Faith Influencer

The argument starts with a child’s disrespect. But before long, you’re saying, “You never support me,” or “Why are you making me choose?” In today’s episode, I’m talking about what’s underneath the recurring arguments in blended families: the need to feel supported, the instinct to protect your child, and expectations you may never have discussed. Drawing from 17 years in my own blended family, I...

Your spouse or your child? If you’re a biological parent in a blended family, you may have felt forced to choose. Defend your child, and your spouse feels unsupported. Back your spouse, and your child feels pushed aside. In today’s podcast, we’re talking about how to stop choosing sides—and start protecting the family you’re building together. Having been through divorce and spent the past 17 year...

Should your stepchildren call you Mom or Dad? It sounds like a simple question, but in a blended family, those two words can carry a lot of emotion. Stepparents may feel that they have earned the title, biological parents may feel threatened by it, and children can become caught between two households and the people they love. In this episode, I’m sharing my honest perspective as a stepfather—incl...

After our last episode about what husbands wish their wives understood, I promised we’d turn the tables. But instead of sitting down and guessing what women want their husbands to know, I went straight to the source. I asked women one question: What do you wish your husband understood about you? Some of the answers I expected. Others surprised me. And one response came up overwhelmingly more than...

Over the years, through counseling couples, talking with men, and my own experience in marriage, I’ve heard a lot of the same things come up. So for this episode, I also asked men directly: What do you wish your wife understood about you? Their answers had a lot in common. We talk about why your husband really can’t read your mind (even when you think he should know), why respect means more to him...

Why Your Marriage Must Come Before Your Children may sound harsh at first—but it's one of the most loving decisions you can make for your family. I've learned through my own blended family journey that many parents don't intentionally put their spouse second. More often, it's guilt after divorce, the desire to protect our children, or simply not realizing the small decisions we're making every day...

When marriage gets difficult, most people don't make their biggest mistakes during the argument—they make them in the conversations that happen afterward. In this episode, I talk about something I've seen over and over again through years of working with couples and blended families: when you're hurting, lonely, frustrated, or feeling disconnected from your spouse, who you turn to matters more tha...

How do you really know if someone is the right person to marry—especially when blending families? In this episode, I’m tackling a question I hear often: How to Choose the Right Spouse After Divorce. Too many people make life-changing decisions based on chemistry, attraction, emotional connection, or pressure—but those things alone aren’t enough to build a healthy marriage, especially in a blended...

“You’re asking someone who didn’t hurt you to pay for pain they didn’t cause.” If that hits a little close to home, you’re not alone. In this episode, we’re talking about how to rebuild trust after divorce—and why it’s so difficult, especially in a blended family or second marriage. You can be with a good person, in a healthy relationship, and still struggle with trust… not because of what they’ve...

One of the fastest ways to create chaos in your home is this…not knowing when to say yes and when to say no. I see it all the time — especially in blended families. Some parents say yes just to keep the peace…others say no to everything trying to keep control…and both end up creating problems they didn’t intend. So let me ask you this: What are you reserving your yes for? And what are you protecti...

Feeling like a guest in your own home in a blended family? You’re not the only one — and you’re not doing anything wrong. In this episode, we talk about why that feeling is actually normal… and what to do about it. We’ll walk through: - Why belonging can’t be forced - How connection comes before influence - The power of small, everyday moments - And why you need to stop measuring the relationship...

The Pressure That Breaks Blended Families is often the pressure no one prepares you for. In this episode, we’ll talk about the emotional weight that comes with being part of a blended family—especially as a stepparent. The guilt, the frustration, the unspoken thoughts, and the feeling of walking on eggshells in your own home. We’ll talk about why many of these emotions feel wrong, even though they...

Blended family problems no one prepared you for—they’re real, messy, and nothing like what you imagined. In this episode, I break down the struggles that often go unspoken: why trust takes time, why step-parent authority works differently, how loyalty to a biological parent affects kids, and why rules without relationships backfire. This is for anyone who’s been surprised by how hard blended famil...

