There is no “i” in team…. A few years ago, I borrowed the phrase; “I can’t fix the head I got with the head I got.” from Brian C. from one of the AA meetings here in Phoenix. I learn many things from listening to and observing people and this thought has proven to be a strong tool for myself and others. Maybe it’s different for you, but when I am in spiritual pain, or struggling with issues of pride and self-will, I have a hard time initially sharing my struggle. This thought gives me a quick reality check and motivates me to seek counsel from others and not let my selfish thoughts continue to dominate my mind and actions. How comfortable are you in using your own mind to clear up your struggles of your thought and spiritual walk? …Check your experience… “Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them. We discuss them with someone immediately and make amends quickly if we have harmed anyone.” Big Book pg 84 Lord, let us not only share the things that are dominating our thoughts and blocking us from Your grace, but also be willing to act on advice received from others, AMEN. “One who has isolated himself seeks his own desires; he rejects all sound judgment. Proverbs 18:1 Have a blessed day y’all! Start your day on a positive note! Daily devotions from the Big Book and Bible combined! Paperback and Kindle versions available!! Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries including our beloved Furniture Bank! Please order yours today and help us help others! https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pastor+mark+farley&ref=nb_sb_noss

Give a hand up and not a hand out… Have you ever noticed that when you give stuff to people for free, they will usually take it? It’s a nice thing to give to others and that is what we should do as part of our spiritual growth and walk with Christ, but sometimes helping actually hurts those you are giving to. Stop giving them fish and instead teach them to fish! Think about it, if we continue to provide for another without teaching them or giving them a chance to provide for themselves, then we are hurting their growth and not really helping. It’s good to give, please don’t misunderstand, but it’s not helpful if we continue to give and do for the same people over and over without giving them a chance to learn how to provide for themselves … Check your experience…. “Your job now is to be at the place where you may be of maximum helpfulness to others,” Big Book pg 102 Lord, let us share our bounty with others as you so generously share with us, but let us share with a motive of helping with hand UP and not a hand OUT, AMEN. “Treat others as you want them to treat you.” Luke 6:31 Have a blessed day y'all!! Start your day on a positive note! Daily devotions from the Big Book and Bible combined! Paperback and Kindle versions available!! Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries including our beloved Furniture Bank! Please order yours today and help us help others! https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pastor+mark+farley&ref=nb_sb_noss

“Don’t turn a bad moment into a bad day.” … Back in Sacramento, years ago, ol’ Dick E. of Group 3 used to say this “phrase that pays” at our AA meetings. I have held onto that thought over the years and found it very useful when I am in times of stress or struggle. I simply force my head to remember these words and it stops the bad moment from becoming a bad day. While some situations last longer than a moment, I have learned that I am not facing it alone and that when I turn my troubles and fears over to the Lord, not only does my day go better, but also, the situation usually resolves itself and leaves me in a better place as a result. Are you allowing bad moments to become bad days? … Check your experience…. “In this book you read again and again that faith did for us what we could not do for ourselves.” Big Book pgs. 70-71 Lord, what times of uncertainty, stress, or struggle come, remind my heat that You are with me and I can turn it over to Your care and not let it run my whole day, AMEN. “I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine.” 1 Peter 1:6-7 Have a blessed day y’all! Hey friends please check out Servants Hearts! It’s a free site to help connect folks with volunteer and helping opportunities! Furniture Bank, Spiritual Solutions Group, and Advocate Phoenix are pleased to share the newest free helping service from Faith Through Works Fellowship! Its Phoenix based for now. Pray for its growth to provide helping hearts and willing hands to our organizations that need help! http://aservantsheart.us/

Things grow better in fertile soil… Have you ever noticed how certain plants grow and thrive in some climates but not in others? I live in Arizona and while many forms of cacti and desert plants thrive here, tropical plants don’t. It’s kind of the same with our spiritual life. When we plant ourselves in the Word and make sure we are receiving the Living Water of the Holy Spirit and our hearts are getting needed soul nutrition from fellowship with Jesus we thrive. However, when we try to live in unspiritual conditions, like plants in poor soil and bad climate, we struggle to grow and thrive. How is your spiritual soil?... Check your experience… “At the start, this was all we needed to commence spiritual growth, to affect our first conscious relation with God as we understood Him.” Big Book pg 47 Lord, please help us to find fertile spiritual growing conditions through Your Word and the Holy Spirit residing within us, AMEN. “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 3:18 Have a blessed day y’all! …. MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Furniture Bank is in the hand-UP business and not the HANDOUT GAME! You can donate any amount for a tax deduction and tax receipt, even $20 a month helps, because $100 provides a new twin bed and bedding to make a house into a home for our clients and families escaping homelessness and hopelessness. We send 2 or 3 new beds to every family we assist. Furniture Bank is a 501c3 public charity and every penny donated goes toward helping our families, veterans, and individuals in need. Visit our website and click on the PayPal button for a secure transaction and tax receipt that will follow within 48 hours. Please help us help others! http://www.furniturebank.us

