Families are struggling to connect and grow together. Social influencer (1.7 million combined social followers) and father of four, Andy Dooley, wants to change that. His new book, Building a Family of Faith: Simple and Fun Devotions to Draw You Close to Each Other and Nearer to God (Zondervan, November 1, 2022, $18.99), provides 52 family-focused, interactive, and fun devotions to help create intentional family time each week. There is no doubt everyone in the family will look forward to their time building a family of faith.
Each devotional has five sections designed to help families pray together, foster intentional conversations, and develop shared experiences. Whether families have been doing devotionals together for years or this is the first time introducing this discipline, Building a Family of Faith is easy to implement and will help your family connect, grow in faith, and have some fun!
*Press release provided by Zondervan Books.
Author Andy Dooley recently released his devotional: Building a Family of Faith. Today, we are sharing an exclusive interview with Andy. Check it out:
iB: Many Christians approach devotionals as something they must read, almost like part of the daily checklist. However, your devotional is known for its fun, inspirational content that young families can enjoy. How did you approach creating devotionals to bring fun back into daily Christian readings?
Andy: This is a great question! Our family is known for loving Jesus, being close, having fun, and being competitive! I approached this devotional the way our family goes about life. My wife and I have a desire for our kids to have their own personal relationship with God. So while they are young we want to set the foundation early and teach them the goodness of God, spark a genuine desire to know who Jesus is and that we all have a purpose. Our approach is fun because we are fun people who realize the power of Choosing Joy.
iB: Describe the important role fathers play in leading their children to study God's Word.
Andy: The role of a father in children's lives is crucial. Fathers have an opportunity to provide security, strength, and strategic direction on how to approach life. Your kids watch everything you do. Sometimes your actions are caught more than they are taught. When your kids see you praying, reading your bible, working out, treating your wife well, and going to work every day, with a heart to provide. Your kids notice those things. I noticed it with my Dad through his actions. Include your children in your lifestyle and watch how much it impacts them.
iB: Walk us through the five sections of each devotional.
Andy: Each devotional starts with a scripture that we will take a deeper dive into.
Next, you will see the "Let's Think about it" Which provides a few introductory questions to guide your family conversations of discovery and provide space for families to get to know more about each other's thoughts, opinions, and experiences.
"Let's get into" is what I would call the bridge, in which you will read a relatable story or illustration that can help illuminate the next section called...
"Let's learn" This serves as the weekly devotional which always includes, the teaching, and learning portion.
"Let's talk about it." Which offers one additional question that encourages action and application. These questions can be answered immediately or saved for car conversations or dinner topics to keep the discussion going all week long.
"Let's Pray" is A short family prayer that serves as a great starting point to encourage family prayer time and hopefully ignite a passion and love for prayer.
"Let's Act" is a time when I suggest activities for your families to do together that will strengthen the lessons learned in the devotion. These are so fun by the way, I can't wait for you guys to ACT.
iB: How has implementing your devotional with your wife and kids impacted your family?
Andy: It has brought us closer and created a tighter bond as a family, and started new traditions that we believe will be passed on to their kids one day. We are also seeing that it is the building block to having greater communication with our kids.
iB: What is the best way for our audience to connect with you and purchase your devotional?
Andy: You can connect with me on:
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/andyldooley/?hl=en
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@andyldooley?lang=en
Website www.andyldooley.com
Purchase here: www.buildingfamilyfaith.com
To check out Andy's video trailer for Building a Family of Faith, click here.
Photo Credit: ©Andy Dooley