Why can’t reality match the picture in my head? … 

Perhaps it’s different for you, but every now and then I get a picture of the way the world is supposed to be in my head, and it does not match up with reality. 

These expectations come from my own self-centered wants, fears, and pride. During my walk with Jesus and sobriety I have learned that my expectations can spring from my own thought process based on my emotional wants. I have learned that expectations based on my human assumptions can cause me trouble. 

These days I try to catch myself when I am trying to set an expectation. Time, grace, and serenity have taught me that I need to make sure I examine all the evidence and not just what I want to see or hear. 

I ask the Lord to help me let it go and allow my heart to accept people, places, and things as they are and for what they are right now. It saves me a lot of anger, grief, and wasted energy! 

How’s this working out for you?.. Check your experience… 

“And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing or situation -- some fact of my life -- unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment.” Big Book pg 417 

Lord, lets us trade our expectations in for acceptance and knowledge that You are in control, AMEN. 

“The hopes of the godly result in happiness, but the expectations of the wicked come to nothing.” Proverbs 10:28 

Looking to volunteer or plug into an existing helping opportunity in the Greater Phoenix AZ area? 

Visit Servants Hearts! 

It’s a free site to help connect folks with volunteer and helping opportunities! 

Furniture Bank and Spiritual Solutions Group are pleased to sponsor and share this free helping service from Faith Through Works Fellowship. 

Pray for its growth to provide helping hearts and willing hands to our organizations that need help! 

http://aservantsheart.us

Have a blessed day y’all! 

Where is all the good news at? ….

We hear stories about road rage and other examples of incidents that are fueled by emotional reactions all the time. While it grabs our attention for a moment, much like fights in a hockey match, it really is not newsworthy. Our media loves to show the negative side of life. YouTube is full of fight and conflict video clips. 

Why? 

Because it grabs our attention and gives us that momentary human feeling of entitlement based on the thinking; “well at least I am not THAT bad.” 

It’s hard to find stories about good works and good deeds, especially anonymous good deeds. For whatever reason it doesn’t get ratings, viewers, or website clicks. 

However, when we do something good or helpful for someone else without expecting to be seen, caught or recognized, our hearts gain this feeling of joy and happiness. 

Come on, you know you feel this! 

That is the Holy Spirit inside your heart jumping for joy! We don’t need it broadcast on the news or to be in the limelight for it because we are receiving our unasked for reward from helping others. … 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 share encouragement and blessings with others in the same way You so freely share with us, AMEN. 

“May the patience and encouragement that come from God allow you to live in harmony with each other” Romans 15:5 

Furniture Bank Continues to help those in need! 

Until we are clear from the world health challenges, Furniture Bank is neither accepting nor scheduling pick-ups of donated items. 

We are using our cash reserves to order new items that can be drop shipped and delivered to our clients. 

Furniture Bank is a 501c3 public charity and every penny donated goes toward helping our families, veterans, and individuals in need. 

Please help us continue to help others! 

http://www.furniturebank.us/arizona-tax-credit.html

Have a blessed Day y’all! 

Helping others a’int a chance for a selfie or a photo op….

Years ago when I was working at the Salvation Army Homeless Shelter in Sacramento, it used to make me angry on those occasions where a few people merely came to volunteer just so they could be seen helping a homeless person. While I was glad to have groups of volunteers come to help us to feed the homeless, 

I guess what made me so angry, and still does to this day, is that their heart was not in it and their motive in being there was purely selfish. That is why to this very day I qualify ALL of my volunteers, to make sure they are there to help others and are not just there for a “photo op” to be seen helping another. 

I am not judging them, but I am dedicated to making sure that those I organize to volunteer are doing so because they want to help another. I get it, not all of us are comfortable with this type of volunteering. 

Heck, I have no mechanical skills and I am honest enough with myself and others not to try to help fix a car or anything requiring tools. Experience has shown me and others that I am merely in the way and not being of service to anyone. 

We all have gifts of service, but not in every category. 

What are / where are your gifts of service best used?.. 

Check your experience… 

 “Helping others is the foundation stone” Big Book pg 97 

Lord let us use our gifts and talents in areas that can benefit others and not for gaining attention, AMEN. 

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” Mathew 6:1 

How about a daily dose of hope and inspired thought? 

Join me in looking at the things we face daily with passages from both the Big Book and Bible! 

Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries including Furniture Bank! 

Order today and help us help others! 

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pastor+mark+farley&ref=nb_sb_noss

Have a blessed day y’all! 

Let’s clean our side of the street first…. 

