Shows / Life Over Coffee
Life Over Coffee
Rick launched the Life Over Coffee global training network in 2008 to bring hope and help for you and others by creating resources that spark conversations for transformation. His primary responsibilities are resource creation and leadership development, which he does through speaking, writing, podcasting, and educating. In 1990 he earned a BA in Theology and, in 1991, a BS in Education. In 1993, he received his ordination into Christian ministry, and in 2000 he graduated with an MA in…
Episodes
Life Over CoffeeThe Sobering Reason It's Hard to Overcome Insecurity
It is not uncommon—actually, it is entirely typical—for individuals to struggle with fear of man, and equally common is the confusion surrounding how to come…
Life Over CoffeeThe Life Over Coffee Song
This song was created by Jonathan Holden. He and his wife are missionaries in Angola, Africa. They serve the Navigators ministry, raising leaders for Christ…
- Life Over Coffee
How to Train Your Flea: Also Called Controlling Others
Have you ever tried to train a flea? As odd as that may sound, the concept is not only real—it’s incredibly instructive. The process is simple. You place a…
- Life Over Coffee
The Danger of Trying to Please God
Obedience is not a transaction with God. It is not a lever you pull to manipulate His pleasure, nor a means of earning divine approval. Obedience flows from a…
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Captive Desires: Chapter 6—The Parenting Challenge
No godly parent wakes up thinking, “How can I lead my child toward pornography today?” And yet, it happens. Parents unintentionally train their children toward…
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Synonyms for People Pleasing, Insecurity, or the Fear of Man
What the Bible calls the fear of man goes by many names in modern parlance, often cloaked in socially acceptable language or chalked up to personality quirks…
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The Story of the Boy Who Was Controlled by Others
Several years ago, I was meeting with a teenage boy who, with striking honesty and a disarming sense of cultural awareness, looked at me and said, “Mr. Thomas…
Life Over CoffeeWhen Obedience Collides With My Emotions
When your heart is not being obedient because you “just don’t feel like doing the right thing,” you need to be obedient anyway to get your heart in the right…
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Ep. 576 Ryan Maher: The God Worth Trusting
Ryan Maher joins me to talk about one of the most pressing questions Christians face: how do you trust God when life doesn’t make sense? In this conversation…
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Memories—Forgetting Past Relationship Thoughts
Our memories can play tricks on our minds, and if we’re not careful, we can grow dissatisfied with our lives while giving too much thought to a past that was…
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Ep. 575 Shepherding Your Family in a Digital Age
Faithful shepherding in a digital age begins when parents recognize how technology both reveals and shapes the desires of the heart. Devices do not create our…
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Three Mind Maps on How to Change Your Thought Life
If your life was put in three different file drawers that represented your past, present, and future, which of the file drawers drains the most joy out of your…
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Mind Mapping Stinking Thinking- How to Change Your Mind
The noetic effect of sin means our thinking can be stinking at times. Humans, born in the image of God, fell into sin. Our fall broke the purity and clarity of…
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Ep. 574 Redeeming Physical Intimacy
Physical intimacy in marriage is not merely a physical act—it is a spiritual indicator of the health of a relationship. Because the fall introduced shame…
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Learning How to Take All Your Bad Thoughts Captive
Have you ever accused yourself of something that was not true? It’s when you gaslight yourself, telling yourself something that is false. Any false argument…
Life Over CoffeeEmotional Problems Point to a Poor Thought Life
Your emotions can be good or bad, but in either case, they accurately reflect what is happening in your thought life. If the emotions are right, the person is…
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Ep. 573 When Suffering Enters Your Marriage
Suffering does not have to destroy a marriage, but it can reveal the hearts within it. Trials expose what we trust, what we fear, and what we worship. When…
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The Problem With Head Knowledge Versus Heart Knowledge
Some phrases are so catchy that they become part of our Christian vocabulary almost without question. Over time, these sayings turn into clichés—short…
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Ep. 572 The Power of Repentance in Marriage
Most marriage problems are not communication problems. They are repentance problems. When husbands and wives learn how to practice biblical repentance…
Life Over CoffeeThoughts on How to Build with Each Other Relationally
Where do you begin when it comes to establishing and building friendships? May I suggest that you start with an uber-honesty with God? Building relationally…
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How to Love a Difficult Person Without Them Controlling You
How do you stay true to what you believe while not offending those who aren’t willing to get on board with your perspectives and practices? What if you have a…
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Ep. 571 When Marriage Becomes a Battlefield
Every couple experiences conflict, but arguments are rarely about the issue on the surface. Conflict reveals what we love, what we fear, and what we believe…
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Three Keys That Will Make Your Small Group Dynamic
Building a close network of friends inside a local church is one of the most challenging things you’ll ever do. Will you consider how you could position…
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The Revolutionary Cure for Shallow Small Group Experience
Is your small group living in-depth, transparent, intentional, reciprocating lives who have strong desires to change personally and as a group? Perhaps it’s a…
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Ep. 570 From Talk Trouble to Koinonia
When couples say they have a communication problem, they are usually looking for techniques to improve how they talk. But communication struggles begin in the…
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Which Do You Need for Your Maturity: a Bible or Mentor?
