Life Over Coffee With Rick Thomas

I had a conversation with our son when he was younger, sharing with him how he would be my replacement. It was a sobering thought. One day, our son will grow up and become a practical demonstration of what I have modeled for him. The good and the bad of my life work together to bring shape to his adult life. Read, Watch, or Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-7-your-words-shape-your-childs-life/ Will you help us to continue providing free content for everyone? You can become a supporting member here https://lifeovercoffee.com/join/, or you can make a one-time or recurring donation here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/.

Shows Main Idea – Bradley Pierce is the president of the Foundation to Abolish Abortion, a constitutional attorney with nearly two decades of experience advocating for the right to life and has been instrumental in drafting legislation across more than 30 states to protect these vital rights, including numerous equal protection bills aimed at abolishing abortion. Rick had the privilege to interview Bradley his advocacy for the unborn, as well as fighting for the rights of Christians across America. Bradley is keenly aware of these vital matters and is able to break them down in a way few others can. Show Notes: https://lifeovercoffee.com/podcast/ep-540-bradley-pierce-fighting-for-the-pre-born-in-post-roe-america/ Will you help us to continue providing free content for everyone? You can become a supporting member here https://lifeovercoffee.com/join/, or you can make a one-time or recurring donation here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/.

You can only help a child if he wants help. If your child is not serious about change, your care for him will have a limited impact. Your primary parental role is waiting on the Lord as He brings your child to an end of himself. Read, Watch, or Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-6-before-you-can-help-your-child-you-must-wait/ Will you help us to continue providing free content for everyone? You can become a supporting member here https://lifeovercoffee.com/join/, or you can make a one-time or recurring donation here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/.

Jesus was clear when He said that you must follow Him if you want to walk in the light. The opposite is also accurate: if you do not follow Him, the only option is dark. Every relational construct has followers and leaders, which begs the question, who is the head of your home? Read, Watch, or Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-5-the-orientation-of-the-home/ Will you help us to continue providing free content for everyone? You can become a supporting member here https://lifeovercoffee.com/join/, or you can make a one-time or recurring donation here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/.

Christians enjoy and benefit from the gospel because of forgiveness (See Romans 10:9, 13). For example, we confessed our sins and requested forgiveness, and our kind Lord forgave us. Confession, forgiveness, and reconciliation are the stepping stones to happiness (Deuteronomy 33:29). If you want a happy home, you must imitate God at this crucial point (Ephesians 5:1). Read, Watch, or Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-3-non-negotiable-first-step-to-build-a-happy-home/ Will you help us to continue providing free content for everyone? You can become a supporting member here https://lifeovercoffee.com/join/, or you can make a one-time or recurring donation here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/.

Shows Main Idea – Parenting & Pornography is a masterclass-style video series developed by Into The Light Ministries. Its purpose is to equip parents with biblical tools to nurture children of integrity who embrace God’s design for sexuality while resisting pornography. This series is free for families and churches, offering a theologically rich, practical, and gospel-centered approach to addressing sensitive topics in a family context. Show Notes: https://lifeovercoffee.com/podcast/ep-538-jacob-valk-parenting-and-prnography-the-masterclass/ Will you help us to continue providing free content for everyone? You can become a supporting member here https://lifeovercoffee.com/join/, or you can make a one-time or recurring donation here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/.

Quality parenting, strong marriages, marital unity, biblical marriage, communication in marriage, teamwork in parenting, spiritual leadership, Christian parenting, family dynamics, relational health. The Bible is not a parenting book, which is why it gives so little parenting advice. It is a relationship book. Rather than providing you with parenting tips, it provides you with a plethora of information about how to have great relationships within any community construct, whether it’s marriages, families, churches, businesses, friends, or neighbors. Read, Watch, or Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-2-quality-parenting-comes-from-good-marriages/ Will you help us to continue providing free content for everyone? You can become a supporting member here https://lifeovercoffee.com/join/, or you can make a one-time or recurring donation here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/.

The parenting goal is to release your child into adulthood as an individual living under God’s authority for His glory. This parenting process happens in three stages: Dependent Stage—0 to 2, Interdependent Stage—2 to 22, and Independent Stage—22+. Read, Watch, or Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-1-parenting-from-zero-to-adulthood/ Will you help us to continue providing free content for everyone? You can become a supporting member here https://lifeovercoffee.com/join/, or you can make a one-time or recurring donation here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/.

Biblical parenting incrementally releases children from your rules and authority while placing them under the most influential governing dynamic known to humanity—to love God and others supremely. If your child’s heart is motivated and governed by those two truths, and you help him to embrace that kind of affection for God and neighbor, you will serve your child well. Read, Watch, or Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-4-two-rules-every-parent-must-teach-their-children/ Will you help us to continue providing free content for everyone? You can become a supporting member here https://lifeovercoffee.com/join/, or you can make a one-time or recurring donation here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/.

Marriage counseling has historically been the most common type of counseling I have done, which makes sense because the marriage relationship is unique in that there is not supposed to be an escape clause. Marriage is for life. This fact makes marriage the perfect context for relationship sharpening. There are times when counseling is essential because of the fallenness of the couple and the need for community. If your marriage is bad, you more than likely are doing some of the following things. These are some of the most oft-repeated mistakes I have seen in poor marriages. Read, Watch, or Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/ten-tips-to-kill-your-marriage/ Will you help us to continue providing free content for everyone? You can become a supporting member here https://lifeovercoffee.com/join/, or you can make a one-time or recurring donation here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/.

