After a scandalous start to their blended marriage, Ines Franklin and her husband Jim discovered God’s grace turns broken stories into masterpieces. With raw honesty–and pulling from the richness of the beatitudes in the Bible–Ines explains core ingredients to flourishing in blended family life, with heaps of practical takeaways. What began in shame ends with 5 kids, 10 grandkids, and redemption that shouts hope.

Overwhelmed by blended-family brokenness? Ron Deal and Wynand Jacobs dive into messy, unpolished realities, using kintsugi as a metaphor. They explore God’s power to reform shame into beauty, grief into testimony, and mistakes into stories that shine.

Guidance for blending families can be found in stories from scripture. Ron Deal talks with Laura Petherbridge about her latest book, Stepfamilies of the Bible, and how God’s heroes from stepfamilies of biblical times provide tools for today’s families.

Jennifer Maggio shares her story with Ron Deal of her challenges as a single mom that propelled her to begin a national ministry, serving over 1,000,000 single moms. Now married in a blended family, she continues the mission that no single mom walk alone.

Here are some ministry tips for pastors and everyone else.

If you were lost, would you ask for directions?

Does your church have a ministry to stepfamilies?

I’m pro-hospital. Aren’t you?

Ron, if it weren’t for the stepfamily, we’d be a happily married couple.”

The gospel is the same. Families are not.

We’ve all heard Romans 5:8; “while we were still sinners Christ died for us.”

What you mean start one ourselves? Can we do that?

Ron, we can’t start a stepfamily Bible class or small group-we don’t have all the answers.

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

Can you turn to your church for help?

I feel like the church’s dirty little problem.

We are here to help.