Love is in the air!... Lots of love in the air today! Cards, candy, and flowers helping to seal the deal so to speak! Remember folks, we each have a personal Valentine that loves unconditionally JUST AS WE ARE! Deep in our heart exists the Holy Spirit that not only looks out for us and protects us when we allow it to, but also loves us unconditionally! Don’t believe me, just check your experience!... “He stood in the Presence of Infinite Power and Love.” Big Book pg 56 Lord, as we share this day with our loved ones today, let us remember Your ultimate unconditional love for us, AMEN. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 Happy Valentine’s Day and… Have blessed day y’all! Furniture Bank has helped many folks this year with a HAND –UP as they worked with various organizations to gain skills and jobs to escape homelessness and, helplessness to gain self-respect and self-sustainability!! Your gifts, donations, prayers, and financial support made this possible! Families, veterans, elderly, physically and mentally challenged, as well as others are now enjoying homes filled with furniture and furnishings as they rebuild their lives. MAKE A DIFFERENCE! ALL donations to Furniture Bank are TAX DEDUCTIBLE and 100% goes toward helping the families, veterans, elderly, and other individuals in need. You can donate any amount for a tax deduction and tax receipt, BUT…. a gift of either $400 as an individual or $800 as a couple to Furniture Bank, Inc. a 501c3 public charity, can also reduce your tax bill to the State of Arizona by that amount dollar for dollar! It’s easy and you can make a big difference on how Furniture Bank can further help our families and individuals in need. http://www.furniturebank.us/arizona-tax-credit.html

Perception is a funny thing. Maybe it’s different for you but my mind likes to try to lead me to believe things that are not actually true or as they appear. I have learned the hard way that most things advertised as “free” generally have a cost associated somewhere. Also, experience has taught me that most “easy” and “simple” things are either low in quality or not worth really having. The good news is that I have learned over the years to trust my heart and not what my mind likes for me to believe. The verse I am sharing today reminds me of this truth. Check your experience. …“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all “your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3: 5-6 Lord, let us look in our hearts and seek Your will when we are confused or uncertain, AMEN. “We trust infinite God rather than our finite selves.” Big Book pg. 68. 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 please to share the newest free service from Faith Through Works Fellowship! It’s 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 can honestly say that I do not enjoy pain of any kind in any form. I don't intentionally go looking for it but I have learned that when I do find myself in pain, there is either a lesson to be learned or an experience to grow from if I look with a willing heart and open mind. Staying spiritually fit is hard work but the benefits are immense. Sobriety is not easy but the pains from gaining and maintaining it have brought me blessings far beyond what I deserve. The same can be said for my journey to attain physical health and fitness. God gives us the pain inside of every challenge to encourage us to find the benefit He has for us. Check your experience... "If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half way through." Big Book pg 83. Lord when we are in pain, please remind our hearts to seek the goodness we can gain from seeking Your will, AMEN. "And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." Romans 5: 2-4 Have a blessed day y’all! Furniture Bank has helped many folks this year with a HAND –UP as they worked with various organizations to gain skills and jobs to escape homelessness and, helplessness to gain self-respect and self-sustainability!! Your gifts, donations, prayers, and financial support made this possible! Families, veterans, elderly, physically and mentally challenged, as well as others are now enjoying homes filled with furniture and furnishings as they rebuild their lives. MAKE A DIFFERENCE! ALL donations to Furniture Bank are TAX DEDUCTIBLE and 100% goes toward helping the families, veterans, elderly, and other individuals in need. You can donate any amount for a tax deduction and tax receipt, BUT…. a gift of either $400 as an individual or $800 as a couple to Furniture Bank, Inc. a 501c3 public charity, can also reduce your tax bill to the State of Arizona by that amount dollar for dollar! It’s easy and you can make a big difference on how Furniture Bank can further help our families and individuals in need. http://www.furniturebank.us/arizona-tax-credit.html

