Life Over Coffee With Rick Thomas

Mable walked into the woods one day, doused herself with gasoline, and set herself on fire. The newspapers said she suffered from low self-esteem. They were wrong. Mable was preoccupied with herself. She could not stop thinking about herself, her problems, those who mocked her, put her down, alienated from her, and a myriad of other everyday disappointments from family and friends. Her thoughts would not release her from a self-centered preoccupation that led her into the woods, the only path she knew that would break the stronghold of soul noise consuming her. Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/the-cure-for-self-esteem/ 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 best local churches have values distinct from the culture, while transforming the church’s community to reach the culture with the gospel to export those values to the next generation. When looking for a fantastic local church, there are many thing to consider, in addition to their views on the gospel and sound theology. What are a few things that come to your mind? Let me share with you three characteristics that all local churches should prioritize. Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/three-characteristics-of-a-fantastic-local-church/ 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 most important question when looking for a local church concerns the gospel—the main thing forever and ever. Amen. Nothing is more essential in any local church than the good news of the gospel, who is Christ. While many things matter when looking for a church, nothing matters more. So, lets suppose we exalt Christ in our minds and seek to imitate Him in all we do. If so, it will create a presuppositional window to interpret our theology, worship, ministries, and everything else in church life is congruent with the gospel we exalt. To follow Christ well implies that we will disregard anything that will impede or hinder our walk with Him. Thus, with Christ established as the preeminent one, we have the proper filter to discern the other vital matters of the church. Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/the-second-most-important-question-you-can-ask-your-church/ Will you help us to continue providing free content for everyone? You can become a supporting member here https://lifeovercoffee.com/join/, or yo

Shows Main Idea – Sinful anger comes from the heart of a weak person who has not learned how to submit his desires to the obedience of Christ. The angry person has learned how this weapon is a manipulative, emotive method to secure what they believe they need. The heart is fearful and needy; anger is the tool to satisfy these out-of-control desires. Understanding the cause of anger is the first step to changing the behavior. Show Notes: https://lifeovercoffee.com/podcast/ep-110-help-for-the-angry-person/ 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 local church is our most crucial sanctification context outside our homes, making finding the right kind of church a critical matter for all serious-minded Christians. The church search can be daunting because there are so many varieties, and we have a plethora of preferences. If you were to highlight a few essentials of things you'd like for your church to be, what would be on your list? More specifically, what is the main thing you want when looking for a place to mature in Christ, care for others, spread the fame of God throughout your community, and glorify our heavenly Father? Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/the-main-thing-to-look-for-when-looking-for-a-church/ 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 – A friend on the Supporting Member side of our website asked about dating apps because of their growing ubiquitous use in the church. The concern for many believers who want to marry is the difficulty in finding relationships in the church, especially a small church where there is a dearth of godly men. She’s asking whether dating apps are biblical, possible, or wise. It’s a great question in light of our technological age and something every Christian needs to consider because we are past the point of no return regarding technology. Show Notes: https://lifeovercoffee.com/podcast/ep-496-is-it-okay-for-christians-to-use-online-dating-apps/ 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 global effect of all these issues on the body of Christ is what it’s doing to our local churches. The family is the core of all civil societies, and within the Christian world, the family constitutes the local church. In former generations, the social center of every community was the local church building, the structure where Christian families gathered to build koinonia practically. All roads led to the church building. Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/what-you-can-do-about-migration-cyber-effect-8-0/ 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/.

These adverse cyber effects always beg the question of the best time to give your child a phone. Part of the discussion centers on the type of phone you want to give your child. The other part centers on the kind of child you have, their maturity level, or if God has regenerated them. You also want to consider their personalities. Some children are leaders and not easily influenced; others are followers, easily tempted, or have dull to hard consciences. It could be a practical choice if you want your child to have a flip phone at an early age. Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/what-you-can-do-about-accountability-cyber-effect-7-0/ 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 Notes: A person with a bad habit needs a clear path to freedom, though it’s not always clear which pathway to take. As he thinks about freeing himself from bondage, he must begin with a rational worldview that lays a foundation for the practical application that flows out of that worldview. If you’re struggling with an addiction, bad habit, or stuck in a rut, here is that clear path—the worldview and your practical path forward. I will start by laying out a biblical worldview in an unsuspected place: what is a covenant? Show Notes: https://lifeovercoffee.com/podcast/ep-265-here-is-practical-help-for-anyone-stuck-in-a-bad-habit/ 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/.

Our lives operate on a 24-hour cycle. You have observed how you become tired or drowsy at certain times of the day. Hopefully, that is in the evening, when your body tells you it’s time to sleep. I used to become drowsy in the afternoons, but not so much now since making a few healthy adjustments. This cycle is God’s mercy to us, so we will rest, refresh, and reboot with vigor to serve the Lord with all our hearts, minds, and strengths. The Internet age is changing our rhythms. Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/what-you-can-do-about-blue-light-cyber-effect-6-0/ 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/.

