https://www.familylife.com/podcast/familylife-blended-podcast/ FamilyLife Blended® provides timeless wisdom and practical help and hope for blended families and those who love them. Join Ron L. Deal, LMFT, LPC as he and his guests discuss a wide variety of marriage, family, and relationship topics related to blended families. Sat, 19 Sep 2026 22:08:51 +0000 en-US © 2024 FamilyLife - A Cru Ministry Pursue what matters most. FamilyLife - A Cru Ministry episodic FamilyLife Blended® provides timeless wisdom and practical help and hope for blended families and those who love them. Join Ron L. Deal, LMFT, LPC as he and his guests discuss a wide variety of marriage, family, and relationship topics related to blended families. FamilyLife - A Cru Ministry false FamilyLife Blended® provides timeless wisdom and practical help and hope for blended families and those who love them. Join Ron L. Deal, LMFT, LPC as he and his guests discuss a wide variety of marriage, family, and relationship topics related to blended families. No yes 2bd636cf-73f8-5755-9520-5e9d2d6623db https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.1 236231178 https://www.familylife.com/podcast/familylife-blended-podcast/198-remarriage-after-the-death-of-a-spouse-why-its-harder-than-you-think/ Mon, 07 Sep 2026 10:17:56 +0000 https://www.familylife.com/podcast/%series%/198-remarriage-after-the-death-of-a-spouse-why-its-harder-than-you-think/ Remarriage after the death of a spouse is more than saying "I do." Rod and Rachel Faulkner Brown join Ron Deal on FamilyLife Blended to talk grief and blending a family.]]> Remarriage after the death of a spouse is more than saying "I do." Rod and Rachel Faulkner Brown join Ron Deal on FamilyLife Blended to talk grief and blending a family.]]> https://www.familylife.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/1001/2024/08/FLB_PodcastIcon_Final_1024x1024.jpg 198: Remarriage After the Death of a Spouse: Why It’s Harder Than You Think false no 01:04:37 No no https://www.familylife.com/podcast/familylife-blended-podcast/197-what-kids-grieving-divorce-wish-parents-knew/ Mon, 24 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0000 https://www.familylife.com/podcast/%series%/197-what-kids-grieving-divorce-wish-parents-knew/ Many kids grieving divorce never have words for what they're carrying. Blake Hudspeth grew up through four different stepfamilies and knows how family change can shape a child's view of love, trust, and belonging. On FamilyLife Blended, Ron Deal talks with Blake about the grief parents often overlook, the questions kids rarely ask out loud, and why feeling "fine" isn't always the whole story.]]> Many kids grieving divorce never have words for what they're carrying. Blake Hudspeth grew up through four different stepfamilies and knows how family change can shape a child's view of love, trust, and belonging. On FamilyLife Blended, Ron Deal talks with Blake about the grief parents often overlook, the questions kids rarely ask out loud, and why feeling "fine" isn't always the whole story.]]> https://www.familylife.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/1001/2024/08/FLB_PodcastIcon_Final_1024x1024.jpg 197: What Kids Grieving Divorce Wish Parents Knew false no 00:57:05 No no https://www.familylife.com/podcast/familylife-blended-podcast/196-growing-up-blended-montell-and-kristin-jordan/ Fri, 21 Aug 2026 09:11:35 +0000 https://www.familylife.com/podcast/%series%/196-growing-up-blended-montell-and-kristin-jordan/ Blended family life can feel like walking into someone else’s story: guarded kids, mixed loyalties, no clear playbook. Montell Jordan—the artist best known for his hit, "This Is How We Do It"—and his wife Kristen join Ron Deal to unpack growing up in the chaos—and what kids wish adults understood but rarely say. ]]> Blended family life can feel like walking into someone else’s story: guarded kids, mixed loyalties, no clear playbook. Montell Jordan—the artist best known for his hit, "This Is How We Do It"—and his wife Kristen join Ron Deal to unpack growing up in the chaos—and what kids wish adults understood but rarely say. ]]> https://www.familylife.