The “inner-net’ connection… Plugged in, wired, and networked are terms we associate with our communications these days. I am just glad I no longer need to figure out how to “interface” with folks! Wi-Fi and internet are the connections we seem to chase the most these days as we rely more and more on social media to get our “message” out there to “build our brand”. It sure feels like we need to constantly be networking ourselves to others in order to stay connected in today’s world. How do we stay plugged in to the things that keep us grounded, stable, and secure? What about our internal connection to God and the Holy Spirit? I am grateful that I have been shown and taught to seek quiet time daily, and even hourly at times, to connect with God to stabilize my heart and quiet my mind. When I do this, I become grounded and connected in the right way that makes my day go in the direction it needs to instead of more out of control. How are you keeping your inner connection solid?.. Check your experience… “In nearly all cases, their ideals must be grounded in a power greater than themselves,” Big Book pg xxviii Lord, let us seek Your grace and guidance daily to be grounded securely in your will and not fall victim to the illusions of worldly clamors, AMEN. “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” Isaiah 30:15 Have a blessed day y’all! Hey friends please check out Servants Hearts! http://aservantsheart.us/ it’s a free site to help connect folks with volunteer and helping opportunities! Furniture Bank, Spiritual Solutions Group, and Advocate Phoenix are please to share the newest free 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/

Measuring our motives. .. Way back when I was in grade school, every time we went to visit my father's Aunt Mabel, she would send me to visit her friend Mrs. Wheatley. Now this was not fun for a 10 year old boy, but when the visit was over I would walk away with a big candy bar! So I was always willing to pay a visit to Mrs. Wheatley. Sadly today, that is the only thing I remember about Mrs. Wheatley. Now y'all can say it's because I am old and my boyhood memories have faded, but the sad truth is my only motive in going was for the candy bar. Ever participated in something purely for a self-serving gain? Heck, I am guilty of that at times still to this very day! My point is that when others are counting on us to be there, we should check ourselves and our motives to make sure we are there for the right reasons. 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 help me clear my mind of self-serving thoughts so that my heart can participate 100% for the right reasons based on Your will and not mine, AMEN "All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord." Proverbs 16:2 Have a blessed day y’all! Grab a daily shot of positive and inspiration with daily devotions with the Big Book and Bible combined looking at the things we face daily! Paperback and Kindle versions are now available!! Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries! Please order yours today and help us help others! https://smile.amazon.com/Daily-Devotions-Pastor-Mark-Devotionals/dp/1980273847/ref=smi_www_rco2_go_smi_3905707922?_encoding=UTF8&fbclid=IwAR3RLzbmtLsgcZTuXS6qO1oPfeZffMfyIyEnZD3fc8XmyDIO8CqmnS1tRGA&ie=UTF8&keywords=pastor+mark+farley&qid=1524849607&sr=8-3

What's in your heart?... We all have this autopilot inside of us that handles our daily routine functions. Breathing and walking are the obvious ones but what about those expected and meaningless interactions? You know, like the store clerk or that same person you see daily in the hall or gym? You have no emotional connection to them. They say "How you doing? " and you say "fine" with no thought or effort. Now what about when you need to either forgive someone or let go of something locked inside your heart by emotions of pride, anger, or other hurt feelings? Do you find yourself mouthing the words of the correct or expected response yet keeping your imagined control of it in your heart? Perhaps that's why we stay needlessly hurt or angry. We lock that thing in our heart yet act like it's gone. God can fix that but we have to open our hearts and let go for real. Check your experience... . "he should understand that he must undergo a change of heart." Big Book pg 143. Lord let us open our hearts to be filled with your Spirit and healed by your grace, AMEN "I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts." Isaiah 57:15 Have a blessed day y’all! New Year - new outlook! Grab a daily shot of positive and inspiration with daily devotions with the Big Book and Bible combined looking at the things we face daily! Paperback and Kindle versions are now available!! Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries! Please order yours today and help us help others! https://smile.amazon.com/Daily-Devotions-Pastor-Mark-Devotionals/dp/1980273847/ref=smi_www_rco2_go_smi_3905707922?_encoding=UTF8&fbclid=IwAR3RLzbmtLsgcZTuXS6qO1oPfeZffMfyIyEnZD3fc8XmyDIO8CqmnS1tRGA&ie=UTF8&keywords=pastor+mark+farley&qid=1524849607&sr=8-3

