FamilyLife Blended® Podcast

Is God calling you to minister to blended families, but you feel inadequate? We have a solution! Listen to Ron Deal explain how to earn an online ministry certificate as you glean from blended family experts with 7 hours of engaging video content, thoughtful handouts to help you reflect and apply, and bonus resources to use again and again. Show Notes and Resources The Certificate in Blended Famil...

Families are changing. Non-traditional families are now considered traditional. As churches, how do we continue to meet the needs of complex families and serve them well? Listen to Ron Deal's conversation with three senior pastors on why and how churches can love all families, despite the narrative of their past. Show Notes and Resources Learn more about Pastor Bryan Carter Learn more about Dave W...

Our bonus episode offers another question and answer format with Ron Deal and Gayla Grace to address those hard-to-navigate circumstances in your blended family with solutions that offer nuggets of wisdom and practical suggestions. Show Notes and Resources Find a therapy provider. Check out all FamilyLife Blended has to offer. Learn more about the Summit on Stepfamily Ministry. See cru.org/us/en/a...

Do you have stepfamily questions for the experts? We have answers! Listen to Ron Deal and Gayla Grace discuss everyday issues that frequently show up in blended family homes—along with practical solutions—to help you find harmony in your relationships. Show Notes and Resources Check out all FamilyLife Blended has to offer. Support FamilyLife Blended Check out ministries in your area on our searcha...

Do you struggle to find unity as a couple or need help setting boundaries with an ex-spouse and co-parenting successfully? Or maybe you could use a few tips on navigating the teen years with your stepdaughters. Listen to Ron Deal's conversation with Kirk McGregor on these common stepfamily topics and more. Show Notes and Resources Check out all FamilyLife Blended has to offer. Support FamilyLife B...

Veteran stepcouples have a wealth of knowledge on best practices for stepfamilies. Listen to Ron Deal's conversation with Sandi Patty and Don Peslis, married in 1995 with a blended family of 8 children, on wise solutions to challenges like: managing the visitation schedule after high school, forming good relationships with stepsiblings, pros and cons of an "ours" child, and other common issues ste...

Do you need help growing unity and building character in your stepfamily? Our convenient online course, Well-Blended, can help! Listen to Ron Deal and Dave and Ann Wilson talk about how it can help you build robust, resilient relationships in the unique mash up that is your family. Show Notes and Resources Get the Well-Blended online course. Thank you for supporting us! Please leave us a voicemail...

Are you steering your kids toward Christ while the other home is steering them toward the world? Ron Deal talks with Kara Powell and Gayla Grace about how to manage bi-polar value differences between homes and how to understand and answer the three important questions every teenager is asking. Show Notes and Resources Learn more about Fuller Youth Institute and Kara's new book, 3 Big Questions Tha...

When remarriage happens after the death of a spouse, the stepcouple faces unique and hard-to-navigate circumstances related to grief and leftover feelings from those experiences. Ron Deal talks with Bill and Evelyn Thompson, who both lost their spouses prior to remarriage, on how to blend a stepfamily after death and what they wish they'd done differently in their early years of dating and remarri...

Critical relationship skills are needed in every important relationship, especially in stepfamily life. In this episode, Ron Deal talks with a dynamic mother-daughter duo, Joneen Mackenie and Laueren Reitsema, on gaining a larger toolbox of wisdom and skills for strengthening relationships. Show Notes and Resources Learn about My Relationship Center Get a copy of Relationship Essentials Find a ble...

Stepdads take on a heroic challenge as they parent someone else's child, which often includes frustration and defeat. Stepdad Gil Stuart talks with Ron Deal about his video series, Unsung Heroes , which captures the value of vulnerability, courage, and humility in forming lasting relationships as a stepdad. Show Notes and Resources Learn more about Gil Stuart and Restored and Remarried Find a coun...

Krista Smith-Larson is a blended family mom who produces games that help draw out matters of loss and stepfamily transition in order to bring about hope and healing. Listen to her dialogue with Ron Deal and learn about games that can benefit your stepfamily. Show Notes and Resources Krista's games with purpose. Get yours here. Check out Life in a Blender for your kids Get your copy of The Smart St...

