FamilyLife Today®

You hope to be grandparenting teens for an impact that lasts. But does it look like what you'd think? Authors Mark Gregston and Larry Fowler weigh in on pursuing your grandkids in tough years—in ways that work. I don't share my opinion unless I'm asked. I think that's the role that, as Larry said, a lot of grandparents get in. It's like, “I've just got to share my opinion.” They don't want your opinion. What they want is perspective. They want to know, “How do you see this and see it differently in light of what they've been taught, applying it to a world that is out of control in one sense?”-- Mark Gregston Show Notes and Resources Check out Mark Gregson at parentingtodaysteens.org Learn more about the Legacy Coalition Grandparenting Summit at legacycoalition.com/summit/ Purchase Mark's book on FamilyLife's shop: Grandparenting Teens: Leaving a Legacy of Hope More from Larry Fowler on FamilyLife Today 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 podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network

Grandparenting teenagers? Then you likely know the stakes are high—and you can't afford to phone this one in. Authors Mark Gregston and Larry Fowler help you engage in ways that matter and make an impact that keeps echoing. One thing is you have to stop parenting. You have to realize your role as a grandparent is different. You're not the parent. You're still the parent of your adult kids, but you don't parent anymore unless you're invited. -- Larry Fowler Show Notes and Resources Check out Mark Gregson at parentingtodaysteens.org Learn more about the Legacy Coalition Grandparenting Summit at legacycoalition.com/summit/ Purchase Mark's book on FamilyLife's shop: Grandparenting Teens: Leaving a Legacy of Hope More from Larry Fowler on FamilyLife Today 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 podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network

Being a stepfather can feel like bathing cats with your hair on fire—but your thoughtful navigation of the dynamics in your home can make a difference that lasts for decades. Author Gil Stuart offers tips on stepfathering thoughtfully, and shaping the kind of family you all long for. We are the one with the influence. Are we going to use it for good or for evil? I mean, when you think about what the Scripture says: “The power of the tongue is for life or for death.” So, what are we saying? Is it going to bring life, or is it going to bring death to the stepfamily environment? What a place for a hero to step up! - Gil Stuart Show Notes and Resources The Summit on StepFamily Ministry; Find out how you and your church can minister to blended families at summitonstepfamilies.com Listen to the full episode here: Unsung Heroes Discover more resources on our shop 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 podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network

Stepdad: It can be a role full of landmines--and at the same time, a role vital and unsung. Author Gil Stuart offers ideas to do it wholeheartedly and all-in within the complexities of your blended family. Reverse betrayal is the aspect that I have a loyalty to my own children, who I don't get to see as much because of the parenting plan, and in that time, I'm actually connecting with my stepchildren. I'm actually starting to like them, and they're starting to bond with me. In so doing, I actually feel like I'm betraying my own children. -- Gil Stuart Show Notes and Resources The Summit on StepFamily Ministry; Find out how you and your church can minister to blended families at summitonstepfamilies.com Listen to the full episode here: Unsung Heroes Discover more resources on our shop 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 podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network

If you're starting to talk to your kids about God's design for marriage when they're preteens or teens—you might be too late. Author and pastor Sam Allberry knows parents need key discussions with kids about the ways God's ideas for marriage get it right—and he's authored a children's book to generate the conversations you need. If marriage points to Christ and the church, then maybe anniversaries are more significant than weddings. Because anyone can make a promise, but not everyone keeps a promise. And it's the keeping of the promise that really points to the faithfulness of Christ to His people. -- Sam Allberry Show Notes and Resources Connect with Sam Allberry at samallberry.com or on Instagram @samallberry Revitalize your marriage: 50% off Weekend to Remember Getaways, Sep 4-18! Strengthen bonds, create lasting memories. Learn more at weekendtoremember.com Buy Sam's book , God’s Signpost: How Marriage Points Us to God’s Love Discover more resources by Sam Allberry Intrigued by today's episode? Hear another episode of Sam Allberry on FamilyLife Today, asking the question, Is God Anti-Gay? 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 podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network