Our tricky minds…..Sometimes when I let my mind wander, it tries to take me down the path of doubt. If I permit this “stinkin’ thinkin’” to continue then the path widens to include worry, fear, and ultimately negativity all fueled from my own self-will. What helps me during these times is to remember that the answers are not in my head and that I am no longer in charge of me. When I made the life changing decision to turn my will and my life over to God, HE became not only my “Employer” but also my mentor, guide, and rock. I have learned to stay out of my own head and not go there by myself because it is filled with fear based illusions fueled by the worldly clamors around us. God has us covered. He not only has us here for a purpose, but also HE has a plan for us that we can easily understand if we seek His will daily. Check your experience… . “We had a new Employer. Being all powerful, He provided what we needed, if we kept close to Him and performed His work well. Established on such a footing we became less and less interested in ourselves, our little plans and designs.” Big Book pg 63. Lord, let us know in our hearts that You have a purpose and a plan for us that will keep us secure, successful, serene, and covered by Your grace, AMEN. “God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing.” Ephesians 2:10 Lord, please let me learn to pray to want what I get instead of getting what I want, AMEN. “Wait for the LORD; be strong and let your heart take courage;” Psalm 27:14 Have a blessed day y'all! New Year - new outlook! Grab a daily shot of positive and inspiration with daily devotions with the Big Book and Bible combined looking at the things we face daily! Paperback and Kindle versions are now available!! Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries! Please order yours today and help us help others! https://smile.amazon.com/…/ref=smi_www_rco2_go_smi_39057079…

Keep walking toward the light… Have you ever stayed overnight in a hotel or even a friend’s home for the first time and had to find the light switch in the middle of the night? Strange room and unfamiliar surroundings bring us confusion and we find ourselves moving slowly with caution. We know there is light switch there somewhere, so we proceed forward, but ever so slowly because we don’t quite trust our new surroundings and environment. Now think about this with me. Isn’t our reaction the same when we encounter new or unforeseen pressures and circumstances in our lives? How do we handle the new, uncomfortable, and unforeseen? Now maybe it’s different for you, but over time I have learned to seek and trust God’s will in these unfamiliar situations, mainly because, even though I may be uncomfortable and lack experience with handling the situation, I trust in my faith and that God has me covered and will guide me through. How about you?... Check your experience… “I must turn in all things to the Father of Light who presides over us all.” Big Book pg 14 Lord, let us put our faith and trust in You and Your will for us when times get hard and we find ourselves in new or unfamiliar circumstances, AMEN. “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing.” 2 Corinthians 4:8 Have blessed day y’all! PLEASE DONATE TODAY! Furniture Bank helps many folks with a HAND –UP as they work with various organizations to gain skills and jobs to escape homelessness and, helplessness to gain self-respect and self-sustainability!! Your gifts, donations, prayers, and financial support make this possible! Families, veterans, elderly, physically and mentally challenged, as well as others can enjoy homes filled with furniture and furnishings as they rebuild their lives. MAKE A DIFFERENCE! ALL donations to Furniture Bank are TAX DEDUCTIBLE and 100% goes toward helping the families, veterans, elderly, and other individuals in need. You can donate any amount for a tax deduction and tax receipt, BUT…. a gift of either $400 as an individual or $800 as a couple to Furniture Bank, Inc. a 501c3 public charity, can also reduce your tax bill to the State of Arizona by that amount dollar for dollar! It’s easy and you can make a big difference on how Furniture Bank can further help our families and individuals in need. http://www.furniturebank.us/arizona-tax-credit.html

Different yet the same... Observing people is a hobby of mine. I enjoy learning from others and behavior is usually indicative of a person's habits. Over the years I have seen a blessed pattern emerge when I learn from observing a fellow believer. No matter what the action or activity is, the believer is doing it selflessly to help another without expectation of attention or recognition. This has taught me to remain humble and to keep my focus on others as I continue to grow my relationship with Christ and build my ministry. I constantly remind myself that this (whatever the "this" is) is not about me. ....Check your experience. .... "Helping others is the foundation stone" Big Book pg 97 Lord let our helping actions and activities be focused on helping others and not ourselves, AMEN. "There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all." 1 Corinthians 4:12-14. 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 service from Faith Through Works Fellowship! It’s Phoenix based for now. Pray for its growth to provide helping hearts and willing hands to our organizations that need help! http://aservantsheart.us/

