Corey opens by thanking Bill and Stephanie for covering the past couple of weeks, and admits the break was really for him. Pastor Mike had gotten fired up teaching the Big Book one day, and Corey found himself getting irritated instead of encouraged, a pattern he's named on the show before, wanting whoever's around him to feel however he's feeling. The rest was mutual, but it was needed most for him.

From there the conversation turns to watchfulness over words specifically, First Peter's warning that the enemy prowls like a lion, and how quickly a household's whole mood can shift on nothing more than a person letting up their guard for a week. Pastor Mike offers a real example from his own home: a conversation with his wife on the back porch about how he treats the kids in their blended family differently, one that stung in the moment, and the discipline of holding his response until he could bring it to his therapist first rather than firing back right there. He pairs it with Proverbs 21:23 and Psalm 141:3, guarding the mouth and the door of the lips, and Ephesians 4:29's test for speech, not whether words are true, but whether they build up or tear down. It closes with Corey pushing back gently on the recovery cliché of acceptance, arguing real acceptance already happened the moment something landed, good or bad, and that the courage half of the Serenity Prayer still means doing something about what you cannot simply sit with.

The stone for today: A moment of self-restraint can prevent a lifetime of regret.

Read today's full Daily Ripple at www.dailyripples.com. Reach out any time at wave@dailyripples.com.

Choosing my words wisely | guarding the tongue | acceptance and courage together | Christian recovery | 12-step faith | Ephesians 4:29 | the Serenity Prayer | Big Book study | sobriety devotional | addiction recovery