In the wake of porn addiction, where you do turn? How do you rebuild trust after such intimate, searing betrayal? Authors Bob and Dannah Gresh share the pervasive realities of their own heartache—and their own rocky path toward healing. Scripture warns us not to trust in other people. We're only supposed to trust in the Name of the Lord our God. That's who we trust. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him.” What this is saying is that I can trust God with what's happening in my marriage, even when I can't trust Bob. So, I'm going to put all my trust in God. -- Dannah Gresh Show Notes and Resources Connect with Bob and Dannah Gresh at dannahgresh.com/ or on Instagram @dannah_gresh Buy Dannah's book Happily Even After on our shop Listen to Bob and Dannah's podcast, "Happily Even After", where they talk through the redemption and healing from addiction that they've experienced in their marriage. Interested in connecting with a Christian counselor regarding an addiction. Use this resource to get started Revitalize your marriage: 50% off Weekend to Remember Getaways, Sep 4-18! Strengthen bonds, create lasting memories. Learn more at weekendtoremember.com Intrigued by today's episode? Think deeper how to recover from addiction and move towards a healthier marriage on this FamilyLife Today 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 podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network

Bob and Dannah Gresh's marriage has traveled dark roads of addiction. But they decided to participate in God's redemption story. Together, they discovered something better than romance: a love that endures, and happily even after. It’s so much easier to pretend everything is okay and to just keep going through the motions. That’s not okay. What that is, is us avoiding pain. Pain is not a problem. It is a gift from God. When you feel the pain, that’s God’s friendly messenger saying, “There’s something that together we can fix if you’re willing to be brave enough and feel the pain.” --Dannah Gresh Show Notes and Resources Connect with Bob and Dannah Gresh at dannahgresh.com/ or on Instagram @dannah_gresh Buy Dannah's book Happily Even After on our shop Listen to Bob and Dannah's podcast, "Happily Even After", where they talk through the redemption and healing from addiction that they've experienced in their marriage. Interested in connecting with a Christian counselor regarding an addiction. Use this resource to get started Revitalize your marriage: 50% off Weekend to Remember Getaways, Sep 4-18! Strengthen bonds, create lasting memories. Learn more at weekendtoremember.com Intrigued by today's episode? Think deeper how to recover from addiction and move towards a healthier marriage on this FamilyLife Today 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 podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network

Want quality, long-lasting relationships with your kids? Bryan Carter, author of Made to Last, and his wife Stephanie share doable ideas for feeding spiritual growth and unshakable family ties. “How do we raise our daughter? How do we raise our children well? How are they gifted? How are they wired?” So part of us discovering this strong-willed nature was figuring out how valuable it is, how the leadership gifts were there, how this would turn out later in life. So we had to figure out, “How do we cultivate each of these personalities in such a way that they feel loved, they feel valued?” Show Notes and Resources Connect with Bryan and Stephanie Carter and find out more about Bryan's story at http://www.bryancarter.org/landing or on Instagram at @mrbryanlcarter and @mrsstephcarter Revitalize your marriage: 50% off Weekend to Remember Getaways, Sep 4-18! Strengthen bonds, create lasting memories. Learn more at weekendtoremember.com Check out the Fearless Moms podcast mentioned in this episode Intrigued by today's episode? Think deeper on building resilient marriages, overcoming challenges, and faith-based relationship advice on this FamilyLife Today 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 podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network

You've found the success you were shooting for. Why does it feel so…disappointing? Bryan Carter, author of Made to Last, is joined by his wife Stephanie as they share their own story of success, emptiness, and seeking true significance. Now, every year, we set goals for our family. Where do we want our family—our marriage and family—to go for the year? So, we set goals as a couple; as parents; financially; the house, kind of what we’re trying to do around the house; spiritually. So, we’re looking at our lives probably through the lens of about six key categories. And we’re saying, “Okay, what does God want to do in our family this year?” Show Notes and Resources Connect with Bryan and Stephanie Carter on Instagram at @mrbryanlcarter and @mrsstephcarter Get Bryan's book Made to Last at his website: bryancarter.org Revitalize your marriage: 50% off Weekend to Remember Getaways, Sep 4-18! Strengthen bonds, create lasting memories. Learn more at weekendtoremember.com Check out the Fearless Moms podcast mentioned in this episode Intrigued by today's episode? Think deeper on building resilient marriages, overcoming challenges, and faith-based relationship advice on this FamilyLife Today 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 podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network

Long-lasting relationships don't happen by accident. Bryan Carter, author of Made to Last, is joined by his wife Stephanie as they share their own story—and how it's helped them build a stronger forever. Show Notes and Resources Connect with Bryan and Stephanie Carter and find their book at http://www.bryancarter.org/ or on Instagram at @mrbryanlcarter and @mrsstephcarter Revitalize your marriage: 50% off Weekend to Remember Getaways, Sep 4-18! Strengthen bonds, create lasting memories. Learn more at weekendtoremember.com Check out the Fearless Moms podcast mentioned in this episode Intrigued by today's episode? Think deeper on building resilient marriages, overcoming challenges, and faith-based relationship advice on this FamilyLife Today 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 podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network

