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‘Our Secret Is Prayer’: Tony and Lauren Dungy Talk Marriage, Foster Care and Obeying God’s Calling

Photo from Tony Dungy’s Twitter

‘Our Secret Is Prayer’: Tony and Lauren Dungy Talk Marriage, Foster Care and Obeying God’s Calling

By Movieguide® Staff

Former NFL coach Tony Dungy is vocal about his faith and biblical worldview regarding abortion.

He recently came under fire for expressing his thoughts on Twitter, where he wrote: “The question is: does the baby have any rights? If you don’t believe it’s a life, then it has no rights. But…if you believe it’s a life, then it has rights. 38 states have fetal homicide laws implying they think it is a life.”

Dungy and his wife, Lauren, certainly believe that God creates life in the mother’s womb and felt an early calling to care for children in need.

The couple co-authored a new book called “Uncommon Influence: Saying Yes to a Purposeful Life,” to talk about their 30 years of experience serving the Lord in the foster care system through adoption.

“We believe that we’re being obedient to God’s calling on our lives,” Lauren told Air 1 Radio.

“We just think that Christianity – people can say ‘It’s weird.’ People can say it’s different. But Jesus said, ‘We go down a narrow road,’ and the path is not the broad path that the whole world is on,” Tony added. “So, we choose to look at that as not weird or different but, uncommon. And then with influence, we wanted to let people know that they can have an influence in their world in a lot of different ways.”

The couple added that while life in Christ offers freedom from a life of sin, it also means that there is a new responsibility to be obedient to God’s calling on your life.

“Saying yes means being obedient to God’s calling,” Lauren said. “He asks us, He requires us to be obedient and so we’ll respond by hearing His voice and doing what He asks of us … that’s saying yes. It often involves sacrifices but that’s what we do and Tony and I have done this our entire lives … saying yes. It may be uncomfortable or we may have questions as we obediently answer to God but He doesn’t take us down a path for nothing.”

“He has a purpose and a plan for everything we do in life,” she added. “Early on, He called us to use that platform with football. We had an audience and were able to influence and speak to many people but it comes with a price if you will. You have an audience and you can use it to build yourself up or you can point people to Christ and let them understand the calling is a purpose to give glory to God. We strive to do that and will continue doing that until we go home to be with Him.”

For Tony, understanding God’s calling starts with prayer.

“We just have to get used to listening and hearing and that’s where prayer comes in. One thing Lauren and I talk about amongst ourselves is, is it something that is glorying God? Is it something that we’re passionate about? And if both of those are yes, then there’s a good chance we are hearing from the Lord,” Tony said.

Through prayer and listening to God’s call on their hearts, the couple found that they loved children and wanted to do more for those in the foster care system.

“We both love children and are passionate about mentoring, supporting, and encouraging children and actually people of all ages,” she said. “When we heard about that great need, we decided to enroll in the classes, did the training and opened our home.”

“It is challenging. Our secret is prayer. We start our day going before the Lord as a couple, praying together for each other. Learning from God. We all need wisdom and need to know what God would have us to do,” Lauren added. “Once we start the day with prayer, things run pretty smoothly. We’re always intentional about spending time together as a couple.”

While foster care presents unique challenges, Lauren and Tony said that one thing that helps them pursue God’s calling is maintaining their relationship with one another.

“If our whole lives revolve around the children and we don’t take the time to enjoy each other, it could get challenging,” she said. “It could get overwhelming, but we really make it a point at least a half hour, an hour of alone time without the kids. We do that every day. That really helps our household run smoothly. I think it’s identifying what you need in your home to have things run with order.”

Read More: Former NFL Coach Tony Dungy Stands for Truth: ‘The Fetus Growing Inside the Mother Is a Life’

Watch the whole interview: Lauren & Tony Dungy – Using Your Influence To Bless Others; One Example Is Foster Care, Adoption (+podcast)

Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.


Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.