Life Over Coffee With Rick Thomas

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

Shows Main Idea – Rick interviews Dr. Daniel Berger about the Matt Walsh documentary What Is a Woman? He also responds to Dr. Miriam Grossman’s interview with Rick about Lost in Trans Nation. Daniel provides a biblical definition for a woman, cutting through the confusion with the clarity that only God’s Word can bring. Show Notes: https://lifeovercoffee.com/podcast/ep-491-daniel-berger-what-is-a-woman-biblically-speaking/ 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/.

Each local church has a unique personality that reflects its leadership. In context, the word church refers to those who have been attending for a while and are actively participating in the environments and equipping ministries that the leadership provides. Nominal Christians or inconsistent attendees are not part of the demographic in view here. Because of the leaders’ influence, assessing the church’s model for ministry is vital because no two leaders are the same, making no two churches the same. Let’s examine six standard church models by looking at their upsides and downsides. Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/what-kind-of-church-do-you-attend-here-are-six-models/ 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 important questions you’ll ever ask yourself is why you attend your local church. Outside the family unit, the local church is the primary context where sanctification happens among Christians, making how we think about and participate in our local churches crucial. Assuming you’re part of a local church, Why do you attend? Perhaps you’re part of the de-church movement; if so, Why have you stopped attending a local church? Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/why-do-you-attend-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 you can make a one-time or recurring donation here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/.

Shows Main Idea – Rick Thomas interviews Sophie Ottaway, born as a boy but engineered to be a girl when he was two. Sophie had a physical abnormality but did not find out until he was twenty-two. Sophie is thirty-seven years old today. Sophie tells the story of what the doctors did, why the parents went along with it, the secrets kept, how he found out, and why Sophie chooses to live as a girl today. Sophie's story is incredible, honest, sad, and inspiring. Show Notes: https://lifeovercoffee.com/podcast/ep-490-sophie-ottaway-engineered-at-birth-to-be-a-girl/ 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/.

Living in a relationship with anyone means you will be disappointed and hurt by them. It is unavoidable. Since Adam fell in the Garden of Eden, we have been helplessly unable to escape a relational conflict. May I test my thesis? Have you ever been hurt by someone? Have you ever been annoyed with another person? What about being disappointed or put out by the actions of a close friend? Maybe it was a relative Yes, I know, these are silly questions. Of course, you have. Living in a fallen world among fallen souls implies friction, conflict, and disappointment. They have done it to us, and we have done it to them. Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/the-benefit-of-being-intentionally-intrusive-in-your-relationships/ 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 interview, Rick talks to Miriam Grossman, MD, a board-certified in psychiatry and the sub-specialty of child and adolescent psychiatry. Before gender ideology was on anyone’s radar, she warned parents about its falsehoods and dangers in her 2009 book about sexuality education, “You’re Teaching My Child WHAT?” Dr. Grossman’s practice currently focuses on gender-distressed young people and their parents. She believes that every child is born in the right body. Dr Grossman has been vocal about ideologues’ capture of her profession, leading to dangerous and experimental treatments on children and betrayal of parents. Show Notes: https://lifeovercoffee.com/podcast/ep-489-dr-miriam-grossman-lost-in-trans-nation/ 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/.

Let us go ahead and level the playing field: we are all clueless to some degree. We all need help. We all need grace. It does not matter your demographic; we need God’s grace and mercy. We are grace-dependent creatures, which is a cross-elevating, ground-leveling truth that motivates us never to judge anyone uncharitably. Perhaps a few illustrations about this universal clueless problem would be helpful. Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/how-to-care-for-clueless-people/ 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/.

Everybody loves to experience God’s mercy when we behave poorly. The alternative is the Lord’s corrective displeasure. When there is a crime, our impulse is to hope for something we don’t deserve. Have you considered applying the same perspective for your enemies, those folks you dislike? “Blessing for me but not for thee,” the cry of the spiteful heart. Perhaps this notion strikes you as odd, so I’ll illustrate it with my friends, Biff and Mable. Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/the-problem-with-gods-kindness-when-you-want-to-be-angry/ 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 – There are two competing authorities in our culture today that present the pathway to transformation. The secular psychological community put forth the DSM as the authority to transform your life, while the Christian believes the Bible is the world's transcending, authoritative psychology book that brings peace and change to the soul. The one you choose will determine the course and quality of your life. Rick compares the two in this webinar while making a persuasive case for God's Word as the authority over our souls. Show Notes: https://lifeovercoffee.com/podcast/ep-488-webinar-our-competing-psychologies/ 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/.