Life Over Coffee With Rick Thomas

When deciding anything, you must be in faith regarding that decision, which is why the most important question you will ever ask yourself when making a decision is, “Am I in faith to (insert the thing you’re thinking about) to do this?” Thus, having a biblically informed conscience that does not obscure your presuppositional lens will help you to see the facts clearly, and it will give you the best shot at making the most God-honoring decision. Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/a-simple-guide-on-how-to-make-a-decision-about-anthing/ 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 are no his versus her problems in anyone’s marriage. There are one flesh problems. Your physical body is an excellent illustration of this worldview. If your finger is hurting, your body is hurting. If there is something wrong with your one flesh marriage, regardless of who is struggling, the whole body is in the struggle. Though you have unique lives, you are one flesh, too. What are the implications and practical applications of two unique people who become one flesh? Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/your-husbands-problems-are-your-problems-your-wifes-problems-are-your-problems/ 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/.

Every gardener has a garden. Common sense? If you plan to take up gardening, you must have a garden. Another necessary assumption is that it's vital to know something about gardening if your goal is to have one. It is not common sense to engage in the respected work of gardening with no clue about what it takes to be successful at it. When I think about gardening, I always think of my grandfather. He was a master gardener. Though I did not enjoy working in his garden during the hot summer days of my childhood, I never questioned his expertise. The proof was always before my eyes. Read More: https://lifeovercoffee.com/the-art-of-husbandry-thoughts-on-being-an-effective-husband/ 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/.

If you were helping a couple build a stable marriage, where would you begin? What would be your starting point? What is the main thing that you would want to establish in their minds to help them? Their starting point, also called a presupposition, will determine the kind of marriage they will have with each other. A presupposition provides the lens through which they will interpret, understand, and respond to each other. A couple needs to have the correct presupposition and a practical plan that logically flows out of that presupposition to do life well with each other. Suppose you can help them determine a biblical presupposition through which they can build their life and marriage and construct a practical plan that flows out of that presupposition. In that case, they will be on a redemptive and restorative path to glorify God, benefit each other, and proclaim to the world the goodness, power, and fame of God. Read More: https://lifeovercoffee.com/defining-establishing-life-marriage/ Will you help us to

Your spouse is two parts—body and soul. Every person is a dichotomy—organic and nonorganic or physical and spiritual. Though the two parts interrelate and affect each other, there are distinctions between them, which require different care. The word body is a basket word that includes all the parts of the body, like your hair, skin, lungs, heart, blood, and toenails. Healthy body parts work together to permit you to function at optimal levels. Though each body part is interrelated, each one is independent and needs a particular kind of care. The independence of the parts is why you want to be specific when trying to help a person who is hurting. For example, if a person has a tummy ache, you don’t ask them about their ankles. They might say, “My ankles are fine; it’s my stomach that is killing me.” You cared for them, but asked the wrong question. Asking the right question is essential. Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-31-ask-question-every-day/ Will you help us to continue providing free content f

Shows Main Idea – Seth Gruber’s clear, concise, and persuasive approach has impacted thousands across the United States, equipping audiences with the tools to change the mindset of the pro-abortion population. In this interview, Rick speaks with Seth about his documentary, *The 1916 Project*, an insightful and instructive rebuke of the fallacious *1619 Project*, which has reshaped the cultural narrative in recent years. Show Notes: https://lifeovercoffee.com/podcast/ep-516-seth-gruber-and-the-1916-project-3/ 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 does not want to lead his wife. He feels like a hypocrite trying to lead her while sporadically sinning against her. Biff asked his counselor, “How can I lead her and sin against her at the same time?” Admittedly, Mable does not make it any easier on Biff as she reminds him of his sin when he tries to lead her. Biff took the position that it is better not to lead Mable at all if he’s going to sin against her. He has three options. Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/husbands-dilemma-i-lead-you-i-sin-against-you/ 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/.

Resist sin in your marriage at every turn. Do not think that you are the exception or that you are somehow above sin, and it will not destroy you. When you see it, kill it. If it is more than you can handle, call for the caregivers (local church) and let them help you kill it. The most ungracious thing you can do is let it persist in your marriage. I’ve counseled many spouses who refused to take this advice. Instead of implementing a biblical plan to restore the brokenness in their marriages, they nourished and cherished other things that became replacements for their infected marriages. Here are ten of those marriage replacements: Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-29-ten-ways-ignore-marriage-problems/ 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/.

When your children are young, it can seem as though all you’re doing is correcting them. As soon as they begin walking upright and stringing syllables together, there appears to be no right or wrong that they cannot do or say. Parents can quickly find themselves saying, “No,” “Stop,” “Don’t,” and “Stop talking” at every turn of their day. Read, Watch, or Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-27-when-it-seems-all-youre-doing-is-correcting-your-child/ 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 – Rosaria Butterfield, a former tenured professor of English and women’s studies at Syracuse University, converted to Christ in what she describes as a train wreck. Her memoir, The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert: An English Professor’s Journey into Christian Faith (Crown and Covenant, 2012), chronicles her conversion. Rosaria is married to Kent, a Reformed Presbyterian pastor in North Carolina. She is a mother, grandmother, author, and speaker. Show Notes: https://lifeovercoffee.com/podcast/ep-515-rosaria-butterfield-from-lesbianism-to-the-gospels-hope-2/ 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/.

