clicks later, he asks if he can tell me a story. While we were talking in his office, his wife, Shirley, called. He proceeded to tell me that she got a good report from the doctor. His face lit up like a little boy on Christmas day. I think that's when I got the real Dr. James Dobson portrait. We have so many things in common. We were both born in Shreveport, Louisiana. We both have lived in Texas. We were both athletic. We are married to the love of our lives. We both love the Lord Jesus. We both have a passion for the truth. We both love to tell stories to help relate a topic to people. I could go on and on, but I think you get the point. After grabbing a couple of closeups, we wrapped it up. I told Dr. Dobson, a few stories that he had broadcast on his radio show since the 1990s and he was amazed that I remembered in detail all the facts. He was impressed that I was an avid and very attentive listener. We shook hands, as I thanked him, and he quietly exited the room. Brad was so helpful throughout the session. He helped me pack up and escorted me out of the building. As we left, Brad shared with me his story. It was pretty incredible as well. Every time I thought about what was happening, I could only thank God, because I knew this was a "Divine Appointment".