What goes around COMES around. .. Have you ever played with a bouncing ball? Did you notice that it always comes back to you with the same force you give it? Now I am not trying to teach physics, but the ball example contains today's spiritual thought. I have learned over the years that my relationships with people, places, and things have the same effect. We GET what we GIVE. It's a spiritual principle. When I treat others with grace, I get grace and when I throw out grief and negativity I get it right back. Check your experience. ... "Just to the extent that we do as we think He would have us, and humbly rely on Him, does He enable us to match calamity with serenity." Big Book pg 68. Lord, let us give others the same grace and joy that you freely give us, AMEN. "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you," Matthew 7:12 Have a blessed day y’all! Furniture Bank has helped many folks this year with a HAND –UP as they worked with various organizations to gain skills and jobs to escape homelessness and, helplessness to gain self-respect and self-sustainability!! Your gifts, donations, prayers, and financial support made this possible! Families, veterans, elderly, physically and mentally challenged, as well as others are now enjoying homes filled with furniture and furnishings as they rebuild their lives. MAKE A DIFFERENCE! ALL donations to Furniture Bank are TAX DEDUCTIBLE and 100% goes toward helping the families, veterans, elderly, and other individuals in need. You can donate any amount for a tax deduction and tax receipt, BUT…. a gift of either $400 as an individual or $800 as a couple to Furniture Bank, Inc. a 501c3 public charity, can also reduce your tax bill to the State of Arizona by that amount dollar for dollar! It’s easy and you can make a big difference on how Furniture Bank can further help our families and individuals in need. http://www.furniturebank.us/arizona-tax-credit.html

So why is it that sometimes we think we are walking in faith yet we still have that feeling of doom, failure, and or fear in our heads? Change brings this on more than anything for me. Now maybe it’s different for you, but I have this crazy head and it sometimes doesn’t like to connect with my heart. What I have learned, and mostly the hard way over the years, is that my self-will lives in my head and it loves to tell my heart what a loser and failure it thinks I am. Thanks to God, AA, and a picket fence of friends, I have learned to tune that noise in my head out and focus on my heart where the Holy Spirit resides and directs me if I let Him. So when I get that feeling that perhaps I am going to fail or things are not going to go right, I politely thank my head and then shut the door on those thoughts and focus on what my faith and my heart are saying to me. How do you quiet your head so your heart can lead you?.. Check your experience… “Here was something at work in a human heart which had done the impossible.” Big Book pg 11 Lord, let us turn out will and our lives over to Your care and direction daily, AMEN. “And He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?” Luke 24:38 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 please to share the newest free service from Faith Through Works Fellowship! It’s Phoenix based for now. Pray for its growth to provide helping hearts and willing hands to our organizations that need help! http://aservantsheart.us/

Leaders Serve…. H Ross Perot once said; “Inventories need to be managed but people need to be led.” Leaders lead by serving. The easiest example I can think of is a coach. We don’t see the coach out on the field physically involved in every play. We see them on the sideline constantly encouraging, guiding, and directing. Always watching and paying attention to help the team by helping each individual improve. Leaders serve by paying attention to the needs of others. Through serving, respect is earned, and trust is gained. Think about this. All managing does is keep things in order. We manage our house, our laundry, and our schedules. When it comes to those you love in your life are you leading or managing? Check your experience… “Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.” Big Book pg 562 Lord, let us lead by serving and let us serve by helping others, AMEN. “Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant,” Matthew 20:26 Have blessed day y’all! Furniture Bank has helped many folks this year with a HAND –UP as they worked with various organizations to gain skills and jobs to escape homelessness and, helplessness to gain self-respect and self-sustainability!! Your gifts, donations, prayers, and financial support made this possible! Families, veterans, elderly, physically and mentally challenged, as well as others are now enjoying homes filled with furniture and furnishings as they rebuild their lives. MAKE A DIFFERENCE! ALL donations to Furniture Bank are TAX DEDUCTIBLE and 100% goes toward helping the families, veterans, elderly, and other individuals in need. You can donate any amount for a tax deduction and tax receipt, BUT…. a gift of either $400 as an individual or $800 as a couple to Furniture Bank, Inc. a 501c3 public charity, can also reduce your tax bill to the State of Arizona by that amount dollar for dollar! It’s easy and you can make a big difference on how Furniture Bank can further help our families and individuals in need. http://www.furniturebank.us/arizona-tax-credit.html

