Rating: 
Summary: For the long-term marriage.
Review: "The power of a praying wife" challenged me to be a better wife by examining my own heart and attitude twords not only my husband but my attitude twords marriage as well. I can not fathom how the critics of these books can say that these books blame the man and ask her to pray that HE changes. Specifically Stormie Omartian writes in 'Power of a praying Wife', "Make me a new person, Lord. Give me a fresh perspective, a positive outlook, and a renewed relationship with the man You've given me. Help me see him with new eyes, new appreciation, new love, new compassion, and new acceptance. Give my husband a new wife, and let it be me."The challenge to renew my twelve year marriage to my husband has been possible by God and helped by this book written by a woman who has gone the distance and been met by the many trappings, challenges and temptations that our culture throws at a marriage relationship. You would have to have been in your marriage for a many number of years to even begin to appreciate and value the authors insight and help through these books. By her own admission she writes how it took years for her perspective of marriage to change, with great help by the Holy Spirit. These books are simply to convey that help she received. There for I would say to the man due to marry soon and looking for help in his marriage; you read it too soon. Put it away for a number of years. When you feel things slipping away or you've met the challenges of our pop society culture, blah, blah, blah...coming against your marriage then you will see it with a different heart and different eyes. My husband and I both are commited to go the distance in our marriage. We've been challenged by the enemy of our soul to quit, walk, leave, cheat, lie, dishonor, disrespect and a number of other things that ALL christian couples endure if you're fighting for your marriage. These books are a great encouragement from a woman/husband who understands those battles and assaults that come against a Christian marriage and yet inspite have them have set themselves to come out the victors. I highly recommend these books for the long term marriages. Newly or soon to be married couples are still in LA-LA land and reality is aways off for you. Maybe later. Meanwhile check out Dr. James Dobson. Great books for pre-marriage and early stages of marriage. My four star rating is because it is not spelt out to the reader that long-term marriages benefit the most from these books. Or atleast not until you're ready to be honest with yourself and God . Our culture may make man out to be a pansy these days but it also makes marriage a great big fantasy that isn't so. If you want a heavy dose of reality and your looking for a tool to help you go the distance I recommend 'Power of a Praying Husband', 'Power of a Praying Wife' and a mirror.
Rating: 
Summary: A must have for anyone in a Christ-centered relationship
Review: About 5 months ago I got engaged to a great women of Christ. I wanted to help her and support her in everything she did in life. I found this book to help me so I can help her. The author really touches on all parts of a womens life. She also gives insight on how women act during times of stress and other good and bad times. This book teaches how men can support women in there walk with the Lord and how to pray for and with your wife and girlfriend. To me it is a must have if you are in a relationship and love the person you are with.
Rating: 
Summary: Stereotypical male depicted
Review: From the book: "Your wife is like a fine automobile." Please. Even my husband rolled his eyes on that one. This booked is filled with similar comparisons. While I applaud the concept of this book, it does fall short. One does not need to pray in order to learn how to communicate with their spouse. For example, read any book on male/female communication, and you will immediately note the differences. Omartian is simply referring (quite poorly I might add) to these differences when she instructs the husband and/or wife to "shut up and pray." While her books caused me to ponder praying vs. simply having a good attitude/outlook, I'm not quite sure I buy into her "shut up and pray" concept. What the books did cause me to understand, however, is that they do provide a "crutch" of sorts to folks who are in miserable situations. Folks who may not necessarily have the strength to stand on their own or up for themselves...the books provide a means of support. Even if it is shutting up and praying.
Rating:
Summary: Want a "WOW! marriage?
Review: Gentlemen, how would you like to have a great marriage? I not talking about a good marriage or an ok marriage…I’m talking about a marriage of the kind that makes you take a big step back and say…”Wow!”? You can have that kind of relationship with your wife. As husbands, we have a biblical responsibility to our wives and families to pray for them. Now I can say that I prayed for my wife and family on a more or less regular basis, as time and memory allowed. I hate to say it, but that doesn’t cut it. That sort of conviction doesn’t extend the full benefit of prayer to your family and in particular to your wife. In fact, I didn’t realize how infrequently I prayed until I picked up The Power of a Praying Husband, by Stormie Omartian and began to pray the prayers inside. I noticed that many things started to happen within our relationship almost immediately. We disagreed less, we communicated better, her relationship with the kids and extended family improved. I also noticed almost immediately when I missed a day praying. The book is laid out in 20 relatively short chapters. Each chapter has a theme and lead in by Stormie. What follows is a short section entitled “He Says” in which the men, most of them popular ministers and artists detail the effect of prayer in their relationships. After that comes the prayer itself and some scriptural references. Topics that are covered include praying for your wife’s: relationships, motherhood, emotions, moods, beauty, trust, protection, and sexuality. Some have argued that the book is more of a “how to treat your wife” book than how to pray for her. Others have argued that the book is a joke and too campy with it’s use of humour and light heartedness. I have to say that I disagree with both statements. Through the use of humour, and male related stories, the author is able to effectively reach the generally difficult male audience. I have a great burden for us as men and the apparent loss of our place in society. The role models presented by popular culture are not role models at all, but parodies and jokes of what real men should be. Yes, this book is more basic and light hearted, it is supposed to be to reach a general audience. No, it doesn't tell you what to pray, it provides the framework, the rest is your responsibility to figure out through discussion with your wife. What this book does do and do very well, is provide a firm foundation for most men, most of whom are very busy and occupied with many things in their lives. I highly recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: A Cultural Icon
Review: I am a Christian man who is currently about seven weeks away from wedding. As one is such a position any material that will help to encourage and develop prayer between partners is certainly worth the time to digest. The book in question certainly can't be denied as to having such intentions, it is not this area of criticism that has brought criticism to surface, but instead the book's blatant communication of an unacceptable amount of overly stereotypical, culture friendly and simplistic assumptions. The paradigmatic husband that the text assumes as audience is immediately addressed as being either entirely self-consumed, a mindless statistic regurgitating sports fanatic, ignorant or completely outside any spiritual gifting promised by the Holy Spirit. The author finds it necessary to spend a significant amount of time congratulating the men to even think of beginning to pray for their wife, let alone finding the courage to fight against the genetic bondage of their maleness and attempt alas to read and comprehend. An example from the text follows as the author compassionately addresses men in her usual style of gross generality, "Try to understand that as men you have simple, clearly defined needs... Your wife on the other hand, is a complex being."
