The Daily Ripples Podcast

Happy Cinco de Mayo — and for Corey and Paris, a holiday that used to look very different. Today Corey is back with his friend Paris — his sponsee, and someone who shared a past that makes their current kitchen table look like a miracle. Because it kind of is. They dig into emotional sobriety, which only appears once in all the AA literature — on the very first page of Step 12 — and what it means that the byproduct of carrying the message is that your own emotions start to settle. Paris connects it to getting fit: it took work to get there, and it takes even more work to stay there. Corey lands the episode on Mark 5:19 — go home and tell them what the Lord has done for you. Turns out that's been the program all along. The stone for today: When emotions run high, perspective narrows. I can become so focused on the immediate problem that I lose sight of the bigger picture. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

May the 4th be with you. And also with you. With that out of the way — today Pastor Mike closes out a great four-day run with Steffani and Memphis by digging into something trickier than it sounds: the difference between honesty and oversharing. Because you can be completely truthful and still do damage. Mike shares the three questions he runs every hard truth through before speaking it — does it need to be said? Does it need to be said by me? Does it need to be said by me right now? Steffani brings in We Agnostics, page 55. And they land the episode's most honest moment: the futility of still trying to hide things from God, knowing full well that God already knows. The mental gymnastics are real — and so is the way out. The stone for today: Partial honesty keeps parts of my life hidden and unchanged. Freedom grows when honesty becomes complete and not selective. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

Writing it down is a start. Saying it out loud to another person is where the real work happens. Today Pastor Mike, Steffani, and Memphis dig into what it takes to move from private truth to spoken honesty — and why that gap matters more than most people realize. Steffani shares how she does a new Step Five right alongside her sponsees, putting her own inventory on the table first to level the playing field. Memphis reflects on how his shares used to be a performance and have quietly become a parable. And Mike lands on something worth sitting with: talking about the past less as entertainment and more as a lesson in what not to do. As Proverbs 28:13 puts it — whoever conceals their sins does not prosper. The exact nature of our wrongs. Not hints. The whole thing. The stone for today: Honesty in private is a start, but healing often requires honesty in the presence of another. What stays unspoken tends to stay unchanged. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.  

It's no longer just your story. It's God's tool. Today Pastor Mike, Steffani, and Memphis dig into what it means to let your past become someone else's hope — and Memphis lands on something worth sitting with: his shares used to sound like a badge of honor. Now they sound like testimony. That's growth, and Mike has had a front-row seat — he reveals today that he's been Memphis's sponsor for the past six months. The conversation moves through Romans 8:28, the AA tradition of experience, strength, and hope, and Mike's honest admission that he needed the hard knocks, the bad chapters, every bit of it — to become who he is today. The stone for today: The past can feel like a weight, but in God's hands it becomes a tool. What once brought pain can become a source of wisdom and hope for others. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

We're only as sick as our secrets. Today Pastor Mike welcomes two new voices — Steffani and Memphis — who'll be joining him through May 4th while Corey is out. And they jump straight into the deep end: Step Five. What does it actually feel like to sit down with another human being and say the thing you swore you'd never say out loud? Steffani calls it a spiritual experience. Memphis talks about the freedom to make mistakes without shame. And Mike lands on something the recovery community does better than most churches: holding each other's confidence and accepting each other as fellow broken travelers just trying to walk in the light. The stone for today: What I hide begins to control me. Secrets grow stronger in the dark, but they lose their power when brought into the light. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

The only way to keep it is to give it away. That's not a bumper sticker, it's the engine that makes the whole thing run. Today Mike and Corey close out April with one of the most beautiful paradoxes in recovery: the gift deepens the more you share it. Corey connects it to Tradition 5, to sponsor Doug, to his buddy Kevin who saved his life when he came back in the rooms, and in classic Corey fashion... to herpes. Mike ties it to Luke 6 and the Sermon on the Plain: generosity begets generosity. You're not the one responsible for the harvest. You just have to keep sowing. The stone for today: Some gifts grow stronger the more they are shared. What we give away in service often deepens within us. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

Freedom without limits isn't freedom — it's just chaos with better branding. Today Mike and Corey dig into what real freedom actually looks like, and it turns out it runs straight through discipline, not around it. Corey lands on Galatians 5:13 (called to be free, but not free to indulge) and connects it directly to the sick man's prayer from page 67 of the Big Book: how can I be helpful to him? Mike ties it together with a flat tire analogy that sticks: self-help is just patching the nail hole. Spiritual transformation is replacing the whole tire. And the freedom on the other side? That's the real thing. The stone for today: True freedom is not the absence of limits. It is the ability to live responsibly within them. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