Authors Howard and Danielle Taylor intentionally invested in each other, founded a marriage ministry—and then tragedy dealt a gut-wrenching blow. They reveal how their marriage survived, and how a relationship can pull through the worst of times. The secret to me in a long marriage for us is not that you’re perfect, but you become professional forgivers. The longest marriage you have, they’ve forgiven more than a short marriage, for sure, right? Everybody needs space for grace. -- Howard Taylor Show Notes and Resources Connect with Howard and Danielle Taylor and find out more about Marriage on Deck at marriageondeck.com Order their book: The Fundamentals of Marriage here: marriageondeck.com/store Revitalize your marriage: 50% off Weekend to Remember Getaways, Sep 4-18! Strengthen bonds and create lasting memories. Learn more at weekendtoremember.com 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 podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network

Authors Howard and Danielle Taylor didn't start out thinking they'd run a marriage ministry. They just longed for an intentional, intimate relationship that would go the distance. Hear how their own challenges galvanized a purposeful, more weatherproof marriage. I definitely think that you have to speak up. You have to speak up. I don’t want to sound cliche that a closed mouth doesn’t get fed, but it’s causing the marriage to implode, it causes your spirit to implode. Nobody has to know anything but you owe it to yourself and if any children if you have any, to your family that’s watching you, they need you to stay together. They need you guys to figure it out. So I think that it’s important to first bring in Christ and pray about it -- Danielle Taylor Show Notes and Resources Connect with Howard and Danielle Taylor and find out more about Marriage on Deck at marriageondeck.com Revitalize your marriage: 50% off Weekend to Remember Getaways, Sep 4-18! Strengthen bonds and create lasting memories. Learn more at weekendtoremember.com 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 podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network

Your negative self-talk: It's sabotaging your marriage—and you may not know how deeply. Author Ted Lowe gets real about identifying and confronting the dark side within. "I cannot tell you the number of times, standing on the sideline with the Detroit Lions at a NFL game over 33 seasons, that we get in the fourth quarter, it’s a close game, and I would have this thought: 'Our team does not believe when the game’s on the line we have what it takes to win. That’s the difference between winners and losers, is you don’t believe it, and your self-prophecy comes true.' And we don’t. Again, I’m not saying that’s the only reason we lost so many games, but I remember in 1991 when we went almost—one game from the Super Bowl, you could feel the opposite. It was like, “We believe!” I really believe that teams that win believe it before they actually do it, and I think it applies to marriage. " -- Dave Wilson Show Notes and Resources Connect with Ted Lowe at tedlowe.com Revitalize your marriage: 50% off Weekend to Remember Getaways, Sep 4-18! Strengthen bonds, create lasting memories Learn more at weekendtoremember.com Intrigued by today's episode? Go deeper into how to care well for your spouse and their emotions with FamilyLife Today episode, When Anxiety Hits Your Marriage with Dr. Ed Welch 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 podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network

Could the way you're thinking about your spouse be shaping your marriage in ways you've never imagined? Author Ted Lowe helps revolutionize your marriage…starting with your mind. The only common denominator in couples that reported the highest level of marital satisfaction—they were basically given a spousal report card and told, “Rank your spouse,” in categories like generosity, kindness, and loyalty; and the ones that were happiest were the ones who ranked their spouse highest in every category than their spouse had ranked themselves. So, I think it’s made up of, you know, “If you could only see you like I see you!” -- Ted Lowe Show Notes and Resources Connect with Ted Lowe at tedlowe.com Revitalize your marriage: 50% off Weekend to Remember Getaways, Sep 4-18! Strengthen bonds, create lasting memories Learn more at weekendtoremember.com Intrigued by today's episode? Go deeper into how to care well for your spouse and their emotions with FamilyLife Today episode, When Anxiety Hits Your Marriage with Dr. Ed Welch 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 podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network

