Book Review for Couples Who Pray by SQuire Rushnell and Louise DuArt

Men- most of you will want to know that the most intimate act between a man and a woman will greatly enhance the frequency and ecstasy of lovemaking.



Women-most of you will want to know that the most intimate act will greatly expand meaningful communication with your partner almost overnight.


You may ask:


What do I have to do to get these results?





Invest of five minutes a day, minimum, praying with your partner. (From the introduction of Couples Who Pray)





That's how the book, “Couples Who Pray” by the husband and wife author team, SQuire Rushnell (Yes, that's how he spells his first name) and Louise DuArt begins. Rushnell and DuArt have prescribed a forty day commitment for couples to pray together for five minutes a day as a way to kick start a life time habit of praying together.

According to the authors, couples praying together is a rare and almost unheard of habit among most married people, even Christians. Even couples who pray on a regular basis as individuals don't normally pray together.

Rushnell and DuArt first address the men and drive home how their most important emotional needs (sex) will be met if they first develop the habit of praying with their wife. In the next chapter they discuss how the woman's most important emotional needs (communication) are met if she begins praying everyday with her husband. Each chapter includes survey results and testimonies of couples who share how they've maintained a healthy marriage or, in some cases, were able to snatch their marriage out of the “jaws of death,” so to speak, when the couple began praying together.

Rushnell and DuArt interview many couples who share their testimonies about how committing to daily joint prayer has kept them married. The book is filled with many personal stories from well-known couples in the celebrity world. The first chapter introduces us to these couples, Donna Summer and her husband Bruce Sudano, Denzel and Pauletta Washington, Patti and Gavin MacLeod (Captain of the Love Boat), Olympic Gold Medalist Scott Hamilton and his wife, Traci, to name a few. The book also includes some powerful and inspiring accounts of how some of these people came to know Jesus Christ through the patient, consistent  prayers of their spouse.

On the one hand, I would have liked a few more examples of ordinary people. Not being a celebrity or rich, there was a part of me that didn't quite relate to all the “huger than life” success stories. On the other hand, it was encouraging to see that there are couples in Hollywood who have succeeded in staying married and how prayer was an essential ingredient to the sustenance of their relationship.

After underlining the need for couples to pray, the book then proceeds to teach the reader how to pray. The structure of a prayer that the authors outline is basic and helpful: glorify God, give thanks, ask forgiveness and finally,present your petitions. It even includes a question and answer section in case some readers aren't sure what is or isn't acceptable to pray for.

One thing I really liked about the book is that it doesn't stop with prayer. After firmly establishing the value and need for prayer, Rushnell and DuArt discuss important factors that are part and parcel to a vibrant prayer life and a joyful, permanent marriage. The first is the opposition that each couple will face when they follow God. It may come in the forms of stressors at work, lonely co workers, or family members that think you've gone “religious,” but the real enemy of every marriage is the devil. I thought the authors made some well-supported points about porn addiction and how seductive and destructive it is.

The authors describe many real life scenarios that happened to couples that could have torn their marriage apart and how prayer saved it.

Nevertheless, prayer is not the only weapon against the enemy of your marriage. The next chapter is titled “Forgiveness Power”. This chapter talks about the need to forgive when your marriage partner sins against you and how prayer and forgiveness is the solution. There were a number of very interesting and encouraging stories about individuals who, in spite of what happened to them, through the supernatural power of God and praying to Him, they were able to forgive those who had grievously wronged them.

This chapter is followed by one about prayer and tithing and a concluding chapter listing six steps to a happy marriage.

The back of the book has a two questionnaires, one for each spouse, to fill out. There is also an online site for couples to record their results in order to contribute to national surveys. Rushnell and DuArt recommend using the online source because you will receive an ongoing system of support that will include weekly e-mails, short stories and other tips to encourage the praying couple. It also serves as a resource hub with video presentations and journals as well as other information such as links to marital support services.

All in all, I think that “Couples Who Pray” is a useful, enjoyable and interesting resource for couples who have not been praying together but want to know how to start doing so.


I received a complimentary copy of this book by BookSneeze in exchange for my honest review.