Two quiet virtues. No drama, no fanfare — just the steady work of staying teachable and showing up. Today Corey and Mike dig into why that prayer at the end of the ripple is actually kind of terrifying: Father, teach me the humility of Christ. Pastor Mike puts it plainly — you know how far God took it with Jesus. So what does saying that out loud actually mean? And yet the reward on the other side of faithful living, as Mike lands it, is greater than anything that ever came out of a bottle or a capsule. Worth the risk. The stone for today: A healthy life rests on two quiet virtues — humility and responsibility. Humility keeps the heart teachable. Responsibility turns good intentions into faithful actions. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

Growth isn't a destination — it's a lifelong unfolding. In this episode, Pastor Mike and Corey dig into what it really means to stay teachable, and why "just not drinking today" is a starting point, not a finish line. Growth is a lifelong discovery. The more we walk faithfully each day, the more wisdom, clarity, and purpose unfold. Mike opens up about coming into recovery as someone who was convinced he was too smart to need God — book smarts, no common sense, and a quiet disdain for anyone who might have something to teach him. What the school of hard knocks gave him, his education never could: genuine humility. Corey follows with a sharp observation about the difference between human experience and spiritual experience — how chasing the human stuff never moves the needle spiritually, but the spiritual, somehow, takes care of the human.  Along the way: the "laurels" question (what even is a laurel?), Matthew 7:8 and the Big Book's own echo of it on page 46, and Mike's reflection on how Jesus taught us how to pray before he promised our prayers would be answered — and what that changes about how we come before God. As Corey puts it: everybody can hear where your mouth goes. But where do your feet go afterward? Learn more and find every daily entry at dailyripples.com. Reach out anytime at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

Happiness isn't the goal. Contentment is. And those are very different things. Today Corey opens with one of his most raw and honest moments yet — from a closet with a gun to running over 12 mailboxes on purpose, to finding out years later that one of those mailboxes belonged to his boss. And rather than dread, his first reaction was opportunity: a chance to make amends face to face. That's what transformation looks like from the inside out. Mike ties it together simply — if you never face any difficulties, you never grow. The painful seasons have a direction. And that direction is forward. The stone for today: Life is not measured by constant happiness. Growth comes through how we face difficulty, learn from it, and use what we learn to help others. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

This is not a self-help program. It's a spiritual one. And that distinction matters more than most people realize. Today Corey and Mike dig into what it actually means to admit your limits — not just intellectually, but in the gut-level, can't-white-knuckle-it-anymore way that opens the door to something new. Corey lands on one of the most liberating lines in the Big Book: our troubles are basically of our own making. Not because it's fun to hear — but because if the problem is yours, so is the way out. And the way out, it turns out, runs through God and not through yourself. The stone for today: Real change often begins when we finally admit our limits. What once felt like defeat can become the doorway to freedom. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

We're all born with a God-sized hole in our hearts, and we spend a lot of years trying to fill it with everything but God. Today Mike and Corey dig into one of the more vulnerable topics the Daily Ripples has touched — loneliness, and the unhealthy patterns it drives. Controlling others. Depending on them too heavily. Chasing relationships to quiet the emptiness inside. Both men get honest about how that played out in their own lives, and how the path forward wasn't filling the hole differently — it was letting God take care of the soul work while they focused on taking care of others. Corey lands it simply: God takes care of me if I take care of others. Never the other way around. The stone for today: Loneliness often drives us to unhealthy patterns. We may try to control others or depend on them too heavily, hoping they will fill the emptiness within. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

No single method solves every struggle. Not the steps alone. Not church alone. Not therapy alone. Today Mike and Corey dig into something the founder of AA himself put in writing — AA is not a cure-all, even for alcoholism. That kind of honesty takes humility. And humility, it turns out, is the whole ballgame. Mike shares how it took being broken down completely before he could even consider asking for help. Corey connects it to the gym, to ego, and to that dangerous moment around 90 days when things start to feel a little too comfortable. Pride comes before the fall — or in recovery language, before the relapse. The stone for today: No single method solves every struggle. Growth requires humility — the willingness to receive help wherever wisdom and healing may be found. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