Going with the flow… It’s easy to know how to act, dress, and what to do these days. Just watch TV or pay attention to any form of advertising and it will tell you how to think, act, and feel. But, is that healthy for us? It’s nice to “fit in” but what mold are we trying to actually fit in to? Because we have a God who loves us unconditionally and give us free will, we can become disillusioned by some of the trappings of this world. Most of us know that money and things do not buy real happiness. Having a real relationship with a real and living God does! …Check your experience… "We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows. Self-seeking will slip away. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change" Big Book pg 84. Lord, let us not fall into the illusions of the material trappings of this world and distort our relationship with You, AMEN. “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2 Have a blessed day y’all! Hey friends please check out Servants Hearts! It’s a free site to help connect folks with volunteer and helping opportunities! Furniture Bank, Spiritual Solutions Group, and Advocate Phoenix are pleased to share the newest free helping service from Faith Through Works Fellowship! Its Phoenix based for now. Pray for its growth to provide helping hearts and willing hands to our organizations that need help! http://aservantsheart.us/

Encouragement and strength…. We all have those in our lives who seem to always point out our faults, wrongs, and failures. We can either let their comments weigh us down and keep us from growing or we can take great pleasure in knowing that we don’t have to worry about not being perfect because they are there to remind us that we are not! The good news is we have the power of choice in what we allow to invade our ears and cover our hearts. We receive encouragement daily when we look in our hearts and know that God’s grace and hope live in His spirit in us. I am glad I have those in my life who have taken on the job of pointing out my wrongs and failures, it frees me up to focus on what I am doing right and gain strength as I grow closer to God. Are you finding hope and encouragement daily?.. Check your experience… “…whose hope is the maintenance and growth of a spiritual experience,” Big Book pg 66 Lord, let us seek hope and comfort through our daily relationship with you through Jesus, AMEN. “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good thing you do or say.” 2 Thessalonians 2: 16-17 Have a blessed day y’all! …. MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Furniture Bank is in the hand-UP business and not the HANDOUT GAME! You can donate any amount for a tax deduction and tax receipt, even $20 a month helps, because $100 provides a new twin bed and bedding to make a house into a home for our clients and families escaping homelessness and hopelessness. We send 2 or 3 new beds to every family we assist. Furniture Bank is a 501c3 public charity and every penny donated goes toward helping our families, veterans, and individuals in need. Visit our website and click on the PayPal button for a secure transaction and tax receipt that will follow within 48 hours. Please help us help others! http://www.furniturebank.us

The grass is NOT always greener on the other side of the fence. It’s easy these days to get caught up in comparing ourselves to others. Unfortunately, instead of celebrating the gifts and talents of others, our culture tends to highlight the differences. If we believe all of the marketing, commercials, advertisements, and now sadly even some of the media comments, then we need to be younger, smarter, stronger, driving only new cars and using only the latest and greatest products. Maybe it’s different for you, but I do not have the ability to keep up with all of that! In my walk in faith and sobriety I have been given the gift to appreciate what I have and to celebrate what others have instead of comparing myself to see where I come up short. As a result, I get to enjoy better relationships and a peaceful heart. How’s this working out for you?.. Check your experience… “The greatest enemies of us alcoholics are resentment, jealousy, envy, frustration, and fear.” Big Book pg 145 Lord let us trade our envy in return for grace and peace that comes from Your Holy Spirit living in our hearts, AMEN. “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” Proverbs 14:30 Have a blessed day y’all! Start your day on a positive note! Daily devotions from the Big Book and Bible combined! Paperback and Kindle versions available!! Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries including our beloved Furniture Bank! Please order yours today and help us help others! https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pastor+mark+farley&ref=nb_sb_noss

Navigating through traffic….. It seems we encounter traffic in just about everything we do these days. The freeways are full of commuters, the Starbucks and Dutch Bros lines are long at times, there is usually a wait time for scheduled doctor appointments. Most of us become aware of these patterns and we adjust our schedules to either accommodate or avoid these situations as best we can so we can continue on with our day. What about the things that can clog our hearts at times? The “rush hour traffic” of fear and worry, or being taken hostage by worldly clamors of self will perceived wants and materialistic desires can derail a good day if we let it. There is a plan and a solution to avoid this clutter and traffic in our hearts. Turning our will and our lives over to the care of God clears this traffic of our heart and allows us to focus on the important things and enjoy peace and grace. …Check your experience… “But soon the sense of His presence had been blotted out by worldly clamors, mostly those within myself. And so it had been ever since.” Big Book pgs. 12-13 Lord, let us give You the things in our heart that block us off from the your grace and Spirit, AMEN. “Let us put everything out of our lives that keeps us from doing what we should. Let us keep running in the race that God has planned for us.” Hebrews 12:1 Have a blessed day y’all! Start your day on a positive note! Daily devotions from the Big Book and Bible combined! Paperback and Kindle versions available!! Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries including our beloved Furniture Bank! Please order yours today and help us help others! https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pastor+mark+farley&ref=nb_sb_noss

