What if one of the greatest gifts you could give your marriage is learning how to slow down and simply be with God?

In this episode of Seeds for Your Marriage, Trisha and Thomas sit down with Mark and Shell Cowper-Smith, authors of Up Close and Personal: Relational Prayer, Being with God, for a rich conversation on contemplative prayer, stillness, and the difference between knowing about God and truly experiencing His presence. Together, they explore how a life of constant motion, striving, and performance can leave both our souls and our marriages exhausted—and how God invites us into something deeper.

Mark shares his powerful story of moving from a works-based faith into a relational walk with God through the practice of stillness, while Shell opens up about burnout, pain, performance, and the healing she found in learning to be held by God rather than constantly trying to prove her worth. Along the way, this conversation reveals how abiding in God’s presence changes the way we pray, the way we listen, and the way we love our spouse.

If your marriage has felt rushed, burdened, reactive, or spiritually dry, this episode is a beautiful invitation to return to peace—not just to pray for peace, but to live and love from peace.

Guest Bio:

Mark and Shell Cowper-Smith are authors, teachers, and passionate guides in helping people move from performance-based spirituality into a deeper, more relational experience with God. Together, they co-authored Up Close and Personal: Relational Prayer, Being with God, a devotional workbook designed to help believers grow in stillness, prayer, and intimacy with the Lord. Through their own stories of burnout, healing, grace, and transformation, Mark and Shell encourage others to discover the peace and freedom that come from abiding in God’s presence.

Resources:

• Up Close and Personal: Relational Prayer, Being with God by Mark and Shell Cowper-Smith
• The devotional/workbook and prayer material created by Mark and Shell
• Reference to Sister Nora and her teaching on stillness and being with God
• Biblical reference to Jesus asking His disciples to watch and pray with Him for one hour
• The idea of the “five P’s of prayer” from their workbook
• Reference to Psalm 46:10 theme: “Be still and know that I am God”
• Discussion of praying from peace, not for peace

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