Change doesn't announce itself. It starts with a small realization — something someone says in a meeting, a quiet thought about calling someone you haven't talked to in a while — and if you pay attention to it, something new starts to take root. Today Mike and Corey dig into what it means to nurture those small moments instead of letting them pass. Corey's old sponsor Doug had a line that stuck: you can't see until you can see, and you can't hear until you can hear. At some point, something shifts and you can't un-see it. The stone for today: Change often begins quietly. A single moment of clarity can start a deeper transformation, planting new roots where old patterns once grew. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

They're back. After a week of wonderful guest voices, Pastor Mike and Corey reunite for April 21st — and it feels like picking up right where they left off. Today's ripple is about faith as a practice rather than a possession: something you tend, quietly, over time, like a garden. Corey shares the index card system he's been carrying in his pocket — working through one word a month from page 84 — and then gets bracingly honest about what it felt like when alcohol worked. And why that's exactly the point. The stone for today: Faith rarely arrives fully formed. Like a garden, it grows through attention, patience, and repeated practice. What I nurture quietly shapes who I become. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

Actions tell part of the story. Motives tell the rest. Today Pastor Mike and his wife Cristi are back for day two, and they get into something most of us don't like to examine too closely — the real reason we do what we do. Cristi brings a sharp and honest take: she used to give financially expecting God to return it double, that same week. Mike calls it transactional faith. She calls it growth that she'd rather examine quietly, thanks very much. And it turns out, that's sanctifying grace — whether you know the term or not. The stone for today: Actions alone do not reveal the whole story. Motives shape the meaning behind what I do. Honest self-examination helps uncover whether I'm acting from love or from hidden self-interest. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

Two people who met at church, both broken, both in need — and found each other there. Today Pastor Mike brings in his most personal guest yet: his wife Cristi. Together they unpack what real connection actually requires, and it turns out it's not having it together. It's being willing to admit that you don't. Cristi brings a perspective that's easy to miss in a recovery-focused podcast — she's not an alcoholic, doesn't come from an alcoholic family, and still finds the Daily Ripples speaking directly to her life every single day. Because brokenness is brokenness, in any form. The stone for today: Human connection rarely begins with perfection. It begins with shared weakness. When I stop pretending to have it all together, real fellowship becomes possible. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

Deception rarely starts as a big lie. It starts as a small one — like a kid on a scooter faking a scraped knee to draw attention away from the friend he just hurt. Today Corey goes solo and gets bracingly honest about honesty itself: how it doesn't come naturally, why self-appraisal alone is never enough, and what it actually took — the steps, a sponsor, another human being willing to sit with him through the work — to learn how to live in the truth. Corey at his most unfiltered, and well worth the listen. The stone for today: Deception rarely begins with others — it begins within. When I distort reality to protect my image or comfort, I slowly lose touch with truth. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

Fear doesn't always look like fear. It shows up as anger, resentment, control, isolation — and if you've been carrying it long enough, it starts to feel normal. In today's solo episode, Pastor Mike gets personal about what fear actually is — not just an emotion, but a soul-sickness that distorts the lens through which we see God, other people, and ourselves. The good news? You don't have to be fearless. You just have to be courageous. And those are very different things. The stone for today: Fear grows where love is absent. When I allow fear to dominate my thinking, it distorts my view of God, others, and even myself. Love restores clarity. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

There's a difference between a reaction and a response — and that gap is where freedom lives. On Larry's final day as guest co-host, he and Pastor Mike land on something worth sitting with: when you react to someone, they're actually in control of what you say and do. But when you pause and respond from who you truly are, your words belong to you again. Mike adds a recovery room classic — a 33-year veteran once told him to take the cotton out of his ears and put it in his mouth. Sometimes the wisest move is to stop talking and start listening. The stone for today: Anger can feel powerful, even justified. Yet when it lingers, it slowly corrodes the heart. What begins as a reaction can become a habit that shapes how I see the world. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

Anger is almost never really about what it looks like on the surface. Today Pastor Mike and Larry — two United Methodist pastors working through it like the rest of us — dig into what anger actually is: a secondary emotion, usually rooted in fear. Larry brings a simple but powerful tool: get curious. Ask what's going on in you before you react to what's going on out there. And Mike adds a recovery lens that maps cleanly onto the same idea — the Step 10 inventory, that daily habit of looking at where the resentment is really coming from. The answer, almost always, is closer to home than we'd like. The stone for today: Resentment binds the heart. When anger is nursed and protected, it slowly darkens the inner life and blocks the peace God intends. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

