Rebecca Davis
AFA Journal staff writer
February 2017 – Faithful – the one word so befitting for Don Wildmon, affectionately known to many as “Brother Don.” Founder and president emeritus of American Family Association, Don began the ministry nearly 40 years ago from the confines of his living room. His efforts gained national attention and so began his fight for the family and for biblical decency in a culture at war over its love of sin.
Now, at 79 years old, Don continues to make his way into the office frequently. The culture war is still raging, so he is still fighting. His youthfulness is gone, but his faithfulness remains.
“You’re called to be faithful, not successful,” Don once said, although he and the ministry are no strangers to success. God has used and continues to use the passion, the talent, and the voice of Don Wildmon to reach countless people for His glory.
One such way is through hundreds of monthly columns that Don wrote for AFA Journal from the late 1970s through 2010. Thirty-one of his best columns are now available in a recently published collection titled Our Call to Faithfulness: The Voice and Legacy of Don Wildmon. These columns represent his timeless wisdom and insight.
“Dad has many talents, but one of his greatest is his writing,” said son Tim Wildmon, president of AFA. “Many people don’t know that he had a syndicated column in papers across the country back in the late 1960s and early ’70s and also wrote inspirational books that sold 500,000 copies.”
Although he wrote about the current issues at hand at the time, he did so in a way that made his underlying message memorable, ageless, and applicable even now – decades later.
“Most of the time, I tried to put a twist on what I wrote,” Don explained. “I would tell a story, then I would back off, and then I would get down to the last sentence and give you the unexpected.”
Tim compares his father’s writing style to the ways of the late ABC radio broadcaster Paul Harvey.
“He wrote a lot like Paul Harvey spoke,” Tim said. “And Dad has always had a gift for using wit to communicate wisdom and Christian principles.”
Such wit and wisdom fill the 100+ pages of Our Call to Faithfulness, as does an introduction from Tim and an in-depth interview with Don that gives readers a glimpse into areas of his life that are not often talked about or seen.
“I hope people will read it,” Don said. “I hope it will give some insight and some encouragement and a better understanding of the world in which we live.”
“I know readers will be strengthened in their Christian walk by taking time to read these timeless columns,” Tim added. 
Order at afastore.net or 877-927-4917. Price: $19.95
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Whoever humbles himself . . . The wind was high and leaves were collecting on the flat rooftop of the metal building that houses American Family Association’s unassuming headquarters in Tupelo, Mississippi. It was in the early days of my employment at AFA. Twelve years later, the image is still vivid.
Having forgotten something on my desk after leaving the office that day, I pulled up to a side entrance
with the intention of running in and out. But I stopped … stunned. A crew of radio engineers was on top of the building trying to clear the piles of leaves, and 60-something-year-old Don Wildmon was right there with them, broom in hand.
He did not expect of them something he was not willing to do himself. Perhaps he was keeping tabs on their work; actually, I’m sure he was. But seeing Bro. Don up there alongside his employees was so much more to me. It was a picture of humility, commitment, responsibility, respect, selflessness, meekness, and most of all faithfulness … to his calling, to his work.
Don Wildmon is truly a servant and a leader, and I’m honored to call him my boss, my example, and my friend.
Rebecca Davis
