FamilyLife Blended® Podcast

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What's FamilyLife Blended® Podcast about?

FamilyLife Blended® Podcast with host Ron Deal, provides timeless wisdom and practical help and hope for blended families and those who love them.

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126: Strained Relationships...

12.04.2023

When relationships with our adult kids and stepkids become strained or estranged, our hearts hurt. How did we get here? How do we fix it? Ron Deal talks with Dr. Charlotte Melcher Smith about common themes that contribute to strained ...

FamilyLife Blended® Podcast episodes:

12.04.2023 126: Strained Relationships with Adult Kids When relationships with our adult kids and stepkids become strained or estranged, our hearts hurt. How did we get here? How do we fix it? Ron Deal talks with Dr. Charlotte Melcher Smith about common themes that contribute to strained ...
11.20.2023 125: How To Be Thankful in a Blended Family Have you ever wondered how to be thankful in a hard season in your blended family? Listen to Ron Deal and Gayla Grace talk about finding joy, regardless of our circumstances, as we focus on God’s faithfulness, His provision, and ...
11.06.2023 124: Helping Your Kids With Their Emotions Helping your kids with their emotions is a critical life skill, yet we often don’t equip kids with these valuable skills. Ron Deal speaks with Michelle Nietert, LPC, about common feelings kids in blended families experience and how parents can ...
10.23.2023 123: How To Overcome Co-parenting Conflict High-conflict co-parenting is a common struggle in blended families. Ron Deal speaks with Diane Dierks and Rick Voyles on how to improve co-parenting conflict as you prioritize what you're fighting for, change your response, and consider your kids first. Show ...
10.09.2023 122: Blending a Family: Where Do I Start? When we blend two families, what's the goal and how do we get there? Do we focus more on parenting or our marriage? Do I parent my stepchild or build a relationship first? How do we manage a difficult former ...
09.25.2023 121: Lessons from Adoptive Parents Blended families come in all shapes and sizes. Each family is unique with its own complexities. Chris and Yodit Brooks share their stories growing up in a blended family as well as wisdom they've gained from raising both their adopted ...
09.11.2023 120: Blended Family Christmas: Tips to reduce holiday stress The holidays can be a stressful time juggling visitations, planning family activities, and managing all the feelings in the Christmas season. Emotions in blended families are often magnified during Christmas. Gayla Grace and Ron Deal offer practical ways to be ...
08.28.2023 119: Parenting Teens During the Loneliness Epidemic Children want to be heard and seen. Ron Deal had a conversation with Dr Mark Mayfield about how parents can help teens with loneliness. They offer wisdom and practical help for sensitive, serious topics such as suicide and address the ...
08.14.2023 118: Blended Family Dynamics – The Enneagram Types Explained The enneagram gives us insight into our unique gifts and the contributions we can make with those around us. But it shouldn’t be the ultimate source of our identity. Ron Deal talks with Jeff and Beth McCord about interpreting core ...
07.31.2023 117: Trusting God in Difficult Times No one wants to walk through grief and suffering. But God uses hard times to grow our character, develop perseverance, and find hope in Him. Ron Deal talks with Davey and Kristi Blackburn about how to trust God's faithfulness during ...
07.17.2023 116: Divorce Grief– Breaking Soul Ties Do you have wounds from a previous relationship that you carried into your new family? We call these ghosts of marriage past. Unresolved residue also happens with our kids and affects our ability to form trust and intimacy with others. ...
07.03.2023 115: Stepchildren and Marriage: How to Build Trust Blended family life doesn't often start with every relationship experiencing harmony. But it's not unusual to develop it along the way. Listen to Ron Deal speak with Gil and Brenda Stuart about how disappointment and confusion in their family relationships ...
06.19.2023 114: Men in Blended Families: Why You Need a Strong Support System Former NFL player Jeff Kemp has spent decades connecting with men. He understands the common struggles which include insecurity, comparison, and shame. He shares with Ron Deal how men can best cope by understanding their identity in our Father God, ...
06.05.2023 113: Bonus Dad Pro Tips from Mike Men want harmony in their homes, but the dynamics of blended family life can threaten peaceful relationships. Mike Haney speaks with Ron Deal on how stepdads can create meaningful connections with their stepchildren through warm and inviting behavior, a perspective ...
05.22.2023 112: Stepmom Help: Pro Tips from Jen & Bill Do you struggle with 2nd wife syndrome? Are you confused with your role and often feel you can't measure up to the expectations? Ron Deal speaks with Bill and Jen Rogers on the valuable role stepmoms play and offers encouragement ...
05.08.2023 111: Custody Battles and Court Conversation Litigation creates stress and anxiety for stepfamilies, but there are ways to experience peace and bring kindness to others in the midst of it. Listen to Ron Deal with Scott and Vanessa Martindale on how to resist negative emotions and ...
