Author: Mark Farley

Can’t Keep It Unless…

   November 27, 2023 0 Likes 201 Views
 We can’t keep it unless we give it away…. 


 It is a wonderful feeling to be able to help another person with no expectation of a gain or a return.


Perhaps you have experienced this spiritual principle enough to know the powerful blessing it brings to you and those you help.


Just being able to help another is humbling for me, 
for there was a season for me over 32 years ago when I had nothing to give and not much hope. 

Thank goodness for the Salvation Army who loved me until I could learn to love myself again.  


Walking with Jesus and and staying  active in 12 Step  has blessed my life far better than I could have ever imagined with Miss Tami, Miss Kai, and all the gifts of friends, family, ministry, and service work I have in my life today. 

I know from experience that we cannot keep it unless we give it away.  


…check your experience…   


“Helping others is the foundation stone” Big Book pg 97  
 
Lord, thank you for the bounty of blessings and the ability to help others not as blessed as we are right now, AMEN. 


“Because you have these blessings, do your best to add these things to your lives: to your faith, add goodness; and to your goodness, add knowledge; and to your knowledge, add self-control; and to your self-control, add patience; and to your patience, add service for God; and to your service for God, add kindness for your brothers and sisters in Christ; and to this kindness, add love.”  2 Peter 1: 5-7  


Have a blessed day Y’all! 

What if you had a person who coached and mentored you in building a better life?  


Inspired 365 Life Coaching with Mark Farley!! 


https://www.faiththroughworksfellowship.org/inspired-365-life-coaching 


Want a one-on-one coach to get you out of where you are?  

Email today and let’s chat to see if we can make up a plan for you to get you to where you want to be!


[email protected]

Spiritual Google

   November 26, 2023 0 Likes 211 Views
 A different way to “Google”


Google has made life a lot easier for me! 


It seems whatever I need to know; from directions to anywhere to what is the name of the actress that played Lorelai on Gilmore Girls, Google has it for me in a split second! 


How convenient and time saving it is! 


If only I could get answers to my moral and self-will challenges along with my spiritual directions from Google. 


While Google will attempt to answer our life questions and offer spiritual direction, it can’t see our hearts or know our soul like the Holy Spirit does. 


Thank goodness we can find those answers WHEN we become willing to ask, look, and receive. 


How is this working out for you? 


Are you turning to your internal Google in the form of the Holy Spirit when times are confusing or uncomfortable?… 


Check your experience… 


“Here we ask God for inspiration, an intuitive thought or a decision. Big Book pg 86 


Lord, let us ask You for guidance and direction with open minds and hearts, AMEN. 


“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waiver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.” James 1: 5-6 


Have a blessed day Y’all!! 


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


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


 How about a daily dose of hope and inspired thought? 

Judging By the Book’s Cover?

   November 25, 2023 0 Likes 207 Views
Don’t judge a book by its cover…


Looks can be deceiving, especially when we allow our judgment to be based solely on what we initially see. 


Perhaps it’s different for you, but I have shared before how my magic magnifying mind likes to trick me into trusting the ideas it generates on its own just for me. 


It pays to learn more of the story before we pass judgments. 


Years ago when I was living, recovering, and working at the Salvation Army in Sacramento, we had this very small man named Joe who also lived there. 


Because of a stroke he suffered, he walked funny and had a hard time speaking so it was easy to pass him by as another needy and hopeless cause. 


However, I got to know Joe. 


As our friendship grew, I learned that he was a powerlifter in the gym and before he had a stroke in his mid 20’s, he was a college graduate with a promising career in engineering. 


Different choices he made around drugs and alcohol led to difficult twists, and turns in his life, like many of us encountered before we wound up at the Salvation Army for help. 


Joe helped teach me and others to weight lift and use the gym safely. 


He was very encouraging to me to get my college education and pursue God’s calling on my life. 


I am glad I took the time to get to know Joe before he went home to the Lord. 


His encouragement and influence helped me a lot during that season of my life. 

 Are there any “Joe’s” in your life where you don’t know their story?..


Check your experience….


“We let God be the final judge.” Big Book pg. 70 


Lord open the eyes of our hearts so the we can see those You send to help us, AMEN. 


“Do not judge according to appearance” John 7:24 


Have a blessed day Y’all! 


What if you had a person who coached and mentored you in building a better life? 


Inspired 365 Life Coaching with Mark Farley!! 


https://www.faiththroughworksfellowship.org/inspired-365-life-coaching 


Want a one-on-one coach to get you out of where you are? 