After you meet the stranger on the train, and both of you throw inhibition to the wind, you may convince yourself that you’re building a whole relationship with another person. You’re not. At best, what you have is false intimacy; it’s not the real thing. You cannot replicate and enjoy God’s solution to companionship in cyberspace. “Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him'” (Genesis 2:18). Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/what-to-do-about-sanctification-cyber-effects-5-0/ 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 – Do you have a problematic relative or friend you may need to confront? Many of us do have challenging friends and relatives because our mutual fallenness can rub each other the wrong way. Strangers on the train can engage for a quick second and disembark at the next stop, but when you interact with someone year in and out, there will be problems. Let me share ten thoughts I gave a friend struggling to be at peace with a relative. Show Notes: https://lifeovercoffee.com/podcast/ep-494-help-me-help-my-difficult-relative/ 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 concept of sharing freely and without fear is called the disinhibition effect. There is little inhibition about vulnerability with a stranger on the train because he can’t hurt you, so you believe. Of course, the possibility of being vulnerable and lacking perceived risk is part of cyberspace’s bait to lure us into its net. In real-world relationships like our families or the local church, it’s more challenging to “unlike” somebody. When bad things happen and hurts accumulate, we have to deal with them biblically (or not). Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/what-to-do-about-disinhibition-cyber-effects-4-0/ 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 teen is not the only struggling soul looking for a community. Sometimes, I will hear a person talk about how they met a stranger, and within minutes, they had an in-depth personal conversation with them. They glow about how easy and natural it was to talk. Then they say, “And he was a perfect stranger!” This interaction is called the “stranger on the train phenomenon.” Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/what-to-do-about-stranger-cyber-effects-3-0/ 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 – Growing old will happen to all of us if we live long enough, and for some of our friends, it can be a dreadful experience, especially if it’s hard to come to terms with one’s physical and spiritual condition. Everyone’s experience of growing old is different, motivating us to consider our stories with compassion and courage. However, due to fallenness, a few typical tripwires can catch us if we’re not careful. I want to share ten of them with you. Show Notes: https://lifeovercoffee.com/podcast/ep-493-practical-advice-on-growing-older-and-finishing-well/ 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/.

One of the most potent effects of the second fiddle phenomenon happens in a child's life when he grows into an adult. The young teen is transitioning from kid to adult. He's different in every way. It's a frightful time for many of these children. Their bodies are changing. They're starting to sound differently. Their desires and habits are changing. They look different and are insecure as they begin to wonder who they are. The transitioning child significantly depends on others at this crucial age regarding identity formation. Read Here: 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/.

There is a discussion about whether cyberspace is real or not. We know what a real, tactile place is, but what is cyberspace? You can't touch or feel it. Is it real? If you were to make a case for cyberspace being real, how would you steel man your position? The arguments are compelling on both sides, but there is a more straightforward way to cut through the debate. The next time someone is on their phone, converse with them. Are they "with you" or somewhere else, regardless of how you define that other place? Read Here: 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 – Small groups have been widely implemented in a local church for multiple decades. When rightly understood and implemented, these groups complement the Sunday sermon, assisting church members in applying God’s Word. Maturation in Christ requires knowledge and application. Here are ten vital keys to help leaders gain the most from their small group experience. Show Notes: https://lifeovercoffee.com/podcast/ep-492-ten-vital-keys-for-small-group-leaders/ 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/.

Technology, social media, and the Internet can be redemptive instruments in the hands of individuals who want to do good and know how to accomplish those positive purposes practically. Of course, the implication in a fallen world is clear: technology in the hands of someone who does not have redemptive values can disrupt and do harm to their souls and those around them. We all have stories of technology’s misuse, which includes our tensions and temptations with social media, making it worth our time to ask the intrusive questions that might help us to consider more practically how to use technology redemptively. What is the cyber effect of technology on your soul? Do you have a practical plan to guard against the potential problems associated with technology, the Internet, and social media? Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/what-is-the-cyber-effect-and-what-you-can-do-about-it/ Will you help us to continue providing free content for everyone? You can become a supporting member here https://lifeovercoffe

“How can I change?” is one of the more common questions asked when people think through the challenges and responsibilities of becoming a better believer. Changing, improving, and maturing is at the heart of the gospel: Christ came to seek and save the lost, giving us an alien righteousness, creating the possibility of becoming like Him. While biblical responses to the how can I change question vary, sometimes what folks say are off the mark. For example, let go and let God minimizes personal responsibility. Look out for number one sabotages loving God and others most of all. Let your conscience be your guide does not consider the malleable inner voice. Christians can do better because we have a surer Word. Thus, the question remains, how do you change? Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/five-things-you-need-to-know-in-order-to-change/ 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 r