What happens when we stop striving, quiet the noise, and simply learn to be with God?

In Part Two of the Seeds For Your Marriage podcast, Trisha and Thomas sit down with author and counselor Mark Cowper-Smith to explore contemplative prayer, stillness, and the transformational power of intimacy with God. Drawing from his book Up Close and Personal, Mark shares how true spiritual growth doesn’t happen through performance or behavior modification, but through allowing God to change us from the inside out.

Together, they discuss how a deeper relationship with God impacts every relationship in our lives, especially marriage. Through honest conversation, practical wisdom, and guided prayer exercises, this episode invites couples to slow down, release expectations, and experience the Father’s love in a more personal way.

Guest Bio:

Mark Cowper-Smith is an author, speaker, counselor, and ministry leader passionate about helping people move beyond performance-driven religion into an authentic relationship with God. Alongside his wife Shell, Mark has spent years teaching on contemplative prayer, intimacy with God, emotional healing, leadership, and spiritual transformation.

Together, Mark and Shell co-authored Up Close and Personal: Relational Prayer, Being with God, a practical and theological guide designed to help believers experience deeper connection with the Father through stillness and relational prayer. Mark is also the author of Is God Religious? If Not, Why Are We?, Reluctantly Supernatural in an Age of Reason, and The Boss is Dead.

Through counseling, teaching, and writing, Mark encourages believers to discover the freedom, healing, and transformation that come through simply being with God.

Resources:

- Up Close and Personal: Relational Prayer, Being with God by Mark & Shell Cowper-Smith

- Is God Religious? If Not, Why Are We? by Mark Cowper-Smith

- Reluctantly Supernatural in an Age of Reason by Mark Cowper-Smith

- The Boss is Dead by Mark Cowper-Smith

Connect with Seeds For Your Marriage:

Website: https://trishaandthomas.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrishaandThomas

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TrishaAndThomas

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trishaandthomas

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@trishaandthomas

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

Connect with Seeds For Your Marriage:

Website: https://trishaandthomas.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrishaandThomas

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TrishaAndThomas

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trishaandthomas

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@trishaandthomas

What if parenting doesn’t end at 18, but actually transforms?

In this episode, Trisha sits down with author, speaker, and certified master life coach Felicia Murrell to explore what it looks like to parent adult children with love, wisdom, and trust.

So many parents feel unprepared for this stage, when control is no longer an option, and the relationship must shift. Felicia shares how she and her husband learned to move from a “power over” dynamic to a “power with” relationship, one rooted in love, choice, and connection.

Together, they unpack the importance of inner healing, boundaries, and learning to trust God with your children’s journey, even when it’s hard. You’ll hear practical ways to stay connected, navigate mental health challenges, and create a relationship your children choose to be part of.

Guest Bio:

Felicia Murrell is a certified master life coach, speaker, and author passionate about helping people experience deeper emotional and spiritual wholeness. With over 20 years of ministry and leadership experience, she brings a unique blend of faith, inner healing, and practical wisdom to her work.

Felicia is the author of Truth Encounters and And: The Restorative Power of Love in an Either-Or World, where she invites readers into a transformative journey of identity, love, and restoration. Known for her compassionate presence and insightful perspective, she helps individuals and families move toward healthier, more connected relationships rooted in God’s love.

Resources:

Felicia Murrell’s website: https://feliciamurrell.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellofelicia_murrell/

• Publishing Website Shop The Word: https://www.shoptheword.com/
• Truth Encounters – by Felicia Murrell: https://a.co/d/0f3Z8xkq
• And: The Restorative Power of Love in an Either-Or World – by Felicia Murrell: https://a.co/d/0e6Gmub1
• Love and Logic (Dr. Charles Fay & Foster Cline): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/season-3-episode-69-using-love-and-logic-with-our/id1560380199?i=1000646610208
• Loving Our Kids on Purpose – Danny Silk: https://a.co/d/08b00vbO

Connect with Seeds For Your Marriage:

Website: https://trishaandthomas.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrishaandThomas

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TrishaAndThomas

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trishaandthomas

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@trishaandthomas