I hope it’s different for you, but I sure had to do a lot of work before I could escape this type of automatic thinking. I am talking about the type of thinking that naturally looks to find the bad or faults in others and then find another person or 2 to share it with. I remember that false sense of superiority I seemed to get when I took another person’s inventory and automatically found myself to be in a better condition. 

But wait, I forgot to look at my own shortcomings, faults, and character defects. I wish I could say I am completely free of this type of thinking, but I can’t. 

What I can share is that when I do find myself entertaining thoughts of comparing myself to another only looking for the negative, I can now stop this thinking with a simple prayer and ask God to direct my thinking to find the good in others… 

Check your experience… 

“The only condition is that he trust in God and clean house.” Big Book pg 98 

Lord let us look to improve ourselves and work on our own faults and shortcomings before we begin finding the faults and shortcomings in others, AMEN. 

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” Matthew 7:3 

Looking to volunteer or plug into an existing helping opportunity in the Greater Phoenix AZ area? 

Visit Servants Hearts! 

It’s a free site to help connect folks with volunteer and helping opportunities! 

Furniture Bank and Spiritual Solutions Group are pleased to sponsor and share this free helping service from Faith Through Works Fellowship. 

Pray for its growth to provide helping hearts and willing hands to our organizations that need help! 

http://aservantsheart.us

Have a blessed day y’all! 

Treat others like you want to be treated….. 

We all hear this and know this but are we able to naturally do this or does it take some work on our part?  We want to be recognized for who we are and like to be known for what we do. That is natural pride and ownership of our actions. We come to expect others to know what or “who” we are. 

Now….Think about this for a moment... 

When was the last time you looked a service worker, like a cleaning person, yard person, or fast food clerk directly in the eye and said a heartfelt, honest thank you?  

Did you know that Kurt Warner worked overnights in a grocery store stocking shelves to feed his family? Or that basketball legend Larry Bird worked on the trash truck with his dad to help his family make ends meet? 

We never know who we are encountering, or truly why they seem to be in a “dead end” job, so it’s a good idea to treat others with the same kindness and recognition that we want… 

Check your experience… 

“See to it that your relationship with Him is right, and great events will come to pass for you and countless others.” Big Book pg 164 

Lord, let us look to be a friend to those around us, giving them the same grace that you so readily give to us, AMEN.  

“Agree with one another. Don’t be proud. Be willing to be a friend of people who aren’t considered important. Don’t think that you are better than others.” Romans 12:16 

Furniture Bank Continues to help those in need!   

Until we are clear from the world heath challenges, Furniture Bank is neither accepting nor scheduling pick-ups of donated items. 

We are using our cash reserves to order new items that can be drop shipped and delivered to our clients. 

Furniture Bank is a 501c3 public charity and every penny donated goes toward helping our families, veterans, and individuals in need. 

Please help us continue to help others!

http://www.furniturebank.us/arizona-taxcredit.html      

Have a blessed day y’all! 

I have these “rights” …..

Have you ever had one of those days where nothing seems to go right?  Maybe even a week or longer where things just are not working out? I have a few friends right now that are struggling with life challenges and issues that are taking longer than expected to resolve and it’s no picnic for them.  It’s frustrating when we are going through these times. 

Now maybe it’s different for you but, when things don’t go my way or the way I expect them to, my “rights” move in and  try to convince me that my way is the only way and the best way. This crowds out not only reality, but also the ability for God to work in me and through me to show me what is meant to be.   

I have learned through these times and over the years to look for the good and hold fast to my knowledge and experience that my faith will see me through and my hopes will keep me looking for the positive…  Check your experience…  

“I can watch my serenity level rise when I discard my expectations. But then my “rights” try to move in, and they too can force my serenity level down. I have to discard my “rights,” as well as my expectations,” Big Book pg 420

Lord, remind our hearts in times of struggle and discomfort that this will pass and to look for the good and not focus on the bad, AMEN.  

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 

How about a daily dose of hope and inspired thought? 

Join me in looking at the things we face daily with passages from both the Big Book and Bible! 

Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries including Furniture Bank! 

Order today and help us help others! 

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pastor+mark+farley&ref=nb_sb_noss

Have a blessed day y'all! 

In your mind’s eye… 

Have you ever noticed what your mind remembers in minute detail compared to other things that are foggy to the memory? 

Now maybe it’s different for you, but my magic magnifying mind likes to recall in exact detail the perceived wrongs it thinks I have experienced along with focusing on the faults in people, places, and things! 

Then on the other side, it has trouble seeing my part in these matters as well as my part in wrongs I have caused! 

Luckily, my daily walk with Jesus, living the 12 Steps, and having a picket fence of friends who can keep me honest helps me to not let my warped mind fall into these illusions. 

I am free of the shackles of self-will and can now focus on the more important things in life – helping others, being of service, and seeking God’s will. 

How’s that working out for you? 

Is your mind constantly reminding you of its perceived wrongs you have incurred?.. 

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, let us break free from the shackles of our self-centered will to free our minds and hearts from the illusions fueled by our fears, pride, and insecurities, AMEN. 

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2 

How about a daily dose of hope and inspired thought? 

Join me in looking at the things we face daily with passages from both the Big Book and Bible! 

Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries including Furniture Bank! 

Order today and help us help others! 

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pastor+mark+farley&ref=nb_sb_noss

Have a blessed day y'all!! 

There's book smarts, street smarts, and then there is wisdom... 

Most of us can claim to be graduates of the School of Hard Knocks. Experience teaches us much and we learn from our mistakes and even from our victories. 

Some of us can even claim advanced degrees from our School of Hard Knocks, but the ones I have learned the most from are the students of God's Word. 

Some have their under graduate degrees from our Alma Mater, but ultimately their trust in the Lord and thirst for His Word gives them the wisdom we all naturally seek. Who and where are you gaining your wisdom? .... Check your experience. ... . 

"Our ideas did not work. But the God idea did." Big Book pg 50 

Lord fill us with Your wisdom that comes from Your Spirit and Word, AMEN. 

"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously" James 1:5 

Looking to volunteer or plug into an existing helping opportunity in the Greater Phoenix AZ area? 

Visit Servants Hearts! 

It’s a free site to help connect folks with volunteer and helping opportunities! 

Furniture Bank and Spiritual Solutions Group are pleased to sponsor and share this free helping service from Faith Through Works Fellowship. 

Pray for its growth to provide helping hearts and willing hands to our organizations that need help! 

http://aservantsheart.us

Have a blessed day y’all! 

Give encouragement, catch someone doing something right.... 

It's all around us, no matter where we look or what the subject is, the fault finders, negativity breeders, and arm chair "experts" are there to quickly point out our faults, wrongs, and why we won't succeed. 

Sheesh, why even bother trying? 

We must keep trying because we can. The negativity can only affect us if we allow it to get a grip on us. We can change this by doing something rarely seen these days. 

We can CATCH someone doing something RIGHT and.... get ready... compliment and ENCOURAGE them! Try looking for the good today. It will change your outlook especially if you encourage another. ... Check your experience. ... 

"...walk day by day in the path of spiritual progress. If you persist, remarkable things will happen." Big Book pg 100 

Lord let us look for the good in people, places, and things today, AMEN 

"Encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11 

Furniture Bank Continues to help those in need! 

Until we are clear from the world heath challenges, Furniture Bank is neither accepting nor scheduling pick-ups of donated items. 

We are using our cash reserves to order new items that can be drop shipped and delivered to our clients. 

Furniture Bank is a 501c3 public charity and every penny donated goes toward helping our families, veterans, and individuals in need. 

Please help us continue to help others! 

http://www.furniturebank.us/arizona-tax-credit.html

Have a blessed Day y’all! 

Wash the dirt away.... 

Most of us shower and or bathe daily, some more than others! On top of that, ESPECIALLY THESE DAYS, we have hand sanitizers and other personal products stashed everywhere so we can use them at our leisure to rid ourselves of dirt, germs, and grime we encounter all day long. 

How about our minds? 

There are books, videos, and seminars always available to help us get a fresh perspective but..... HOW do we get Spiritually clean? I'm sure y'all have a thought or method. .... 

How's that working out for you? ... 

I have found through my walk with Jesus along the 12 Step path is that the only way for me to cleanse my spirit is to daily wash my soul and heart in the Word, along with accountability to others, and finally serving those He puts in my path... Check your experience... 

"What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition." Big Book pg 85 

Lord please help us to cleanse our hearts and minds daily through seeking Your will and being in Your Word, AMEN. 

"First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.” Matthew 23:26 

How about a daily dose of hope and inspired thought? 

Join me in looking at the things we face daily with passages from both the Big Book and Bible! 

Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries including Furniture Bank! Order today and help us help others! 

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pastor+mark+farley&ref=nb_sb_noss

Have a blessed day y’all! 

We get what we give.... 

This is a spiritual axiom that holds true no matter what the situation. 

We get out of "it" exactly what we put into “it”. Whether it be our gym routine, work, or other lifestyle actions, our results come directly from our efforts. 

This holds true for us mentally as well. Our thoughts, attitudes, and ultimately our behaviors are the product of what we put in our minds. Spiritual growth can only come for us when we open our hearts and minds to seek His truth and Will for us. ... Check your experience. ... 

"What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition." Big Book pg 85 

Lord, let us give you our will and our lives daily in order to grow and thrive, AMEN. 

"Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you full, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back." Luke 6:38 

 Looking to volunteer or plug into an existing helping opportunity in the Greater Phoenix AZ area? 

Visit Servants Hearts! 

It’s a free site to help connect folks with volunteer and helping opportunities! 

Furniture Bank and Spiritual Solutions Group are pleased to sponsor and share this free helping service from Faith Through Works Fellowship. 

Pray for its growth to provide helping hearts and willing hands to our organizations that need help! 

http://aservantsheart.us

Have a blessed day y’all!

It’s supposed to be that when we look in the mirror we see a real reflection of ourselves. Now this happens for me as I shave, brush my teeth and attire myself for the day. 

There are also other mirrors that we can use to see other things. 

For example, looking in the mirror of self-reflection should show us where we stand spiritually, morally, and emotionally. There is also the mirror of seeing ourselves in others. Oh and the mirror of seeing our experiences through other situations, places and things! 

Now perhaps it’s different for you BUT… why is it that when I look into the mirror of self-reflection, I see who I want to see through the illusions of my intentions? 

When I am spiritually unbalanced this happens along with seeing reflections fueled by resentment, fear and pride when I dare look in the mirrors of people, places, things and situations. 

I am lucky to have a picket fence of friends and accountability partners to help me see the real me and not become swallowed up in the illusions my self – centered fear, pride, or anger that are managed by the addiction committee residing in my head. 

I am glad that when I turn these moments over to God and trade my will for His, I gain the proper reflection of self. How’s this working out for you?... Check your Experience….. 

“For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.” James 1: 23-25 

Lord, let us open the eyes of our hearts to gain the help of the Holy Spirit inside of us to truly see our reflections of our own will, words, actions, and thoughts, AMEN. 

“We were prepared to look at it from an entirely different angle.” Big Book pg 66 

Furniture Bank Continues to help those in need! 

Until we are clear from the world heath challenges, Furniture Bank is neither accepting nor scheduling pick-ups of donated items. 

We are using our cash reserves to order new items that can be drop shipped and delivered to our clients. 

Furniture Bank is a 501c3 public charity and every penny donated goes toward helping our families, veterans, and individuals in need. 

Please help us continue to help others! 

http://www.furniturebank.us/arizona-tax-credit.html

Have a blessed day y’all! 

He sees everything… 

I love watching people. I learn so much from others. It’s interesting to me to watch folks as they interact with others. 

My experience has been that different situations bring different actions and behaviors. 

For example, at the drive through the focus is on the order, as both the attendant and the customer are trying to purchase a pre-established menu item, pretty much a no brainer. 

Then there is the grocery store and the need to be in the shortest line. The type A personality verses the passive is fun to watch. The Type A will go all out directly to the short line and heck with whomever has the misfortune of being in their way, while the passive personality will be aware of others and see the type A and clear out of the way letting them go first. 

My favorite is the unexpected assist. 

Recently I observed a mom with a toddler attempting to fit all of her bagged purchases into one hand while deftly grabbing car keys and freeing the other arm to hold the baby because the cart would not go outside of the store, all the while shoppers moved around her as they exited the store. She almost went into shock when I asked her if I could help. After the shock wore off, she saw my smiling wife near me and figured out quickly I was not a psycho stalker, but she politely refused and gave us a heartfelt thank you for caring enough to ask. 

 Remember folks, keep the eyes of your hearts open to see who the Lord puts in your path. It’s always good to offer assistance for the right reasons… Check your experience…

“In the same way, the good deeds of some people are obvious. And the good deeds done in secret will someday come to light.” 1 Timothy 5:25 

Lord, let us perform good deeds with the only motive of being of service to others and not for personal gain, AMEN. 

“It depends on us and on our motives.” Big Book pg 70 

How about a daily dose of hope and inspired thought? 

Join me in looking at the things we face daily with passages from both the Big Book and Bible! 

Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries including Furniture Bank! 

Order today and help us help others! 

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pastor+mark+farley&ref=nb_sb_noss

Have a blessed day y'all! 

Finish what you started. ...

It's human nature (self-will) to want to ease up near the end and let our efforts slide. 

Most folks are aware of this and combat this feeling by reaching down deep (God's will) to muster the needed energy and focus to finish strong. 