04.24.2023 110: Growing Up Blended: Dr. Darrell Bock When complicated circumstances show up in blended families, relationship-building slows down. Ron Deal speaks with Dr. Darrell Bock about how the death of his mom when he was a teenager, a dad who traveled weekly with work, and a new ...
04.10.2023 109 Who Comes First in a Blended Family? Stepfamilies are fundamentally different than biological families, which can create tension and ambiguity for everyone involved. In this episode, Ron Deal speaks with Dr. Patricia Papernow about key principles for healthy relationship building in blended families which navigating complex dynamics ...
03.27.2023 108: Prioritize Marriage in Your Home How can you establish your marital relationship as the foundation for the home when children preceded your union? It starts by understanding that a strong marriage contributes more significantly to the stability of the home than any other factor—including the ...
03.13.2023 107: Blending a Family: Strategies that Don’t Work Blending isn't the goal for stepfamilies; it suggests the family becomes one in a relational sense, which rarely occurs. Other cooking strategies that stepfamilies try, such as the instapot, food processor, or pressure cooker, don't work well either. Then what ...
02.27.2023 106: Scripture for Families in Need of Encouragement Do you have a roadmap to follow on your blended family journey? We'd like to encourage using God's Word to guide you, encourage you, and empower your steps. Listen to Ron Deal and Gayla Grace, along with stepcouple guests, talk ...
02.13.2023 105: Stepfamily Relationship Building: Stepping Stones for Success What are key stepping stones every stepfamily needs that will lead to healthy relationship building? Ron Deal and Gayla Grace discuss how perseverance, flexibility, commitment, Christ-likeness and other core attributes work together to create familyness. Show Notes and Resources Share ...
01.30.2023 104: Kids, Culture, Phones, and the Other Home Every parent undertands the power a smartphone carries with kids. What rules, principles, or contracts should you put in place to manage their use? David Eaton, author of Smartphone Sanity, talks with Ron Deal about 8 major concerns to consider ...
01.16.2023 103: Alienated: One Child’s Journey to Reconnect (A Parental Alienation story) Parents who are alienated from their children due to the behavior of a former spouse face devastating loss. But there is hope for redemption! Listen to Ron Deal's conversation with Dr. Richard Marks on how Marks re-connected with his mother ...
01.02.2023 102: Working Smarter, Not Harder What does it mean to work smarter, not harder? How do we apply that to our relationships and why is it important? Listen to Ron Deal and Gayla Grace talk about unique blended family dynamics and the value of strategic ...
12.19.2022 101: Christmas: Recovering Joy It's the most wonderful time of year! Wait ... is it really? We want Christmas to be a season that feels magical. But too often, we feel disappointment, stress, sadness, and loneliness. Listen to Ron Deal's conversation with author and ...
12.05.2022 100: FamilyLife Blended: The Birth of a Movement How did Ron Deal get started in blended family ministry? When was FamilyLife Blended birthed and what role does Nicole Burns play? What about Gayla Grace's start in stepfamily ministry? Listen to Ron Deal and Gayla Grace tell their stories ...
11.21.2022 99: Growing Up Blended: Changing the Course of Your Family Legacy Growing up in an unstable blended home with 7 stepmoms and 11 marriages between his parents left Fred Von Canon determined to change his legacy. Listen to his conversation with Ron Deal as he and his wife Anita describe their ...
11.07.2022 98: Dating and the Single Parent, Revisited As a single parent, it's natural to yearn for a marriage partner who will love you AND your kids unconditionally. But is that realistic? Listen to Ron Deal's conversation with Sabrina McDonald about dating, remarriage, and stepfamily life after widowhood, ...
10.24.2022 97: Protecting Your Kids From Porn Pornography is everywhere. It's quickly becoming the leading sex educator of our kids. Listen to Ron Deal's conversation with Brian Goins and Gayla Grace about the new documentary series "Brain, Heart, World" to learn how to address this important topic ...
10.10.2022 96: Get On Board Would you consider joining our mission to serve blended families as a volunteer or affiliate staff with FamilyLife Blended? Listen to Ron Deal and four couples share about why and how they minister to stepcouples and the blessings they receive ...
09.26.2022 95: Good Parenting, Good Stepparenting As parents and stepparents, we want to raise our kids well, but we often feel inadequate. In this episode, Ron Deal talks with Ginger Hubbard about parenting the heart of our children, seeking a change in behavior that stems from ...
09.12.2022 94: The Honeymoon: Blended Families: 10 Years and Beyond Are you in the early years of blending a family and you wonder if life will ever get easier? Listen to Ron Deal and Gayla Grace talk about the honeymoon season that often follows the hard relationship-building years and the ...
