What’s New at FamilyLife?

Families in America have an uptapped energy resource.

It's the most wonderful time of year! Wait ... is it really? We want Christmas to feel magical. But too often, we feel disappointment, stress, sadness, & loneliness. Listen to Ron Deal's conversation with Bob Lepine on how to find lasting joy this season.

Hmmm. Second wife, first ornaments.

For military stepfamilies combat is not the only battle they face.

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.

High Cholesterol is bad for your body, right. Well here's a tip for reducing the cholesterol in your marital heart: Double check your attitude.

Actions speak much louder than words.

Remarriage after widowhood creates unique struggles. Listen to Ryan and Jess Ronne as they continue to conversation on how to overcome struggles in their new roles.

Remarriage after widowhood creates unique struggles. Listen to Ryan and Jess Ronne, parents and stepparents to 8, share with Ron Deal about how insecurities can create conflict in a new marriage after widowhood and how to overcome those struggles.

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 led to a long-term, loving friendship and benefited not only themselves, but also their son and stepson.

The end of your marriage doesn't mean the end of God's favor. But when you're in ministry, it can feel that way. Drs. Bobby & Janice Love speak with Ron Deal about how to manage the spotlight of ministry when you walk through divorce and remarriage.

To those serving us, we want to serve.

What do you do when your love associations differ?

Corporations have business meetings all the time. Shouldn't families do that?

If you're a single parent or dating one, here's a dating myth to avoid.

Now, as far as national days go, Mother's Day and Thanksgiving I get. But Bologna Day?

Is your family communication filtered or unfiltered?

We could spend 1/3 of our lives without a paycheck as we live longer now, which makes saving for later-life so important. Ron Deal talks with Greg Pettys about how to prepare for retirement while being mindful of your blended family dynamics.

Unpacking bumps and bruises on the blended family journey is part of readying yourself for stepfamily living. In this episode, Craig and Gina Morgan talk with Ron Deal and unpack some of their baggage and invite you to do the same as you listen.

We can't help but live in a social culture. But we can do something about how that culture impacts our children in blended family homes. Listen in while Ron Deal talks with pediatrician Dr. Meg Meeker on this important issue.

Our world expects moms and stepmoms to be against each other. But it doesn't have to be that way. In this episode, Ron Deal speaks with Jessical Patterson, a licensed counselor and mom and stepmom about how to mitigate the battle of the moms.

As a teacher, school administrator, or parent/stepparent, what can you do to make school-home relationships thrive? Ron Deal conducts a panel discussion with a school prinicpal, counselor, and teacher, along with Gayla Grace, on this important subject.

Do you have questions on where to go for help with stepfamily challenges? Ron Deal talks with Gil and Brenda Stuart on how to find a church that will support you, when to know if you need counseling and where to go, and your role in making it happen.

Experiencing the love of Christ changes us.

An axe can split a block of wood and a whisper can divide a relationship.

Sometimes, make-believe tells us a lot about real life.

Have you ever run down the road only to discover, it's a dead end?

Co-parenting and dealing with a difficult former spouse can be stressful. Jay and Tammy Daughtry talk with Ron Deal about how healthy co-parenting truly works. They share how they have navigated this area and how you can do the same.

Andy and Heather Hetchler were surprised by how hard it was to bring their families together when one former spouse was an MIA parent. Hear their conversation with Ron Deal about their experience and how they began sharing what they learned with others.

Often the voice of children in blended famililes is drowned by conflict and loss. Ron Deal talks with children of divorce, Ryan Guinee and David Bowden, to get perspective on their experiences and progress as adults with wives and children of their own.

Today's guests Sandi Patty and Don Peslis share with Ron Deal how brokenness was a starting point for their relationship and how God has redeemed their story beyond broken.

Melody Fabien joins Ron Deal for a conversation about learning to navigate between the homes, hearts, and faith of her divorced parents. Melody explains how she reconciled living between two homes and how God has redeemed her story.

For Darryl and Gwen Smith, their divorce came in the middle of their love story. Ron discusses with them their story of well-intended, but immature love that God ultimately led to restoration, forgiveness, and a continual process of healing.

Combining families can create chaos as each person brings baggage. Who decides what goes and what stays? Author and speaker, Kathi Lipp, helps people de-clutter their homes. She and Ron Deal discuss how we all need to delete baggage from our lives.

Now there's no war zone. Not even a cold war!

Can you turn to your church for help?

If you want to feel close in your marriage, do things that make you close.

How do you get ready to blend a new stepfamily? Drs. Jeff and Judi Parziale discuss with Ron Deal how they coach couples in pre-stepfamily work and the wisdom they have learned in their 20 year marriage.

Have you wondered what's going on inside a child of divorce? Or what their experience of your blended family is? Ron Deal and Lauren Reitsema address common questions parents and stepparents ask about kids-and share insights that will help you love and lead them well.