It cannot be denied that contemporary pop culture has painted a portrait of the father and husband as emotionally dead, socially helpless and without any hope of discernment or logic in their ability to make decisions. Between "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "Tool Time", the husband becomes the essence of a shamefully idiotic entity, whose witty and lovingly sarcastic wife does all she can to brighten his eyes to the light of social reality.
The text itself is laden with a number of scriptural references with fall far outside contextual or historic consideration. The biblical view of a Christ fearing man's natural strengths, roles and weaknesses are abandoned to the serpentine glance of pop culture and comedy routines.
In essence, a man must take himself seriously before he can seriously value his relationship with Christ. A man who fails to seriously value his relationship with Christ will certainly fail to pull much from scripture or texts that attempt to apply commentary to it. The first step then to making prayer a pragmatic as well as aesthetic addition to a marriage relationship is for a man to learn to value himself as a potential picture of God's strength, love and glory.
Embracing a book then, that holds to media's suggestion of contemporary maleness instead of the vision painted by the word of God is syllogistically counterproductive and logically unsound, leaving one feeling more impotent and incapable than empowered and willing.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent and helpful work
Review: I am so impressed with this author. A friend of mine some time ago gave my wife and I "The Power of a Praying Wife" and "The Power of a Praying Husband." When I first read the book I couldn't get through it. As a Catholic Christian I thought that spending a chapter on submission was ridiculous, outdated, and downright fundamentalist. I nearly threw the book away, but instead shoved it into my bookshelf, assuming it to be yet another book by an undereducated fundamentalist someone decided to burden me with. However, my wife and I were arguing about something about six months later, and I thought to myself "stop yelling and get quiet... I can't hear God when I'm loud." I apologized and went to my study, and there on the book shelf was "The Power of a Praying Husband." Aright I thought, prayer is ALWAYS the best answer, lets pray, I began doing a chapter a day. I say "doing" because at the end of each chapter there are prayers, and I prayed them seriously. I also began "doing." I realize many readers of this review will probably think I am going to hell for this, but I believe that faith without works is dead, so I began acting on the implications of what is in the book. I took control of our finances so my wife wouldn't have to worry about paying the bills. She has so much to do already. I started picking up around the house to help her. I started to do so much MORE than I used to. I realized something through the process. I was not an enlightened person in a modern marriage. I was lazy! I began to feel better about myself and more empowered, especially in that I was in charge of the finances and paying the bills etc. My wife became less burdened and much more happy. Our sex life improved and I received a greater sense of purpose in my manhood. Our lives have become happier. This is not an academic book. I spend most of my reading time on serious theology, scripture, and on the history of the early church. I had to get "un-snoby" and read with the simple eyes of a man seeking to be a better and Christian husband. Praise God I did. This book was literally life changing. My wife and I keep our copies of our respective editions by the bed. Really folks, BOTH you and your spouse need to read BOTH editions before judging whether or not this author has an appropriate and Christian agenda. We reread and redo the chapters pretty regularly and our marriage is more rewarding than ever before. I recommend this book wholeheartedly. If found that when I let go of my arrogance and prayed with the book, my life improved. Thanks stormie!
Rating:
Summary: Great Wedding or Christmas Gift
Review: I found this little book place by my bed. It looked so much like the "Power of the Praying Wife"...it just couldn't be for me. When I opened my wife had a note."I love you if you read it."It was great..As a newlywed it had a lot of points that I knew about but had been praying about..it was like having confirmation.The best wedding or Christmas gift one could give to a new couple or couple who value their relationship. Great book.
Rating:
Summary: A therapist's view
Review: I have been a marital therapist for more than 30 years. This book gave me insights into and a pathway toward greater growth in my own marriage. I recommend it to every man [or woman] who seeks the Holy Spirit and the fruits of the spirit in their marriage.
Rating:
Summary: Very Powerful
Review: I read this book and started putting what I learned into my everyday life. The changes in my wife and our life together were evident immediately. She then read The Power of the Praying Wife. We treat each other better, no longer take each other for granted and understand what we both are going through being husbands, wives, fathers and mothers. I highly recommend this before and during marriage. Don't wait until there are problems as I did.
Rating:
Summary: Very Powerful
Review: I read this book and started putting what I learned into my everyday life. The changes in my wife and our life together were evident immediately. She then read The Power of the Praying Wife. We treat each other better, no longer take each other for granted and understand what we both are going through being husbands, wives, fathers and mothers. I highly recommend this before and during marriage. Don't wait until there are problems as I did.
| 
