Podcast
Life Over Coffee
Hosted by Rick Thomas · EN
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 Counseling from The Master's University. In 2006 he was recognized as a Fellow of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC).
46episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
You Cannot Need Someone and Love Someone Equally
1w ago00:21:30Tap to summarizeBiffy was born into a dysfunctional home. He told me that he did not remember a time when his parents were not arguing. He is 14 years old, almost 15. He said there were many nights when he would curl up in his bed, hug his bear-y, and cry himself to sleep. Mable, his mother, brought him to counseling because she did not know how to deal with him any longer. Biffy had been acting out lately, and as Mable said, “I’m at my wit’s end. I can’t do this anymore.” Biffy represents a conundrum in the counseling world. Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/you-cannot-need-someone-and-love-someone-at-the-same-time/ 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/
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Captive Desires: Chapter 9—How to Break Free from Porn
1w ago00:19:25Tap to summarizeIn the last chapter, we saw that pornography isn’t just a behavior problem—it’s a false gospel, a counterfeit attempt to reclaim intimacy, beauty, and identity apart from God. But when we uncover the spiritual roots of this struggle and embrace who we are in Christ, the strongholds begin to fall. The call isn’t simply to “stop sinning,” but to step into the fullness of life as beloved sons and daughters—walking in holiness and community. To see how this unfolds in real life, let’s revisit our three characters. Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/how-to-break-free-from-porn-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/.
Transcribe →The Natural Regression of a Woman
2w ago00:23:22Tap to summarizeEveryone is a victim. Nobody escapes this life without experiencing hurt from others. The real question is not whether someone has hurt you but how you are responding with humility to God so you’re not controlled by what has happened to you. Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/the-natural-regression-of-a-woman-how-she-went-from-bad-to-worse/ 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/
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Fussy Parents Make Insecure Kids
2w ago00:14:02Tap to summarizeParents are in a position of profound influence. With every word they speak, every tone they use, and every reaction they offer, they are either cultivating a spirit of security or sowing seeds of insecurity into the hearts of their children. Parenting cannot regenerate a heart—that’s the work of the Spirit—but parents are inescapably powerful shaping influences. They form a child’s earliest views of love, protection, and stability. That shaping imprint can be a springboard into maturity or a burden that takes decades to untangle. Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/fussy-parents-make-insecure-kids/ 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/
Transcribe →Captive Desires: Chapter 8—How to Think About Porn Biblically
3w ago00:20:32Tap to summarizeThere’s a constant stream of noise surrounding pornography—competing voices offering data, opinions, and solutions. Some emphasize brain science and addiction; others point to its ties to sex trafficking or the unraveling of social values. Cultural shifts in dating, along with rising levels of fear, anxiety, shame, and inner turmoil, only add to the confusion. It’s like trying to tune an old analog radio—how do we separate the signal from all the static? How do we find wisdom, not just more information? This tension matters because the fight against porn addiction begins in the mind. How you think about what’s happening shapes the practical steps you take to address it. Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/how-to-think-about-a-porn-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/.
Transcribe →When You Make Your Child Work for Your Affection
3w ago00:14:22Tap to summarizeChildren were never meant to earn affection. That idea didn’t come from God but from legalistic, conditional relationships. Christian parents are called to imitate God the Father, and one of the most critical ways we do that is by loving our children simply because they belong to us. That’s how God loves His children. Of course, we know they are not perfect. There is a time and a way to deal with their disobedience, but the foundation of their upbringing must be the constant, unwavering assurance of love. Love should be an uninterrupted expectation in a child’s life. When that expectation is consistently met, you give them something sturdy—something God-centered—to build on. Without that, their souls will develop around a hollow craving. Their hearts will fracture. They’ll grow up into complicated people. Let’s consider four such individuals. Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/when-you-make-your-child-work-for-your-affection/ 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/
Transcribe →The Sobering Reason It's Hard to Overcome Insecurity
3w ago00:17:59Tap to summarizeIt 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 alongside others caught in this deeply embedded sin. This struggle isn’t merely a personality quirk or emotional tendency. It is a heart issue rooted in misplaced worship. Addressing this problem requires a twofold approach: we must teach on the issue regularly and with clarity, and we must create intentional relational contexts where we can practically walk each other through the universal battle with fear, shame, and guilt. Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/the-sobering-reason-its-hard-to-overcome-insecurity/ 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/
Transcribe →The Life Over Coffee Song
3w ago00:04:19Tap to summarizeThis song was created by Jonathan Holden. He and his wife are missionaries in Angola, Africa. They serve the Navigators ministry, raising leaders for Christ, and sending them to the world. He loves Life Over Coffee, and wanted to bless us with his creative work. 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/.
Transcribe →How to Train Your Flea: Also Called Controlling Others
4w ago00:17:27Tap to summarizeHave 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 flea—or perhaps a flock of fleas (though I’m not convinced “flock” is the technical term)—into a Mason jar and seal the lid tightly. You then leave the jar alone for three full days. After that time, you unscrew the lid. Here’s the shocking part: the flea will not escape. It will jump—but never high enough to leave the jar. It has been trained. Conditioned. Even without the lid, it now believes it cannot be free. Even more sobering: if you have two fleas of the opposite sex, their offspring will be the same. Though they’ve never encountered the lid, they, too, will not escape. It’s a generational curse. Fleas born into captivity stay there—even when the top is off. Read, Watch, Listen: lifeovercoffee.com/how-to-train-yo…led-by-someone/ Will you help us to continue providing free content for everyone? You can become a supporting member here lifeovercoffee.com/join/, or you can make a one-time or recurring donation here lifeovercoffee.com/donate/
Transcribe →The Danger of Trying to Please God
4w ago00:15:09Tap to summarizeObedience 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 heart that the gospel has radically transformed. It rises not from a place of fear or striving but from a settled gratitude—a soul that knows it has been loved and accepted fully in Christ. To obey God rightly is to respond to His love, not to attempt to earn it. That distinction changes everything. Read, Watch, Listen: lifeovercoffee.com/the-danger-of-t…-to-please-god/ Will you help us to continue providing free content for everyone? You can become a supporting member here lifeovercoffee.com/join/, or you can make a one-time or recurring donation here lifeovercoffee.com/donate/. 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/.
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