FamilyLife Blended® Podcast

Remarriage after widowhood carries unique challenges and unwanted transitions. Expectations that aren’t realistic often show up, creating even more grief and heartache. But hard dynamics in the beginning can move toward bonded relationships and family unity with time and effort. In this podcast episode, Ron Deal talks with Rod and Rachel Faulkner Brown about their blended family challenges after Rachel was widowed twice, had two children with her second husband, and then married Rod with two young children in tow.
Show Notes and Resources

Blended and Blessed Info
Learn about Rachel
Rachel's widow ministry
Learn more about Rod
Ron's speaking schedule
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Our past affects our present. And when we experience complicated blended family dynamics as a child, we're forever changed. Listen to Scott Kedersha share with Ron Deal how his blended family upbringing has impacted his parenting and marriage as an adult.

Show Notes and Resources

Join us for Blended and Blessed to learn how to build unity in your family!
Get a copy of Dating and The Single Parent
Order your copy of Preparing To Blend
Please call and leave us a voicemail review! 407-826-2606
Check out Ron's upcoming events
Consider giving to FamilyLife Blended to support this podcast.

Do you wonder about God's purpose and intent for marital sexuality within marriage? What about the symbolism the Bible presents on this topic? Do you need help on how to nurture and protect this aspect of marriage? Listen to Ron Deal's message: God's Purpose and Intent for Sexuality.

Show Notes and Resources

Get more information on Blended and Blessed

Get the Blended and Blessed All-Acess Digital Pass

See where Ron will be speaking.

Resouces for blended families

Join us for Blended and Blessed 2024!

Trauma and suffering can impact families in unexpected ways. Joel and Vaneetha Risner share with Ron Deal the positive effects of loss and suffering and how it helped to ground their faith, trust God in deeper ways, and bond their blended family.

Show Notes and Resources

Check out the podcast on YouTube!
Join us for Blended and Blessed 2024!
Learn about Vaneetha.
Say "thank you" with a gift of support.
Blended and Blessed All-Access Pass

Conflicts are inevitable on family journeys. Rodney and Annetta Whitney share their journey, confusing dynamics, and their light bulb moments with Ron Deal. Stepparent, if you feel like an outsider, keep having hard discussions and don't give up.

Show Notes and Resources

Grab your copy of The Smart Stepfamily
Check out where Ron will be speaking.
The Smart Stepfamily series free on Right Now Media!
Join us for the Blended and Blessed livestream!
Call us and leave a message with your podcast suggestion! 407-826-2606

Do you have trouble organizing your life? Your family calendar? Well, help is on the way! Ron Deal speaks with James and Ginger Dellaripa about challenges of blended family management including schedules, co-parenting, custody, and more. Listen to gain valuable insights in getting your life organized.

Show Notes and Resources

Get organized for 30 days free! Use the code: FLB30
Get your copy of The Smart Stepfamily Guide to Financial Planning
Learn more about our Blended resources
Ron's speaking schedule
Please leave a message for us: 407-826-2606
Join us for the Blended and Blessed livestream!

Getting remarried in later life after the death of a spouse or divorce? How do you know if you’re ready? Should you consider the feelings of your adult children? Ron Deal talks with Jim and Shirley Mozena about the risks, as well as rewards, of a later-life remarriage and what to consider as you date.

Show Notes and Resources

Access The Smart Stepfamily for free!
More about Jim and Shirley and their book, Second Chance At Love
Get your copy of The Smart Stepfamily Guide to Financial Planning
More FamilyLife Blended resources
Every gift to FamilyLife Blended for the month of December is matched!
Email: blendedquestions@familylife.com or call: 407-826-2606

When relationships with our adult kids and stepkids become strained or estranged, our hearts hurt. How did we get here? How do we fix it? Ron Deal talks with Dr. Charlotte Melcher Smith about common themes that contribute to strained relationships and what parents can do to help.

Show Notes and Resources

Dr. Charlotte Melcher Smith's book, Life's Third Tri
Blended resources and events
Send a matching gift to say "thank you" to FamilyLife Blended.
Send us a suggestion for a future podcast.
Register now for Blended and Blessed Live Event and Livestream.

Have you ever wondered how to be thankful in a hard season in your blended family? Listen to Ron Deal and Gayla Grace talk about finding joy, regardless of our circumstances, as we focus on God’s faithfulness, His provision, and His promises.
Show Notes and Resources

Thank you for sending a gift to be matched dollar for dollar!
Send us your review via email: blendedquestions@familylife.com or voicemail: 407-826-2606.
Info on Blended and Blessed
Register now for Blended and Blessed Live Event and Livestream.

Helping your kids with their emotions is a critical life skill, yet we often don’t equip kids with these valuable skills. Ron Deal speaks with Michelle Nietert, LPC, about common feelings kids in blended families experience and how parents can help.

Show Notes and Resources

Michelle Nietert, M.A., LPC-S

Learn about our blended events and resources.

Ron's personal speaking schedule.

Find a counselor.

Give a tax-deductible donation to FamilyLife Blended ministry.

Register now for Blended and Blessed Live Event and Livestream.