Have you ever wondered where you really fit as a stepdad — and how to be the father figure God called you to be? I’ve been a stepdad for 16 years, and I know how confusing and heavy this role can feel. The tension, the guarded hearts, the moments when you’re not sure if you’re helping or making things worse. In this episode, I share what I’ve learned — not from theory, but from living it. We talk...

This week on the Faith Influencer Podcast, I’m sharing what may be some of the most important truth you’ll ever hear about blended families—and specifically about Blended Family Boundaries. If you’ve ever thought, “We love each other—so why is this still so hard?” this episode is for you. I break down a hard but freeing reality: love doesn’t blend a family—boundaries do. We’ll talk about why a str...

In this episode of the Faith Influencer Podcast, I finally sit down with my wife, Deana, to talk honestly about what really keeps a second marriage strong and what 16 years in a blended family has actually looked like for us. We open up about how our totally different faith backgrounds shaped the early tension in our marriage, what counseling forced us to confront, and the messy, real moments of f...

IIn this episode, we’re talking about divorce, healing, and finding yourself again. I’m opening up about one of the biggest surprises I faced after my divorce — realizing I was carrying an invisible backpack full of emotions I didn’t even know were there. Grief, shame, guilt, loneliness… all those things we try to push down and move past. But healing starts with honesty. You can’t move forward if...

We all make mistakes… but some can change the entire course of our families and relationships. In this episode, I get real about three of the most common traps we fall into: expecting our spouse to magically change after “I do,” trying to be our kids’ best friend instead of their parent, and believing we can navigate life’s storms alone. Growth requires intention — and God never designed us to car...

Have you ever caught yourself comparing your marriage or family to someone else’s? It’s easy to do—but in a blended family, comparison and withholding can quietly damage connection and joy. In this episode, I will share how to stop comparing and start loving the family you have. I will talk about what it means to let go of past expectations, open your heart fully, and build unity right where you a...

What happens to a family when the man steps back instead of stepping up? In this episode, I dig into God’s design for men to be the strong man of the house—the one who protects, leads, and loves his family with the heart of Christ. When men refuse their role, the enemy fills the gap. But when a man embraces his calling, his leadership can transform not only his family, but generations to come. It’...

How to Deal With a Narcissistic Spouse—this is a question I get asked more than you’d think. In this episode, I talk about what narcissism really is, how to recognize the traits, and what it’s like to actually live with a true narcissist. I’ll share why constantly being “nice” or giving endless validation only feeds the problem, and why what your marriage really needs is kindness with boundaries....

“The #1 Habit That Pushes Husbands Away”—nagging. In today’s episode, I dig into why nagging shows up in marriage, how it chips away at respect and intimacy, and why the more a wife nags, the less her husband responds. We’ll look at covert nagging (“we” really meaning “you”), passive-aggressive tactics like puffing or rattling dishes, and even what Proverbs says about a contentious wife. 🔔 Don't...

I’ve stepped on more than a few landmines in my blended family—and I’ve watched others lose their marriages because of them. In The #1 Mistake That Could Blow Up Your Blended Family, I’m pulling back the curtain on the hidden explosives that can tear a family apart. I’m talking about the big ones—walking into marriage without preparing, ignoring those red flags you swore you’d never overlook, buil...

How do you handle step-sibling conflict with wisdom? That’s the question a listener asked me, and it’s one so many blended families wrestle with. In this episode, we dig into the real reasons behind the tension—jealousy, competition for your attention, loyalty to a biological parent, and the emotional detachment kids often feel when their place in the family shifts. This isn’t about quick fixes—it...

Usually, we talk about how hard second marriages can be (and they are!), but today I’m taking a different approach. I want to show you why I believe they can actually be happier than the first. I’ll talk through lessons I’ve learned, things I’ve messed up, and what’s made my own second marriage so much stronger. I’ll even dive into a few things that might ruffle some feathers—but stick with me. If...