Эпизоды
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Does your family have a designated Sabbath? How do you spend that day? Author Kathi Lipp shares with Ron Deal her suggestions for reimagining Christian Sabbath that is a meaningful day with the Lord and one another as you prioritize rest and share a meal together. On Sabbath, we want to focus on who God is and His provision for us as we rest and connect with one another.
Lipp suggests that food provides the platform to linger in relationships, and feeding your family shows you care for them. She shares recipes from her new book, Sabbath Soup, and offers ideas on preparing for Sabbath and creating a special day each week.
Show Notes and ResourcesWatch Women and Blended Families!
Join us for the Summit on Stepfamily Ministry!
Learn more about Kathi and get her new book: Sabbath Soup
Thank you for supporting FamilyLife Blended with a donation! -
The intersection of marriage and parenting often creates tension for stepcouples that leads to disagreements and, as a result, slows down relationship building.
Listen to Ron Deal and Gayla Grace give valuable input on how to become a parenting team and strengthen your marriage in the process as you cope with common stepfamily dynamics such as: different parenting styles, co-parenting struggles, rejection from stepchildren, stepparent ambiguity, fear of failure, a paralyzed biological parent, a stepparent who oversteps their place, guilt from the past and fear to parent well because of what the children have already walked through, and other challenging dynamics.
Show Notes and ResourcesRegister for this year's Summit on Stepfamily Ministry!
Watch Women and Blended Families
Watch: No Threat video
Check out Stepparenting with Grace and Building Love Together.
The Smart Stepfamily on RightNow Media -
Пропущенные эпизоды?
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As a blended family couple, it's not uncommon to experience sexual pitfalls that bring additional stress to your relationship. How do you prevent physical intimacy issues and work through those that have shown up?
In this episode, Ron Deal and Gayla Grace talk about how to build trust and emotional safety to overcome common pitfalls such as: the comparison trap, fear and insecurity from "ghosts" of marriage past, unlearning old rhythms of sexual practice and learning new ones, and lingering messages from prior sexual experiences that can inhibit healthy physical intimacy in marriage. In addition, you'll understand more about the biblical view of healthy sexuality and why God established boundaries around it.
Show Notes and ResourcesMake plans to join us at the Summit on Stepfamily Ministry!
Check out where Ron will be speaking.
Listen to or watch episode 30, 66, or 131.
Send a donation and get a copy of The Smart Stepfamily Marriage -
The dynamics of blended family life can bring hopelessness, and we lose the ability to see a future where God can make our situation better. But there’s always hope for a brighter tomorrow. In this episode, Ron Deal speaks with Dr. Lee Warren, a neurosurgeon who has experienced personal trauma and loss, and explains the difference between our mind and our brain and how to use our mind to face hard things in a constructive manner. As we transform our thoughts and consider our feelings against the Truth of what God’s Word says, we find hope again for healing, for purpose, for change.
Show Notes and ResourcesSend a gift and receive The Smart Stepfamily Marriage
Learn more about the Summit on Stepfamily Ministry
Get Dr. Lee's book, HOPE IS THE FIRST DOSE
Dr. Lee Warren's website and podcast
Email us for a chance to win a hard copy of Hope Is The First Dose! [email protected]
Ron's list of Smart Stepfamily therapists. -
Ghosts of marriage past—triggers from past hurt that we carry into a new relationship—are common for blended family couples. But emotional ghosts don't just appear from relationship baggage. We can be triggered by childhood wounds, grief, or other hurts that leave a residue on our heart and create hypersensitivity to getting hurt again. As a result, we guard our heart and resist vulnerability in our relationships.
In this episode, Ron Deal speaks with Gayla Grace about how to recognize our ghosts and take responsibility to move past our fears. Ron and Gayla both share ghosts they've wrestled with and how to have conversations with your partner that build trust in your relationship.
Show Notes and ResourcesRegister for the Summit on Stepfamily Ministry!
Get your copy of The Smart Stepfamily Marriage
Make a tax dedecutible donation and get a free gift!
Watch Women and Blended Families on YouTube
Call and leave a message with your podcast suggestions: 407-826-2606 -
How do we help kids who are struggling with addictive behaviors such as pornography, drinking, drugging, video game addiction, or others? In this episode, Ron Deal speaks with Dr Adrian Hickmon, founder of Capstone Treatment Center, about the best approach, particularly for blended families. Hickmon says it starts by understanding the pain and void in the child's life and using your influence as a parent and stepparent to impact their behavior. He explains the value of creating deeper attachments and practicing healthy boundaries in a way that provides the connection and motivation a child needs to make changes in their life.
Show Notes and ResourcesLearn more about the Summit on Stepfamily Ministry.
Learn about Capstone.
Watch the Brain, Heart, World documentary.
Get In Their Shoes with any gift amount!
Email us a review or a comment! [email protected] -
Stepparenting myths have been around a long time, and they can negatively impact stepparents if not understood well. Although there might be some truth to them, the non-truth messages create tension and confusion for us. Ron Deal talks with Gayla Grace about how to sort through the reality and false messages of myths such as: All stepmothers are wicked and all stepfathers are abusive, stepparents can easily take on a high parental role, stepfamilies can behave as traditional families, we will love biological and stepchildren the same, and if you call them "my children," they will like being your children.
Show Notes and ResourcesLearn more about the Summit on Stepfamily Ministry.
Get a copy of In Their Shoes for a gift of any amount!
Check out books and resources for Blended Families!