I can’t…HE can….I need to let HIM…. Sometimes, when we look at things from the point of view that we have to do it all and it can be overwhelming. It’s human nature to feel this way, especially during these times when most of us wear many hats and are doing many things. The good news is that we do not have to do it all alone. When we accepted Christ into our hearts, we turned our will and our lives over to Him. We are no longer alone. Through the power of the Holy Spirit we can and do accomplish amazing things that honestly if we were left to our own devices would not happen. … Check your experience… “He has commenced to accomplish those things for us which we could never do by ourselves.” Big Book pg 25 Lord, let us look to You when our tasks seem overwhelming and we begin to feel alone, AMEN. “With God’s power working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine.” Ephesians 3:20 Have a blessed day y'all!! Start your day on a positive note! Daily devotions from the Big Book and Bible combined! Paperback and Kindle versions available!! Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries including our beloved Furniture Bank! Please order yours today and help us help others! https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pastor+mark+farley&ref=nb_sb_noss

The grass is NOT always greener on the other side of the fence. It’s easy these days to get caught up in comparing ourselves to others. Unfortunately, instead of celebrating the gifts and talents of others, our culture tends to highlight the differences. If we believe all of the marketing, commercials, advertisements, and now sadly even some of the media comments, then we need to be younger, smarter, stronger, driving only new cars and using only the latest and greatest products. Maybe it’s different for you, but I do not have the ability to keep up with all of that! In my walk in faith and sobriety I have been given the gift to appreciate what I have and to celebrate what others have instead of comparing myself to see where I come up short. As a result, I get to enjoy better relationships and a peaceful heart. How’s this working out for you?.. Check your experience… “The greatest enemies of us alcoholics are resentment, jealousy, envy, frustration, and fear.” Big Book pg 145 Lord let us trade our envy in return for grace and peace that comes from Your Holy Spirit living in our hearts, AMEN. “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” Proverbs 14:30 Have a blessed day y’all! Start your day on a positive note! Daily devotions from the Big Book and Bible combined! Paperback and Kindle versions available!! Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries including our beloved Furniture Bank! Please order yours today and help us help others! https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pastor+mark+farley&ref=nb_sb_noss

What style of clothing do you wear?.. We have gear for all types of weather, events, sports, hobbies, and seasons. I just learned, and pardon my fashion backwardness, that there are even special shoes just for driving your car! While it’s nice to have all of these choices to clothe ourselves properly according to weather, activity, and such….how are we covering, preparing, and protecting our Spirit for all situations we encounter? Our Bible teaches us to clothe ourselves in love which covers all things. While I’ll admit that sometimes that this is really hard to put on for certain situations, it generally goes much better when I do. …Check your experience… “..asking each morning in meditation that our Creator show us the way of patience, tolerance, kindliness and love.” Big Book pg 83 Lord. Let us clothe ourselves in love to handle all people, places, and things that we encounter, AMEN. “Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Colossians 3:14. Have a blessed day y’all! Hey friends please check out Servants Hearts! It’s a free site to help connect folks with volunteer and helping opportunities! Furniture Bank, Spiritual Solutions Group, and Advocate Phoenix are pleased to share the newest free helping service from Faith Through Works Fellowship! Its Phoenix based for now. Pray for its growth to provide helping hearts and willing hands to our organizations that need help! http://aservantsheart.us/

No pain – No gain… Maybe it’s different for you, but I cannot recall ever enjoying going through a needed change when I was not willing to participate in initially. I think the pain we feel is not so much from the different action or change, but in realizing that our old way is not working and we have to grasp onto a new way. In my case this time, I finally have the willingness to change my diet and my physical routines to bring about the lifestyle change to give me the needed permanent weight loss and healthier (can I say fried taters and gravy-less) life. It’s embarrassing and humbling, but needed and I am overwhelmed with gratitude by the support and encouragement I have received. So my suggestion for today to check your willingness if you are in a season of change. The pain reduces when the willingness increases… Check your experience… “We grow by our willingness to face and rectify errors and convert them into assets.” Big Book pg 124 Lord, let us willingly participate when change is needed in our lives, AMEN. “We do not enjoy being disciplined. It is painful at the time, but later, after we have learned from it, we have peace, because we start living in the right way.” Hebrews 12:11 Have a blessed day y’all! …. MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Furniture Bank is in the hand-UP business and not the HANDOUT GAME! You can donate any amount for a tax deduction and tax receipt, even $20 a month helps, because $100 provides a new twin bed and bedding to make a house into a home for our clients and families escaping homelessness and hopelessness. We send 2 or 3 new beds to every family we assist. Furniture Bank is a 501c3 public charity and every penny donated goes toward helping our families, veterans, and individuals in need. Visit our website www.FurnitureBank.us and click on the PayPal button for a secure transaction and tax receipt that will follow within 48 hours. Please help us help others!