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/1001/2024/08/FLB_PodcastIcon_Final_1024x1024.jpg 196: Growing Up Blended: Montell and Kristin Jordan false no 01:11:15 No no https://www.familylife.com/podcast/familylife-blended-podcast/195-stepmom-advice-10-things-i-would-do-over-as-a-stepmother/ Mon, 27 Jul 2026 11:00:00 +0000 https://www.familylife.com/podcast/%series%/195-stepmom-advice-10-things-i-would-do-over-as-a-stepmother/ Blending a family isn’t a Hallmark montage—it’s messy and complex. Debbie Alsdorf shares lessons from 36 years as a stepmom: mistakes, do-overs, and what truly helped her fractured family become one. Real advice, no fantasy. ]]> Blending a family isn’t a Hallmark montage—it’s messy and complex. Debbie Alsdorf shares lessons from 36 years as a stepmom: mistakes, do-overs, and what truly helped her fractured family become one. Real advice, no fantasy. ]]> https://www.familylife.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/1001/2024/08/FLB_PodcastIcon_Final_1024x1024.jpg 195: Stepmom Advice: 10 Things I Would Do Over as a Stepmother false no 00:57:28 No no https://www.familylife.com/podcast/familylife-blended-podcast/194-what-god-hates-divorce-gets-right-and-very-wrong/ Mon, 13 Jul 2026 11:00:00 +0000 https://www.familylife.com/podcast/%series%/194-what-god-hates-divorce-gets-right-and-very-wrong/ “God hates divorce”—you’ve heard it, maybe felt crushed. Cheryl Shumake, Ron Deal, and Gayla Grace unpack Malachi 2—what it says and doesn’t—offering clarity, truth, and hope for those feeling judged or stuck.]]> “God hates divorce”—you’ve heard it, maybe felt crushed. Cheryl Shumake, Ron Deal, and Gayla Grace unpack Malachi 2—what it says and doesn’t—offering clarity, truth, and hope for those feeling judged or stuck.]]> https://www.familylife.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/1001/2024/08/FLB_PodcastIcon_Final_1024x1024.jpg 194: What “God Hates Divorce” Gets Right—and Very Wrong false no 01:02:58 No no https://www.familylife.com/podcast/familylife-blended-podcast/193-restoring-trust-after-sexual-betrayal/ Mon, 29 Jun 2026 11:00:00 +0000 https://www.familylife.com/podcast/%series%/193-restoring-trust-after-sexual-betrayal/ Rebuilding after sexual betrayal but still feel off? Matthew and Joanna Raabsmith explain how betrayal trauma impacts brain, body, and marriage—and why quick fixes fail. A slower, sturdier path builds real intimacy and restored trust.]]> Rebuilding after sexual betrayal but still feel off? Matthew and Joanna Raabsmith explain how betrayal trauma impacts brain, body, and marriage—and why quick fixes fail. A slower, sturdier path builds real intimacy and restored trust.]]> https://www.familylife.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/1001/2024/08/FLB_PodcastIcon_Final_1024x1024.jpg 193: Restoring Trust After Sexual Betrayal false no 01:08:35 No no https://www.familylife.com/podcast/familylife-blended-podcast/192-jim-burns-when-adult-children-stray/ Mon, 15 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://www.familylife.com/podcast/%series%/192-jim-burns-when-adult-children-stray/ You raised them with loving intentions—so why the distance? Jim Burns addresses parents’ regret and fear, sharing what to do when pushing backfires—and how to keep the door open with your adult child.]]> You raised them with loving intentions—so why the distance? Jim Burns addresses parents’ regret and fear, sharing what to do when pushing backfires—and how to keep the door open with your adult child.]]> https://www.familylife.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/1001/2024/08/FLB_PodcastIcon_Final_1024x1024.jpg 192: Jim Burns: When Adult Children Stray false no 00:48:33 No no https://www.familylife.com/podcast/familylife-blended-podcast/191-fathers-day-feels-weird-blended-family-grief-and-hope/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 11:00:00 +0000 https://www.familylife.com/podcast/%series%/191-fathers-day-feels-weird-blended-family-grief-and-hope/ Father’s Day hits differently when chairs are empty and stepkids keep their distance. Ron Deal talks with Brian and Debbie Doyle about grief, blended families, and moving with patience, not pressure.]]> Father’s Day hits differently when chairs are empty and stepkids keep their distance. Ron Deal talks with Brian and Debbie Doyle about grief, blended families, and moving with patience, not pressure.]]> https://www.familylife.