Life Over Coffee

Working through pain is part of the human experience. Problems come and go as sparks fly upward. Trouble and trials began with the fall of humanity, and they will not go away until Christ comes to rescue us. The great news is that we can solve our problems, assuming we start at the right place. Did you know there is a unique first step to solving your concerns and that it flows out of your worldview? Here's the key idea: How you begin problem-solving will determine how things end for you.

Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/the-first-and-unique-step-to-solve-your-problems/

Will you help us to continue providing free content to the world? You can become a supporting member here rickthomas.net/recurring-membership/ Or you can make a one-time or recurring donation(s) here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/

True freedom is only found when the singular opinion that governs your mind and conscience is the Lord’s. When His evaluation is the only one that holds sway in your heart, you are walking in the highest form of liberty. This posture before the Lord is how Jesus lived. Others did not manipulate him, nor was He governed by their approval or disapproval. No person could coerce Him, intimidate Him, or manage Him because His sole reference point was the will and perspective of His Father.

Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/a-practical-plan-to-break-free-from-being-controlled-by-peoples-opinions/

Will you help us to continue providing free content to the world? You can become a supporting member here rickthomas.net/recurring-membership/ Or you can make a one-time or recurring donation(s) here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/

Shows Main Idea – “How do you answer a friend who is not a Christian but searching when she asks why God let my baby die? The grief is seemingly insurmountable, and not having a relationship with God adds a layer of complexity. I’m unsure what to say to her other than to be a friend. What would you say to her? What advice do you have for me?” This question is one of the most difficult ones to answer, but we know God’s Word has an answer, and I want to share with you five things to help this distraught lady.

Show Notes: https://lifeovercoffee.com/podcast/why-did-god-let-my-baby-die/

Will you help us to continue providing free content to the world? You can become a supporting member here rickthomas.net/recurring-membership/ Or you can make a one-time or recurring donation(s) here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/

To say that God is all you need reduces your life to a “you and God in a silo,” which might sound nice if you’re prone to spiritualize everything while not factoring in reality. Spiritualized sloganeering typically fails the eye test in real-world dynamics. For example, you must have friends if your aim is to live out the grander purposes of the gospel. I’m not speaking of needing friends in an inverted “what can you do for me” way, but a worldview of friendship that minimizes loneliness as a side-effect of other-centered initiatives. Thus, the question we want to explore is, “What are the objectives of friendships?”

Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/i-want-more-than-god-is-it-wrong-to-want-someone-to-love-me/

Will you help us so we can continue to provide free content to the world? You can become a supporting member here rickthomas.net/recurring-membership/ Or you can make a one-time or recurring donation(s) here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/

The most crucial relationship in your life is God. The most practical way to experience Him is in a community of like-minded believers who are intentional about helping each other mature in their relationships with Him. To know God better means your primary relationships should provide you with contexts to deepen your experience with Him (1 Corinthians 10:31). If your essential relationships do not give you that kind of care, you should consider changing your closest network of friends (Matthew 5:30; Hebrews 12:1). Knowing the Lord and experiencing Him with friends is the relational sweet spot for Christians.

Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/how-to-build-and-enjoy-dynamic-community-life/

Will you help us so we can continue to provide free content to the world? You can become a supporting member here rickthomas.net/recurring-membership/ Or you can make a one-time or recurring donation(s) here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/

Shows Main Idea – A reader asked, "How do you deal with people who claim to be Christians, yet they are brutally invasive with their tactics by forcing religion down someone's throat and condemning the other person based on their past experiences and choices? There is only one way for secondary preferences in their view, and this person is the sole arbiter of what is right and wrong. Let me give you an example of what I'm saying."

Show Notes: https://lifeovercoffee.com/podcast/respond-unkind-christian-unkind-others/

Will you help us to continue providing free content to the world? You can become a supporting member here rickthomas.net/recurring-membership/ Or you can make a one-time or recurring donation(s) here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/

To fully release your vulnerable and intimate soul to another person, you must know the individual is trustworthy and will lovingly steward all of your inner truth. This quality in a marriage is one of a husband’s most critical leadership requirements as he leads his wife in proper communication habits. We build our most vital and profound relationships upon trust, which is why we love God so much. Trust is why we share with Him our deepest and darkest thoughts; we know He will never condemn us (Romans 8:1). God provides a template for us to follow to break down communication barriers to enjoy the riches of intimate communication.

Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/leading-your-wife-in-intimate-conversations-part-two/

Will you help us so we can continue to provide free content to the world? You can become a supporting member here rickthomas.net/recurring-membership/ Or you can make a one-time or recurring donation(s) here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/

A lady wrote, asking me how to help her and her husband. He recently left for another woman, and she's in desperate straits, not knowing what to do about it or what her role should be in restoring their marriage. She's hurting but is maturing while in her desperate crucible. I gave her eight things to think about, and though I am dealing with a husband who left a wife for another woman, you can change the genders, and the content will apply to the husband who has lost his wife.

Show Notes: https://lifeovercoffee.com/podcast/spouse-left-someone-else/

Will you help us to continue providing free content to the world? You can become a supporting member here rickthomas.net/recurring-membership/ Or you can make a one-time or recurring donation(s) here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/

We are relational beings because God created us in His image (Genesis 1:26). God, who has always belonged to a Trinitarian community, made us in such a way that we desire to belong to a reciprocal community (Genesis 2:18). Made in the image of God means, in part, that you have similarities to God (James 3:9). One of the most intrinsic qualities that the Lord put into us is a desire to commune with others—those who are like us. The challenge, of course, is securing those trusted relationships where we can talk about the deeper and more meaningful things of life. There is a path forward.

Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/the-most-perfect-relationship-you-can-have-with-another-person/

Will you help us so we can continue to provide free content to the world? You can become a supporting member here rickthomas.net/recurring-membership/ Or you can make a one-time or recurring donation(s) here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/

Transformation is one of the most frequently claimed yet most difficult to discern realities in the Christian life. Everyone says they have changed, want to change, or are trying to change. But discerning actual, Spirit-empowered transformation is another matter entirely. The problem is not that people lie, though they sometimes do. The problem is that people often confuse temporary behavioral adjustments with true gospel transformation. They stop doing something for a while, reorganize their habits, or feel a rush of motivation after a scare, and they call it repentance. But biblical repentance that is a Spirit-born, gospel-shaped renovation of the heart change produces long-term fruit that is observable, measurable, and impossible to manufacture by self-will alone. Scripture does not leave us guessing. Paul gives us the clearest framework for discerning whether someone has authentically changed. And to set the stage, we begin with two old friends: Biff and Mable.

Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/five-helpful-marks-to-see-if-someone-has-changed/

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/.