A Couple's Adventure Guide for Praying - and Staying Together

Randy Southern’s format in this book is simple yet so perfect for giving couples wonderful ideas to grow their relationship with each other and with Christ. He starts off each date idea with a related bible verse followed by words of wisdom from Gary Chapman, author of Love Languages. He sets the scene for the date and then instructs you how to make it happen. For those of you who may be a little challenged in coming up with new date ideas or have problems with execution, you are going to really appreciate this.

While your on each date, Randy gives tips called Finish Strong. Here you find discussion topics for the date to get to know your loved one better. Gary Chapman’s Love Languages (a book I love) also plays a role in each of these dates. You will have a chance to practice using your loved one’s love language and have your love language used.

One of my all-time favorite things about this book is it has a Take it to God section that is specific to that date. This gives the couple topics to pray about for their date. If couples are new at praying together, what better way to start than taking turns reading a short prayer suggestion out loud? It takes the pressure off of having to come up with something until you are more comfortable praying in front of your loved one.

The book ends each date with a Dig Deeper section where you can look up 4-5 bible verses and a passage from Gary’s Love Languages.

I loved this book for the variety of dates offered and the chance for couples to grow their faith together.

"I was given this book to review by Side Door Communications. All review opinions are my own and are 100% honest."

This book is full of wonderful date ideas. It’s the perfect cure for being in the rut of dinner and a movie! In fact, these unusual date ideas are sure to breathe new life into a martial dating relationship.

Each date idea contains the following information:
Words to Grow On – Bible verse and Gary Chapman quote
Set the Scene – Introduction to the date
Make It Happen – Instructions for the date
Finish Strong – Review, questions
Mind Your Language – Commentary on 5 Love Languages for the date
Take It to God – Suggestions for prayer time
Dig Deep – Bible verse references for further study

While these are unique ideas, they are generally low cost and don’t involve a huge amount of complicated planning. My husband and I have done several of these ideas before, but in almost all cases we haven’t done them recently. Also, several ideas are completely fresh and new for us. For instance, the one I’m most looking forward to trying is the photography date idea.

I absolutely loved this book. There are complete instructions for each idea, and it is wonderful that all are referenced back to the Bible. This is a great book for all married couples, whether they be newlyweds or the proverbial old married couple.

I received this book for free from Moody Publishers in exchange for an honest review. I was not obligated to write a positive review.

When you write a Christian parenting blog, you hear from a lot of people wanting to promote things in an effort to strengthen marriages. I try to use them whenever possible. I believe one of the most important gifts you can give your child is parents who love each other and are committed to having a Christian home and parenting their children towards God.

The craziness of parenting though can often push marriages to the back burner. We are often lucky if we can exchange a few important details with each other before collapsing in exhaustion. Date nights are a thing of the past even when the kids are old enough to no longer need baby sitters. Couples slowly begin to drift apart without realizing it has happened until it is too late.

From time to time a publisher will send me a date night book to review, and most of them are fine. A few have some great discussion questions. I really have never seen one though that was extremely creative in the suggestions of things to do together. That is until I read 52 Uncommon Dates: A Couple’s Adventure Guide for Praying, Playing, and Staying Together by Randy Southern.

I knew I was in for a treat when the first date was called “The First Time for Everything Date.” As I turned to the next date -”Cemetery Date”, I was hooked! Each date gives instructions on how to make it happen (creativity makes for some interesting instructions and cautions!), questions to discuss while you are on the date, as well as topics to discuss in your prayers with God and scriptures to share with each other.

An interesting angle was added because of the book’s connection to Gary Chapman. Each date includes an entry about a specific love language. It explains how to tie your activity into one of the love languages from Chapman’s books in specific ways. I love the addition because I think many struggle with how to use Chapman’s material in ways that are meaningful to their spouses.

If you are looking for a heavy devotional to do with your spouse or deep questions that will solve any marital issues, this is probably not the book you want. If on the other hand, your marriage is basically solid but could use some fun and energy injected into it – grab 52 Uncommon Dates.

The best news is that the publisher is allowing me to give away a copy of the book to one Parenting Like Hannah reader. Once you enter, make sure and check your email to see if you are a winner. (We will need a mailing address for the publisher to send you your prize). Hurry and enter today. I mean who wouldn’t be interested in a Lego date or a second first date? Even the dates that sounded normal often had twists and turns to increase the fun and the reflection. Every marriage could always use a little more fun and time with God.

Please note I was given a copy of this book free in exchange for my honest review. I am planning on trying a few of the dates out with my husband soon!

I was recently approached to review 52 Uncommon Dates: A Couple’s Guide for Praying, Playing, and Staying Together by Randy Southern. I was provided with a free review copy of the book by Moody Press in exchange for my honest review.

Almost every marriage book or website I have read, recommends couples continue dating after they marry to keep the relationship fresh and exciting. Dating gives you and your spouse a chance to connect over things other than the day to day responsibilities of work, parenting and household management, it gives you a chance to remember who you were as a couple prior to taking on all these added responsibilities.

Many couples, while still trying to maintain that spark in their relationship by having date nights, fall into a routine where they do the same thing each time they get a chance to spend some alone time together. There is nothing wrong with the tried and true dinner and a movie date, but trying something new gives a couple a chance to break out of the routine and potentially learn more about themselves and each other in the process.