What’s “on” your mind?... Simple thought today folks. There is so much competing for our attention these days. All forms of electronic media as well as print and physical displays compete for our attention. Our minds can be taken hostage before we even know it. Have you ever found yourself humming a jingle from a TV commercial, or maybe your eyes are drawn to that cool billboard on the highway as you drive. Now maybe it’s different for you, but I have finally learned how to at least become aware of this behavior in myself and get a hand up on it. I have learned that whatever occupies my heart will be “on” my mind. My daily goal is to fill my mind with good thoughts of family, friends, and blessings. This helps me to combat the visual and audio chaos trying to take my mind hostage. Please take a look at what is occupying your heart to see how it affects your mind. As always….Check your experience… “Our thought-life will be placed on a much higher plane when our thinking is cleared of wrong motives” Big Book pg 86 Lord, please let our hearts be filled with the goodness of our family, friends, faith, and Your grace, AMEN. “Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.” Philippians 4: 8-9 Have a blessed day y’all! Hey friends please check out Servants Hearts! It’s a free site to help connect folks with volunteer and helping opportunities! Furniture Bank, Spiritual Solutions Group, and Advocate Phoenix are pleased to share the newest free helping service from Faith Through Works Fellowship! Its Phoenix based for now. Pray for its growth to provide helping hearts and willing hands to our organizations that need help! http://aservantsheart.us/

Standing the test of fire.... There are many things available to us today that make our lives easier. For instance my lovely and brilliant daughter has never used a TV without a remote or a record player. Her world has always been filled with remotes and electronic assistance. Those things do make our world better, but what about those things that cause us to miss out on necessary spiritual and mental growth? If our mental and spiritual growth is stopped, then our work inside us and around us suffers. We are challenged daily with things and situations that tempt our human will and fleshly desires. Having a strong spiritual foundation and Godly armor gives us the tools to combat worldly clamors and stand the test of fire.. …Check your experience… “It meant destruction of self-centeredness. I must turn in all things to the Father of Light who presides over us all.” Big Book pg 14 Lord, let us build ourselves up spiritually and cover ourselves in Your armor so that we can walk through the daily temptations and slippery spots, AMEN. "...their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work." 1 Corinthians 3:13 Have a blessed day y’all! …. MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Furniture Bank is in the hand-UP business and not the HANDOUT GAME! You can donate any amount for a tax deduction and tax receipt, even $20 a month helps, because $100 provides a new twin bed and bedding to make a house into a home for our clients and families escaping homelessness and hopelessness. We send 2 or 3 new beds to every family we assist. Furniture Bank is a 501c3 public charity and every penny donated goes toward helping our families, veterans, and individuals in need. Visit our website www.FurnitureBank.us and click on the PayPal button for a secure transaction and tax receipt that will follow within 48 hours. Please help us help others! http://www.furniturebank.us

Did you hear THAT?.. Have you ever noticed how things we hear with others can sometimes be interpreted differently? It doesn’t happen all the time, but sometimes what I think I heard was not what others heard or vice versa. It is not a matter of understanding language, rather it’s what filters in our mind are tuned in that filter what our ears receive. Now maybe it’s different for you, but I have learned over time that when I am preoccupied, I am not the best listener. I have had enough negative experiences and consequences to know that I need to be present, focused and willing to listen in order to hear. It’s the same with the Holy Spirit residing in our hearts. When we are tuned into God’s will instead of our own, we can hear what our heart is telling us. When worldly clamors are distracting us, it’s hard to hear our heart, not to mention what others around us are trying to tell us… Check your experience… "So pay attention to how you hear. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand will be taken away from them." Luke 8:18 Lord, let us open our hearts and clear our minds to be present and able to listen so we can truly hear, AMEN. “But soon the sense of His presence had been blotted out by worldly clamors, mostly those within myself.” Big Book pg 13 Have a blessed day y’all! Start your day on a positive note! Daily devotions from the Big Book and Bible combined! Paperback and Kindle versions available!! Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries including our beloved Furniture Bank! Please order yours today and help us help others! https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pastor+mark+farley&ref=nb_sb_noss

Actions speak louder than words ... Action is the difference between resolving to do something and the change that occurs from doing it. Think about it. While our words are important, actions create the necessary change as well as the experiences that we remember. There is a big difference between telling folks what we are “gonna do” versus providing our own actions and actually doing it. What actions do you need to take? … Check your experience… “There is action and more action. “Faith without works is dead.” Big Book pg 88 Lord, let us provide the necessary willingness and actions to bring about the needed changes in our lives, AMEN. "Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions." 1 John 3:18 Have a blessed day y’all! Start your day on a positive note! Daily devotions from the Big Book and Bible combined! Paperback and Kindle versions available!! Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries including our beloved Furniture Bank! Please order yours today and help us help others! https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pastor+mark+farley&ref=nb_sb_noss

