Life Over Coffee With Rick Thomas

Today’s lesson is tough but essential: when you mess up, it’s no one’s fault but your own. It’s natural to want to blame others for our mistakes. Perhaps others are part of our mistakes or have influenced them. However, we cannot ignore our responsibility. We must not permit people’s problems to manage us. Adults struggle with owning their mistakes, so you’re not alone. But if your first instinct is to point fingers when things go wrong, it’s time to pause, recalibrate that mindset, and take responsibility. Owning your mistakes is a key step toward maturity and spiritual growth. Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-7-teen-devotional-your-mistakes-are-yours/ 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/.

I want to share with you something many people overlook: the beauty of a mundane life. Your grandparents might have called it real life—the everyday, ordinary moments of living in an imperfect world. While the culture chases the next big thing, the spiritual person recognizes that even the most mundane moments are opportunities to glorify God. Hidden in the ordinary are the blessings that only a spiritual mind can see. Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-6-teen-devotion-life-is-mundane/ 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 life’s great lessons is learning to respond well when you don’t get what you want—a challenge for 100 out of every 100 people. Coincidentally, if you think that not getting what you want is just something kids deal with, think again. Life is full of unmet expectations, and how you respond to those expectations now will shape your ability to handle the challenges ahead. The good news? Learning to respond humbly to disappointment is a key to living well in God’s world. Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-5-teen-devotion-wait-until-you-get-a-boss/ 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’s confront a popular but harmful idea: self-esteem. Our culture teaches that we need to esteem and think highly of ourselves. While it’s true that you should see yourself as a unique individual created in God’s image—what we call the Imago Dei, self-esteem, as the world defines it—putting yourself first—is a trap that elevates you while diminishes others. This way of thinking leads to internal frustration, external pride, and ongoing disappointment. Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-4-teen-devotion-forget-about-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/.

Today’s topic might hit close to home: learning to accept that your parents aren’t perfect. It’s easy to agree that nobody’s perfect—until someone’s imperfections directly affect you. One of the most painful lessons I had to learn as a young adult was to accept my parents’ shortcomings. Our children are no different; they live with imperfect parents, which is not a justification but a fact of reality. Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-3-teen-devotion-parents-arent-perfect/ 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 episode, we explore the crucial distinction between biblical counseling and secular psychology. Rick Thomas joins us to unpack the historical roots of counseling and to highlight the sufficiency of Scripture in addressing life’s deepest struggles. Far more than behavior modification, biblical counseling offers true, gospel-centered transformation. Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/podcast/ep-550-phil-sessa-interviews-rick-thomas-on-biblical-counseling/ 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 life’s most challenging truths is unfairness. You’ve heard someone say, “It’s not fair!” in response to a disappointment. Maybe you’ve said it yourself. This frustration is natural because fairness aligns with how we think things should work. However, the reality is that life hasn’t been fair since Adam disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:8-14). Adam’s fall unleashed sin and death into a world God originally designed to be perfect (Genesis 2:7-9). Ever since unfairness has been woven into the fabric of life (Romans 5:12). Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-2-teen-devotion-life-fair/ 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 rest of your life does not come with summers off. In school, you get days off—snow days, holiday breaks, and long summer vacations. Many kids complain the summers need to be longer and school is too hard. But once they step into adulthood, the rhythm changes. There are no built-in summers off, and life becomes a long, steady mundane journey—one that ends only when you drop dead and step into eternity. This perspective might not sound very encouraging, but it’s actually an opportunity to rethink your mindset about work, rest, and the purpose of your life. Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-10-teen-devotion-you-dont-get-time-off/ 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/.

As you embark on this 31-day journey, consider six essential truths about life, God, and yourself. These truths are not just ideas to ponder but steps toward a more Christ-centered life. Pick the one that seems most challenging and make a plan to change. I share these with you in no particular order. Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-1-teen-devotion-lets-begin-the-journey/ 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 a life honoring God requires a person to rest well. If you rest well, you will work well, and the other parts of your life will be satisfying, too. I suspect that most people in first-world countries do not have good rest habits and are unaware or unconcerned about the adverse effects of not resting well. So important is rest that without a sound theology and practice of rest, your work diminishes, and your relationships suffer. What is your theology of rest? How do work and rest intersect symmetrically, making you whole? Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/you-have-to-work-to-rest-if-you-ever-want-to-enjoy-this-gift/ 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/.

