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.
Welcome to our 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.
Meet Ron Deal
Ron Deal is Director of FamilyLife Blended® for FamilyLife® and President of Smart Stepfamilies™. He is a family ministry consultant and conducts marriage and family seminars around the country; he specializes in marriage education and stepfamily enrichment. He is one of the most widely read authors on stepfamily living in the country.
Latest Episodes
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…
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.
Blended family Christmas got you juggling joy, stress & edgy emotions? Podcast hosts and blended marriage coaches Mike & Kim Anderson drop truth & tools for your stepfamily's holiday, helping you trade pain and chaos for peace and connection.
God’s plan threw an unplanned pregnancy into their blended family. Jay and Tammy Daughtry unpack their Day-One big feelings, a discovered grace to cover shame, and their faith-fueled healing. Discover a blueprint for turning chaos into hope.
Five kids. Two parenting styles. One rocky first Christmas. Scott and Deana Thayer share how faith, grit, and their “95/5” rule turned chaos into connection—helping blended families find hope, healing, and love that lasts through every messy moment.
Could three simple questions transform your marriage? Dr. Gary Chapman shares raw stories, faith-fueled wisdom, and keys to a successful marriage in ways messy, real, and full of hope. Love deeper, fight fair, and grow stronger—one step at a time.
Divorce hurts. But for kids, it can feel like their world’s split in two. Summer Butler shares her story and a workbook that helps kids process emotions, set boundaries, and handle life between two homes—leveraging drawing, writing, and real talk.
What helps a blended family bond after loss? Should you force togetherness—or let it grow? Author Rob Bugh, wife Rhonda, and their adult kids unpack grief, grace, awkward blended holidays, and healing in an honest, hopeful look at rebuilding family.
When a child loses a parent, grief doesn't end for them. And when they join a stepfamily, we need to come alongside with love and support as parents & stepparents and honor their pain and memories. Ron Deal talks with Diane Fromme about best ways to help.
A neurodivergent marriage includes at least one partner with a neurodevelopmental condition like autism or ADHD. Ron Deal speaks with Dr. Stephanie & Dan Holmes on the challenges of their neurodivurgent marriage, how to recognize it, & strategies to cope.