Welcome to the FamilyLife Blended Podcast

Ron Introduces Dr. Jim Burns

Why Adult Kids Stray

Tough Love and Staying Connected

Rebuilding After Estrangement

Circle Of Support

https://fl-podcasts.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/FLBP/pdf/FLBp2026-06-15.pdf

https://fl-podcasts.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/FLBP/docs/FLBp20260615_S08_E192.docx

You raised them right—so why does it feel like you’re losing them? Jim Burns steps into the ache parents don’t say out loud: regret, distance, and the fear you blew it. Drawing from When Your Adult Child Strays, he gets real about what to do when pushing harder only pushes them away—and what actually keeps the door open.

Show Notes and Resources
Email us blended@familylife.com
Learn about Jim, Homeword, and get his book, When Your Adult Child Strays 
Give a tax-deductible gift 
Ron's speaking schedule 

You raised them right&mdash;so why does it feel like you&rsquo;re losing them? Jim Burns steps into the ache parents don&rsquo;t say out loud: regret, distance, and the fear you blew it. Drawing from When Your Adult Child Strays, he gets real about what to do when pushing harder only pushes them away&mdash;and what actually keeps the door open.
Show Notes and Resources
<ul>
<li>Email us<a href="mailto:%20blended@familylife.com"> blended@familylife.com</a></li>
<li><a href="https://homeword.com/">Learn about Jim, Homeword, and get his book, When Your Adult Child Strays&nbsp;</a></li>
<li><a href="https://donate.familylife.com/blended/?cru_source=D000BLENDG&amp;cru_medium=DesktopHeaderNav&amp;cru_campaign=Blended">Give a tax-deductible gift</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://smartstepfamilies.com/events/find-an-event">Ron's speaking schedule</a>&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

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.

Timeless wisdom and practical help and hope for blended families with Ron Deal, LMFT, LPC.

FamilyLife Blended® Podcast

You raised them with loving intentions—so why the distance? Jim Burns addresses parents’ regret and fear, sharing what to do when pushing backfires—and how to keep the door open with your adult child.

192: Jim Burns: When Adult Children Stray

Ron Introduces Debbie Alsdorf

Family Story and Healing as Kids Grow

10 Stepmom Do-Overs 

Kids Need Support

Reset Step Discipline

Regulate Emotions

Higher Road Finale

https://fl-podcasts.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/FLBP/pdf/FLBP2026-07-27.pdf

https://fl-podcasts.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/FLBP/docs/FLBP20260727_S08_E195.docx

Blending a family isn’t a Hallmark montage. It’s a minefield of hurt feelings, mixed loyalties, and second-guessing...everything. Debbie Alsdorf shares hard-won “do-overs” from 36 years as a stepmom—what she got wrong, what she’d never repeat, and what actually helped a fractured family slowly become one. From Debbie's book, Beyond the Brady Bunch, this stepmom advice skips fantasy and deals with real life.

Show Notes and Resources
Access blended resources familylifeblended.com 
Give to Familylife Blended directly 
Watch the show, Renewed Hope for the year, on Women & Blended Families 
Read Debbie's article, "10 Things I Would Do Over as a Stepmom" 
More about Debbie and her ministry 

 

 

Blending a family isn&rsquo;t a Hallmark montage. It&rsquo;s a minefield of hurt feelings, mixed loyalties, and second-guessing...everything. Debbie Alsdorf shares hard-won &ldquo;do-overs&rdquo; from 36 years as a stepmom&mdash;what she got wrong, what she&rsquo;d never repeat, and what actually helped a fractured family slowly become one. From Debbie's book, Beyond the Brady Bunch, this stepmom advice skips fantasy and deals with real life.
Show Notes and Resources
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.familylife.com/familylifeblended/blended-families/">Access blended resources familylifeblended.com </a></li>
<li><a href="https://donate.familylife.com/blended/?campaign-code=D000BLENDG&amp;cru_medium=DesktopHeaderNav&amp;cru_campaign=Blended">Give to Familylife Blended directly</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Watch the show, <a href="https://youtube.com/live/GdRPoARKA3I?feature=share">Renewed Hope for the year, on Women &amp; Blended Families&nbsp;</a></li>
<li>Read Debbie's article, "<a href="https://shaunti.com/2024/07/10-things-i-would-do-over-as-a-stepmom/">10 Things I Would Do Over as a Stepmom</a>"&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://debbiealsdorf.com/">More about Debbie and her ministry</a>&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Blending a family isn’t a Hallmark montage—it’s messy and complex. Debbie Alsdorf shares lessons from 36 years as a stepmom: mistakes, do-overs, and what truly helped her fractured family become one. Real advice, no fantasy. 