Does your childhood, or previous relationships, ever creep into your current ones? If you've ever noticed that certain themes tend to repeat in our relationships you are not alone. Ron Deal is talking with USA-Today Best-selling author Tricia Goyer.

Rodney and Lisa Webb share their difficult blended journey, as counselor and therapist Helen Wheeler and blended family expert Ron Deal speak wisdom.

Betrayal in marriage can be devastating. Kyle and Sheri Keffer have both experienced betrayal in previous marriages and have seen how the effects can carry over into a new marriage. They join Ron to discuss what betrayal can do to a person, the shame that sexual betrayal can produce, and how they're finding healing.

Michele Cushatt has experienced divorce, blended family life, adoption, and is a three time cancer survivor. In this episode Michele and Ron discuss the unexpected journey of her life and the hard work of parenting hurting kids.

In this encouraging exploration of the real state of marriage, researcher and author Shaunti Feldhahn teams up with Ron Deal for a deep look at the facts behind the statistics.

What would you do if the night before your wedding one of your children comes to you and says, "Please don't get married tomorrow?" On this episode, Mike and Kim Anderson discuss how they handled that as well as how they dealt with losing their daughter to her biological father's control.

How do you give grace to a teenager? To a stepteenager, at that? And, how do you give each other grace as parents, when it comes to how they react to your teenager? Ron discusses these questions and more with Randy and Gayla Grace.

Here's a blended family ministry tip everyone can do.

Parenting is difficult, but when you add divorce, the challenge multiplies. Navigating even the most routine parental responsibilites can become difficult. This episode brings help and hope to parents who may be struggling.

When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be." What about now? Pastor and theologian John Ortberg provides a fresh perspective on the nature of eternity and our own connection to an eternal creator.

Here are some ministry tips for pastors and everyone else.

She may have been in love with Lamar, but as a strong self-confident woman, Ronnie wasn't that interested in Lamar's help raising her two children from a previous relationship. Exploring the complex nuances of blended relationships.

Understanding the long-term effects of divorce and remarriage on kids is difficult. A good way to start is to ask an adult who experienced life in a blended family. Ron talks with “FamilyLife Today” host Dave Wilson about his childhood blended family experience. Show Notes and Resources To learn more about Dave and Ann Wilson, […]

When we blend two families, what's the goal & 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 spouse? Ron Deal answers these questions & more.

How can you feed strong identity—so transitions between stepfamily homes mean your teen grows stronger? Author Kara Powell gives real-life ideas.

Ever feel like digital devices are breathing down your family's neck? Dr. Meg Meeker gets real about healthy boundaries and wise choices for your kids.

Every blended family is a cross-cultural experience.

Travel to a foreign land and you'll realize what you consider normal.

Litigation creates stress and anxiety for stepfamilies, but there are ways to experience peace in the midst of it. Listen to Ron Deal with Scott & Vanessa Martindale on how to find resolution in custody cases that best meets the needs of your child.

Twice-widowed Rachel Faulkner-Brown felt overwhelmed by losses in her new marriage. But there was more of God to know and He had bigger dreams.

After losing two husbands, author Rachel Faulkner-Brown collided with grief as life went from bad to worse. But God had more hope for Rachel.

With two husbands in heaven and one here, Rachel Faulkner-Brown has walked dark roads. But she knows hope, & healing from profound grief, are possible

Blending isn't the goal for stepfamilies; it suggests the family becomes one relationally, which rarely occurs. Other common cooking strategies don't work either. Then what does? Listen to Ron Deal and Gayla Grace discuss how crockpot cooking is the key.

Everyone in the blended family living room traveled a different journey to get there.

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 common issues stepfamilies face.

Sometimes in stepfamilies, we take things out on each other that really are about someone or something from the past. Listen to Ron Deal talk with Shelby Abbott on how to keep unresolved issues of the past from damaging relationships in the present.

Kids in stepfamilies lose control over many aspects of their lives. Ron Deal talks with two stepsiblings about their adjustments to stepfamily life and how parents can give children a voice and open lines of communication to bring harmony to their home.

Preparing to blend a family can be a daunting endeavor. But you can—and should—get smart about stepfamily living ahead of time. Listen to Ron Deal talk with two stepcouples about what they did before marriage that helped prepare to blend their families.

Are you engaged or just beginning a blended family? Ron Deal, Director of FamilyLife Blended, discusses how couples can prepare their families to blend with intentionality and joy.

Special days give families an opportunity to honor each other, celebrate one another, and strengthen family identity. Ron Deal and his guests present ideas on how to creatively use a family calendar to strengthen family relationships throughout the year.

Sometimes in stepfamilies, we take things out on each other that really are about someone or something from the past. Listen to Ron Deal talk with Shelby Abbott on how to keep unresolved issues of the past from damaging relationships in the present.

What does the Bible teach about divorce and remarriage and how does it apply to God's people? Listen to Ron Deal's conversation with Dr. Rubel Shelly on a subject that's hard to understand in Scripture and often disagreed upon in Christian circles.