Words can help or harm…. Have you ever noticed that the folks you tend to listen to are the same folks that you respect? These are the folks that you have built up a trust in over a period of time and our respect comes from our experiences with them. When bad news needs to be delivered, we tend to not only accept the news from them but also take the necessary actions needed on our part to correct or change. These folks tend to know how to talk to us in a manner that not only gets our attention, but also allows our minds and hearts to receive and accept what they are saying. They use their words to build us up and not tear us down. How do we use our words when we communicate to others? Are we using supportive encouraging words or are we using negative words that tear other down?... Check your experience… “Patience, tolerance, understanding and love are the watchwords.” Big Book pg 118 Lord, let us use our words to build bridges of trust and create supportive conversations, AMEN. “When you talk, do not say harmful things, but say what people need—words that will help others become stronger. Then what you say will do well to those who listen to you.” Ephesians 4:29 Have a blessed day y'all!! Start your day on a positive note! Daily devotions from the Big Book and Bible combined! Paperback and Kindle versions available!! Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries including our beloved Furniture Bank! Please order yours today and help us help others! https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pastor+mark+farley&ref=nb_sb_noss

Walking in another’s shoes….. Unless we are sharing a life with another person, it’s very hard to totally understand not only why they act and speak the way they do, but also the experiences that have formed from their interactions with others. I know there is a lot of stuff available through the internet today, but I have yet to see a product that really lets us read other folk’s minds or know them inside and out. Isn’t it frustrating or deflating when others who do not really know you, treat you with ambivalence or just plain ignore your circumstances? It’s a spiritual principle that we should treat others like we wish to be treated. Part of the 12 Step favored St. Francis Prayer shares that we should seek to understand before seeking to be understood. Think about it. Who truly knows you inside and out? ... Check your experience…. “We cannot be helpful to all people, but at least God will show us how to take a kindly and tolerant view of each and every one.” Big Book pg 67 Lord, let us first seek to understand others before we ask to be understood. Let us treat others the way we wish to be treated, AMEN. “Look out for one another’s interests, not just for your own.” Philippians 2:4 Have a blessed day y’all! Hey friends please check out Servants Hearts! It’s a free site to help connect folks with volunteer and helping opportunities! Furniture Bank, Spiritual Solutions Group, and Advocate Phoenix are pleased to share the newest free helping service from Faith Through Works Fellowship! Its Phoenix based for now. Pray for its growth to provide helping hearts and willing hands to our organizations that need help! http://aservantsheart.us/

Words can help or harm…. Have you ever noticed that the folks you tend to listen to are the same folks that you respect? These are the folks that you have built up a trust in over a period of time and our respect comes from our experiences with them. When bad news needs to be delivered, we tend to not only accept the news from them but also take the necessary actions needed on our part to correct or change. These folks tend to know how to talk to us in a manner that not only gets our attention, but also allows our minds and hearts to receive and accept what they are saying. They use their words to build us up and not tear us down. How do we use our words when we communicate to others? Are we using supportive encouraging words or are we using negative words that tear other down?... Check your experience… “Patience, tolerance, understanding and love are the watchwords.” Big Book pg 118 Lord, let us use our words to build bridges of trust and create supportive conversations, AMEN. “When you talk, do not say harmful things, but say what people need—words that will help others become stronger. Then what you say will do well to those who listen to you.” Ephesians 4:29 Have a blessed day y'all!! Start your day on a positive note! Daily devotions from the Big Book and Bible combined! Paperback and Kindle versions available!! Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries including our beloved Furniture Bank! Please order yours today and help us help others! https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pastor+mark+farley&ref=nb_sb_noss

In the grip… We catch colds, come down with the flu, and get hit with allergies. It seems we are a target for many things! Luckily we have remedies and medications that help us to overcome these setbacks. What about life’s twists, turns, trials, and temptations that influence our thoughts, behaviors, and actions? What or where do we get the remedies to escape these? Now my 12 Step friends know how we handle our addictions, but what about those other things that we continually let dominate our thoughts and lives? There is a Spiritual solution … BUT… we have to provide the willingness and effort to escape the grip of those things that are holding us down… Check your experience… “…in the grip…” Big Book pg 30 Lord, let us open our hearts and become willing to seek Your will in order to escape the things that are holding us back, AMEN. “It shall not fasten its grip on me.” Psalm 101:3 Have a blessed day y’all! …. MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Furniture Bank is in the hand-UP business and not the HANDOUT GAME! You can donate any amount for a tax deduction and tax receipt, even $20 a month helps, because $100 provides a new twin bed and bedding to make a house into a home for our clients and families escaping homelessness and hopelessness. We send 2 or 3 new beds to every family we assist. Furniture Bank is a 501c3 public charity and every penny donated goes toward helping our families, veterans, and individuals in need. Visit our website and click on the PayPal button for a secure transaction and tax receipt that will follow within 48 hours. Please help us help others! http://www.furniturebank.us

