Life Over Coffee

Three years ago, Biff and Mable became Christians. Biff, 38, and Mable, 39, joined a church shortly after their conversion and began engaging with their community. A year later, Biff expressed his desire to serve on the church's elder board. The church leaders initiated an assessment phase to evaluate his qualifications for leadership.

Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/meds-and-more/

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 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 blessing. And if you’ve ever tried to love someone as much as you love yourself, you know the cost. That’s why this book matters. In Marriage or Mayhem?, I offer more than principles—I offer a framework, a theology, and a map. With years of experience counseling couples in crisis and equipping churches to disciple well, I learned a few things about getting beneath the surface. I name the real problems—idolatry, self-centeredness, functional theology—and bring the only real solution: Christ at the center.

Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/chapter-one-marriage-or-mayhem-marriage-asunder/

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 – In this powerful conversation, Rick Thomas interviews biblical counselor and author Rachel Coyle about her mini-book, Help! She’s Struggling with Pornography. Rachel shares why she wrote the book, how pornography uniquely affects women, and why framing the struggle biblically—as slavery to sin and idolatry—offers lasting hope through Christ. If you’re looking for compassionate, gospel-centered clarity on this often-ignored topic, this episode is essential.

Show Notes: https://lifeovercoffee.com/podcast/ep-562-rachel-coyle-help-shes-struggling-with-porn/

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/.

Biff, a 42-year-old husband and father, believes the Lord is calling him to pursue a biblical counseling ministry. Seven years into his Christian walk, Biff is zealous about helping others through the transformative power of the gospel. His marriage is stable, and his wife supports his desire to serve. However, both Biff and Mable come from dysfunctional family backgrounds, which continue to influence aspects of their family dynamics.

Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/case-study-the-aspiring-counselor-wannabe/

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/.

Mable has been the go-to person in her church, admired for her dedication to ministry and known for her willingness to serve. Whether counseling, teaching Bible studies, or leading events, Mable is always available and dependable. However, behind the scenes, her home life is far from the ideal picture that her public ministry portrays.

Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/the-darker-side-of-mable-the-ministry-mom/

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/.

Do you enjoy God? You know, like a good movie or a nice dinner. After a long day, you’re looking for a pleasant escape to something you enjoy. Is God at the top of your “things I enjoy the most” list? My wife was not that way for several decades. Because of her longstanding relationship with legalism, God was not as satisfying as He could have been, so other options competed for her affections. I’m not suggesting she lived in rebellion; she did not. She loved God as much as she knew how to love Him.

Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/my-wife-is-enjoying-god-finally/

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/

Biff refuses to engage in meaningful conversation with his wife, Mable, often going weeks with only what she calls his “efficiency speech.” He speaks to her only to address logistical or practical matters of the home but avoids all intimate interaction, relationship building, and mutual care.

Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/the-silent-partner/

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/.

Biff, a rising junior at a local Christian college, is struggling with pornography and masturbation. These temptations began when he was 12 years old, introduced to him by a friend. At the time, Biff found it strange but stimulating, though he was unaware of the addictive nature of what his friend encouraged him to do.

Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/if-i-tell-the-truth-my-christian-college-will-expel-me/

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/.

Sometimes “extending grace” may mean you’re about to get into conflict with someone. Though you should never look for a fight, you should also not be looking for ways to avoid redemptive moments when it is within your competency and context to help someone who is struggling. Avoidance, masked as peacekeeping, is not peacemaking. Love speaks the truth—graciously, patiently, redemptively—but it speaks (Ephesians 4:15).

Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/hiding-behind-grace-to-avoid-the-hard-things/

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/.

Biff, a Certified Nutritionist and devoted father, is navigating the complexities of parenting children with a disease that suppresses their immune systems. While the children show no symptoms, Biff is highly aware that the bacteria in their bodies thrive on refined sugar. Determined to protect their health, he strictly avoids allowing his kids to consume sugar but occasionally compromises in social settings, leaving him overwhelmed with guilt and fear.

Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/case-study-the-fearful-parent/

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/.