08.29.2022 93: Ministering to Blended Families Is God calling you to minister to blended families, but you feel inadequate? We have a solution! Listen to Ron Deal explain how to earn an online ministry certificate as you glean from blended family experts with 7 hours of ...
08.15.2022 92: The Fields Are White for Harvest: Teaching Pastors Speak Out About Blended Family Ministry Families are changing. Non-traditional families are now considered traditional. As churches, how do we continue to meet the needs of complex families and serve them well? Listen to Ron Deal's conversation with three senior pastors on why and how churches ...
08.05.2022 91: Bonus Q&A: More Answers to Questions Blended Families Ask Our bonus episode offers another question and answer format with Ron Deal and Gayla Grace to address those hard-to-navigate circumstances in your blended family with solutions that offer nuggets of wisdom and practical suggestions. Show Notes and Resources Find a ...
08.04.2022 90: Bonus Q&A: You Ask, We Answer Do you have stepfamily questions for the experts? We have answers! Listen to Ron Deal and Gayla Grace discuss everyday issues that frequently show up in blended family homes—along with practical solutions—to help you find harmony in your relationships. Show ...
08.03.2022 89: Bonus Q&A: Blended Questions with Kirk Do you struggle to find unity as a couple or need help setting boundaries with an ex-spouse and co-parenting successfully? Or maybe you could use a few tips on navigating the teen years with your stepdaughters. Listen to Ron Deal's ...
08.02.2022 88: Bonus Q&A: Stepfamily Questions with Don and Sandi Veteran stepcouples have a wealth of knowledge on best practices for stepfamilies. Listen to Ron Deal's conversation with Sandi Patty and Don Peslis, married in 1995 with a blended family of 8 children, on wise solutions to challenges like: managing ...
08.01.2022 87: Well Blended Do you need help growing unity and building character in your stepfamily? Our convenient online course, Well-Blended, can help! Listen to Ron Deal and Dave and Ann Wilson talk about how it can help you build robust, resilient relationships in ...
07.18.2022 86: Bi-Polar Value Differences Between Homes Are you steering your kids toward Christ while the other home is steering them toward the world? Ron Deal talks with Kara Powell and Gayla Grace about how to manage bi-polar value differences between homes and how to understand and ...
07.04.2022 85: Terrible Loss, Unexpected Love When remarriage happens after the death of a spouse, the stepcouple faces unique and hard-to-navigate circumstances related to grief and leftover feelings from those experiences. Ron Deal talks with Bill and Evelyn Thompson, who both lost their spouses prior to ...
06.20.2022 84: Relationship Essentials – Tools for Healthier Relationships Critical relationship skills are needed in every important relationship, especially in stepfamily life. In this episode, Ron Deal talks with a dynamic mother-daughter duo, Joneen Mackenie and Laueren Reitsema, on gaining a larger toolbox of wisdom and skills for strengthening ...
06.06.2022 83: Unsung Heroes Stepdads take on a heroic challenge as they parent someone else's child, which often includes frustration and defeat. Stepdad Gil Stuart talks with Ron Deal about his video series, Unsung Heroes, which captures the value of vulnerability, courage, and humility ...
05.23.2022 82: It’s All Fun and Games Krista Smith-Larson is a blended family mom who produces games that help draw out matters of loss and stepfamily transition in order to bring about hope and healing. Listen to her dialogue with Ron Deal and learn about games that ...
05.09.2022 81: Bonus Moms: Refined for Good God loves the work of refining our character, particularly as we engage in family relationships. We become more and more like Christ as we learn how to love, forgive, show kindness, and be family to one another. In this episode, ...
04.25.2022 80: From Toxic Competitors to Business Partners Relationships between biological moms and stepmoms can be malicious, competitive, and wounding. But they don't have to be! Listen to Ron Deal's discussion with two women who found healing for their toxic relationship through God's grace, forgiveness, and acceptance that ...
04.11.2022 79: Advice to Children: What Experts Might Say to Your Kids Would you like your kids to hear helpful advice from several experts about their blended family struggles? This podcast is for you! Listen for yourself first, then with your child—young or old—to encourage dialogue about their feelings that can help ...
03.28.2022 78: From Our Perspective Kids in stepfamilies often lose control over many aspects of their lives after their parents remarry. In this episode, Ron Deal talks with two stepsiblings about their own experiences, their hard adjustments to stepfamily life, and how parents can give ...
03.14.2022 77: Grace-filled Parenting in Blended Families Blended and Blessed is a marriage event specifically designed for couples in a blended family. This podcast episode features a dynamic speaker from Blended and Blessed 2021, author and stepmom Laurie Short, with nuggets of wisdom and real-life stories from ...

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