Would it be better to have a Bible or a mentor? You might think my question is a trick question, though it is not meant to be. The potential dilemma is…
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There Are Times When You Have to Get Into Conflict
Sometimes in life, you have to get into a conflict with someone. This dreaded reality is not a wish, desire, or prayer request but rather a common-sense…
Life Over CoffeeChapter 11: Marriage and Mayhem: Marriage Defined
Marriage is hard. That may not sound spiritual, but it’s certainly biblical. From the moment sin entered the garden, marriage has been both a battlefield and a…
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Budget Sin Into Your Small Group Experience
The title sounds careless and possibly scary, but before you blow a gasket, let me ask, “Have you reached sinless perfection yet?” We can pretend there is a…
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48 Case Studies 48: Bug Off, an Angry Teen
Your friends are deeply distressed about the sudden change in their teenage son’s behavior. Once known for his gentle demeanor, he is now withdrawn, frequently…
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Ep. 569 The False Choice in Trauma-Informed Care
There is a common rhetorical move in contemporary trauma-informed care conversations that sounds compassionate on the surface but is deeply reductionistic…
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48 Case Studies 47: How Do I Honor My Older Parents?
Mable and Biff have enjoyed a beautiful relationship during their seven years of marriage. They have two children, ages five and two. However, Mable is facing…
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48 Case Studies 46: Practice Parenting with Adoptive Kids
Biff and Mable adopted Biffina when she was a toddler, bringing her into their family with high hopes and good intentions. Now, years later, Mable has begun…
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Ep. 568 Jonathan Tepper- Shooting Up, A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Addiction
Show Notes: Rick Thomas interviews Jonathan Tepper, the author of Shooting Up: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Addiction, a coming-of-age memoir set in Madrid’s…
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48 Case Studies 45: No More Fun with Biff and Mable
Mable laments, “This is not what I signed up for,” reflecting her deep regret over their 11-year marriage. Their relationship has stagnated, feeling more like…
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48 Case Studies 44: Confession of an Imposter's Wife
Mable feels trapped in a marriage where her husband, Biff, has emotionally and relationally checked out. His indifference has tempted her to find self-worth…
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Ep. 567 Cynthia Scott: Celebrating God, America’s Founder
Shows Main Idea – This episode celebrates God’s sovereign hand in America’s founding by telling the often-overlooked story of Cynthia Scott—a woman whose quiet…
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48 Case Studies 43: The Addict and His Wife
Biff has battled drug addiction for the past 23 years, repeatedly promising Mable that he would quit. Each time, remorse follows his failures, but his empty…
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48 Case Studies 42: The Troubled Teen
When asked why she sought counseling, Mable explained that her teenage daughter was in rebellion. However, she was caught off guard when the counselor…
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Elizabeth Urbanowicz Helping Your Kid’s Know God’s Good Design
Shows Main Idea – In this episode, I sit down with Elizabeth Urbanowicz, founder of Foundation Worldview, to talk honestly and practically about how parents…
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48 Case Studies 41: When Your Spear Stabs You
Five years ago, Mable and Biff had a whirlwind dating relationship. They were impure, though they rationalized their behavior by marrying hastily. Friends…
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48 Case Studies 40: What About Biff?
