Our 24 Family Ways by Clay Clarkson is an extremely helpful tool for dads (and moms) to establish good biblical principles for the family and lead their families in devotions.  The principles cover 24 essential areas of life in the categories of 1) authority; 2) possessions; 3) relationships; 4) work; 5) attitudes; and 6) choices.

Too many times parents give up before they give themselves a chance to lead their children spiritually.  Most of the time, parents do not have a tool to help lead the family, because the Bible itself seems so massive to find particular stories or passages in leading the family.  Clarkson has resolved that with this manual. There is sufficient information, organized in a simple and clear format, so any dad can lead his family with ten or fifteen minutes of preparation.  Surely, the family is worth the fifteen minutes of preparation.

Clarkson places responsibility on the parent to lead the family and also on the children to obey the parents. However, the parents must lovingly lead by reaching the heart of the child. The key is helping the children take ownership of the family values so their family is described by these values. There are 120 selected Scriptures, 24 character quality definitions and 120 complete family devotional outlines.  Any dad can take these and lead his family in devotions.  Dad does not have to be a rocket scientist or even have a high school diploma.  He DOES need to love the Lord.

Our 24 Family Ways is built on ARTS. ARTS stands for 1) Ask a Question; 2) Read the Bible; 3) Talk About It; and 4) Speak to God.  The format helps children see parents are getting their guidance from the Bible. Children see that parents like talking about the Bible and they see parents trust what the Bible says.

The simple plan is: The dad (or mom) reads over the ARTS outline each day before using it so it seems familiar. Then each of the 24 Ways has five separate days of devotional outlines. There are suggestions for starter questions, talking topics and speaking to God “thoughts” for each Scripture.

There is also a children’s section in the back of the manual that could be copied for that family and used to help smaller children learn the principle by coloring the picture. Scripture memory verses are included for each way and three different versions are included. 

If you have children and are not leading them with family devotions, do not let the sun go down before you order this book.  It will save your family from the distractions of the world and get your family on track with godly and holy living. On top of that, your children will have a good time and give you respect for leading them to Jesus.