Is your battery fully charged? … 20 plus years ago when cell phones were new, they were an oddity and not something viewed as a necessity, just an expensive “toy” if you will. Now days they are in everyone’s hands. They are our time keepers, personal assistants and sadly in ever growing numbers, our main form of communication and connection with others. What is funny to me is that with all this technology in our hands, we are now a society dependent on electrical outlets! Tour any airport for the best example of this! We are reduced to depending on the electrical outlet to give us the power we need to run our lives electronically. I am sure this will change in a few years but it’s a great example of where our dependence for power rests. What about our spiritual lives? How and where are we drawing our power from? Red Bulls are great but I am not receiving the spiritual boost I need from the little metal can. Self-help books are great supplements, but alone by themselves, the needed power is not there. God is our power source when it comes to things spiritual and especially when we face life’s trials, tests, twists, and temptations in our daily lives. Plug into His Word and Promises and recharge! … Check your experience… “Much has already been said about receiving strength, inspiration, and direction from Him who has all knowledge and power.” Big Book pg 85 Lord, thank you for being our never-ending source of power, energy, and life, AMEN. “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” Isaiah 40:29 Have a blessed day y’all! Hey friends please check out Servants Hearts! It’s a free site to help connect folks with volunteer and helping opportunities! Furniture Bank, Spiritual Solutions Group, and Advocate Phoenix are pleased to share the newest free helping service from Faith Through Works Fellowship! Its Phoenix based for now. Pray for its growth to provide helping hearts and willing hands to our organizations that need help! http://aservantsheart.us/

Does worry ever work? ... Think about it. How much time, effort, and energy do we waste worrying? How many folks do we try to take hostage with our worries? It robs us of our peace of mind! When we are consumed with worry, we block our heart and mind from reality, the present, and our faith. I have yet to meet anyone who has been helped by worry. Have you? ...Check your experience... “…saying to ourselves many times each day “Thy will be done.” We are then in much less danger of excitement, fear, anger, worry, self-pity, or foolish decisions.” Big Book pg 88 Lord let us trade our worry for faith in knowing through seeking Your will we will be ok, AMEN. "And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life's span? If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters?" Luke 12:25-26Have a blessed day y’all! …. MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Furniture Bank is in the hand-UP business and not the HANDOUT GAME! You can donate any amount for a tax deduction and tax receipt, even $20 a month helps, because $100 provides a new twin bed and bedding to make a house into a home for our clients and families escaping homelessness and hopelessness. We send 2 or 3 new beds to every family we assist. Furniture Bank is a 501c3 public charity and every penny donated goes toward helping our families, veterans, and individuals in need. Visit our website www.FurnitureBank.us and click on the PayPal button for a secure transaction and tax receipt that will follow within 48 hours. Please help us help others! http://www.furniturebank.us

Turning troubles into triumphs… Every day we are faced with challenges. Some, like traffic, are minor and recurring, but others can actually turn into setbacks if we let them. Think about it, how often do we see heartache and despair arise from issues that spin out of control or take us hostage emotionally? I don’t know about you, but when I adjust my attitude and willingness toward the situation, person, place, or thing and give it to God to handle, things not only improve, but I learn something new along the way. Next time you find yourself in despair from a seemingly hopeless situation, try adjusting your attitude and willingness and give it to God. …Check your experience… “We hope you are convinced now that God can remove whatever self-will has blocked you off from Him.” Big Book pg 71 Lord, let us turn our troubles over to You and face the day with a fresh attitude and willingness to learn, AMEN. “From there I will ….. turn the “Valley of Trouble” into an “Opportunity for Hope. ”Hosea 2:15 Have a blessed day y’all! Start your day on a positive note! Daily devotions from the Big Book and Bible combined! Paperback and Kindle versions available!! Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries including our beloved Furniture Bank! Please order yours today and help us help others! https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pastor+mark+farley&ref=nb_sb_noss

When the going gets tough…. We all experience trying times and receive not so good news every now and then. Maybe it’s different for you, but even after all these years of walking with Jesus, learning from the Big Book, Bible, my picket fence of friends, and Spiritual mentors, my initial gut reaction to bad news is to blame others and not want to look at my part. Luckily for me, I am blessed with friends, family, and a loving God who all remind me that even though I have hit a bump in the road, it’s a season that will pass, provided that I supply the willingness and effort. Hopefully your experience with bad news allows you to respond in such a way that you don’t turn a bad moment into a bad day. …Check your experience… “Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us - sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them.” Big Book pg 84 Lord, let us look to You and Your Word in trying times to see the path we must take to move through this season, AMEN. “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.” Isaiah 43:2 Have a blessed day y’all! Start your day on a positive note! Daily devotions from the Big Book and Bible combined! Paperback and Kindle versions available!! Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries including our beloved Furniture Bank! Please order yours today and help us help others! https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pastor+mark+farley&ref=nb_sb_noss