 Email today and let’s chat to see if we can make up a plan for you to get you to where you want to be! 


[email protected]

Greed Friday?!?

   November 24, 2023 0 Likes 247 Views
GREED Friday?…..Black Friday… 


COME EARLY and BUY THIS NOW, SAVE NOW, THE FIRST SHOPPERS GET THE DEAL! 


I saw this a few years ago… A Car Dealer offering $2000 off to the first few customers that show up tomorrow! 


WOW! 


 I know it’s great to save money and get deals but why are we allowing this need to override our time with family, friends and cloud the reason for the season?.. 


Check your experience… 


“Is it not evident to all the rest of the players that these are the things he wants?” Big Book pg 61 


Lord, let us know in our hearts that stuff comes and goes, but our relationship with You lasts forever, AMEN 


 “Then he said to them, watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” Luke 12:15 


Have a blessed day y’all! 


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


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


 How about a daily dose of hope and inspired thought? 

Have a Blessed Thanksgiving

   November 23, 2023 0 Likes 230 Views
There are many things that I am grateful for. 


Too many to list here, but most of all I am grateful for my salvation, sobriety, and serenity. 


I am thankful for my family, friends, and ministry. 


It’s a spiritual principle that I try to live daily… 


We cannot keep it unless we give it away…. 


 “We thank God from the bottom of our heart” Big Book pg. 75 


Thank you Lord for my family, my friends, and the bounty of blessings You allow them to bring in my life AMEN. 


 “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” Philippians 4:11-12 


Happy Thanksgiving! 


Have a blessed day Y’all! 


Join us in prayer and with your financial support as we tackle the challenge of helping and mentoring young adults aging out of the Foster Care System.

https://homesfromheaven.org/ 


AZ Charitable TAX CREDIT! 

Watch Your Tongue!

   November 22, 2023 0 Likes 241 Views
Watch your tongue… 

It’s that time of year when we gather together with family, friends, and others to fellowship, celebrate, and spend time with others that we may not see that often.  


Hopefully these times are full of fun, love, and create more warm memories. 


This can also be a time where our petty differences, resentments, and unchecked emotions can try to take the stage in front of the captive audience gathered. 


Please take this as a suggestion and guard your words!  

Our self-will can override our spiritual connection during times of stress and anxiety leading to all sorts of words and actions that we later regret. 


Hopefully you can direct those nasty words to stay inside your head and not come rolling off your tongue. 

Remember the Holy Spirit lives within you and can give you grace, peace, and comfort during these times IF you let Him…


Check your experience… 


“Patience, tolerance, understanding and love are the watchwords.” Big Book pg 118   


Lord, let our words be driven from love and kindness and not from motives of hurt and pain, AMEN.  


“So also the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is always ready to pour out its deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our heavenly Father, and sometimes it breaks out into curses against men…” James 3:5-9  


Have a blessed day y’all!  


Join us in prayer and with your financial support as we tackle the challenge of helping and mentoring young adults aging out of the Foster Care System.

https://homesfromheaven.org/ 


AZ Charitable TAX CREDIT! 

Take Time to Listen

   November 20, 2023 0 Likes 254 Views
Take time to listen before waiting to speak… 


Have you ever caught yourself on “auto-pilot” in a conversation? 


For me, it usually happens during a familiar conversation or recurring situation. 


My mind tells me the answer before the other person even asks or finishes! 


Now maybe it’s different for you, but I catch myself going into auto- pilot mode when I start deciding what must be done even before I have really listened and or HEARD what the other person is trying to say. 


OK, so this is part of standard fare for raising kids under 5 when it comes to junk food and unsafe toys, we DO know the answers before they form the question, 


but this type of listening hurts us in all other aspects of our lives. 


Think about it. 


We like to be listened to, heard, and feel that we have been understood. 


 It’s a spiritual principle that we need to treat others in the same way that we wish to be treated. 


So maybe this is the 3rd time Aunt Mabel has told you the story about her trip to the grocery with the wrong coupons. 


Perhaps by actively listening to her and building conversation around her story, she may finally feel heard and stop telling you the same story. 

 How do you listen? 


 Does the solution noise in your head drown out what the other person is trying to say? … 


Check your own experience and…


Take time to listen instead of waiting to speak. 


“We never gave the spiritual side of life a fair hearing.” Big Book pg 50 


Lord, let us listen with our hearts and hear with You Holy Spirit that resides in us all, AMEN. 


