13. All Healthy Relationships Have This in Common (w/Dr. Rick)

There is now no condemnation. Which is especially good news for our closest relationships.

In this conversation, John Ortberg is joined by longtime friend and clinical psychologist Rick Blackmon to explore how condemnation quietly shows up in marriages, families, and friendships—and what actually helps break its grip.

Drawing from relationship research, clinical practice, and lived experience, they talk about why “constructive criticism” often backfires, how negativity ratios shape relational health, and the Four Horsemen that predict breakdown (with stonewalling doing more damage than we realize). Along the way, they offer practical wisdom for telling the truth without being harsh, starting hard conversations gently, and learning to calm the soul when emotions run hot.

This is an honest, hope-filled conversation about becoming people who can face conflict without crushing one another—and learning to live, even in our relationships, from a place where grace has the final word.

Today's Resources:
John Gottman, Why Marriages Succeed or Fail

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Music Credits:
Believe Me by Glass Echoes - MB01UU8HNMQ8GT0
Frost on My Window by Coldbrew - MB01IZWASF1DYPO