Holding a resentment doesn't hurt the person you're holding it against — it hurts you. And here's the thing nobody tells you: you might be the only one still in the room. Today Pastor Mike and his friend Larry — two pastors, two perspectives — dig into why releasing resentment is less about the other person and more about putting down luggage that was never yours to carry in the first place. If someone has already worked it out with God and moved on, and you're still holding it, you're just carrying around their trash. And the way out? You just keep saying it until it's true. The stone for today: Resentment quietly poisons the soul. When I replay old injuries, I keep the wound alive and allow bitterness to shape my heart. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

Today's a special one — you're getting a double episode. Corey, Zach, and Bill recorded their take on the ripple, and Pastor Mike sat down separately with another friend named Larry to do the same (apparently, he only knows other elders named "Larry"). Two conversations, one stone. Because self-pity deserves to be surrounded. The stone for today: Self-pity feels comforting at first, but it slowly narrows my world. The more I focus on my own wounds, the less I see the needs and struggles of others. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

When destructive patterns rule your thinking, you don't even realize the choices you're no longer making. Today Corey, Bill, and Zach dig into what it actually means to pause before acting on impulse — and whether our patterns are better understood as destructive habits or simply the past experience we keep running on autopilot. The conversation goes deep on the gap between thoughts and actions, the difference between the third and seventh step prayers, and what it looks like when wisdom finally starts to grow where impulse once ruled. Also: Zach figures out what the stone actually is, and Pastor Mike could not resist jumping in. The stone for today: When destructive patterns rule my thinking, I lose the ability to choose wisely. What feels normal in the moment can slowly distort judgment and lead me away from truth. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

Blame feels powerful. It just doesn't actually do anything. As long as someone else is responsible for your condition, nothing can change — because you're not the one holding the lever. Today Corey, Zach and Bill continue their guest run with one of the rawest conversations yet, including the story of sitting in a suicide cell after a SWAT team raid, still blaming everyone else, and the moment something finally cracked open. Growth begins exactly where blame ends. The stone for today: Blame feels powerful, but it keeps me stuck. As long as someone else is responsible for my condition, I remain unchanged. Growth begins where blame ends. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

Nobody gets a trophy for doing what they were supposed to do all along. Today Bill and Zach are back with Corey, and they dig into one of the more uncomfortable truths in recovery; that real maturity shows up quietly, in the unglamorous moments when nobody's watching and nobody's clapping. They share the moment it clicked: doing the dishes for his wife purely out of love, no audience, no score-keeping — and being stunned by how good it felt. Turns out the action itself really is the reward. The stone for today: Growth is not merely about change, it is about responsibility. Real maturity shows itself when I stop asking to be applauded for doing what I should have been doing all along. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

Whatever masters you, confines you. Pride, resentment, obsession, indulgence — any one of them can quietly take the wheel while we tell ourselves we're free. Today Corey is joined by Zach and Bill, who step in for Pastor Mike and bring a fresh perspective to the ripple, digging into what it actually means to stop living by self-propulsion and start trusting that something greater can supply what we keep trying to grab for ourselves. Including an honest moment about what it feels like when prayer finally starts to work — not as a dramatic breakthrough, but as a quiet perspective shift. The stone for today: Whatever masters me, confines me. Pride, indulgence, resentment, obsession — any one of them can become a quiet tyrant. Freedom begins when I admit I am not as independent as I pretend. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

Desire isn't the problem. It's what happens when desire bends inward — twisted by ego, fear, and control — that things start to go sideways. In today's episode, Pastor Mike opens up about 17 years of atheism and what it actually took to face himself honestly enough to find his way back to faith. Corey unpacks how even recovery itself can become another stage for the ego if we're not careful. The work of looking within is never really finished — but clarity, as the ripple says, is the beginning of freedom. The stone for today: Desire of self is not the problem. It is when desire bends inward, twisted by ego, fear, control, that it begins to harm. If I refuse to look within, I remain shaped by what I will not examine. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

Nobody gets here alone. Behind every step forward there are people who prayed, sacrificed, and held things together when we couldn't. Today Pastor Mike and Corey turn gratitude into something more than a list — they ask what it actually looks like to honor the people who showed up for us. The conversation takes some unexpected turns, including a question Corey's been sitting with: did I ever really have a choice? The answer, as always, is more grace than formula. The stone for today: No life is built alone. Behind every step forward are unseen prayers, sacrifices, and steady hands that have held us up when we were weak. Gratitude widens when I remember who helped me stand. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