You may not know where your marriage is leading you, but there is one thing I want you to know: Regardless of your journey, you can rest assured that God is well ahead of you and has made many preparations before you arrive. Like a great friend waiting to receive you at the end of a long journey, the good Lord is always ahead of you and has a well-prepared end in mind. In Exodus, God disrupts an entire nation. The Lord lets the Israelites know that the times are changing. There is turmoil in their land, and they are in dire straits. The famine has spread beyond discomfort, and their families are struggling to make ends meet. Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/marriage-day-28-god-is-there-before-you-get-there/ 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/.

Discomfort in life is as assured as death and taxes. There are some things you can count on, and personal suffering is one of them. It is part of the package that comes with the gift of a new life from God (Philippians 1:29). Because suffering is guaranteed, it’s important to give reflective thoughts on how you respond when you don’t get your way. What comes out of your mouth when you do not get your way reveals your theology of suffering, your theology of God, and your maturity as a Christian. Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-27-suffering-produces-strength/ 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 good chance your spouse is not everything you hoped for in a marriage. Of course, neither are you. Imperfect people have a way of disappointing imperfect people. Perchance your spouse is difficult at times to live with, here are seven things for you to practically apply to yourself and marriage. Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-17-seven-things-to-know-if-your-spouse-is-difficult/ 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/.

This devotion is in a three-part sequential order. The second step builds on the first, and the third relies upon the second. If you want to enjoy your marriage to the fullest, you must live out all three phases in the order presented. Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-18-three-steps-to-be-an-excellent-spouse/ 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/.

Warning: This devotion is not for a spouse in an abusive marriage. If your marriage is abusive, find help immediately to stop the abuse. It is important to accurately recognize how God is working in you during times of suffering. Many times, individuals see their trials as something that is happening to them rather than something that God is doing in them. Acknowledging that God is doing something in you is more than a courtesy nod. It is sobering. For God to take an interest to help any of us is both humbling and frightening. (See Job 23:15) Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-26-crucible-of-suffering-when-your-marriage-does-not-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 recurring donation here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/.

Biff sinned against Mable, and Mable was hurt. Biff asked Mable to forgive him. Mable forgave Biff. They reconciled—but not really. Though Mable forgave Biff, she neglected to tell him that she was sinning against him because of what he had done to her. Though she understood that it is never right to sin in response to being sinned against, she did sin against Biff as a response to his sin. Read More: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-25-double-confession-how-to-respond-when-sinned-against/ 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 – Elias Ghazal was born in Qutar. His parents are Lebanese and Palestinian. He has developed theological courses in Arabic and is completing his Ph.D. in International Relations. I wanted to interview him about his perspective on Israeli and Palestinian tensions, differences, and solutions. It is fantastic to hear from someone from that part of the world without the worldview and shaping influences of being Americanized. Show Notes: https://lifeovercoffee.com/podcast/ep-513-elias-ghazal-a-christians-perspective-on-palestine-and-israel/ 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/.

Physical intimacy with your spouse requires more from each spouse. Physical intimacy demands more from the couple. You can do many things as a married couple and even pretend to get along, but sex is the litmus test that tells the truth about the marriage. It is not unusual for a couple to attend church together for 30 years and be miserable in their marriage. Though they can pretend in the public domain, they cannot be fake in the privacy of their bedroom. Intimacy is either right, and your marriage is good, or it is not, and your marriage is in trouble. If your sexual life is struggling, it is because of sin. Sin separates, and the bedroom is the most prominent place where you will perceive this division. If you do not deal with sin biblically, the tectonic plates of your sex life will shift, and your marriage will be off-kilter. No matter what you do, you will be out of harmony with each other. Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-7-sex-and-marriage/ Will you help us to continue providing free conte

Mable knocked on my counseling door. She was in tears. She had just finished her weekly women’s Bible study. The deep dive into God’s Word was exhilarating, and the fellowship with her friends was refreshing, but Mable was in tears. Quizzically, I could not connect her tears with her time with God and friends. It did not make sense to me. Then she asked, “Would you talk to my husband?” Seven syllables. It spoke volumes. Mable spent a few hours each Tuesday at their church building watching a video from a famous woman speaker on random Bible topics. At some point during these Bible studies, Mable started thinking that something was missing in her life. What she perceived as good—her Bible study—was becoming an unpleasant reminder of something unsatisfying about her marriage. Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-20-dont-let-your-bible-study-hurt-your-marriage/ Will you help us to continue providing free content for everyone? You can become a supporting member here https://lifeovercoffee.com/join/, or you

It is impossible to live in a fallen world and not argue or disagree with another person. From birth to the grave, disagreements are part of life. The odds are so stacked against you that you will not be able to get through life without conflict, which is why it would be good to learn how to argue well, especially with your spouse. Here are five tips for your marriage communication. Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-22-five-tips-for-arguing-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/.