I have served as a Pastor of Vanguard Church in Colorado Springs, a Southern Baptist Church, for the past twenty-eight years. Humanly speaking, if it weren’t for Dr. James Dobson moving Focus on the Family to Colorado Springs, Vanguard would have never been birthed in Colorado Springs.
My wife, Tosha and I, graduated from Liberty University in 1993. Dr. James Dobson gave the commencement speech at our graduation.
He talked about going back to the University of California in Los Angeles, more popularly known as UCLA. He was an avid tennis star at UCLA in his college days. He went back and perused the trophy case to see if he could find his trophies from his days there. He said, “I couldn’t find them.” He searched and discovered they had been thrown away. I will never forget what he said next, “This world will trash your trophies, but God has a trophy for you if you live for Him that lasts forever!”
Dr. Dobson’s statement many years later would be used in my life and ministry by God to birth a statement I make a lot, now.
“What we do for God matters, and in the end, it is ALL that matters!”
Thank you, Dr. Dobson, for your example that birthed in me an awareness of what matters most!
In the Spring of 1996 as my wife and I were graduating from Dallas Theological Seminary, we were trying to discern with the Southern Baptist Convention, where to start a church.
Melanie Beroth (later became the wife of Jon Dobson, no relation), was a close friend of my wife from Liberty University, and she had moved to Colorado Springs to work as a publicist for Focus on the Family and Dr. Dobson.
In a routine call between Tosha and Melanie, Tosha mentioned how we were looking for the place God wanted us to start a church. Melanie immediately said, “Why don’t you come to Colorado Springs and start Vanguard?”
And as they say, “the rest was history.”
We officially started Vanguard in March of 1997 under the shadow of the influence and leadership of Focus on the Family and Dr. James Dobson in Colorado Springs. Just a few years earlier, Amendment Two had taken Colorado by storm and Dr. Dobson was one of the leaders of this amendment.
When we arrived in Colorado Springs, we quickly learned how divided the city and state were due to this amendment issue. Dr. Dobson had the courage to stand for what the Bible believes in and teaches us to live by as followers of Jesus Christ.
In the early days of Vanguard, we had a lot of the children of the Executives of Focus on the Family attend the church. I crossed paths with Mike Trout’s daughter, Rebecca Ireland (her radio name), she was a DJ for Magic 98.9 FM. Vanguard bought an annual advertising contract with the radio station and Rebecca interviewed us on the morning show the week before we started Vanguard March of 1997.
Just a few years into the church plant, Focus on the Family was under fire by activist groups who were standing against Focus and Dr. Dobson regarding his biblical view on homosexuality. Vanguard had started with a lesbian couple and several other people who identified in the lifestyle. In 1997 at the annual Southern Baptist Convention, one of the first converts of Vanguard, shared how God had reached her in a same sex lifestyle and how she had given her life to Jesus.
Her name was Lillian.
Early on she asked me what I thought of her lesbianism. Just as I was getting ready to tell her, I heard the Holy Spirit say inside me, “Tell her, it doesn’t matter what you think. You didn’t create her, you didn’t die for her, you won’t be her judge one day.” I thought, “How bizarre!” But I opened my mouth and said it and she said back to me, “Really, it doesn’t matter what you think?” I said, dumbfoundedly as I shrugged my shoulders, “I guess not!”
Then I heard the voice of the Holy Spirit say to my conscious, “Pray she will ask you what I think of her lesbianism.”
So, I started praying this prayer and two months later, she asked.
I teared up.
I got her a Bible.
She read Romans 1 and 1 Corinthians 6.
I asked her, “What does the bible say about your lesbianism?
She declared, “the Bible says homosexuality is a sin.”
I was once again dumbfounded. But learned that day, when people care what God and His Word thinks, they change.
In April of 2005, a group of pro-gay activist were coming to protest Focus on the Family.
Tom Minnery, who became a dear friend of mine, hosted a gathering of the pastors of the city to ask them to come and hear what Dr. Dobson had to say about this and to invite them to stand with Focus. At the meeting, Dr. Dobson shared and asked for input from the pastors. I raised my hand and stood. I shared with him my background at Liberty and the Vanguard Church plant I was affiliated with in the city. I asked him if we could host a city-wide gathering and invite people from both sides of the aisle to come together and discuss this issue of homosexuality in a community discussion format. After this meeting, Tom Minnery contacted me and Vanguard along with Focus on the Family and the Independent Newspaper run by my friend, John Weiss, all agreed to this event. We had about 1200 people at Vanguard for this event. It was a huge success in bringing together the community and this was due to Dr. Dobson’s willingness to try something new. My respect for him, grew, even more.
I also served on the Christian/Jewish Dialogue board with Dr. Dobson and attended the annual dinner with him. One year, after Dr. Jerry Falwell, founder of Liberty University, another hero of my mine in the faith, had passed away, I was one of the speakers on the panel that year at the annual Christian/Jewish Dialogue dinner. Afterwards, Dr. Dobson came up to me and started talking to me about Dr. Falwell. He wept openly as he shared with me how alone he felt standing for moral truth without his friend Dr. Falwell. I was overwhelmed by his transparency and vulnerability in that moment. I was also impressed with his heart to continue to stand for what he believed God had called him to stand for in his generation. He was a stalwart for God’s truth.
In 2009 Dr. Dobson stepped down as chairman of the board of Focus on the Family, at this time I had started a pastor gathering called “The Merge” and we hosted a luncheon at Focus on the Family with the new President and CEO, Jim Daly, to honor Dr. Dobson. It was an honor to be a part of these closing days of Dr. Dobson’s leadership at Focus. I gave Shirley Dobson a letter to share with Dr. Dobson to thank him for his faithful service to the Lord. She later wrote to me and said she shared it with him, and he was appreciative of the kind gesture the pastors of the city showed to him that day.
As I reflect upon Dr. Dobson departure from earth to heaven, I stand to applaud his efforts to live faithfully for the Lord Jesus. The substance for which Dr. Dobson stood is like the famous quote in the movie, “Gladiator,” “What we do in this life echoes into eternity.”
Dr. Dobson, what you did for Jesus here on earth echoes into eternity for the glory of Jesus. I stand and applaud your efforts and commitment to make a difference in a world that so desperately needs the love of Jesus in their lives. I always admired your efforts to make everything you did about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I pray God uses your example to encourage a generation of leaders and pastors to keep standing for truth regardless of the cost.
Dr. Dobson may the Lord use your faithful example to inspire us to keep living for Him in a world still in need of the only Savior that can change it, and His name is, Jesus Christ!
Well done, Dr. Dobson!
Enter your rest and reward the Lord Jesus has for you!
Sincerely,
Pastor Kelly M. Williams
Vanguard Church
Colorado Springs, Colorado
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