Growth is not an event. It's a process — and most of what we're working through runs a lot deeper than the surface issue we think we're dealing with. In one of the most personal episodes yet, Corey shares the story of meeting his birth mother for the first and only time — three days before she died — and how grief counseling years later revealed he'd never actually processed the loss. Sometimes healing finds us on a detour we didn't plan. That's not failure. That's the process. The stone for today: Most of our struggles are deeper than the surface issue. Restlessness, strained relationships, fear, and discouragement rarely vanish overnight. Growth is not an event. It is a process. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

There are really only two moves ego makes: rise above everyone, or disappear beneath them. Today Pastor Mike and Corey unpack why both of those postures — as different as they look — are just two sides of the same isolation. Real connection only happens when we stop competing and stop hiding and just stand among. Pastor Mike's old sponsor Steve Davis put it simply: he was just another bozo on the bus. Turns out that's exactly the right place to be. The stone for today: Isolation often hides behind ambition or withdrawal. I either try to rise above everyone or disappear beneath them. Both postures keep me from real connection. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

Pride and insecurity — they look like opposites, but they share the same root. Both are chasing something outside of ourselves to tell us we're okay. Today Pastor Mike and Corey get personal about what that chase actually looks like — from Corey's story of a 13-year-old kid who found belonging in a bottle, to the quiet freedom of doing good and not needing to tell anybody about it. The moon doesn't generate its own light. It just reflects. Turns out that's enough. The stone for today: When I live for approval, I become restless and unsatisfied. One moment I feel invisible, the next I demand to be the center. Pride and insecurity often share the same root. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

It's easy to see everyone else's contribution to the problem. It's a lot harder — and a lot more freeing — to look honestly at your own. Today Pastor Mike and Corey dig into what it actually means to stop rewriting the story to protect yourself, drawing on the Big Book's "director of the play" analogy and a therapist's well-timed truth bomb about letting go of the old you. As Corey puts it: how free do you want to be today? Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

What happens when we look to other people to tell us who we are? We twist ourselves into shapes that don't fit, chasing approval and dreading disapproval — and the exhausting part is, it never fills the gap. Today's ripple cuts to the root: when our identity is anchored in something steadier than other people's opinions, we stop performing and start living. Faithfulness, not popularity. Integrity, even when it costs applause. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

Growth doesn't happen in the dark. Today's ripple calls us to something most of us would rather avoid — looking within. Not to shame ourselves, not to tear ourselves down, but to face honestly what's actually driving us. Pride, fear, selfish desire — they don't disappear just because we don't look at them. But when we do look, something shifts. Clarity is the first step toward correction. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

Shame is a liar. It tells you that you're disqualified — that too much has happened, too many lines have been crossed, too many chapters were too dark. Today's ripple says otherwise. No failure, no label, no past decision has the authority to cancel your belonging. Grace doesn't wait for you to arrive polished. It meets you as you are. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

What if the biggest obstacle to your best decision isn't the wrong information — it's your own instincts? In today's episode, Pastor Mike and Corey open the March 30th entry from Daily Ripples — "Listening Together" — a devotional about the kind of humility that makes real wisdom possible. The stone is simple but sharp: what feels good in the moment isn't always what's best in the long run. True discernment grows when we're willing to hear voices beyond our own — and resist the pull toward what's merely convenient. Whether you're white-knuckling a decision or just tired of circling the same ground, this conversation is for you. New episodes drop daily. Visit us at www.dailyripples.com or reach out at [email protected] — we'd love to hear from you.

The most meaningful work often happens where no one is watching. Today's ripple is a quiet challenge: can you do the small, necessary thing in front of you even when no one notices, even when it feels thankless? True service isn't driven by recognition. It's driven by faithfulness. We plant seeds we may never see grow, and trust the harvest to God. A special thank you to Steffani for joining us this week! We're so glad you've been along for these four days. You're always welcome here. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

Status, wealth, reputation — none of it changes where we stand before God. Today's ripple is a powerful reminder that grace is the great equalizer. No one is above the ground we all share, and no one is beneath it. When that sinks in, comparison loses its grip and compassion has room to grow. Welcome back, Steffani — glad you're still with us! Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