Don’t drop to their level… Sometimes we encounter people, places, or things that are neither pleasant, nor supportive. Now maybe it’s different for you, but my initial gut reaction (get it?.. REACT-ion) is to give it right back to them the same as they are giving me! Match attitude with attitude and that will show them! Luckily for me, time and bad experiences has taught me that this way does not work and only brings about more misery. Growing up spiritually and emotionally has allowed me to quiet that initial reaction and instead RESPOND in the way that I wish to be treated. That is, no matter what the situation is, I give it grace, tolerance, and open my heart to try to understand instead of “putting them in their place”… What level are you operating on when you encounter conflict or unpleasantness?...Check your experience… “We are then in much less danger of excitement, fear, anger, worry, self-pity, or foolish decisions.” Big Book pg 88 Lord, let us match unpleasantness with grace, rudeness with tolerance, and anger with a heart that looks to understand, AMEN. “Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God.” Romans 12: 17-19 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 service from Faith Through Works Fellowship! It’s Phoenix based for now. Pray for its growth to provide helping hearts and willing hands to local organizations that need help! http://aservantsheart.us/

Now where is THAT key?.. “So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains and we never even know we have the key”… verse from Already Gone by The Eagles. We tend to do many things out of love. There are many types of love. There is the love we have for our spouses, children, and family. We also have love for our friends, pets, community, and materials things. We may even have a love for a hobby, sport, or a job. All of these are love, but different types of love. There is one more kind of love that we spend our lives seeking and it’s the unconditional love that God has for us. The tricky part is that because we are human, sometimes we are let down because we tend to expect unconditional love from our jobs, family, and other earthly things. The blessing is that we have the unconditional love living inside of us through the Holy Spirit. It’s ours for the asking if we can only quiet our minds and turn off our expectations and demands to receive it... Check your experience… “Patience, tolerance, understanding and love are the watchwords.” Big Book pg 118 Lord, let us receive your unconditional love and know it’s the key to our relationships with self and others, AMEN. “Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” 1 Corinthians 13:7 Have a blessed day y’all! Furniture Bank has helped many folks this year with a HAND –UP as they worked with various organizations to gain skills and jobs to escape homelessness and, helplessness to gain self-respect and self-sustainability!! Your gifts, donations, prayers, and financial support made this possible! Families, veterans, elderly, physically and mentally challenged, as well as others are now enjoying homes filled with furniture and furnishings as they rebuild their lives. MAKE A DIFFERENCE! ALL donations to Furniture Bank are TAX DEDUCTIBLE and 100% goes toward helping the families, veterans, elderly, and other individuals in need. You can donate any amount for a tax deduction and tax receipt, BUT…. a gift of either $400 as an individual or $800 as a couple to Furniture Bank, Inc. a 501c3 public charity, can also reduce your tax bill to the State of Arizona by that amount dollar for dollar! It’s easy and you can make a big difference on how Furniture Bank can further help our families and individuals in need. http://www.furniturebank.us/arizona-tax-credit.html

The gift that keeps on giving… Have you ever noticed that most folks have a thing or 2 that they are really good at and then some other things they are not so good at? Michael Jordan is probably one of the best, if not the best ever to play basketball, but he was an “OK” baseball player. There are quite a few famous and successful actors and actresses that cannot sing. I am pretty good with people, but tools and handyman stuff are like a foreign language to me. The point is that each of us has a God given skill that is a talent and it is a spiritual principal that we should share it with others. Had Michael Jordan decided against playing ball after he was cut from his high school team, the world would have never got to enjoy his immense talent and passion for the game. We need to share our talents in an effort to help others. How’s that working out for you?.. Check your experience… “Giving, rather than getting, will become the guiding principle.” Big Book 128 Lord, let us use the gifts and talent You have given us to help others, AMEN. “There are different kinds of gifts. But it is the same Holy Spirit Who gives them. 5 There are different kinds of work to be done for Him. But the work is for the same Lord. 6 There are different ways of doing His work. But it is the same God who uses all these ways in all people. 7 The Holy Spirit works in each person in one way or another for the good of all.” 1 Corinthians 12: 4-7 Have a blessed day y’all! Hey friends please check out Servants Hearts! http://aservantsheart.us/ it’s a free site to help connect folks with volunteer and helping opportunities! Furniture Bank, Spiritual Solutions Group, and Advocate Phoenix are please to share the newest free service from Faith Through Works Fellowship! It’s Phoenix based for now. Pray for its growth to provide helping hearts and willing hands to our organizations that need help! http://aservantsheart.us/