Email us a review or a comment! [email protected] -
After losing her husband in a tragic accident, Sabrina McDonald looked forward to her young kids having a dad again. But she wasn't prepared for the challenges that followed. Her kids felt threatened by her new spouse and competed for her attention. Her dream of being part of a family again didn't happen quickly. And stepparenting felt awkward and unfamiliar in the beginning.
In this episode, Sabrina shares her lessons of love and loss with Ron Deal and how God met her in the wilderness, showed her that brokenness didn't mean ugliness, and encouraged her to keep going despite her fears and uncertainty about the future. Today, she rejoices to have found familyness again after remarriage.
Show Notes and ResourcesGet your copy of A Home Built from Love and Loss.
Learn about Sabrina.
Donate and receive the book: The Smart Stepdad!
Learn about The Summit on Stepfamily Ministry!
Leave us a voicemail with a review! 407-826-2606 -
Growing up blended often includes hard transitions and isolation for those involved. But Marshall West's story is different. He shares with Ron Deal the beauty of God's provision for two families coming together after loss, giving him a dad he never had and two brothers who were never considered “step.”
Marshall was 12 when his mom married his stepdad, a pivotal point for him. Marshall had been praying to have brothers join his family, and his stepdad had been praying for a Mom for his two boys. Marshall credits the Lord and His goodness for bringing two broken things together and creating a family.
Show Notes and ResourcesGet the donor premium gift!
Events and resources for you.
Join us for the Summit on Stepfamily Ministry!
Watch Women and Blended Families on You Tube -
Ex-NFL football player Devon Still and his wife Asha married shortly after Devon's young daughter, Leah, went into remission from stage four cancer. While rejoicing over Leah's healing, they were soon blindsided by blended family struggles.
Devon and Asha talk with Ron Deal about how they had both been raised in divorced homes and didn't understand how to create a lasting marriage. They began to learn about blended family dynamics and take intentional steps toward harmony in their relationship. They quit avoiding hard conversations, listened to each other's feelings, and created new habits in their communication to connect well. They also leaned into their faith to work through misguided expectations and move toward love and trust, ultimately finding hope in a long-term relationship.
Show Notes and ResourcesGet this month's premium offer with a donation!
Get free access to Smart Stepfamily sessions.
Check out the blended small group map
Listen to Devon and Asha's podcast
Please send us your comments! [email protected] -
God understands broken people. He sent His son to die for us. Even when we feel beyond help, He meets us where we are, He loves us, and He redeems us. He sent the Holy Spirit to be our counselor and our guide. In our messiness, God wants to use our stories and our brokenness to minister to others.
Show Notes and ResourcesGet The Smart Stepfamily as your free gift when you donate to FamilyLife Blended.
Get the Blended and Blessed All-Acess Digital Pass
Learn more about resources for blended families.
More info for the Summit on Stepfamily Ministry in October.
Email us your podcast show suggestions! -
Help for your finances! Money matters can be a hot topic for blended families, creating strife and inequity if not handled well. Listen in as Ron Deal speaks with Gayla Grace and financial expert Greg Pettys about how couples can make wise decisions on financial issues that benefit all members of their blended family.
Gain insight from listener questions such as: Should my spouse and I carry separate bank accounts? How do we spend our money equitably with “his and her” kids? Why do blended families need to do estate planning? What budgeting tools do you recommend? How do we share our resources? And more great topics applicable to every blended family.Show Notes and Resources
Learn more about resources for blended families.
You can watch the podcast on YouTube.
You can still join the Blended and Blessed Livestream!
Look for a small group in your area.
Get your copy of The Smart Stepfamily Guide to Financial Planning
Make a donation to FamilyLife Blended. -
Singer/songwriter Kim Walker-Smith grew up in a blended family with multiple stepparents, instability, abuse, and isolation. She shares her story with Ron Deal in this podcast episode, beginning with her mom’s first divorce when she was a young child. It didn’t take long for her mom to marry again, divorce, and marry again.
Eventually, her mom married a stable, loving man who wanted to be a father to Smith when she was a young teenager. Hungry for his love but scared it wasn’t real, Smith rejected him over and over again. But this stepdad kept coming back, faithful and steadfast in every way and, eventually, a stabilizing force for Smith.
Although Smith experienced hardship and adversity as a child, as an adult, she came to know a loving, redeeming God, who she now sings about all over the world, testifying of His love.Show Notes and Resources
Register for Blended and Blessed!
Learn more about Kim.
Hear Kim's song, "On My Side".
You can watch the podcast on the FamilyLife Blended YouTube channel.
Leave us a voicemail! – 407-826-2606
Support the podcast. -
Are there blessings in blended family life? Yes! But they might not show up in ways we expect or as quickly as we’d like. In this 2023 Blended and Blessed presentation, Cheryl Shumake talks about the many bonus blessings she has experienced and the strength God gave her during seasons of weariness to keep going when she wanted to quit.
Cheryl says, “God meets us in the waiting to strengthen us for the walking.” God wants to guide our steps when we face challenges. He knows that our convictions of creating long-term relationships can waver when weariness sets in. But our biggest blessings are waiting for us in the later years if we persevere.Show Notes and Resources
Get the Blended and Blessed All-Access Pass
Learn more about Cheryl and her ministry.
Host Blended and Blessed in your church or at home!
Give a tax deductible donation
You can watch podcast episodes on our YouTube channel.
Call us and leave a message about the show! 407-826-2606 -
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 ResourcesBlended and Blessed Info
Learn about Rachel
Rachel's widow ministry
Learn more about Rod
Ron's speaking schedule
Thank you for sending a tax-deductible donation! -
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 ResourcesGet 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! - Показать больше