Blended & Blessed

Inés has given us a gift in Blended and Blessed. This book is refreshingly vulnerable, transparent, honest, faith-filled, and practical. It is for real people living real lives in real families. By applying one of the most important teachings of Jesus to family dynamics and relationships, Inés shows us that redemption and flourishing are possible for every family.

Inés has thoughtfully crafted a book that is more like a heart song for blended families who wish to integrate their faith into their healing and bonding process. Inés offers her own personal insights, latest research, and practical tools that have the potential to truly transform a blended family’s culture. Inés’ application of the Beatitudes speaks to the humility, vulnerability, and patience required in learning to love new family members well. I can’t recommend this book enough as it touched me personally with my own journey of blending a family, and I pray this book becomes a Bible study for blended families in the church across our nation and beyond.

Insightful, yet easy to read, this resource points blended family couples and practitioners in the direction of growth and health. Encouraging and inspiring, this book will inform your journey and root it in eternal wisdom that illuminates the stepfamily experience.

Solomon observed that “there is no end to the making of many books” (Ecclesiastes 12:12), and there are often far more books written on a topic than the wisdom represented in their many pages. But this book is different. First, it is on a topic hardly considered in the evangelical world, although it touches so many lives in churches. Second, it offers a perspective aimed at helping rather than condemning, building rather than destroying. All of us have been impacted by the reality of blended families today. But not all of us receive biblical and helpful wisdom. In this book, Inés Franklin offers hope from the words of Jesus Christ, with honest reflection from her family’s journey. Countless people will be helped by this book!

You are either part of a blended family or you know several, with their unique makeup, struggles, and accomplishments. Being part of a blended family can be overwhelming and very, very complicated. Inés Franklin’s book, as a member of a blended family, provides clarity, hope, and practical tools. It’s based on principles from Jesus’ Beatitudes, informed by research, and presented from her own vulnerable story. You’ll be touched and encouraged by the lessons Inés has learned about establishing family peace and wholeness.

For more than seven years, I have seen Inés and her husband, Jim, graciously and consistently live the message of Blended and Blessed. Her life gives a lot of weight to her teaching—to the words in this book. And the words are so helpful and insightful. You will walk away with a beautiful vision for a blended family, practical insight from the Beatitudes, and wise and encouraging counsel. I highly recommend this book to those who are in a blended family and those who pastor, counsel, or encourage blended families.