High-conflict co-parenting is a common struggle in blended families. Ron Deal speaks with Diane Dierks and Rick Voyles on how to improve co-parenting conflict as you prioritize what you're fighting for, change your response, and consider your kids first.
Show Notes and Resources

List of counselors
Register for Preparing to Blend
Co-parenting Dilemmas podcast
Get the Summit on Stepfamily Ministry All-Access Digital Pass.
Ron's personal speaking schedule.
Send a gift to FamilyLife Blended.
Email a comment about this show or call to share your thoughts. blendedquestions@familylife.com or 407-826-2606

When we blend two families, what's the goal and how do we get there? Do we focus more on parenting or our marriage? Do I parent my stepchild or build a relationship first? How do we manage a difficult former spouse? Ron Deal answers these questions and more about the critical tasks of parenting in a blended family.
Show Notes and Resources

You still have time to join the Summit on Stepfamily Ministry!
The Online Certificate in Blended Family Ministry
Get monthly encouragement for your blended family
FamilyLife Blended Resources
Get the Summit All-Access Digital Pass
Email us your questions at blendedquestions@familylife.com

Blended families come in all shapes and sizes. Each family is unique with its own complexities. Chris and Yodit Brooks share their stories growing up in a blended family as well as wisdom they've gained from raising both their adopted and biological children. Family stories matter.
Show Notes and Resources

The Smart Stepfamily on Right Now Media
Get a copy of The Smart Stepfamily
Summit on Stepfamily Ministry: Registration and Information
Listen to Equipped with Chris Brooks.
Ron's personal speaking schedule.
Support the FamilyLife Blended podcast
Call in a review 407-826-2606

The holidays can be a stressful time juggling visitations, planning family activities, and managing all the feelings in the Christmas season. Emotions in blended families are often magnified during Christmas. Gayla Grace and Ron Deal offer practical ways to be sensitive and promote positivity so your holiday can be a truly joyous time.
Show Notes and Resources

Gift a copy of The Smart Stepfamily
More Blended Family Resources
Ron's upcoming events
Send a gift to FamilyLife Blended
Leave us a review voicemail at 407-826-2606 or email us: blendedquestions@familylife.com

Children want to be heard and seen. Ron Deal had a conversation with Dr Mark Mayfield about how parents can help teens with loneliness. They offer wisdom and practical help for sensitive, serious topics such as suicide and address the role parents have as children navigate their overwhelming feelings and confusing thoughts.
Show Notes and Resources

Blended Family resources
Smart Stepfamily on Right Now Media
Learn more about the Summit on Stepfamily Ministry
Dr. Mark Mayfield
The Path out of Loneliness and The Path to Wholeness
Donate to FamilyLife Blended
Leave us a review voicemail at 407-826-2606 or email us: blendedquestions@familylife.com

The enneagram gives us insight into our unique gifts and the contributions we can make with those around us. But it shouldn’t be the ultimate source of our identity. Ron Deal talks with Jeff and Beth McCord about interpreting core enneagram types alongside the truth of the Gospel as we relate to others.

Show Notes and Resources

Dive deeper into the 9 different Enneagram types
Free downloads from Jeff and Beth
Blended Family Resources
Learn more about the Summit on Stepfamily Ministry
Join us on the cruise!
Thank you for your support!
Leave us a review voicemail at 407-826-2606 or email us: blendedquestions@familylife.com

No one wants to walk through grief and suffering. But God uses hard times to grow our character, develop perseverance, and find hope in Him. Ron Deal talks with Davey and Kristi Blackburn about how to trust God's faithfulness during painful seasons and find healing and restoration through Him.

Show Notes and Resources

10th Anniversary DVD Edition of The Smart Stepfamily
Women and Blended Families
Davey and Kristi Blackburn and their Pain to Purpose resources
Leave us a review voicemail at 407-826-2606 or email us: blendedquestions@familylife.com
Support FamilyLife Blended
The Summit on Stepfamily ministry

Do you have wounds from a previous relationship that you carried into your new family? We call these ghosts of marriage past. Unresolved residue also happens with our kids and affects our ability to form trust and intimacy with others. Ron Deal speaks with Moe and Paige Becnel about how to wrestle with our ghosts and lessen their power.

Show Notes and Resources

The Smart Stepfamily online series
More about the Becnels and their book
Join this year's VIRTUAL Summit on Stepfamily Ministry.
Add your blended small group on the searchable map.
Make a tax deductible gift.
Ask a question and submit a review at blendedquestions@familylife.com or call 407-826-2606.

Blended family life doesn't often start with every relationship experiencing harmony. But it's not unusual to develop it along the way. Listen to Ron Deal speak with Gil and Brenda Stuart about how disappointment and confusion in their family relationships with 7 kids eventually morphed into redemption and joy.
Show Notes and Resources

Gil and Brenda Stuart
Get a copy of Restored and Remarried, workbook or small group bundle.
Blended ministry map
Make plans for The Summit on Stepfamily ministry.
Send a gift of support to help us expand our reach.
Call or email us with your ideas! 407-826-2606, blendedquestions@familylife.com

Former NFL player Jeff Kemp has spent decades connecting with men. He understands the common struggles which include insecurity, comparison, and shame. He shares with Ron Deal how men can best cope by understanding their identity in our Father God, and why healthy male friendships are valuable in everyday life.
Show Notes and Resources

Get Jeff Kemp's Men Huddle Playbook
Online Certificate course in Blended Family Ministry
Tips to a deeper friendship
Easy steps to friendship and huddling
The Smart Stepdad: Steps to Help You Succeed
Make a tax deductible donation.
Call with your question: 407-826-2606, email a podcast topic suggestion: blendedquestions@familylife.com
The Summit on Stepfamily Ministry