Blackvoices.com had the opportunity to speak to Rev Run and Justine Simmons of reality television “Run’s House”  about their new book:Take Back Your Family: A Challenge to America’s Parents. Read below to find out what prompted Rev and Justine to write the book:

What prompted the two of you to write the book?

Rev. Run: People were just constantly telling us how much they enjoy the show and how much they love our parenting style. I just thought it was a good way to get the message out about family and being together. I didn’t want to take the Dr. Phil approach and say “this is what you must do,” I just wanted people my age to realize that maybe they’re missing out on something if they’re not paying attention to their family. If you look at my show you might think “Oh wait a minute, I have a family at home too. Maybe I should pay more attention to my family and not just on my career.” So I just wanted to let people see another side of parenting and being with family.

How did you start placing your family at the center of your life?

Rev. Run: I think it’s just a gift since it’s something I love to do. It’s a God giving gift to just feel so concerned about my family. I think it’s a responsibility chip that God put inside of me. I feel like it’s been downloaded into my life and I just feel that I need to do right by my family, have fun with my family so I don’t want to take all the credit but it just flows naturally.

What was the process of writing the book? How long did it take, was it fun, difficult, challenging?

Rev. Run: I did it all in the time of filming Run’s House. It took two months. I would sit down and preach to a tape recorder about how I felt about life. We would take that, Chris Morrow and myself, and take notes out of that and write the book. I would just stand there with a tape recorder and just talk about family life and situations. Same thing goes for my wife. Maybe a question or two would be asked by Chris, who helped us write the book, and we would just talk and have hours and hours of tape to go back and refer to.

What is the deepest desire you have for your family?

Rev. Run: To be happy.

What ages do you like most in raising your children?

Rev. Run: I don’t really have a particular age. I enjoy Vanessa at 25 and I enjoy Miley at 11-months. Watching Vanessa and Angela do well with Pastry, watching Miley come into the house, watching Diggy skateboard; it all feels good to me. I enjoy all the ages of my children.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT JUSTINE AND REV’S NEW BOOK