Most of y’all know I am neither a construction guy nor a fix –it repairman. So, I had to figure out why the Lord put this verse in my heart today as I studied His Word… “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.” Luke 20:17 Now according to the “Book of Google”, the cornerstone is that stone which forms the junction between the two most prominent walls of a building. From what I understand that without it, the building will not be very secure. What comes to mind is the question I constantly have to ask myself as I measure my motives and efforts in my daily walk. Is what I am doing, saying, thinking, or wanting, helping me to stay in God’s will, or is it guiding me to the illusions of my self- will? Is my foundation based on my cornerstone of faith or am I attempting to construct a free-standing wall based on self that will crumble? What foundation are you using to build on for your life? How’s that working out for you?.. Check your experience… “It has been repeatedly proven among us that upon this simple cornerstone a wonderfully effective spiritual structure can be built.” Big Book pg 47 Lord let us anchor our life to our cornerstone of faith in You and Your Word, AMEN. Have a blessed day y’all! New Year - new outlook! Grab a daily shot of positive and inspiration with daily devotions with the Big Book and Bible combined looking at the things we face daily! Paperback and Kindle versions are now available!! Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries! Please order yours today and help us help others! https://smile.amazon.com/Daily-Devotions-Pastor-Mark-Devotionals/dp/1980273847/ref=smi_www_rco2_go_smi_3905707922?_encoding=UTF8&fbclid=IwAR3RLzbmtLsgcZTuXS6qO1oPfeZffMfyIyEnZD3fc8XmyDIO8CqmnS1tRGA&ie=UTF8&keywords=pastor+mark+farley&qid=1524849607&sr=8-3

Watching our words…. Maybe it’s different for you, but sometimes the thoughts in my head that need to stay there slip out of my mouth as words and it’s never good. I learned a long time ago that words that come from negative emotions as well as reactions instead of responses can harm and hurt just like any other weapon. Luckily for me I have learned to keep these words inside of my head and let the Holy Spirit hear them and advise me and calm my emotions and allow my heart a chance to survey the situation and form a response instead of allowing the emotions of my initial reaction to come out as words. Allowing God to help me filter my words has saved me from many situations that could have proven hurtful had they gone unchecked. How do you filter your words?... Check your experience… “Our behavior will convince them more than our words.” Big Book pg 83 Lord, let us share our thoughts with you first before we form words that come from our mouths, AMEN. “In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.” James 3: 5-6 Have a blessed day y’all! New Year - new outlook! Grab a daily shot of positive and inspiration with daily devotions with the Big Book and Bible combined looking at the things we face daily! Paperback and Kindle versions are now available!! Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries! Please order yours today and help us help others! https://smile.amazon.com/Daily-Devotions-Pastor-Mark-Devotionals/dp/1980273847/ref=smi_www_rco2_go_smi_3905707922?_encoding=UTF8&fbclid=IwAR3RLzbmtLsgcZTuXS6qO1oPfeZffMfyIyEnZD3fc8XmyDIO8CqmnS1tRGA&ie=UTF8&keywords=pastor+mark+farley&qid=1524849607&sr=8-3

