Robert and Jennie Lord both grew up in blended families. They share their stories with Ron Deal about the residue left behind from the maze of parental divorce, multiple stepparents, challenges in relationship building, unwanted transitions, and ongoing instability. They’ve sought healing from those experiences and now want to share what they’ve learned with others.

Married with a family of their own, they are committed to their marriage and want to provide an upbringing for their children that is vastly different than what they experienced. They teach and model a life built on faith and seek to provide stability and build strong bonds with their children.

Show Notes and Resources

• Get the Blended & Blesses All-Access Digital Pass 
• Blended resources for you! 
• Learn more about Chosen and the work that Jenni does. 
• Get a copy of The Mindful Marriage. 
• Support FamilyLife Blended with a gift. 

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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.

Show Notes and Resources

• You can still register for Blended & Blessed! 
• Learn more about Jennifer Maggio and her ministry. 
• Get a copy of the book, Preparing to Blend. 
• Support FamilyLife Blended with a gift. 

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What do you do with feelings like anger, jealousy, hurt, or rejection in your blended family? Listen to Ron Deal’s conversation with Dr. Alison Cook, who offers a three-step process to work through hard feelings and find healing and hope for your journey.

Show Notes and Resources

• Register for Blended & Blessed 
• Look for blended ministries and events in your area. 
• Learn about Dr. Alison, get her books, and listen to her podcast. 
• Listen to the show on grief with Diane Fromme 
• Support FamilyLife Blended with a gift. 
• Blended resources 

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Parenting a prodigal creates pain and helplessness as we seek to navigate difficult relationships. Listen to Ron Deal’s conversation with Judy Douglass, a prodigal parent, on how to tenderly manage these tenuous relationships while staying calm, present, and patient in rebuilding a relationship on their terms.

Douglass and Deal discuss the Prodigal Son story in Luke and the parallels with our prodigals in opening our arms to them when appropriate but not chasing or threatening in any way with our behavior. We move toward the goal of gaining influence as we patiently work to bring back love and trust in our relationships.

Show Notes and Resources

• Make plans to join us at Blended & Blessed! 
• Judy's podcast with Ron 
• Judy's podcast: When You Love a Prodigal 
• Order your copy of When You Love a Prodigal 

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Cheryl Shumake wants to reach brown & black blended families with brown & black voices. She & Clifton Howard talk with Ron Deal about her new ministry, Sawubona, which means “I see you” & its goal to break through the barriers with culture-informed spaces

Show Notes and Resources

• Watch Blended & Blessed from anywhere in the world! 
• Join us on the 2026 Love Like You Mean It Cruise 
• Learn more about Cheryl 
• Sawubona Ministries 
• Send a tax deductible gift 
• Ron's upcoming events 
• Blended Small Group Ministry Map 

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What does the apostle Paul mean in Philippians 2:4 when he says, “Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others?” How do we apply that to marriage, and to relationships in a blended family?

In this podcast episode, Ron Deal talks with Brian Goins, author of Playing Hurt, A Guy’s Strategy for a Winning Marriage, about taking care of our own needs and always being mindful of the needs of our spouse. Goins explains that marriage is about finding the motivation and resolve to stay in the game despite the pain and calls husbands to be the heroes they long to be--men who play hurt in order to win at marriage.

Show Notes and Resources

• Get Ron's new book: The Mindful Marriage 
• Get Brian's book: Playing Hurt
• Check out Brain, Heart, World
• Order The Art of Marriage
• Send a tax deductible gift of support
• Register for Blended & Blessed 

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Do you think your marriage could improve if your spouse were different? Is it easier to look at their faults instead of considering your own? In this podcast episode, Ron Deal talks with co-authors of his new book, The Mindful Marriage: Create Your Best Relationship Through Understanding and Managing Yourself. Terry and Sharon Hargraves and Nan Deal share how the book can help couples understand their part of marital distress, why they react the way they do, how to be more empowered constructively, and how to cultivate more loving and harmonious relationships as they understand themselves better and learn to relate to their partner as a companion.

Show Notes and Resources

•  Small Group Searchable Map 
• Email us for your chance to win a signed copy of The Mindful Marriage. [email protected]
• Get your copy of The Mindful Marriage 
• The Mindful Marriage Conference 
• Register for Blended & Blessed 

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Luke Landwer was young when his parents divorced, and he enjoyed time with just his mom for many years. When she remarried to a man with six kids, the adjustments for Luke were many. At just 11 years old, his conversation with Ron Deal is insightful as he articulates how adjusting to new rules, a new house, new people, was a challenge. He yearns for more time with his dad, but distance prevents it at times. He recognizes the blessings of a large family, however, with step-grandparents who love him and siblings around who prevent the loneliness he experienced in days past.

Show Notes and Resources

• Learn more about Ron & Nan Deal's new book: The Mindful Marriage 
• Watch Luke's Blended Family story on YouTube. 
• Give a year end tax deductible gift! 
• Join us in April for a marriage event just for couples in blended families. 

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Living in a blended family as a young adult can bring challenges and blessings. For Amelia Dellaripa, it brings many more blessings. In this podcast episode, Ron Deal talks with Amelia about her blended family of seven and how they developed love and acceptance for one another over time.

Amelia talks about how there was seldom any divisiveness or difficult interactions with her stepmom or stepbrother from the beginning. They were always welcoming toward her, and it seemed that everyone was on the same team and wanted to do their part in building relationships. Although she was young when her dad remarried and understanding new family dynamics was hard, she’s now thankful for her big, blended family.

Show Notes and Resources

• Pre-order Ron & Nan Deal's new book: The Mindful Marriage: Create Your Best Relationship Through Understanding and Managing Yourself 
• Get organized with the Family Core App! 
• This Christmas, your gift will be doubled! 
• Upcoming events and resources 
• Join us in April for a marriage event just for couples in blended families. 

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What’s it like to be a teenager in a blended family? How do you manage the confusing emotions of your childhood and teenage years while also adjusting to new family dynamics? Davis and Campbell Faulkner lost their dad in a traffic accident when they were very young. Their mom remarried and they’ve navigated feelings of loss, fear, anxiety, grief, abandonment, and more as they’ve adjusted to a new stepdad and life in a blended family. Listen to their insightful conversation with Ron Deal and learn how they’ve coped and found gratitude for their current journey in the midst of loss.

Show Notes and Resources

• Pre-order Ron & Nan Deal's new book: The Mindful Marriage: Create Your Best Relationship Through Understanding and Managing Yourself 
• Double your year end gift to FamilyLife Blended. 
• List of counselors and coaches 
• Upcoming events and resources 
• Please send your comments! [email protected]
• Join us in April for a marriage event just for couples in blended families. 

See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy