Who comes first in a marriage? And how to communicate it well? Hear from Dennis & Barbara Rainey, Bob Lepine, and Ron Deal & Gayla Grace as they discuss how to prioritize marriage in a blended family and how to implement family meetings towards that end.

Show Notes and Resources
Help make YOUR mark: Your donation supports crucial resources for families and includes a special FamilyLife Pen and Brant Hansen's book, "Unoffendable"—join us today!
Learn More About The Summit on Stepfamily Ministry
Listen to the full episode here
Discover more resources for blended families and listen to more on the FamilyLife Blended podcast
Find resources from this podcast at shop.familylife.com.
See resources from our past podcasts.
Find more content and resources on the FamilyLife's app!
Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify.
Check out all the FamilyLife's podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network

Who comes first in a marriage? And how to communicate it well? Hear from Dennis &amp; Barbara Rainey, Bob Lepine, and Ron Deal &amp; Gayla Grace as they discuss how to prioritize marriage in a blended family and how to implement family meetings towards that end.
Show Notes and Resources
<ul>
<li>Help make YOUR mark: Your donation supports crucial resources for families and includes a special <a href="https://donate.familylife.com/august-2024/urgent-need/?cru_source=D0002408SB&amp;cru_medium=StickyBar&amp;cru_premium=PRE21820&amp;cru_campaign=Aug2024&amp;src=fye_humanized_sticky&amp;_gl=1*1lj4vla*_gcl_au*MTY3OTQxMDA3LjE3MjQwOTA2MDk.*_ga*MTYwNjEyNzY4MC4xNzI0MDkwNjA5*_ga_85G8JM3S5D*MTcyNDE2MTIwNy4yLjEuMTcyNDE2MzAwMi4zMS4wLjkwNDQyMTE1&amp;_ga=2.14502003.570019349.1724090609-1606127680.1724090609">FamilyLife Pen and Brant Hansen's book, "Unoffendable"</a>—join us today!</li>
<li><a href="https://www.summitonstepfamilies.com/">Learn More About The Summit on Stepfamily Ministry</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.familylife.com/podcast/familylife-blended-podcast/108-prioritize-marriage-in-your-home/">Listen to the full episode here</a></li>
<li><a href="https://shop.familylife.com/product/the-smart-stepfamily/">Discover more resources for blended families</a> and listen to more on the <a href="https://www.familylife.com/podcast/familylife-blended-podcast/">FamilyLife Blended podcast</a> </li>
<li>Find resources from this podcast at <a href="https://shop.familylife.com/product-category/radio-resources/">shop.familylife.com</a>.</li>
<li><a href="https://shop.familylife.com/product-category/past-radio-resources/">See resources from our past podcasts.</a></li>
<li>Find more content and resources on the <a href="https://www.familylife.com/app/">FamilyLife's app</a>!</li>
<li>Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/familylife-today/id212174303">Apple Podcast</a> or <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm?si=d6dfa8d2415f4750">Spotify</a>.</li>
<li>Check out all the FamilyLife's podcasts on the <a href="https://www.familylife.com/familylife-podcast-network/">FamilyLife Podcast Network</a></li>
</ul>

FamilyLife Today® is a weekday podcast featuring fun, engaging conversations that help families grow together with Jesus while pursuing the relationships that matter most.

FamilyLife Today®

FamilyLife Today is an award-winning podcast featuring fun, engaging conversations that help families grow together with Jesus while pursuing the relationships that matter most. Hosted by Dave and Ann Wilson, new episodes air every Tuesday and Thursday.

FamilyLife Today is an award-winning podcast featuring fun, engaging conversations that help families grow together with Jesus while pursuing the relationships that matter most. Hosted by Dave and Ann Wilson, new episodes air every Tuesday and Thursday.

Who Comes First In a Blended Marriage? Ron Deal & Gayla Grace

https://familylifetodaypdfs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/fl2026-09-11.pdf

https://familylifetodaypdfs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/docs/fl2026-09-11.docx

You joined a family hoping to love your stepkids well. But what if they don’t exactly love you back? Cheryl Shumake, author of Waiting to Be Wanted, gets painfully practical about how to be a good stepparent without auditioning for acceptance—and maybe when those kids don't love you back. How do you stop competing for your place, love without keeping score, and know what’s actually yours to do when the blended-family dream gets decidedly less dreamy?

Show Notes and Resources


Weekend to Remember marriage getaway.
Get Cheryl Shumake’s book, Waiting to Be Wanted: A Stepmom’s Guide to Loving Before Being Loved. Find resources and audio from this podcast episode at familylifetoday.com
Learn more about Cheryl Shumake and Stepmom Sanity.
Leave FamilyLife Today a voice message
FamilyLife Today.
Thanks to the Christian Standard Bible for sponsoring this episode. Learn more at CSBible.com.
Follow us on all social platforms: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
Find resources from our podcast at shop.familylife.com.
Download FamilyLife's app!
Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify.
Check out all the FamilyLife's podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network

You joined a family hoping to love your stepkids well. But what if they don&rsquo;t exactly love you back? Cheryl Shumake, author of Waiting to Be Wanted, gets painfully practical about how to be a good stepparent without auditioning for acceptance&mdash;and maybe when those kids don't love you back. How do you stop competing for your place, love without keeping score, and know what&rsquo;s actually yours to do when the blended-family dream gets decidedly less dreamy?
Show Notes and Resources
<ul>
<li>
<a href="weekendtoremember.com">Weekend to Remember marriage getaway</a>.
</li>
<li>Get Cheryl Shumake&rsquo;s book, Waiting to Be Wanted: A Stepmom&rsquo;s Guide to Loving Before Being Loved. Find resources and audio from <a href="https://www.familylife.com/podcast/familylife-today/cheryl-shumake-waiting-to-be-wanted/">this podcast episode</a> at familylifetoday.com</li>
<li>Learn more about <a href="stepmomsanity.com">Cheryl Shumake and Stepmom Sanity</a>.</li>
<li>Leave <a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/familylifetoday">FamilyLife Today a voice message</a></li>
<li><a href="familylifetoday.com">FamilyLife Today</a>.</li>
</ul>
<hr>
<ul>
<li>Thanks to the Christian Standard Bible for sponsoring this episode. Learn more at <a href="https://CSBible.com">CSBible.com</a>.</li>
<li>Follow us on all social platforms: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/familylifeministry">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/familylife.today/">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSzse1nmlqbLhDx5FpGVDgLmxy1rmQBau">YouTube</a></li>
<li>Find resources from our podcast at <a href="https://shop.familylife.com/product-category/radio-resources/">shop.familylife.com</a>.</li>
<li>Download <a href="https://www.familylife.com/app/">FamilyLife's app</a>!</li>
<li>Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/familylife-today/id212174303">Apple Podcast</a> or <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm?si=d6dfa8d2415f4750">Spotify</a>.</li>
<li>Check out all the FamilyLife's podcasts on the <a href="https://www.familylife.com/familylife-podcast-network/">FamilyLife Podcast Network</a></li>
</ul>

On FamilyLife Today with hosts Dave and Ann Wilson, Cheryl Shumake gets real about how to be a good stepparent without auditioning for acceptance.

How to Be a Good Stepparent: Love Without Keeping Score--Cheryl Shumake

https://familylifetodaypdfs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/fl2026-09-10.pdf

https://familylifetodaypdfs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/docs/fl2026-09-10.docx

Your marriage ended. But your anger, betrayal, and hurt didn’t get the memo. Cheryl Shumake joins Dave and Ann Wilson to talk honestly about forgiveness after divorce—what it means, what it doesn’t, and why refusing to release the debt can keep old wounds alive. Is forgiveness possible when what happened was genuinely wrong? And how do you move forward without pretending the wreckage never happened?

Show Notes and Resources


Weekend to Remember marriage getaway.
Get Cheryl Shumake’s book, Waiting to Be Wanted: A Stepmom’s Guide to Loving Before Being Loved. Find resources and audio from this podcast episode at familylifetoday.com
Learn more about Cheryl Shumake and Stepmom Sanity.
Leave FamilyLife Today a voice message
FamilyLife Today.
Thanks to the Christian Standard Bible for sponsoring this episode. Learn more at CSBible.com.
Follow us on all social platforms: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
Find resources from our podcast at shop.familylife.com.
Download FamilyLife's app!
Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify.
Check out all the FamilyLife's podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network