Well it a’int no fast food... Have you ever noticed that there are certain foods and meals that “stick with you”, so to speak? In my world, homemade meals with real and healthy ingredients tend to do the most good for me. We have a few favorite restaurants and that offer entrees like this as well. It just seems to me that whenever fast food is the choice, I am either hungry again in a short time or sleepy from the carb coma I just gorged on. It’s the same with our spiritual nutrition. When we digest the Word and apply it to our lives, it sticks with us and does our body good. How are you spiritually feeding yourself? Consider your Source and as always… Check your experience… “Assuming we are spiritually fit, we can do all sorts of things” Big Book pg 100 Lord, let us nourish ourselves from Your Spirit and Your Word, AMEN. “Jesus replied, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty….I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life” John 6: 35, 47 Have a blessed day y'all! New Year - new outlook! Grab a daily shot of positive and inspiration with daily devotions with the Big Book and Bible combined looking at the things we face daily! Paperback and Kindle versions are now available!! Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries! Please order yours today and help us help others! https://smile.amazon.com/Daily-Devotions-Pastor-Mark-Devotionals/dp/1980273847/ref=smi_www_rco2_go_smi_3905707922?_encoding=UTF8&fbclid=IwAR3RLzbmtLsgcZTuXS6qO1oPfeZffMfyIyEnZD3fc8XmyDIO8CqmnS1tRGA&ie=UTF8&keywords=pastor+mark+farley&qid=1524849607&sr=8-3

Another way to see things….. We use our eyes to see all that this world has to offer. That’s part of being human. We are also equipped with another way to see. Our Spiritual nature inside of helps us to see in a different way. We cannot see the air we breathe, yet we take it for granted that it’s here. We naturally take it for granted that when we flip a light switch the light will come on and when we put the key into the ignition the car will start. This comes from FAITH. We learn by doing and by feeling. This is how we develop our spiritual eyes. Now it’s a fact that we all crawl before we walk. So we cannot develop spiritual eyes overnight. Like the air we breathe, light switch, and the key in the ignition, we build up a continued and familiar experience over time that allows us to believe it will work. It’s the same with our faith. We have to build on it and grow it so that we can rely on it in times of uncertainty. 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 pg 70 Lord open the eyes of our hearts through building and growing our faith in You and Your Word, AMEN. “For we walk by faith, not by sight” 2 Corinthians 5:7 Have blessed day y’all! Furniture Bank has helped many folks this year with a HAND –UP as they worked with various organizations to gain skills and jobs to escape homelessness and, helplessness to gain self-respect and self-sustainability!! Your gifts, donations, prayers, and financial support made this possible! Families, veterans, elderly, physically and mentally challenged, as well as others are now enjoying homes filled with furniture and furnishings as they rebuild their lives. MAKE A DIFFERENCE! ALL donations to Furniture Bank are TAX DEDUCTIBLE and 100% goes toward helping the families, veterans, elderly, and other individuals in need. You can donate any amount for a tax deduction and tax receipt, BUT…. a gift of either $400 as an individual or $800 as a couple to Furniture Bank, Inc. a 501c3 public charity, can also reduce your tax bill to the State of Arizona by that amount dollar for dollar! It’s easy and you can make a big difference on how Furniture Bank can further help our families and individuals in need. http://www.furniturebank.us/arizona-tax-credit.html

Walk your talk…Plan your work then work your plan….Stay in the now….Keep your feet on the ground but keep reaching for the stars…. These are just a few of the takeaways and good reminders I have gathered over the years in the 12 Step rooms. What all of these encouraging words mean to me is that I must walk daily on the path of humble spiritual growth. I have found the best way for me to do this is by keeping a picket fence of friends around me who not only share a strong faith but also practice spiritual principles in their daily lives that allows us to live transparently as we grow in our walk with Christ… Check your experience!.. “We shall be with you in the Fellowship of the Spirit, and you will surely meet some of us as you trudge the Road of Happy Destiny.” Big Book pg 164 Lord, thank you for filling my heart with a humble willingness to know You better daily and surrounding me with others who also seek to know and do Your will, AMEN. “Watch the path of your feet and all your ways will be established.” Proverbs 4:26 Have a blessed day y’all! Hey friends please check out Servants Hearts! http://ServantsHearts.us it’s a free site to help connect folks with volunteer and helping opportunities! Furniture Bank, Spiritual Solutions Group, and Advocate Phoenix are please to share the newest free service from Faith Through Works Fellowship! It’s Phoenix based for now. Pray for its growth to provide helping hearts and willing hands to our organizations that need help! http://ServantsHearts.us