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/1001/2024/08/FLB_PodcastIcon_Final_1024x1024.jpg 191: Father’s Day Feels Weird: Blended Family Grief and Hope false no 00:50:39 No no https://www.familylife.com/podcast/familylife-blended-podcast/190-the-mothers-day-you-never-wanted-hope-for-hurting-moms-and-stepmoms/ Mon, 18 May 2026 11:00:00 +0000 https://www.familylife.com/podcast/%series%/190-the-mothers-day-you-never-wanted-hope-for-hurting-moms-and-stepmoms/ Mother’s Day can sting when life goes sideways—wayward kids, courtrooms, even prison. Ron Deal talks with Carol Kent about loving a son behind bars and finding faith while living the impossible.]]> Mother’s Day can sting when life goes sideways—wayward kids, courtrooms, even prison. Ron Deal talks with Carol Kent about loving a son behind bars and finding faith while living the impossible.]]> https://www.familylife.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/1001/2024/08/FLB_PodcastIcon_Final_1024x1024.jpg 190: The Mother’s Day You Never Wanted: Hope for Hurting Moms and Stepmoms false no 00:49:04 No no https://www.familylife.com/podcast/familylife-blended-podcast/189-widowhood-to-remarriage-blending-families-with-ongoing-grief-daniel-and-brittany-brooker/ Mon, 04 May 2026 11:00:00 +0000 https://www.familylife.com/podcast/%series%/189-widowhood-to-remarriage-blending-families-with-ongoing-grief-daniel-and-brittany-brooker/ Loss shattered you; remarriage after widowhood humbles you amid trauma, blending families, and recurring developmental grief. If comparison, unmet expectations, or past pain threaten your marriage and home, listen in. Daniel and Brittany Brooker (Refuge Widowers) share Scripture-soaked wisdom, practical strategies, and hope to redeem brokenness for God’s glory.]]> Loss shattered you; remarriage after widowhood humbles you amid trauma, blending families, and recurring developmental grief. If comparison, unmet expectations, or past pain threaten your marriage and home, listen in. Daniel and Brittany Brooker (Refuge Widowers) share Scripture-soaked wisdom, practical strategies, and hope to redeem brokenness for God’s glory.]]> https://www.familylife.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/1001/2024/08/FLB_PodcastIcon_Final_1024x1024.jpg 189: Widowhood to Remarriage: Blending Families with Ongoing Grief – Daniel and Brittany Brooker false no 01:11:45 No no https://www.familylife.com/podcast/familylife-blended-podcast/188-growing-up-blended-micah-scharchburg/ Mon, 20 Apr 2026 11:00:00 +0000 https://www.familylife.com/podcast/%series%/188-growing-up-blended-micah-scharchburg/ Grew up in a blended family? New houses, new rules, new “normal” every few years. Ron Deal talks with Barna's Micah Scharchburg about growing up in chaos—and how to parent without passing the past onto your kids.]]> Grew up in a blended family? New houses, new rules, new “normal” every few years. Ron Deal talks with Barna's Micah Scharchburg about growing up in chaos—and how to parent without passing the past onto your kids.]]> https://www.familylife.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/1001/2024/08/FLB_PodcastIcon_Final_1024x1024.jpg 188: Growing up Blended: Micah Scharchburg false no 00:55:47 No no https://www.familylife.com/podcast/familylife-blended-podcast/187-worship-through-grief/ Mon, 06 Apr 2026 11:00:00 +0000 https://www.familylife.com/podcast/%series%/187-worship-through-grief/ Meet Matt and Kari Perkins, widowed parents who blended a family of seven after deep loss. They know you don’t “get over” loss—you grow with it. Find honest hope for grieving parents and blended families as you form a future without erasing the past.]]> Meet Matt and Kari Perkins, widowed parents who blended a family of seven after deep loss. They know you don’t “get over” loss—you grow with it. Find honest hope for grieving parents and blended families as you form a future without erasing the past.]]> https://www.familylife.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/1001/2024/08/FLB_PodcastIcon_Final_1024x1024.jpg 187: Worship through Grief: Matt and Kari Perkins false no 00:59:53 No no https://www.familylife.com/podcast/familylife-blended-podcast/186-is-fear-running-your-stepfamily-heres-how-to-spot-it-gayla-grace/ Mon, 23 Mar 2026 11:00:00 +0000 https://www.familylife.com/podcast/%series%/186-is-fear-running-your-stepfamily-heres-how-to-spot-it-gayla-grace/ Blended family life is messy—old fears, exes, money stress, kid loyalties. Ron Deal and Gayla Grace name the “ghosts” haunting stepfamilies—and why you pull back when you want to lean in.]]> Blended family life is messy—old fears, exes, money stress, kid loyalties. Ron Deal and Gayla Grace name the “ghosts” haunting stepfamilies—and why you pull back when you want to lean in.]]