What’s New at FamilyLife?

Former NFL player Jeff Kemp has spent decades connecting with men. He shares with Ron Deal why healthy male friendships are valuable and how men can cope with struggles of insecurity, comparison, and shame by understanding their identity in our Father God.

Are you in the early years of blending a family and you wonder if life will ever get easier? Listen to Ron Deal & Gayla Grace talk about the honeymoon season that follows hard relationship-building years and the rewards that come as familyness begins.

Is God calling you to minister to blended families, but you feel inadequate? Ron Deal explains how to earn an online ministry certificate as you glean from blended family experts with 7 hours of engaging video content, handouts, and bonus resources.

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.

Ron, how does autism affect a stepfamily?

Blended & Blessed is a marriage event specifically designed for blended family couples. This podcast episode features a dynamic speaker from our 2021 event, author Laurie Short, with nuggets of wisdom and real-life stories from her stepmom journey.

Preparing for marriage to begin a blended family comes with unique dynamics. Ron Deal, Director of FamilyLife Blended, talks about addressing not just the joining of two hearts, but those of the whole family.

For stepparents, biological parents, and children, Mother's Day and Father's Day seem to have tons of swirling emotions. Our panel of guests today react to the challenges that all members of a stefamily can feel on these special days.

Dr. Gary Chapman has spread the message of love languages to millions of people. In this episode, Dr. Chapman and Ron Deal discuss their new book, Building Love Together in Blended Families, and help couples navigate love languages in stepfamilies.

Money matters can be a pain point in any marriage and family. However, stepfamilies can produce monetary minefields! Ron Deal, along with, Greg S. Pettys and David O. Edwards, discuss financial planning and how blended families can finance togetherness.

What one piece of advice would you give a blended family couple?

Growing up, Dave Bondeson's father told him, "Remember, you're a Bondeson and a Christian." Dave finds it challenging to translate that into a blended family with a stepdaughter whose last name is not Bondeson.

When Dave was growing up his father told him over and over, “You’re a Bondeson and a Christian.” That helped shape his identity. But as a father himself, Dave finds it challenging to translate that into a blended family situation with a step-daughter whose last name is not Bondeson. Show Notes and Resources The Parent’s […]

Steve and Misty Arterburn talk about the unique way blended families function. Steve and Misty recall bringing three children into the early years of their marriage and what they did to build a firm foundation for their family.

The admonishment of Ephesians 4 to put off the old and put on the new applies in unique ways to blended families. Pastor Tim Lundy concludes his message on Ephesians 4.

When it comes to the issues of marriage, according to blended family expert Ron Deal, remarried couples sail in a completely different ocean.

Stepfamilies can't happen without loss. Author and counselor Ron Deal talks about how to engage kids in blended families and start healing together.

If you're a stepfamily, you face particular challenges. Author and counselor Ron Deal offers practical help towards blending a family with character.

People of faith want their family to be a Kingdom family—centered in God's Word and rooted in truth and grace. Ron Deal speaks with Scott and Vanessa Martindale, founders of Blended Kingdom Families, on how to create that kind of family.

Author Gil Stuart offers tips on being a thoughtful, intentional stepfather--and shaping the kind of family you all long for.

Holidays can be a stressful time juggling visitations, planning activities, and managing feelings. Emotions in blended families are often magnified during Christmas. Gayla & Ron offer practical ways to promote positivity so your holiday can be enjoyable.

Non-traditional families are now considered traditional. As churches, how do we meet changing needs of all families & serve them well—whatever their story?

When complicated circumstances show up in blended families, relationship-building slows down. Ron Deal speaks with Dr. Darrell Bock about how the death of his mom, a dad who traveled weekly, & a new stepmom with 3 kids created tension and unease for all.

Stepfamilies are fundamentally different than biological families which creates tension & ambiguity. Ron Deal speaks with Dr Patricia Papernow about key principles for healthy relationship building while navigating complex dynamics & competing priorities.