Your spouse is emotional. What should you do? What should you say? What if you don't agree? Author Ted Lowe knows changing how you think and respond in moments like this could change your marriage—and he's got ways to do it. I thought the empathy was just about being with someone during the tough stuff, but it's also being there with them during the fun stuff. It's, rejoice with those who rejoice and cry with those who cry. And one study said how you celebrate with your spouse is more predictive of a strong relationship than how you fight. -- Ted Lowe Show Notes and Resources Connect with Ted Lowe at tedlowe.com Revitalize your marriage: 50% off Weekend to Remember Getaways, Sep 4-18! Strengthen bonds, create lasting memories Learn more at weekendtoremember.com Intrigued by today's episode? Go deeper into how to care well for your spouse and their emotions with FamilyLife Today episode, When Anxiety Hits Your Marriage with Dr. Ed Welch 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 podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network

Friendship hasn't always been this hard. Author Drew Hunter looks at historical friendships, and some of the ways we get it wrong. Just thinking about the marks of friendship and what real friendship is, just apply that directly to marriage. And so think, “Have I been expressing affection? Do I let Christina know that I love her, and do I show that with my words, my actions, how I care for her? Does she know in her bones that I love her?” -- Drew Hunter Show Notes and Resources Connect with Drew Hunter and read his article "7 Tips on being a good friend" and listen to the "4 steps on cultivating true friendship". And grab his book, "Made for Friendship" in our shop. Intrigued by today's episode? Think deeper about friendship in these episodes with Kelly Needham. 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 podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network

Isn't friendship kind of…optional? Author Drew Hunter proposes a solution to the nationwide epidemic of loneliness. He digs into the scriptural plea for authentic friendship, and how, exactly, to make friendships you can't live without. We are in some ways the most connected generation ever—social media and the internet, and ways of connecting over text messages and phone calls. I mean, never have people been able to connect this quickly with this many people, and yet we are the most disconnected generation as well. -- Drew Hunter Show Notes and Resources Connect with Drew Hunter and read his article "7 Tips on being a good friend" and listen to the "4 steps on cultivating true friendship". And grab his book, "Made for Friendship" in our shop. Intrigued by today's episode? Think deeper about friendship in these episodes with Kelly Needham. 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 podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network

“Will my kids leave the faith?” It's a legitimate concern. Drs. Sean McDowell and John Marriott reveal why kids leave Christianity, what happens in deconstruction, and how parents can both prevent and respond to faith crises. Christianity to a young person isn’t this historic 2000-year-old faith that is diverse and believed all around the world. It’s basically the few people who are living it out in front of me, whether that’s Christians they know at their church, whether it’s their parents, or maybe some other public figures that they see. So if they look at these Christians and don’t think their life is captivating and compelling and backing up what they say, a certain urgency with the gospel, then why on earth would they believe it? -- John Marriott Show Notes and Resources Connect with Sean McDowell at seanmcdowell.org and listen to other programs from him on FamilyLife Today. Find more on John Marriott at johnmarriott.org. And grab their book, "Set Adrift" in our shop Listen to other podcasts by John Marriott 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 podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network

Can deconstructing faith be healthy? Authors Sean McDowell and John Marriott explore the realities of deconstruction—and the need for each of us to wrestle with doubts, questions, and incongruities toward robust faith. Can I prove to you 100 percent that Jesus rose from the dead? Nope. I can’t and neither can anybody else. Do I think that there is good reason to think that He rose from the dead? I do. Do I think that there are counterarguments? I think that there are, but I find the reasons more persuasive than the counter arguments, and so I choose, based on that, to entrust myself to Jesus every day and try and walk out my life as submitting to His Lordship. -- John Marriott Show Notes and Resources Connect with Sean McDowell at seanmcdowell.org and listen to other programs from him on FamilyLife Today. Find more on John Marriott at johnmarriott.org. And grab their book, "Set Adrift" in our shop Listen to other podcasts by John Marriott 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 podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network

Identity, belonging: They're burning questions in any teen. How can you feed these in your teen, so their transitions between vastly different stepfamily homes mean they grow stronger, more resilient, and grounded in Jesus Christ? Author Kara Powell discusses the needs of teens in stepfamilies with Gayla Grace and Ron Deal. There’s 50 different answers, at least, that we could glean from Scripture about who God says we are. But one that we think is really important for young people to know today is that Jesus makes them enough. In the midst of trying to satisfy all these expectations and feeling like they don’t cross that bar—the single word “enough”—that Jesus makes you enough. In fact, Jesus makes you more than enough. -- Kara Powell Show Notes and Resources Sign up for the StepFamily Summit and secure your spot today! Connect with Gayla Grace and catch more of her ideas at stepparentingwithgrace.com Connect more with Kara Powell at karapowell.com Listen to the full episode with Kara Powell and Gayla Grace. Discover more resources 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 podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network