195: Stepmom Advice: 10 Things I Would Do Over as a Stepmother

Introduction with Ron Deal & Gayla Grace

Ron Introduces Cheryl Shumake

The Phrase “God Hates Divorce”

Malachi 2:16 and What Hate Means

Who Hates Divorce?

Malachi Context Explained

God’s Divorce with Israel

A Better Church Message

https://fl-podcasts.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/FLBP/pdf/FLBP2026-07-13.pdf

https://fl-podcasts.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/FLBP/docs/FLBP20260713_S08_E194.docx

"God hates divorce": you’ve heard it, maybe felt crushed by it. Cheryl Shumake joins Ron Deal and Gayla Grace to pull apart what Malachi 2 really says—and what it doesn’t. If you’ve felt judged, stuck, or sidelined by church talk, this conversation meets you there and pushes toward truth, clarity, and hope without easy answers.

Show Notes and Resources
Blended family resources familylifeblended.com 
Give to Familylife Blended directly
Blended ministry certificate 
Start a stepfamily ministry 

"God hates divorce": you&rsquo;ve heard it, maybe felt crushed by it. Cheryl Shumake joins Ron Deal and Gayla Grace to pull apart what Malachi 2 really says&mdash;and what it doesn&rsquo;t. If you&rsquo;ve felt judged, stuck, or sidelined by church talk, this conversation meets you there and pushes toward truth, clarity, and hope without easy answers.
Show Notes and Resources
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.familylife.com/familylifeblended/blended-families/">Blended family resources familylifeblended.com </a></li>
<li><a href="https://donate.familylife.com/blended/?campaign-code=D000BLENDG&amp;cru_medium=DesktopHeaderNav&amp;cru_campaign=Blended">Give to Familylife Blended directly</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.familylife.com/learn/certificate-in-blended-family-ministry/">Blended ministry certificate&nbsp;</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.familylife.com/familylifeblended/start-a-stepfamily-ministry/">Start a stepfamily ministry</a>&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

“God hates divorce”—you’ve heard it, maybe felt crushed. Cheryl Shumake, Ron Deal, and Gayla Grace unpack Malachi 2—what it says and doesn’t—offering clarity, truth, and hope for those feeling judged or stuck.

194: What “God Hates Divorce” Gets Right—and Very Wrong

Introduction

Ron Introduces Matthew & Joanna Raabsmith

Their Betrayal Story

 Healing Past Trauma

Awareness & Confession

Repair After Betrayal

Pornography And Forgiveness

Rebuilding Intimacy Together

https://fl-podcasts.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/FLBP/pdf/FLBp2026-06-29.pdf

https://fl-podcasts.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/FLBP/docs/FLBp20260629_S08_E193.docx

You thought you were rebuilding after sexual betrayal—whether from this marriage or the previous—but something still feels off: Distance. Triggers. Questions you can’t shake. Authors Matthew and Joanna Raabsmith get brutally honest about how betrayal trauma, perhaps from sexual addiction, porn, affairs, or other sources, affects your brain, your body, your marriage...and why quick fixes don’t stick. From their book, Building True Intimacy, Matthew and Joanna map a slower, sturdier path forward when trust feels shattered.

Show Notes and Resources


Find a Mindful Marriage event and small group in your state 


Access blended resources familylifeblended.com 


Learn more about The Raabsmiths 


Look through the list of Smart Stepfamily Therapists 

You thought you were rebuilding after sexual betrayal&mdash;whether from this marriage or the previous&mdash;but something still feels off: Distance. Triggers. Questions you can&rsquo;t shake. Authors Matthew and Joanna Raabsmith get brutally honest about how betrayal trauma, perhaps from sexual addiction, porn, affairs, or other sources, affects your brain, your body, your marriage...and why quick fixes don&rsquo;t stick. From their book, Building True Intimacy, Matthew and Joanna map a slower, sturdier path forward when trust feels shattered.
Show Notes and Resources
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.familylife.com/familylifeblended/find-an-event/">Find a Mindful Marriage event and small group in your state</a>&nbsp;
</li>
<li>
Access blended resources <a href="https://www.familylife.com/familylifeblended/blended-families/">familylifeblended.com </a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://raabsmithteam.com/">Learn more about The Raabsmiths&nbsp;</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://smartstepfamilies.com/smart-help/therapy-providers">Look through the list of Smart Stepfamily Therapists&nbsp;</a>
</li>
</ul>

Rebuilding after sexual betrayal but still feel off? Matthew and Joanna Raabsmith explain how betrayal trauma impacts brain, body, and marriage—and why quick fixes fail. A slower, sturdier path builds real intimacy and restored trust.

192: Jim Burns: When Adult Children Stray

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