God loves the work of refining our character, particularly as we engage in family relationships. We become more and more like Christ as we learn how to love, forgive, show kindness, and be family to one another. In this episode, Ron Deal talks with Summer Butler and Gayla Grace about the value of God's refining fire for stepmoms. Show Notes and Resources Gayla Grace Summer Butler and her book Plea...

Relationships between biological moms and stepmoms can be malicious, competitive, and wounding. But they don't have to be! Listen to Ron Deal's discussion with two women who found healing for their toxic relationship through God's grace, forgiveness, and acceptance that led to a long-term, loving friendship and benefited not only themselves, but also their son and stepson. Show Notes and Resources...

Would you like your kids to hear helpful advice from several experts about their blended family struggles? This podcast is for you! Listen for yourself first, then with your child—young or old—to encourage dialogue about their feelings that can help build a bridge for long-term relationship building. Show Notes and Resources Learn more about Lauren Reitsema. Get Lauren's book, In Their Shoes. Lear...

Kids in stepfamilies often lose control over many aspects of their lives after their parents remarry. In this episode, Ron Deal talks with two stepsiblings about their own experiences, their hard adjustments to stepfamily life, and how parents can give children a voice and open lines of communication to aid relationship building in their home. Show Notes and Resources Learn more about Blended and...

Blended and Blessed is a marriage event specifically designed for couples in a blended family. This podcast episode features a dynamic speaker from Blended and Blessed 2021, author and stepmom Laurie Short, with nuggets of wisdom and real-life stories from her stepfamily journey. Show Notes and Resources Blended and Blessed All Access Pass Email us / Call us: 407-826-2606 Laurie Short FamilyLife B...

Life has a way of moving us into roommates in marriage when we want to be soulmates. Ron Deal talks with Dr. Greg Smalley about how to stay deeply connected with one another, even during seasons of exhaustion or busyness, with intentional behavior that includes protecting sacred moments, guarding against distractions, working through conflict, and connecting in small ways every day. Show Notes and...

The subject of sexuality and sexual desire in marriage brings up lots of questions. In this episode, Ron Deal interviews Dr. Michael Sytsma, a pastor and sex therapist, who talks about how to pursue the heart of intimacy with one another. You'll hear teaching on how to manage differences in sexual desire in marriage, how we can reflect who Christ is in our sexual lives, and how to form deep intima...

Do you have stepfamily questions? We have answers! Listen to Ron Deal's discussion with Gayla Grace on important topics like finding your place as a stepparent, being a childless stepmom, reasonable parenting standards, adding a new baby to a stepfamily, coping with a narcissistic bio parent in the other home, and more. Show Notes and Resources Send us your questions for a future podcast: blendedq...

Are you good at waiting? What about waiting to be wanted by someone you care about in your blended family? That's a hard reality for many in the early years of stepfamily life. In this episode, listen to Ron Deal's conversation with stepmom Cheryl Shumake on how to persevere through the waiting during the wilderness years. Show Notes and Resources Cheryl Shumake and Stepmom Sanity Free Ministry Ma...

Shame is a common theme in blended families, perhaps stemming from a previous divorce, failed relationship building in your current stepfamily, or the negative stigma associated with a non-traditional family. Learn how shame develops and what you can do to release your shame as you listen to Ron Deal's interview with Dr. Curt Thompson. Show Notes and Resources Curt Thompson Get free downloads to C...

The benefit of "fun" is often overlooked when we consider how to build healthy stepfamily relationships. But Ron Deal's podcast guest, Dr. Jim Burns, says it's an important piece that can help connect relationships.. Listen to their conversation about why and how intentional play can benefit your family. Show Notes and Resources Jim Burns, his ministry and his new book, Have Serious Fun Stepfamily...

Many stepcouples want to have a baby together. Is it a good idea? Are there negative implications? In this episode, Ron Deal talks with Heidi Farrell about how an "ours" baby impacts the family and other children, what research shows on this important topic, and what dynamics should be considered before making a decision. Show Notes and Resources Heidi Farrell How to Add an Ours Baby to Your Stepf...

Children need healthy relationships with both parents after divorce, which requires good co-parenting. Listen to Ron Deal's conversation with Dr. Mary Jeppsen on how co-parent anger dramatically impacts a child and how former spouses can keep conflict at a minimum and cooperation at a maximum in order to co-parent well. Show Notes and Resources Learn more about Dr. Jeppsen. Stepfamily Resources Ce...