Cheryl Shumake wants to reach brown & black blended families with brown & black voices. She & Clifton Howard talk with Ron Deal about her new ministry, Sawubona, which means “I see you” & its goal to break through the barriers with culture-informed spaces

Show Notes and Resources
Watch Blended & Blessed from anywhere in the world! 
Join us on the 2026 Love Like You Mean It Cruise 
Learn more about Cheryl 
Sawubona Ministries 
Send a tax deductible gift 
Ron's upcoming events 
Blended Small Group Ministry Map 

Cheryl Shumake wants to reach brown &amp; black blended families with brown &amp; black voices. She &amp; Clifton Howard talk with Ron Deal about her new ministry, Sawubona, which means &ldquo;I see you&rdquo; &amp; its goal to break through the barriers with culture-informed spaces
Show Notes and Resources
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.blendedandblessed.com/">Watch Blended &amp; Blessed from anywhere in the world!</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://www.lovelikeyoumeanitcruise.com/">Join us on the 2026 Love Like You Mean It Cruise&nbsp;</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.stepmomsanity.com/">Learn more about Cheryl</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://www.sawubonablendedfamilies.org/">Sawubona Ministries</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://donate.familylife.com/blended/?cru_source=D000BLENDG&amp;cru_medium=DesktopHeaderNav&amp;cru_campaign=Blended">Send a tax deductible gift</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://smartstepfamilies.com/events/find-an-event">Ron's upcoming events</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://www.familylife.com/familylifeblended/find-an-event/#blendedmapMWB">Blended Small Group Ministry Map</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

Cheryl Shumake wants to reach brown & black blended families with brown & black voices. She & Clifton Howard talk with Ron Deal about her new ministry, Sawubona, which means “I see you” & its goal to break through the barriers with culture-informed spaces

157 "I see you": Creating Community for Brown & Black Blended Families

https://fl-podcasts.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/FLBP/pdf/FLBp2025-06-30_S07_E167.pdf

https://fl-podcasts.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/FLBP/docs/FLBp20250630_S07_E167.docx

Divorce and the death of a spouse naturally bring grief. But we don't always recognize the grief our kids also carry after walking through hard circumstances. Ron Deal talks with Stanley & Mryna Brown on how they navigated grief when they married. Stanley had lost his first wife to cancer, later remarried briefly, then divorced. Myrna had also been through a divorce and was a single mom for ten years before marrying Stanley. They both had two children who struggled with their own grief and loss. Through counseling, Stanley and Myrna began to understand more about their children’s grief and how to help them work through the unique grief each of them carried, allowing relationship building within the family to more easily develop.

Show Notes and Resources
Watch Myrna's encouraging videos for your family! 
Watch the Griffies' story 
Learn about the Summit on Stepfamily Ministry 
Shop for books like In Their Shoes and The Smart Stepfamily 
Donate to FamilyLife Blended 

Divorce and the death of a spouse naturally bring grief. But we don't always recognize the grief our kids also carry after walking through hard circumstances. Ron Deal talks with Stanley &amp; Mryna Brown on how they navigated grief when they married. Stanley had lost his first wife to cancer, later remarried briefly, then divorced. Myrna had also been through a divorce and was a single mom for ten years before marrying Stanley. They both had two children who struggled with their own grief and loss. Through counseling, Stanley and Myrna began to understand more about their children&rsquo;s grief and how to help them work through the unique grief each of them carried, allowing relationship building within the family to more easily develop.
Show Notes and Resources
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoZ3uqAYX8EHb_Pgd54EKnyjjsVEyeX24">Watch Myrna's encouraging videos for your family!&nbsp;</a></li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/hOZ2KRVilcc?si=CYPkaYKAiv41nKE6">Watch the Griffies' story</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://www.summitonstepfamilies.com/">Learn about the Summit on Stepfamily Ministry</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://shop.familylife.com/?s=Blended+%2526+Blessed&amp;post_type=product">Shop for books like In Their Shoes and The Smart Stepfamily</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://donate.familylife.com/blended/?cru_source=D000BLENDG&amp;cru_medium=DesktopHeaderNav&amp;cru_campaign=Blended">Donate to FamilyLife Blended</a>&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Divorce and the death of a spouse bring grief. But we don't always recognize the grief our kids carry. Ron Deal talks with Stanley and Mryna Brown about how they navigated their own grief when they married and later, learned how to help their kids also.