 “To answer before listening– that is folly and shame. Proverbs 18:13 


Have a blessed day Y’all!! 


What if you had a person who coached and mentored you in building a better life? 


Inspired 365 Life Coaching with Mark Farley!! 


https://www.faiththroughworksfellowship.org/inspired-365-life-coaching 


Want a one-on-one coach to get you out of where you are? 


 Email today and let’s chat to see if we can make up a plan for you to get you to where you want to be! 


[email protected]

Looking Away or to Help?

   November 19, 2023 0 Likes 202 Views
 Looking away or looking to help….. 


Sometimes when we see uncomfortable or unpleasant things, we divert our eyes away so our mind won’t focus and our hearts won’t feel the situation. 


I used to do this every time I walked by my teenager’s room. 


I am sure it’s a well-organized myriad of clothing, books, and life pertinent items to her, but it looked like remnants of a hurricane to her mother and me. 


It’s easier to just look away and move on. 


What about those times when we are at work or out and about with a group of friends and we see someone noticeably upset or hurting. 


Hopefully it’s our natural reaction to seek to learn the situation, offer comfort, and help if possible. 


Now what about when we see that out of place person trying to deal with something that is obviously unfamiliar for them? 


I know that it’s easier to look away and pretend we don’t see that older person in the store trying to figure out how to lift that case of water. 


Or it’s “better to ignore” the dirty looking person on the street with the shopping cart full of weird stuff. 


I am not suggesting we stop and try to change their whole life, but what about looking them in the eye and saying hello? 


What would Jesus do? 


 Check your experience…


“Helping others is the foundation stone of our recovery.” Big Book pg. 97


Lord, let us open the eyes of our heart to see where You would have us offer compassion and help, AMEN. 


“Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.” Philippians 2:4


 Have a blessed day y’all! 


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


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


 How about a daily dose of hope and inspired thought? 

Motives and Efforts

   November 18, 2023 0 Likes 258 Views
Motives and efforts…. 


Ever heard the saying you get OUT of it what you PUT IN to it? 


 Great examples of this are folks that run their first Triathlons, lose massive amounts or weight, win their first bodybuilding contest, or achieve some other life altering change for the good. 

The secret to success in each of these examples is that while they were training and working to achieve their goal, they constantly made sure their efforts matched their motives daily. 

We can use this “secret” in our everyday lives for ordinary things as well. 


This is a biblical principle that never changes! 


From being a better person, to overcoming an uncomfortable situation, if we measure our motives and match them to our efforts we will see change.. 


How well are your efforts matching your motives?… 


Check your experience…


“Keep on the firing line of life with these motives and God will keep you unharmed.” Big Book pg 102


Lord, let us provide the efforts needed along with the right motives to bring healthy changes into our lives and strengthen our walk with you, AMEN. 


“People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives. Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.” Proverbs 16: 2-3 


Have a blessed day y’all!


What if you had a person who coached and mentored you in building a better life? 


Inspired 365 Life Coaching with Mark Farley!! 


https://www.faiththroughworksfellowship.org/inspired-365-life-coaching 


Want a one-on-one coach to get you out of where you are? 


 Email today and let’s chat to see if we can make up a plan for you to get you to where you want to be! 


[email protected]

Bad Moment

   November 17, 2023 0 Likes 255 Views
Don’t turn a bad moment into a bad day...


It was in hearing and learning the St. Francis prayer in AA that I first learned that in order to be forgiven, I must first forgive others. 


Back then, and even sometimes today, it was a tall order and I had a very hard time finding the willingness to open my heart and mind to become forgiving. 


Over the years I have learned from my own experiences as well as from watching and working with others that we tend to hang on to negative feelings and experiences longer than we should and if not addressed, these feeling and experiences can take on a life of their own and begin influencing our thoughts, actions and over time behaviors over other people, places, and things. 


With Thanksgiving coming next week, all sorts of resentments, anger, hurts, and ill feelings will come rushing to the front of folk’s minds as family and friends gather together. 


Jesus forgave us for our sins and continues to forgive me daily because of His unconditional love. 

It is a spiritual principle that HE can’t forgive us until we are able to forgive others… 


Check your experience… 


“We go to him in a helpful and forgiving spirit, “Big Book pg. 77 

Lord let us open our hearts to become forgiving of others so that we can be forgiven ourselves, AMEN. 

“Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32 


Have a blessed day y’all! 


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


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


 How about a daily dose of hope and inspired thought?