Your marriage ended. But your anger, betrayal, and hurt didn&rsquo;t get the memo. Cheryl Shumake joins Dave and Ann Wilson to talk honestly about forgiveness after divorce&mdash;what it means, what it doesn&rsquo;t, and why refusing to release the debt can keep old wounds alive. Is forgiveness possible when what happened was genuinely wrong? And how do you move forward without pretending the wreckage never happened?
Show Notes and Resources
<ul>
<li>
<a href="weekendtoremember.com">Weekend to Remember marriage getaway</a>.
</li>
<li>Get Cheryl Shumake&rsquo;s book, Waiting to Be Wanted: A Stepmom&rsquo;s Guide to Loving Before Being Loved. Find resources and audio from <a href="https://www.familylife.com/podcast/familylife-today/cheryl-shumake-waiting-to-be-wanted/">this podcast episode</a> at familylifetoday.com</li>
<li>Learn more about <a href="stepmomsanity.com">Cheryl Shumake and Stepmom Sanity</a>.</li>
<li>Leave <a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/familylifetoday">FamilyLife Today a voice message</a></li>
<li><a href="familylifetoday.com">FamilyLife Today</a>.</li>
</ul>
<hr>
<ul>
<li>Thanks to the Christian Standard Bible for sponsoring this episode. Learn more at <a href="https://CSBible.com">CSBible.com</a>.</li>
<li>Follow us on all social platforms: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/familylifeministry">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/familylife.today/">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSzse1nmlqbLhDx5FpGVDgLmxy1rmQBau">YouTube</a></li>
<li>Find resources from our podcast at <a href="https://shop.familylife.com/product-category/radio-resources/">shop.familylife.com</a>.</li>
<li>Download <a href="https://www.familylife.com/app/">FamilyLife's app</a>!</li>
<li>Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/familylife-today/id212174303">Apple Podcast</a> or <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm?si=d6dfa8d2415f4750">Spotify</a>.</li>
<li>Check out all the FamilyLife's podcasts on the <a href="https://www.familylife.com/familylife-podcast-network/">FamilyLife Podcast Network</a></li>
</ul>

With Dave and Ann Wilson on FamilyLife Today, author Cheryl Shumake explores betrayal, bitterness, and moving forward after divorce—and what forgiveness actually looks like.

But They Don't Deserve It

https://familylifetodaypdfs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/fl2026-09-09.pdf

https://familylifetodaypdfs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/docs/fl2026-09-09.docx

Got questions about Christianity you’re almost afraid to say out loud? Doubting your faith can feel especially lonely when everyone at church seems so stinkin' certain. Brant Hansen, author of Blessed Are the Misfits, joins Dave and Ann Wilson for an unpolished conversation about skepticism, introverts, uncomfortable questions, and belonging when you don’t fit the Christian mold. Because stuffing your doubts isn’t exactly making them disappear.

Show Notes and Resources


Connect with Brant on Instagram.
Connect with Brant on Facebook.
Learn more about Brant on his website.
Listen to Brant and Sherri’s podcast, The Brant and Sherri Oddcast.
Get Brant’s book, Blessed Are the Misfits.
Thanks to the Christian Standard Bible for sponsoring this episode. Learn more at CSBible.com.
Follow us on all social platforms: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
Find resources from our podcast at shop.familylife.com.
Download FamilyLife's app!

Got questions about Christianity you&rsquo;re almost afraid to say out loud? Doubting your faith can feel especially lonely when everyone at church seems so stinkin' certain. Brant Hansen, author of Blessed Are the Misfits, joins Dave and Ann Wilson for an unpolished conversation about skepticism, introverts, uncomfortable questions, and belonging when you don&rsquo;t fit the Christian mold. Because stuffing your doubts isn&rsquo;t exactly making them disappear.
Show Notes and Resources
<ul>
<li>
Connect with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/branthansen/">Brant on Instagram</a>.
</li>
<li>Connect with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/branthansenpage">Brant on Facebook</a>.</li>
<li>Learn more about <a href="https://branthansen.com/">Brant on his website</a>.</li>
<li>Listen to Brant and Sherri&rsquo;s podcast, <a href="https://branthansen.com/">The Brant and Sherri Oddcast</a>.</li>
<li>Get <a href="https://shop.familylife.com/product-creator/brant-hansen/">Brant&rsquo;s book, Blessed Are the Misfits</a>.</li>
</ul>
<hr>
<ul>
<li>Thanks to the Christian Standard Bible for sponsoring this episode. Learn more at <a href="https://CSBible.com">CSBible.com</a>.</li>
<li>Follow us on all social platforms: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/familylifeministry">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/familylife.today/">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSzse1nmlqbLhDx5FpGVDgLmxy1rmQBau">YouTube</a></li>
<li>Find resources from our podcast at <a href="https://shop.familylife.com/product-category/radio-resources/">shop.familylife.com</a>.</li>
<li>Download <a href="https://www.familylife.com/app/">FamilyLife's app</a>!</li>
</ul>

On FamilyLife Today, hosts Dave and Ann Wilson talk with Brant Hansen about doubting your faith, asking hard questions, and whether you still belong.

Who Comes First In a Blended Marriage? Ron Deal & Gayla Grace

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