Mable has left Biff after 24 years of marriage, citing patterns of ongoing anger, four episodes of physical abuse, mental manipulation, devaluing behavior, and…
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Ep. 565 When Biblical Counseling Replaces Parenting
Main Idea – In this episode, we’re taking an honest look at a subtle but serious drift in how biblical counseling is sometimes applied—specifically, the quiet…
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48 Case Studies 39: No Thanks for Thanksgiving
This Thanksgiving is a particularly challenging milestone for Biff—it is his first holiday without his wife and children. Earlier this year, his 17-year…
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48 Case Studies 38: The Sinning Victim
Mable recently discovered that her husband, Biff, has been living in adultery for over five years. The shocking revelation came after she found a bar receipt…
Life Over CoffeeChapter 5: Marriage or Mayhem: Reclassified Desires
Marriage is hard. That may not sound spiritual, but it’s certainly biblical. From the moment sin entered the garden, marriage has been both a battlefield and a…
- Life Over Coffee
48 Case Studies 37: I Cannot Connect with My Church
Sylvia has attended a large church in Galveston, TX, for 14 months but feels disconnected despite her efforts and consistent attendance. She has not developed…
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48 Case Studies 36: She Buried Her Son Ten Years Ago
Mable, a 59-year-old Christian woman, comes to you for counseling after enduring decades of profound suffering. Ten years ago, her second son was murdered by…
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Chapter 4: Marriage or Mayhem: A Case for Suffering
Marriage is hard. That may not sound spiritual, but it’s certainly biblical. From the moment sin entered the garden, marriage has been both a battlefield and a…
- Life Over Coffee
48 Case Studies 35: Past Sex Thoughts in Current Marriage
Biff, a newlywed and a member of your church, comes to you for counseling. His wife, Mable, comes from a family with deep roots in the local church. She grew…
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48 Case Studies 34: Mable Marries the Divorced Guy
Mable, a 25-year-old solid Christian, comes from a strong Christian family and is active in her gospel-centered church. She has recently entered a relationship…
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Chapter 3: Marriage or Mayhem: Meaning and Significance
Marriage is hard. That may not sound spiritual, but it’s certainly biblical. From the moment sin entered the garden, marriage has been both a battlefield and a…
- Life Over Coffee
48 Case Studies 33: Man, Ministry, Marriage
Biff is a popular ministry leader whose love for his work has overshadowed his responsibilities in his marriage and with his children. This dualistic life has…
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48 Case Studies 32: Counselees and the Local Church
As a Christian counselor working in a parachurch organization, we often receive referrals from local churches to counsel their members. These referrals…
Life Over CoffeeChapter 2: Marriage or Mayhem: Purposes of Marriage
Marriage is hard. That may not sound spiritual, but it’s certainly biblical. From the moment sin entered the garden, marriage has been both a battlefield and a…
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48 Case Studies 31: Bert, The Flesh Cutter
Biff’s friend, Bert, is known for being a practical joker. Bert's sense of humor is a strength that has endeared him to many, but like most strengths, it has…
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48 Case Studies 30: Present But Not Accounted For
The news of Biff and Mable’s teenage daughter’s pregnancy sent shockwaves through their local church. In response, the pastors recommended marriage counseling…
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48 Case Studies 29: Confessing Less Than They Know
Biff is seeking counseling after his wife, Mable, discovered inappropriate searches on their home computer. Initially, Biff denied any wrongdoing, claiming…
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48 Case Studies 28: High Standards Tempt Me to Lie
Mable struggles with deep insecurity masked by self-righteousness. Her desire for perfection and a craving for others’ approval distort her relationships with…
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Ep. 564 Webinar- Unforgiveness and the Gospel
Shows Main Idea – Forgiveness often seems impossible when the offense is deep, the pain is fresh, or reconciliation feels unsafe. But biblical forgiveness…