> https://www.familylife.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/1001/2024/08/FLB_PodcastIcon_Final_1024x1024.jpg 186: Is Fear Running Your Stepfamily? (Here’s How to Spot It)–Gayla Grace false no 00:55:58 No no https://www.familylife.com/podcast/familylife-blended-podcast/185-this-was-never-the-plan-walking-with-god-through-the-heartache-of-divorce/ Mon, 09 Mar 2026 11:00:00 +0000 https://www.familylife.com/podcast/%series%/185-this-was-never-the-plan-walking-with-god-through-the-heartache-of-divorce/ Vaneetha Risner knows the raw grief of unwanted divorce and betrayal. She gets church shame, lost identity, lingering triggers. Yet God has turned lament into deeper trust. This was never the plan, but it has forged faith. And it offers hope for yours.]]> Vaneetha Risner knows the raw grief of unwanted divorce and betrayal. She gets church shame, lost identity, lingering triggers. Yet God has turned lament into deeper trust. This was never the plan, but it has forged faith. And it offers hope for yours.]]> https://www.familylife.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/1001/2024/08/FLB_PodcastIcon_Final_1024x1024.jpg 185: This Was Never the Plan: Walking with God through the Heartache of Divorce false no 00:54:20 No no https://www.familylife.com/podcast/familylife-blended-podcast/184-parenting-grandparenting-kids-about-tech-phones-and-screens/ Mon, 23 Feb 2026 11:09:34 +0000 https://www.familylife.com/podcast/%series%/184-parenting-grandparenting-kids-about-tech-phones-and-screens/ When did “family time” become everyone scrolling in the same room? Ron Deal and Arlene Pellicane reveal how to manage screentime and raise screen-wise kids who look up, laugh, and live offline. Real connection still beats the algorithm every time.]]> When did “family time” become everyone scrolling in the same room? Ron Deal and Arlene Pellicane reveal how to manage screentime and raise screen-wise kids who look up, laugh, and live offline. Real connection still beats the algorithm every time.]]> https://www.familylife.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/1001/2024/08/FLB_PodcastIcon_Final_1024x1024.jpg 184: Parenting & Grandparenting kids about tech, phones, and screens false no 01:00:00 No no https://www.familylife.com/podcast/familylife-blended-podcast/183-grief-triggers-and-tender-triumphs-happy-chaos-in-a-blended-family/ Mon, 09 Feb 2026 11:00:18 +0000 https://www.familylife.com/podcast/%series%/183-grief-triggers-and-tender-triumphs-happy-chaos-in-a-blended-family/ Through "memory lane," fire-pit talks, and birthday cakes at graves, podcasters Justin & Kelly Walker show how grief triggers, alongside laughter and love, collide in a blended family of nine.]]> Through "memory lane," fire-pit talks, and birthday cakes at graves, podcasters Justin & Kelly Walker show how grief triggers, alongside laughter and love, collide in a blended family of nine.]]> https://www.familylife.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/1001/2024/08/FLB_PodcastIcon_Final_1024x1024.jpg 183: Grief Triggers and Tender Triumphs: Happy Chaos in a Blended Family false no 00:48:57 No no https://www.familylife.com/podcast/familylife-blended-podcast/182-blended-and-blessed-book-building-healing-through-the-beatitudes/ Mon, 26 Jan 2026 16:00:54 +0000 https://www.familylife.com/podcast/%series%/182-blended-and-blessed-book-building-healing-through-the-beatitudes/ 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.]]> 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.]]> https://www.familylife.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/1001/2024/08/FLB_PodcastIcon_Final_1024x1024.jpg 182: Blended and Blessed book, Building Healing through the Beatitudes false no 00:46:20 No no https://www.familylife.com/podcast/familylife-blended-podcast/181-beauty-in-the-broken-a-kintsugi-approach-to-blended-family-life/ Mon, 12 Jan 2026 10:39:23 +0000 https://www.familylife.com/podcast/%series%/181-beauty-in-the-broken-a-kintsugi-approach-to-blended-family-life/ 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. ]]> 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. ]]> https://www.familylife.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/1001/2024/08/FLB_PodcastIcon_Final_1024x1024.jpg 181: Beauty in the Broken: A Kintsugi Approach to Blended Family Life false no 00:36:31 No no