Prayer is essential. It’s essential for singles, for married people, and even for kids who still believe in coodies. And as intensely personal as prayer truly is, it can prove even more effective when performed in groups of two or more (note Christ’s own words in Matthew 18:20).

I love uncovering new ways to improve my prayer life, and I love even more uncovering ways to improve my marriage. This is what initially drew me to Couples Who Pray.

As I delved into the book, however, it was far less than I had expected. Using several celebrity and non-celebrity couples as case studies, the book felt to me more like a whole morning of non-stop Ricki Lake episodes (the dated, intensely off-putting reference intended) than a life-changing guide to greater communion with our Creator God. Nothing against Denzel Washington (or Frank Gifford for that matter)—two of the celebrity husbands showcased in this book—but I wish I had picked up nearly any other book on prayer than this one. I attempt to avoid fluff Christian reading at all turns, but my blinders tricked me on this one.

Save yourself the trouble of strengthening you relationship with this cotton candy, and beef it up with a marriage book that contains some real doctrinal meat (i.e. R.C. Sproul‘s The Intimate Marriage or, goodness, even Gary Chapman’s The Five Love Languages).

© 2010 E.T.