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/

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15 Tips to Overcome Insomnia

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/

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Living Boldly Day 1: Embracing the God-centered Life

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/

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Living Boldly Day 03: Parents Are Not Perfect

One of the most essential places for your spiritual growth is the local church. Outside of your home, the local church is the dearest place on earth for a believer because it’s where God’s people gather to worship, grow, and serve together. The church is not a building but a body of believers, whether it’s two gathered for fellowship or two thousand in an auditorium.

Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-16-teen-devotion-your-local-church/

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Day 16 – Living Boldly: Your Local Church

Five common traps many young adults face can hinder their growth and keep them from living the life God has for them. The good news is that recognizing these traps is the first step to avoiding them and finding freedom in Christ. I will share them with you in no particular order, though it would serve you well to order them according to how they apply to your life.

Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-17-teen-devotion-five-teen-traps/

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Day 17 – Living Boldly: Five Teen Traps

Today’s topic touches on a question many struggle with: “Will God forgive me?” Thinking that the good Lord will not forgive us typically comes from an inward-focused, insecure person who needs a gospel recalibration: Who the Son has set free is free indeed (John 8:36). The gospel liberates us from all of our past sins, no matter how hideous or overwhelming they seem. Jesus has already completed the work of forgiveness—you don’t have to live under the weight of guilt any longer.

Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-19-teen-devotion-will-god-forgive/

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Day 19 – Living Boldly: "Will God Forgive Me?"

Your conscience that God gave you acts as an internal moral thermostat. It’s your inner voice that sounds off when you have done well or poorly. Your conscience can be a powerful tool for aligning your life with God’s Word, but it can also become distorted if not biblically trained. The conscience is malleable. Let’s talk about how to care for and train your conscience so it reflects God’s truth—the ultimate sweet spot is when your inner voice and God’s Word are in tune.

Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-20-teen-devotion-voice-training/

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Day 20 – Living Boldly: Voice Training

An essential first step in discipleship is how you view others. If your disappointment in people is greater than your desire to help them, your ability to disciple effectively will run into many hindrances. Jesus had some strong language for those who made the log/speck mistake.

Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-23-teen-devotion-first-step-start/

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Day 23 – Living Boldly: The First Step Before You Start

Overcoming the fear of others disapproval is a universal struggle for those who base their identity on what others think of them. When we act like this, we give others power over us. We’re nothing more than puppets on a string, always managed by the fickle approval of others. The Bible calls this the fear of man, but you might recognize it better as peer pressure, codependency, or insecurity.

Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-26-teen-devotion-opinions-others/

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Day 26 – LIving Boldly: Controlled By the Opinions of Others

Shows Main Idea – I often get asked about our next speaking engagement—as if speaking from a stage is central to our ministry. It’s not. In this episode, I want to walk you through our philosophy of public speaking and why we don’t model our approach after the typical speaker circuit. For me, speaking is not a performance or platform-building opportunity—it’s about long-term discipleship and real relationships. I don’t have a few canned messages that I drop into a new location every weekend. Instead, we serve churches through a slow, intentional process that begins months before the conference and often continues for years afterward. We don’t stay in hotels. We live with the people. We eat with them, learn from them, adapt our content to their lives, and build connections that last. This episode unpacks our convictions around sanctification, discipleship, and the church—and why relational ministry, not performance ministry, is our model.

Show Notes: https://lifeovercoffee.com/podcast/ep-553-a-relational-philosophy-for-local-church-engagement/

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Ep. 553 A Relational Philosophy for Local Church Engagement

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).

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