Do you have a roadmap to follow on your blended family journey? We'd like to encourage using God's Word. Listen to Ron Deal & Gayla Grace, with stepcouple guests, talk about the value of scripture for families who are in need of hope and encouragement.

How did Ron Deal get started in blended family ministry? When was FamilyLife Blended birthed and what is Nicole Burns' role? What about Gayla Grace's start in ministry? Listen to Ron and Gayla tell their stories and how they intersect with FamilyLife.

Growing up in an unstable blended home with 7 stepmoms left Fred Von Canon determined to change his legacy. Listen to his conversation with Ron Deal as he & his wife Anita describe their commitment toward creating a godly home in their own blended family.

Non-traditional families are now considered traditional. As churches, how do we meet changing needs & serve them well? Listen to Ron Deal's conversation with three senior pastors on why and how to love all families, despite the narrative of their past.

Like remarrying with young kids, new stepfamilies of adult children bring extensive transitions. Authors Terry & Carol Moss suggest how to navigate.

Adult stepfamilies—when children are adults from the beginning—experience as many transitions as those with young kids. Listen to Ron Deal's conversation with Terry Moss & his family on how they worked through the adjustments in their adult stepfamily.

Marriage gets complicated when couples must manage a stepfamily maze with multiple lives aroud them. Ron Deal talks with Dave & Ann Wilson about how to navigate those struggles by sharing life with other stepfamilies and leaning on God for help.

Blended and Blessed is a one-of-a-kind event for stepfamily couples with valuable teaching by respected experts. Get a glimpse of the upcoming event as you hear fun and informative interviews from previous speakers including Ron Deal and Shaunti Feldhahn.

How do you help a child or stepchild who feels lost, or angry, or who really fights against the family? In this episode, Ron Deal speaks with Danny Huerta of Focus on the Family about how to parent a troubled child in a stepfamily.

A diagnosis of autism creates extra complexity to families. Dr. Stephanie Holmes, professional counselor and mom to a child with autism, speaks with Ron Deal on tips, understanding, and perspective on raising kids with autism in a blended family.

Blended family Christmases with adult children don't always go so well. Ron Deal speaks with Bob and Vicki Maday and two of their adult daughters in a powerful episode about holiday challenges and how they worked through their differences to find harmony.

The holidays can be a challenge for blended families. Ron Deal moderates a panel discussing the complexity of holidays with stepfamilies.

Military personnel marry, divorce, and remarry more frequently than civilians do. Todd Gangl talks with Ron Deal about the added stressors military stepfamilies experience and how you can create a culture that gives everyone the opportunity to bond.

For most of us, grandparents are fabulous! The same usually holds true for stepgrandparents too. But not always. In this episode, Ron Deal talks to Gordon and Carrie Taylor about the unique aspects of grandparenting in blended families.

Ron, this is so hard for me to relate to. I've never experienced a blended family. Well, maybe you have.

Should you ask your spouse about their previous sex life? More and more, married couples are engaging in re-sex, that is, a second or subsequent sexual relationship. Dr. Juli Slattery joins Ron Deal to have a conversation about sex.

There are common pain points that come with the territory of being in a blended family. Michele Cushatt suggests ways the church can be welcoming to the blended families in their communities.

You know, sometimes members of a stepfamily are confused about what to call each other.

It's that time of year again when you not only need to plan for the holidays but need to prepare for co-parenting issues that inevitably arise. Ron Deal and guests share their wisdom and blunders of navigating holidays through the years.

Many people spend a lifetime searching for something the Bible calls, The Blessing. John Trent and his daughter, Kari Trent-Stageberg, join Ron Deal for a conversation about how the principle of blessing can be applied to parenting and blended families.

In this episode, Ron Deal talks with Brian and Diane Fromme. They share stories and wisdom from their experience, and Diane gives insight on the challenge of entering a family that is grieving the death of a parent.

