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 wave@dailyripples.com.

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 wave@dailyripples.com.

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 wave@dailyripples.com.

Daily Ripples is a daily devotional reflection connecting recovery principles with the life of faith. New episodes every day at dailyripples.com.