How are you finishing your tasks, duties, and commitments? ... Check your experience. ... 

"Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning point. We asked His protection and care with complete abandon." Big Book pg 59 

Lord give us the drive and presence of mind to seek Your will in our efforts to finish strong, AMEN. 

"Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have." 2 Corinthians 8:11 

Have a blessed day y'all!! How about a daily dose of hope and inspired thought? 

Join me in looking at the things we face daily with passages from both the Big Book and Bible! 

Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries including Furniture Bank! 

Order today and help us help others! 

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pastor+mark+farley&ref=nb_sb_noss

Now maybe it’s different for you, but the addict that still resides in my head after all these years still tries to convince me that the self-centered feeling of ‘I want what I want and I want it all now’ is an OK and actionable thought! I am sure the committee of ego, pride, and the other self-will characters in my my head agree! 

This is Stinking Thinking! 

I am so glad I have the Holy Spirit in my heart, a daily relationship with Jesus, and my picket fence of friends in my SCAA and AA 12 Step communities to help keep me on the right path and accountable to continue to seek God’s will and not fall victim to this illusion. 

Now here is the hard part….. well at least it was and still is for me! 

This is not an overnight matter! This means I just can’t wish myself to become patient and tolerant right away! I have had to work on this for many years. Heck, I still must work on these defects of character! 

The good news is that when I make myself take the time to respond rather than instantly react based on the emotion of the moment, my day goes much better! I am a work in progress. 

How about you? Are you working daily to grow a stronger foundation that allows you to respond instead of react? … Check your experience… 

“Put on your new nature and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.” Colossians 3:10 

Holy Spirit Come, fill me with your patience, guidance, grace, and tolerance to allow me to respond instead of reacting to life’s challenges, AMEN. 

“It will take time to clear away the wreck. Though the old buildings will eventually be replaced by finer ones, the new structures will take years to complete.” Big Book pg 123 

Looking to volunteer or plug into an existing helping opportunity in the Greater Phoenix AZ area? 

Visit Servants Hearts! 

It’s a free site to help connect folks with volunteer and helping opportunities! 

Furniture Bank and Spiritual Solutions Group are pleased to sponsor and share this free helping service from Faith Through Works Fellowship. 

Pray for its growth to provide helping hearts and willing hands to our organizations that need help! 

http://aservantsheart.us

Have a blessed day y’all! 

Actions bring results … 

Perhaps you are free of this, or have no issues with it, but it’s an age old twist on our thinking that causes a lot of us to become resentful, jealous, envious, or even bitter. 

We want people to judge us by our intentions while we choose to judge others by their actions. It’s another condition of being human. The solution is pretty simple. We must own this twist of thinking and correct it through our own actions and efforts and not our intentions. 

Think about it, are we able to see the results of others or our own intentions? I INTENDED to lose weight… I INTENDED to get my college degree… I INTENDED to be a better husband and father… 

It carries no lasting effects. 

Only actions on our part brings the desired and needed results. … 

Check your experience. … 

“It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on our laurels.” Big Book pg 85 

Lord let us put actions behind our efforts to be better people, seeking Your will and not our own, 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 

Furniture Bank Continues to help those in need! 

Until we are clear from the world heath challenges, Furniture Bank is neither accepting nor scheduling pick-ups of donated items. 

We are using our cash reserves to order new items that can be drop shipped and delivered to our clients. 

Furniture Bank is a 501c3 public charity and every penny donated goes toward helping our families, veterans, and individuals in need. 

Please help us continue to help others! 

http://www.furniturebank.us/arizona-tax-credit.html 

Have a blessed Day y’all! 

I can't. ... HE can. ... I think I will let Him. 

The pressures of everyday life can become overwhelming. Especially when we fall under the worldly illusion that we must do it all alone, by ourselves and perfectly. 

 Friends please know that you are never, ever, alone! The Holy Spirit lives in our hearts and will see us through times of stress and uncertainty. 

 Have you tried allowing God to carry those heavy burdens? ... Check your experience. ... 

Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 

Lord remind our hearts in times of stress and heaviness that You are with us and ready to shoulder the load, AMEN. 

 "I can't. ... HE CAN. ... I think I will let HIM." Big Book Steps 1, 2,& 3 

 How about a daily dose of hope and inspired thought? 

Join me in looking at the things we face daily with passages from both the Big Book and Bible! 

Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries including Furniture Bank! 

Order today and help us help others! 

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pastor+mark+farley&ref=nb_sb_noss

Have a blessed day y’all!