Robbie and Sabrina McDonald, both widowed before they met and now married to each other for three years, talk about the challenges of blending a family.

Lamar and Ronnie Tyler were fed up with pervasive negative images of black marriages in the media. So, the Tylers started their website, which promotes positive images of marriage and family in the black community.

Blended families take up a fair share of the pew space in our local churches today. Dennis Rainey shares a message to illustrate how all of us, as Christians, are a part of God's blended family.

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 stepfamily and wisdom they've gained from raising their adopted and biological children.

You've heard of Heinz® "57 Varieties", right? Well, when it comes to blended families, there are 67 varieties.

Today, I'm talking to kids in single parent families and blended families and the adults who love them.

Now here's another no-brainer about blended families: adding a stepparent to the parenting team is bound to change something.

Would you consider joining our mission to serve blended families as a volunteer or affiliate staff with FamilyLife Blended? Listen to Ron Deal and four couples share about why and how they minister to stepcouples and the blessings they receive in return.

In this digital age we have many communication filtering options. Say your mobile phone rings, but you let it go to voicemail. You listen to the message and reply with a text. That's filtering. This has pros and cons. For blended families, filtering can h

There's a tough truth for blended families: When a single mom or dad marries, it's a gain for them and (initially) a loss for their children.

Shame is a common theme with blended families, often stemming from divorce or failed relationship building in our stepfamilies. Learn how shame develops and what to do to release your shame as you listen to Ron Deal's interview with Dr. Curt Thompson.

Blended families need to be bold as a lion.

Ron Deal says finances and personal values are especially complicated in blended families. He lists practical tools to help make asset management easier.

Holidays for newly blended families can be a minefield of hurt feelings if you don't know the terrain. Ron Deal talks with Michelle Hill to help families navigate the holidays by managing expectations from the start.

You can tell a lot about what a person values by the choices they make with money. Ron Deal says finances and personal values are especially complicated in blended families. He lists practical tools to help make asset management easier, on FamilyLife Today

Now here's another no-brainer about blended families: adding a stepparent to the parenting team is bound to change something.

If self-control is a fruit of the Spirit, then how do we allow the Spirit to cultivate that fruit in our lives? Rob Bugh discusses how this quality is especially critical in blended families.

Rob Bugh talks about the importance of self-control in blended families. He tells about how a lack of self-control caused great regret in the early years of his new marriage.

Ephesians 4 teaches that, for those of us in Christ, we must put off the old way of life and put on who we are in Christ. Tim Lundy shares a message to blended families from this Scripture.

Feeling like stepparenting is just not your thing? Laura Petherbridge, and Gordon Taylor are here to offer hope. Laura and Gordon tell their stories and offer advice for blended families.

Pastor Dave Wilson recalls one of his Sunday sermons when he publicly apologized to the broken and blended families in his congregation for the church's weak attempts to reach out to them.

Being a stepdad just might mean being an unsung hero. Author Gil Stuart offers ideas to do it wholeheartedly and all-in, with all its complexity.

No one wants to walk through grief and suffering. But God uses hard times to grow us up and discover hope in Him. Ron Deal talks with Davey & Kristi Blackburn about how to trust God's faithfulness in our pain and find healing and restoration through Him.

Man, sometimes you don't know if you're coming or going.

We expect the law to protect the rights of family members. Sometimes, it doesn't.

Sometimes, make-believe tells us a lot about real life.

Have you ever run down the road only to discover, it's a dead end?

Have you ever taken a road trip with friends? Now, that's good times.

Families in America have an uptapped energy resource.

It's the most wonderful time of year! Wait ... is it really? We want Christmas to feel magical. But too often, we feel disappointment, stress, sadness, & loneliness. Listen to Ron Deal's conversation with Bob Lepine on how to find lasting joy this season.

Hmmm. Second wife, first ornaments.

For military stepfamilies combat is not the only battle they face.