  What does real freedom actually look like? Not the kind that says do whatever you want — but the kind that gives you the ability to choose what actually gives life. Today's ripple cuts to the heart of what recovery is really about: not coercion, not obligation, but invitation. And love grows best where there is no force. We're glad to have Steffani with us again today — welcome back! Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

The journey doesn't end when you finally start to understand it — it deepens. Today's ripple is a reminder that growth isn't a destination you arrive at; it's a posture you maintain. Staying teachable, making amends where needed, and giving freely what has been given to you — that's the daily practice. And the good news? You're not walking it alone. We're also so glad to welcome Steffani as a guest joining us for the next four days. Welcome! Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New devotionals and episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

Gratitude isn't just a feeling. It's what happens when you finally stop taking grace for granted. In the finale of four conversations with special recovery guest Paris, Pastor Mike closes out the series with the March 25 Daily Ripple, Gratitude That Overflows — a reflection on what happens when a heart full of thanksgiving leaves no room for ego. When we truly remember what we've been given, pride softens and love starts moving outward. A fitting close to a powerful four-part conversation. If you've followed along this week, this one lands differently and fittingly - with gratitude. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

Autopilot is comfortable. It's also where old patterns hide. In part three of four with special recovery guest Paris, Pastor Mike explores the March 24 Daily Ripple, Thinking and Acting — a reflection on what it means to stop drifting and start living with intention. Recovery doesn't just change what we do. It changes how we think before we do it. Paris and Pastor Mike talk through the discipline of acting even before our brains catch up.  Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

Half-surrender isn't surrender. And deep down, we know the difference. In part two of four with special recovery guest Paris, Pastor Mike digs into the March 23 Daily Ripple, No Quiet Escape Plan — a reflection on the hidden reservations we carry that quietly undermine real freedom. If there's a back door still cracked open, the door isn't truly closed. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

The hardest battles are often the ones we need to stop fighting. In the first of four conversations with special recovery guest Paris, Pastor Mike unpacks the March 22 Daily Ripple, Laying Down the Fight — a reflection on why surrender, not strength, is where freedom actually begins. Constant striving feeds pride and exhaustion. Laying it down brings relief. Paris brings a perspective shaped by lived experience, and together they explore what it really looks like to stop forcing change — in people, in outcomes, and in ourselves — and trust something greater instead. This is the first episode of four with Paris. Don't miss what's coming. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

More money doesn't cure fear. Trust does. Corey and special guest Bill explore the March 21 Daily Ripple, Freedom from Fear — a reflection on the difference between chasing security and cultivating faithfulness. Bill draws on the Parable of the Sower to unpack what it really means to cultivate faithfulness through service — and why the condition of the soil matters more than the size of the harvest. If money, anxiety, or the fear of not having enough has ever driven your choices, this conversation will meet you right where you are. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

Resentment feels justified. But it costs more than we think. Corey and special guest Bill dig into the March 20 Daily Ripple, Love as a Way of Life — a reflection on why love and tolerance aren't soft, sentimental ideals, but genuine disciplines that require daily practice.  Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

What happens when prayer feels awkward, unnecessary, or just... hollow? Today's episode explores why showing up anyway is the whole point. Corey and special guest Bill unpack the March 19 Daily Ripple, Prayer Changes Me — a reflection on what happens when skepticism gives way to honest, consistent practice. Prayer doesn't always change our circumstances. But it changes us. And that turns out to be enough. Whether you're someone who has prayed for decades or someone who still isn't sure you're doing it right, this conversation is for you. Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com — and we'd love to hear from you. Reach out any time at [email protected]. Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.

In today’s episode, Pastor Mike and Corey are joined again by Brother Larry as they read the March 18 Daily Ripple and reflect on a surprising truth in both recovery and faith: what we often called independence was really isolation. Trying to carry everything alone can leave us exhausted and stuck, while real strength begins to grow when we’re willing to depend on something greater than ourselves. You can find the written Daily Ripples each day at www.dailyripples.com. If you’d like to connect with the show or share a thought, you can email anytime at [email protected]. As always, we’re walking this path together—one day, and one ripple, at a time.

In today’s episode, Pastor Mike and Corey are joined again by Brother Larry as they read the March 17 Daily Ripple and reflect on the seasons of life that feel heavy, confusing, or unfair. In those moments it’s easy to believe that the struggle has no meaning at all. You can find the written Daily Ripples each day at www.dailyripples.com. If you’d like to share a thought or connect with the show, you can email anytime at [email protected]. As always, we’re walking this path together—one day, and one ripple, at a time.