FamilyLife Today®

Blended family expert Ron Deal tackles the delicate topic of sexual intimacy. As Deal explains, to be intimate with someone is to know them at a deep level. But what does a person do with their sexual past, especially as they enter into a new marriage? Deal answers those questions and more.

Their marriage was strong. Until it wasn't. Christian singer Plumb (Tiffany Lee) and her husband, Jeremy, recall the dark years of their marriage. Together they tell how God got their full attention and started slowly drawing them back together. They fondly look back on the day they decided to choose hope and remarry in a surprise wedding.

Sometimes life blindsides you. That's what Christian recording artist Plumb (Tiffany Lee) felt when her husband, Jeremy, told her he wanted out of the marriage. Holding fast to the Word, Tiffany tells how she gave her sinking marriage over to God, trusting Him for the outcome. Jeremy joins her in the studio.

Her life seemed to fall in place easily, as did her music career. It wasn't until she was married with children that life took a downhill turn. Christian recording artist, Plumb (Tiffany Lee), and her husband Jeremy, fondly remember the ski trip that brought them together, and the challenges that hit them hard 11 years into marriage.

Everyone has a context. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is no exception. Jemar Tisby, author of "The Color of Compromise," and Bob Lepine have a candid conversation about how the Lord prepared Dr. King through his childhood, his family, and his education, to be the right person at the right time to be the figurehead for the Civil Rights movement in the 1960's.

Tim Muehlhoff, a professor of communication at Biola, talks about the reality of spiritual warfare in marriage. Muehlhoff reminds believers that the enemy of our souls is still alive and well and would love to see your marriage fail. He explains where a couple might see evil’s influence and how a couple can fight back with faith.

Tim Muehlhoff, author of “Defending Your Marriage,” exposes the real enemy of your marriage--Satan. Muehlhoff reminds couples that their marriage is taking place on a spiritual battlefield, and evil forces have husbands and wives in their crosshairs. Couples need to put on the armor of God and pray for protection for their marriages.

Every couple will have conflict. But it's how they handle that conflict that makes all the difference. Author Jim Burns explains that fear is often hiding behind our defensiveness. He feared that his wife wouldn't like him, for example, and his wife, Kathy, often feared Jim would leave her. But once you realize your fears, you can face them and handle conflict better. In some cases, a couple might have to agree to disagree, and that's okay.

The best thing a couple can do for their marriage is to pray together every day. The second best: laugh. Author and counselor Jim Burns encourages any couple who wants to win in marriage to laugh a lot. Burns realized the fun had slipped from his own marriage when his daughter came home one day and said the couple she had been babysitting had told her that her parents used to be so fun and funny. She wondered why they were so different now. Burns tells how they got their fun back by investing in their marriage.

Jim Burns, executive director of the Homeward Center at Azusa Pacific University, explains why the early years of marriage are critical. Burns looks back on his own early years of marriage and the difficulties that arose from having a high-maintenance marriage. Burns reminds couples to use wisdom by building their marriage on the Rock, not the sand. Change will happen and struggles will come, but Christ's presence can help a couple weather any storm.

Author Jonathan Edwards gives keen insight into the reality of what occurs in the life and heart of a child when a parent chooses to leave the family through divorce. Edwards tells what his relationship was like with his dad as he was growing up, and talks about the attempts he made to emotionally connect with his dad with no success. Hear where his relationship with his dad stands now, and why he chooses not to give up hope.

When Jonathan Edwards' father left, his absence left a giant hole in the hearts of his family members. Edwards shares how important it is for parents to be there for their children, and the consequences that result when they aren't, including financial hardship, loneliness, and grief. As Edwards admits, "There is a different pain that comes from being left."

Each of our children are different, but their identity in Christ and that they are made in the image of God are the same. Phillip Bethancourt tells how he and his wife intentionally shape their children's identity through the three c's: connect, create, and and compete. They try to create an environment where kids can interact with each other rather than a screen; where kids can create things for themselves with chalk, colors, and Legos; and where they compete and challenge each other to be their best. Bethancourt also shares how kids are being shaped by technology, and how their family is setting boundaries for its use.

Our sexuality is at the core of who we are. Phillip Bethancourt, author of "Christ-Centered Parenting," believes parents need to have conversations with their kids around the topic of sex and sexuality starting when they are young. The fact is, children are learning about sex from their peers, older siblings, and kids on the bus. Young children can learn the basics about their bodies, and Passport2Purity is a great way for older children to learn about the birds and the bees while parents are available to field questions. Regardless of age, parents need to keep coming back to those gospel foundations about sexuality.

Author Phillip Bethancourt explains how the gospel has a profound impact when applied to parenting. Bethancourt, a husband and father to four boys, recalls the time his 7-year-old asked him what it meant to be gay. It's time like these that parents have a prime opportunity to help their kids think biblically and to disciple them based on what the Scriptures teach. According to Bethancourt, the solution for how to equip children to face the culture is not giving them a window into the culture, but rather wisdom.