Add some action to your faith…. Let’s see when is action not needed for good results? Can I have a gym membership only or do I need to go and work out in order to lose weight and get fit? Can I get paid for my job and not have to show up to work? Can I have a healthy home life as a husband and a dad without participating daily in the lives of my loved ones? It’s the same with our walk with Jesus. It’s not good enough to memorize the Bible and sit in a church seat on Sunday. God wants a relationship with us that includes action… Check your experience… “To be vital, faith must be accompanied by self-sacrifice and unselfish, constructive action.” Big Book pg 93 Lord, let us participate in our faith daily with actions that grow our relationship with You, AMEN. “Do what God’s teaching says; when you only listen and do nothing, you are fooling yourselves.” James 1:22 Have a blessed day y'all!! Start your day on a positive note! Daily devotions from the Big Book and Bible combined! Paperback and Kindle versions available!! Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries including our beloved Furniture Bank! Please order yours today and help us help others! https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pastor+mark+farley&ref=nb_sb_noss

Keep on getting back up…. We face many challenges daily. Some we are used to and because of this we naturally know what to do to overcome them and move on. Some are bigger and because we don’t experience them so often, we can become confused and even feel like giving up. Don’t quit! It’s always darkest before dawn. If you have submitted your idea or plan to God through prayers and good works, then He has heard you and in time, HIS time, it will come to pass. Pastor Brian Houston from Hillsong United Church said it best, “No matter how many times you get knocked down. God is in your heart. Keep getting up and showing up” Keep on getting back up after being knocked down and you will not only learn, but eventually succeed!...Check your experience… “Some of us have taken very hard knocks to learn this truth: ….we simply do not stop…..so long as we place dependence upon other people ahead of dependence on God.” Big Book pg 98 Lord, let us continue getting up after being knocked down, knowing in our hearts that if we continue to seek and do Your will, we will succeed, AMEN. “We have troubles all around us, but we are not defeated. We do not know what to do, but we do not give up the hope of living. We are persecuted, but God does not leave us. We are hurt sometimes, but we are not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 Have a blessed day y’all! Hey friends please check out Servants Hearts! It’s a free site to help connect folks with volunteer and helping opportunities! Furniture Bank, Spiritual Solutions Group, and Advocate Phoenix are pleased to share the newest free helping service from Faith Through Works Fellowship! Its Phoenix based for now. Pray for its growth to provide helping hearts and willing hands to our organizations that need help! http://aservantsheart.us/

From the heart… It’s easy today to show support for just about anything. Social media allows us to post our support for our causes. Our dollars shows our support for the products, businesses, and causes as well. But how do we truly show our beliefs? The spiritual side of our lives deals with our heart and what we keep in it. While it’s a natural fact that unless it comes from our heart, we are not truly giving it our true best effort. My 2 favorite books, the Bible and the Big Book tell us, and my experience has taught me, that believing with your heart means my motives, efforts, actions, and behaviors all align. How’s that working out for you?.. Check your experience… "Do I now believe, or am I even willing to believe, that there is a Power greater than myself?" Big Book pg 47 Lord, let our hearts be filled with Your Holy Spirit and fuel our beliefs, AMEN. “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified,” Romans 10:10 Have a blessed day y’all! …. MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Furniture Bank is in the hand-UP business and not the HANDOUT GAME! You can donate any amount for a tax deduction and tax receipt, even $20 a month helps, because $100 provides a new twin bed and bedding to make a house into a home for our clients and families escaping homelessness and hopelessness. We send 2 or 3 new beds to every family we assist. Furniture Bank is a 501c3 public charity and every penny donated goes toward helping our families, veterans, and individuals in need. Visit our website www.FurnitureBank.us and click on the PayPal button for a secure transaction and tax receipt that will follow within 48 hours. Please help us help others! http://www.furniturebank.us

We gotta give in order to get… This is not only a prescription for daily living that most successful folks use, it’s also a spiritual principle. “It is by forgiving that one is forgiven.” St Francis Prayer... However, like most things that are good for us and seem easy to do, there is some “fine print” attached. Now while it makes sense that when we are helpful to others, we are usually helped in some form or fashion in return. But how about this? We also have to FORGIVE others in order to RECEIVE forgiveness! Now while that sounds like not so much fun, it truly is a freeing exercise that will release us from the bondages of anger, guilt, and resentment. Go on…give it a try….and as always, don’t believe me, but …CHECK your experience… “We go to him in a helpful and forgiving spirit, confessing our former ill feeling and expressing our regret.” Big Book pg 77 Lord, let us forgive others so that we can be free to receive forgiveness for our sins and mistakes, AMEN. “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Mark 11:25 Have a blessed day y’all! Hey friends please check out Servants Hearts! It’s a free site to help connect folks with volunteer and helping opportunities! Furniture Bank, Spiritual Solutions Group, and Advocate Phoenix are pleased to share the newest free helping service from Faith Through Works Fellowship! Its Phoenix based for now. Pray for its growth to provide helping hearts and willing hands to our organizations that need help! http://aservantsheart.us/