Some husbands and wives can have a hard time putting a broken marriage back together. Typically, expectations and disappointments create a backlog of unresolved conflict. Unforgiveness sets in, the death toll to any relationship. When a couple gets to this point, pride becomes the unscaleable wall between them. They have lost the vision of Christ and His church in their union. I’ve developed this reflective study to help a couple in this situation to tear down that seemingly insurmountable wall. Read. Watch, or Listen:https://lifeovercoffee.com/here-is-practical-help-to-restore-a-broken-marriage/ Will you help us to continue providing free content for everyone? You can become a supporting member here https://lifeovercoffee.com/join/, or you can make a one-time or recurring donation here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/.

The cross of Christ has wonder-working power. It can change you and your relationships, but the process is not a passive “let go and let God” exercise. If Christ’s cross is not a practical governing reality in our relationships, we will hurt those we love the most. Though the cross of Christ is not the whole gospel, it’s a poignant reminder of the sacrifice needed to sustain a relationship with someone. Read, Watch, or Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/something-must-come-between-us-or-were-going-to-kill-each-other/ Will you help us to continue providing free content for everyone? You can become a supporting member here https://lifeovercoffee.com/join/, or you can make a one-time or recurring donation here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/.

No human has absolute authority over another. This perspective should be common sense, but it’s not for everyone, including Christians. A dictatorial husband and father can put wives and children in a difficult spot, which begs the question that folks have asked me for decades: “Do you think it’s right to correct my authoritarian husband?” This chapter will be instructive and directive for those in this type of relationship. Read, Watch, or Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/do-you-think-its-right-to-correct-my-authoritarian-husband/ Will you help us to continue providing free content for everyone? You can become a supporting member here https://lifeovercoffee.com/join/, or you can make a one-time or recurring donation here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/.

Shows Main Idea – EMDR stands for Eye-Movement Desensitization Reprocessing Therapy. Though it has been around for decades, it has gained a lot of momentum within Christian circles in the past few years. In this episode, Rick interviews Dr. Rhenn Cherry, a professor at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He explains the history, the suggested benefits, and how the Bible has more effective answers. Watch or Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/podcast/ep-535-understanding-emdr-with-dr-rhenn-cherry/ Will you help us to continue providing free content for everyone? You can become a supporting member here https://lifeovercoffee.com/join/, or you can make a one-time or recurring donation here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/.

Sexual intimacy is one of the quickest indicators that reveals how a couple is doing in their marriage. Why? Because it is the most physical and intimate thing they will ever do together. It is different from talking, dating, dinner, or a movie. Sex requires more. Sex demands more from two people. You can do many things as a married couple and even pretend to get along, but sex is the litmus test that reveals the authentic reality of your covenant. Read, Watch, or Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/sex-for-a-woman/ Will you help us to continue providing free content for everyone? You can become a supporting member here https://lifeovercoffee.com/join/, or you can make a one-time or recurring donation here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/.

Show Main Idea: A God-centered community provides mutual accountability, encouragement in truth, and prayerful support, helping us to walk in freedom from approval-seeking. Through active support, we can uplift others in their journey to live for God’s approval. This lesson also explores practical ways to keep Christ at the center of our fellowship through serving others and finding joy in God’s truth together. Show Notes: https://lifeovercoffee.com/podcast/ep-535-fear-of-man-cultivating-a-god-centered-community/ Will you help us to continue providing free content for everyone? You can become a supporting member here https://lifeovercoffee.com/join/, or you can make a one-time or recurring donation here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/.

Most relationships begin with transparency, honesty, courage, and optimism. At some point, these things break down. The husband and wife drift from each other, and silence ensues. Even the best intentions derail if the couple does not know how to keep the transforming power of the gospel as the animating center of their relationship. Let me explain. Read, Watch, or Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/do-you-know-what-your-wife-is-thinking-2/ Will you help us to continue providing free content for everyone? You can become a supporting member here https://lifeovercoffee.com/join/, or you can make a one-time or recurring donation here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/.

Every home has a leader. Someone must be in charge while everyone else follows the de-facto leader. I’m speaking of hierarchy in relationships, not the equality among fellow image-bearers. These concepts work together, not creating tension but fulfilling the possibilities of a God-centered home. As you think about your home, how would you define the orientation? Who is in charge? Who is the rightful person to take the reins of your family? Who do you want to lead? Read, Watch, or Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/the-orientation-of-your-home-follow-the-leader/ Will you help us to continue providing free content for everyone? You can become a supporting member here https://lifeovercoffee.com/join/, or you can make a one-time or recurring donation here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/.

Show Main Idea: We dive into understanding our identity in Christ, finding security in God’s provision. Through practical steps—confession, renewing the mind, and embracing the fear of God—we’ll learn how the Holy Spirit empowers us to live with freedom from human opinion. With a renewed perspective, we’ll discover how to walk confidently in God’s approval, anchored in His truth. Show Notes: https://lifeovercoffee.com/podcast/ep-534-fear-of-man-steps-to-overcome-approval-addiction/ Will you help us to continue providing free content for everyone? You can become a supporting member here https://lifeovercoffee.com/join/, or you can make a one-time or recurring donation here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/.

How do you know when a desire for love has changed into a need for love? It’s an excellent question, and the first place to begin a diagnosis like this is with anger. Anger is the quickest way to discern if someone’s craving for love has jumped from a desire to a controlling need. It is not necessarily wrong to desire something like love from another, but when a desire becomes all-controlling, we’re in the deep weeds of relationship trouble. One of the ways you will know if your desire for something has taken over control of your mind is if you become sinfully angry when someone does not meet that desire. This concept applies to any desire you may have. Read, Watch, or Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/his-needs-her-needs-arent-real-needs/ Will you help us to continue providing free content for everyone? You can become a supporting member here https://lifeovercoffee.com/join/, or you can make a one-time or recurring donation here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/.