167: Unrecognized Loss, Unexpressed Grief

https://fl-podcasts.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/FLBP/pdf/FLBp2025-06-16_S07_E166.pdf

https://fl-podcasts.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/FLBP/docs/FLBp20250616_S07_E166.docx

Every blended family navigates common stages on their way to finding familyness. It's not uncommon to experience the questioning stage, where you begin to doubt if you've made the right decision about your newly blended family, and you take a detour or two as you navigate your circumstances. Or perhaps you get stuck along the way as you walk through a crisis together. And what about the rewards stage? Wondering if you’ll ever get to that one? 

Gayla Grace shares the six stages of stepfamily development, how to navigate each stage well, and what it takes to build loving, connected relationships along the way. 

Show Notes and Resources
Join us on the Love Like You Mean It Cruise! 
Watch Women and Blended Families 
Get details for The Summit on Stepfamily Ministry 
Learn more about Gayla 

Every blended family navigates common stages on their way to finding familyness. It's not uncommon to experience the questioning stage, where you begin to doubt if you've made the right decision about your newly blended family, and you take a detour or two as you navigate your circumstances. Or perhaps you get stuck along the way as you walk through a crisis together. And what about the rewards stage? Wondering if you&rsquo;ll ever get to that one? Gayla Grace shares the six stages of stepfamily development, how to navigate each stage well, and what it takes to build loving, connected relationships along the way. 
Show Notes and Resources
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.lovelikeyoumeanitcruise.com/">Join us on the Love Like You Mean It Cruise!</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@FamilyLifeBlended/streams">Watch Women and Blended Families</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://www.summitonstepfamilies.com/">Get details for The Summit on Stepfamily Ministry</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://gaylagrace.com/">Learn more about Gayla</a>&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Every blended family navigates common stages on their way to finding familyness. But some get stuck along the way. Others experience a detour or two. Gayla Grace shares the six stages of stepfamily development and tips on how to navigate them well.

166: The Six Stages on Your Stepfamily Journey

https://fl-podcasts.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/FLBP/pdf/FLBp2025-06-02_S07_E165.pdf

Good co-parenting with a former spouse helps kids navigate life in two homes with greater ease. Ron Deal's conversation with Jay and Tammy Daughtry teaches us how to be parental partners, not angry associates, as we compartmentalize the pain from divorce and manage co-parenting through a businesslike relationship. They emphasized the importance of congenial handoffs during the parental exchange, biological time spent with biological parents/kids, recognizing unrealistic expectations of former spouse relationships, reframing sensitive days on the calendar to minimize emotional landmines, and understanding two dynamics often at play:

Bio fog—when a deep connection between biological parents and kids creates fog with the parent, who then often tolerates misbehavior.

Step vision—when an objective stepparent quickly identifies shortfalls in stepchildren and often communicates them harshly.

Show Notes and Resources
Learn about the Summit on Stepfamily Ministry 
Find a qualified counselor 
Check out Jay & Tammy's resources 
Send a tax deductible gift 

Good co-parenting with a former spouse helps kids navigate life in two homes with greater ease. Ron Deal's conversation with Jay and Tammy Daughtry teaches us how to be parental partners, not angry associates, as we compartmentalize the pain from divorce and manage co-parenting through a businesslike relationship. They emphasized the importance of congenial handoffs during the parental exchange, biological time spent with biological parents/kids, recognizing unrealistic expectations of former spouse relationships, reframing sensitive days on the calendar to minimize emotional landmines, and understanding two dynamics often at play: Bio fog&mdash;when a deep connection between biological parents and kids creates fog with the parent, who then often tolerates misbehavior. Step vision&mdash;when an objective stepparent quickly identifies shortfalls in stepchildren and often communicates them harshly.
Show Notes and Resources
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.summitonstepfamilies.com/">Learn about the Summit on Stepfamily Ministry</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://smartstepfamilies.com/smart-help/therapy-providers">Find a qualified counselor</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://www.coparentinginternational.com/">Check out Jay &amp; Tammy's resources</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://donate.familylife.com/blended/?cru_source=D000BLENDG&amp;cru_medium=DesktopHeaderNav&amp;cru_campaign=Blended">Send a tax deductible gift</a>&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Good co-parenting with a former spouse helps our kids navigate life in two homes with greater ease. Ron Deal's conversation with Jay and Tammy Daughtry teaches us how to be parental partners, not angry associates, through a businesslike relationship.

157 "I see you": Creating Community for Brown & Black Blended Families

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