Prayer is every believer’s desire and opportunity, but many Christians struggle to have a consistent and dynamic prayer life. That’s why I want to share eight practical tips to help and guide you as you think about one of the most crucial things we can do regarding our relationship with God. These thoughts are what I told a friend many years ago when he asked about praying well. Here is his original question. Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/eight-ways-make-prayer-life-better/ 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 – Bridge Ministries of Laredo, Texas, recently hosted Rick and Lucia Thomas for an in-depth and encouraging interview that spotlighted the heart and mission of Life Over Coffee. In this rich conversation, Rick and Lucia share the journey that led them to establish Life Over Coffee, a global discipleship ministry designed to equip Christians with practical tools for addressing life’s real and messy challenges with the timeless truths of Scripture. Listen to the Podcast: https://lifeovercoffee.com/podcast/ep-548-bridge-ministries-interviews-rick-and-lucia-thomas/ 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 you consider spiritual disciplines, where does fasting rank? Most Christians pray, read, and study their Bibles regularly. Praise God! Many engage in fellowship, discipleship, and evangelism. Yet, fasting often falls lower on the list of our practiced disciplines. Why is this? I propose fasting is among the most powerful spiritual disciplines a believer can adopt, impacting their lives in ways that prayer, Bible study, and fellowship alone cannot achieve. I also propose that the significance of fasting as a means of grace in the Christian life will challenge common misconceptions and encourage us to consider its place in our pursuit of holiness. Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/how-the-gift-of-fasting-can-change-your-life/ 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 compelling interview, Dr. Daniel Berger joins Rick Thomas to unpack the whirlwind of response—both praise and pushback—that followed the release of his provocative book, The Schizophrenic Unicorn: Understanding the Diagnosis of Schizophrenia, The Centrality of Sleep, the Biopsychosocial Diagnostic Model of Mental and Considering a Practical and Proven Alternative Approach. Dr. Berger candidly addresses critics and reflects on how his work has been a breath of fresh air for many who feel stuck in the traditional mental health paradigm. Watch or Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/podcast/ep-549-daniel-berger-the-schizophrenic-unicorn-2-0/ 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/.

I have struggled with insomnia—intermittently—since 2003. It has been so long that I rarely talk about it unless someone asks. I resigned myself to insomnia as a way of life. My insomnia is like an unwanted friend who periodically shows up late at night. He makes his visits without warning. I can go for weeks with relatively good sleep, though I have probably not had a sound sleep the way a child enjoys sleep since I was a child. Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/insomnia-causes-and-cures/ 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 interplay between our physical and spiritual selves needs responsible engagement within the Christian community, especially how a conflict between two people can lead to diminishing health. I have counseled many spouses with declining health that often paralleled the sinful relationships with their spouses. In nearly every case, their spouses had corrupting speech patterns: demanding, angry, manipulative, controlling, and other forms of selfish anger, including relational passivity and neglect (Ephesians 4:29). Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/how-does-the-ongoing-sin-of-others-impact-our-physical-health/ 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/.

Rose was a member of my small group. One night, she asked me what I thought about smoking cigarettes. I said, “It’s not what’s between your fingers that is a problem; it’s what is in your heart.” At that moment, the Lord did the miraculous. Over the next few months, her heart changed. I was oblivious to all these things. Months later, she shared with me what happened. Please enjoy her confession and praise to God. Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/confession-of-a-former-cigarette-smoker/ 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/.

All external, behavioral idols have the same insidious root cause—unbelief, or its synonym, self-reliance. The self-reliant spirit is not trusting God. If you don’t deal with this universal heart problem, you could easily stop one sin while jumping to a different idol. Have you ever played “whack-a-mole” at an amusement center? It’s one of those games where plastic moles randomly pop up while you try to whack them with a rubber mallet before they retreat into their holes. You never know when or where one will pop up. As soon as you knock one down, another one jumps up. Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/idol-swapping-i-stopped-looking-at-porn-but-gained-30-pounds/ 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/.

Doing things without thinking about what we’re doing is one of God’s greatest favors to us. It is a communicable attribute. God has given us the ability to respond as sentient creatures to the mundane things of life so we can spend our time thinking about the vital things of life. Great habits—developed over time—free us to image God more effectively because they enable us to focus on what is essential for spreading His fame. Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/the-blessing-of-doing-things-without-thinking/ 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 New Testament provides three categories to help people think about and work through their temptations. Resolving debilitating short-term and life-long habits does not always happen the same way for all people. Not only are there different strokes for different folks, but there can be different strokes for each person depending on how a specific temptation causes them to stumble or stall. These three ways to overcome temptation and sin can overlap and intersect as you work through a recurring problem. Let’s take a look at each one. Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/the-blessing-of-doing-things-without-thinking/ 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/.