Restrained by our affections… What a strange thought! How can something we have an affection for restrain us? Oh, wait.... my craving for sugar restrains my healthy life, my self- centered pride restrains my ability to see and act clearly, and my self-made fears restrain my faith… just to name a few! How’s that working out for you? What is restraining you?.. Check your experience… “Affections have been uprooted.” Big Book pg 82 Lord, let us look at our affections to see if they align with Your will for us, AMEN. “You are not restrained by us, but you are restrained in your own affections” 2 Corinthians 6:12 Have a blessed day y’all! …. MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Furniture Bank is in the hand-UP business and not the HANDOUT GAME! You can donate any amount for a tax deduction and tax receipt, even $20 a month helps, because $100 provides a new twin bed and bedding to make a house into a home for our clients and families escaping homelessness and hopelessness. We send 2 or 3 new beds to every family we assist. Furniture Bank is a 501c3 public charity and every penny donated goes toward helping our families, veterans, and individuals in need. Visit our website www.FurnitureBank.us and click on the PayPal button for a secure transaction and tax receipt that will follow within 48 hours. Please help us help others! http://www.furniturebank.us

I don’t do what I should do and I want to do what I shouldn’t…. The age old conundrum, doing what is the expected and right thing verses the attraction of doing the opposite. If it weren’t for my age and experiences acquired from choosing the wrong thing, I would not have the easier time that I do today to avoid this chaos. Why is it that our self-will likes to rear its ugly head and try to twist our thinking to fall victim to the illusion of our mind and the wrong choice? As long as we walk this Earth our self-will is going to be contending with the Holy Spirit residing in each of us to interfere with God’s will for our lives…Check your experience… “The first requirement is that we be convinced that any life run on self-will can hardly be a success.” Big Book pg 60 Lord, let us turn our will and our lives over to Your care daily, AMEN. “I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.” Romans 7:18 Have a blessed day y’all! Start your day on a positive note! Daily devotions from the Big Book and Bible combined! Paperback and Kindle versions available!! Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries including our beloved Furniture Bank! Please order yours today and help us help others! https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pastor+mark+farley&ref=nb_sb_noss

The heart of the matter… Have you ever noticed folks that are extremely focused on whatever task, cause, or action they are performing or participating in? It seems something unseen is driving their behavior and or actions. While I am sure you have your own examples, my favorites are the basketball greats, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan. Those guys could inspire others to perform at the higher level they performed on. What is that unseen thing that drives their talents and efforts? We have it too, and it’s called heart. Have you ever noticed that when you put your heart into what you are doing, it seems to go better?... Check your experience… “His change of heart was dramatic, convincing, and moving.” Big Book pg 55 Lord, let us put our Spirit filled heart into whatever we are doing, AMEN. “we do not lose heart,” 2 Corinthians 4:1 Have a blessed day y’all! Start your day on a positive note! Daily devotions from the Big Book and Bible combined! Paperback and Kindle versions available!! Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries including our beloved Furniture Bank! Please order yours today and help us help others! https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=pastor+mark+farley&crid=14NTE20XGC0O1&sprefix=pastor+mark+%2Caps%2C201&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_12

Make your actions match your words… Ever been in a situation where someone’s words did not match their actions? It not only makes it hard to trust the person or situation, but also it raises an awareness to check motives and efforts of others we interact with. Hopefully is also serves as a good reminder to take a long look in the mirror to make sure our words match our actions. .. Check your experience… “But be sure you are on solid spiritual ground before you start and that your motive in going is thoroughly good. Do not think of what you will get out of the occasion. Think of what you can bring to it.” Big Book pg 102 Lord, let our motives match our efforts and our walk match our talk, AMEN. “Do what is right, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.” Micah 6:8 Have a blessed day y'all!! Start your day on a positive note! Daily devotions from the Big Book and Bible combined! Paperback and Kindle versions available!! Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries including our beloved Furniture Bank! Please order yours today and help us help others! https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=pastor+mark+farley&crid=14NTE20XGC0O1&sprefix=pastor+mark+%2Caps%2C201&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_12

Who ya gonna trust?... Trust is a strong word with heavy commitment. We see it on our currency and we use it as a part of our foundation for relationships with people, places, and things. Think about it, how many times do we use the word trust in statements we make to ourselves or others, as we finalize our action decision? We trust teachers with our children. We trust doctors with our health. We trust our employers to pay our wages. The experiences we build over time with our teachers, doctors, and employers helps to build this trust. So where do we place our trust when we work on our spiritual life? Are we placing it with strangers, fads, or are we placing it in building a long term relationship with God?...Check your experience… “We trust infinite God rather than our finite selves.” Big Book pg 68 Lord, let us place our trust in You through growing closer to You in Your Word, AMEN. “So God’s promise is given to us because we put our trust in Him. We can be sure of it. It is because of His loving favor to us.” Romans 4:16 Have a blessed day y’all! Hey friends please check out Servants Hearts! It’s a free site to help connect folks with volunteer and helping opportunities! Furniture Bank, Spiritual Solutions Group, and Advocate Phoenix are pleased to share the newest free helping service from Faith Through Works Fellowship! Its Phoenix based for now. Pray for its growth to provide helping hearts and willing hands to our organizations that need help! http://aservantsheart.us/