52 Uncommon Dates is a guidebook for couples who want to shake up their routine and grow closer to God and each other through their date nights. Each date is intentionally constructed each date to include the following components:

• Set the Scene – a description of the date;
• Make It Happen – tips for what to do and where to go;
• Finish Strong – questions and suggestions for talking about the date and deepening intimacy;
• Mind Your Language – ideas on how to incorporate the five love languages and fill your spouse’s love tank;
• Take It to God – suggestions for praying together before, during, or after the date; and
• Dig Deep – scriptures to look at as a couple, grow spiritually as a couple.

With this much attention to detail, each date is sure to help you and your spouse learn, grow and communicate together. Many of these dates are things that Matt and I do fairly regularly already (bike rides, hikes, watch TV together, cook together, etc.) but the additional steps like the questions for talking about the date and ideas to incorporate your spouse’s love language into the date are things we probably wouldn’t have thought of on our own.

By taking the time to plan the date ahead of time and then discuss them together afterwards, you’ll be improving the quality of your dates. Simply communicating about what works and what doesn’t, because let’s face it all these dates won’t work for everyone, will help you both in planning future date nights. Taking it a little deeper and sharing why you think certain things worked and others didn’t, will help this process even more. Working together to create better date night, will spill over into other areas of your life together and help you create an even better marriage.

With the wide variety of dates in this book, every couple should be able to find something that appeals to their interests. While it’s probably more comfortable to start with one of those that feel most like something you’d do on your own, I’d challenge couples to try something completely outside of what they typically find themselves doing. Even if you don’t truly enjoy the activity, you’ll have a fun story to tell for years and it gives you a great conversation for later.

I love this book and while Matt and I haven’t yet tried any of the date ideas in it, we have a list of our favorites and will be planning some in the near future. I highly recommend this book to any couple, whether they are just dating or have been married for years, every couple needs date nights and this book not only gives you a lot of great ideas for dates, it gives you a strategy to improve the quality of your communication, dates and your relationship.

There are all kinds of dates! Some dates are entitled “The Cemetery Date” “Design-A-Shirt Date” “The Service Date” but the one that stood out to me the most was “The Lego Date.” We have Legos from my husband's childhood and he still loves to create things so this would be a perfect date for us!
There are some dates that include a bike ride, cooking, game night or even a tv date that seem less “uncommon” however with the guides each date it will be unlike any other date you have had before!
Overall, I think this book is an AMAZING! And to think if you purchase “52 Uncommon Dates” for $8.99 you have a date lined out for every week of the year!

This book is excellent. It offers 52 creative dates that will work for any couple on any budget. And the thoughtfulness going into each date is extensive. There is The Music Date, The Water Date, The Arcade Date and The Cemetery Date to name a few. Yeah, you read that right, and I'm not going to explain that one. You'll have to get the book and discover what it's about for yourself. But let me say, I love it!

With each date Randy provides a Scripture verse, a quote by Gary Chapman (author of The Five Love Languages), how to set the scene, make it happen, and finish strong. He ends each chapter connecting the date to one of the 5 love languages. It's a great resource for any couple who wants to grow in the area of romance through regular dates.

This would make a great gift for Christmas or as a wedding present to help the newlyweds get on the right track in the romance department.

I must confess that I felt a little cynical about this book before I read it. Could Southern really provide that many “uncommon” ideas for dates? He did! Moreover, Southern outlines a very unique and deliberate approach to his suggested dates.

Southern introduces each date with a Bible verse and a quote by Dr. Gary Chapman. Why a quote by Gary Chapman? You’ll see here in a minute. Each introduction is accompanied by the following topics:
-Set the scene – A brief description of the date.
-Make it happen – Step-by-step instructions for making the date happen.
-Finish strong – Discussion questions for reflecting on the date.
-Mind your language – A brief discussion of how to use the date to reach out to spouses with particular love languages. (This is why Southern introduces the dates with quotes from Gary Chapman, author of The 5 Love Languages).
-Take it to God – Prayer points to cover while praying over the date.
-Dig deep – Scripture passages to help in applying lessons learned from the date.

As you’re likely gleaning, this book contains a whole lot more than a list of date ideas! What about the dates, though? They’re very diverse. Some are simple and some are elaborate; some can be completed in a couple’s own home, while others will take the couple out into the community. Though your geographic location or other factors may hinder you from completing one or two of the dates, most couples will be able to complete the vast majority of them.

This book is a great tool for any married couple, regardless of how long they’ve been married. 52 Uncommon Dates could also be utilized by a seriously dating or engaged couple, but they would have to use discretion because there are a couple of dates that would not be suitable for an unmarried couple. Personally, I think the book would make a great wedding gift for a couple because it would encourage them to continue dating after the wedding and to do so deliberately.

The physical book is pretty small (it fits in my purse or my husband’s back pocket), so it can easily be taken with you on a date so you can utilize the prayer points and discussion questions. Don’t let the small size fool you. It contains a lot of good ideas!

A complimentary copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

As the title states uncommon dates, this book gives ideas that can be implemented at different stages of the relationship or depending on their likings. Gives you quiet, adventurous and romantic while providing you with a spiritual component and foundation. It even includes a Family date...I gives once is moving to a next level. For a married couple that has weekly date nights this provides ideas for every week. I found it interesting and fun. Can't wait to try them.

This book takes a different approach to dating your spouse, it not only looks at various forms of dates(not everyone enjoys the same activities), but it goes deeper with suggestions to help prepare the way for a successful date, things you can pray about to bless your date ahead of time, and places in the bible to dig deeper concerning the topic of the date. We recommend this book for couples who enjoy new adventures and are looking for ways to enrich their marriages!

There was nothing uncommon about these date ideas. Going to the park, cooking dinner together, remembering your first date. Do not spend your money on this book. The majority of the ideas are dates you have probably already had