Author: Mark Farley

Responding or Reacting?

   January 30, 2023 0 Likes 310 Views
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 have 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! 


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


Inspired 365 Life Coaching with Mark Farley!! 




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[email protected]

Where is Your Key?

   January 29, 2023 0 Likes 232 Views
Now where is THAT key?.. 


“So often 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 material 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! 


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? 

What’s Your Gifting?

   January 28, 2023 0 Likes 299 Views
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 principle 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. There are different kinds of work to be done for Him. But the work is for the same Lord. There are different ways of doing His work. But it is the same God who uses all these ways in all people. 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! 

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 in? 


[email protected]

What’s Your Cornerstone?

   January 27, 2023 0 Likes 223 Views
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, 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! 

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? 

Drop the Doubt

   January 26, 2023 0 Likes 216 Views
Drop the doubt… 


Facing the Giants is a movie close to my heart. 


One of the scenes in the movie involves a young man that basically has been crippled by doubt in his abilities and it has spread to his faith. 


Luckily, he has a few men in his life that see this and help him to work through his doubts and embrace faith not only in his abilities but also grow his faith in God. 


This reminds me look at myself and examine the areas in my life where doubt has invaded to limit my belief in myself and the power of Jesus. 


My experience has taught me that when I drop the doubt and replace it with faith in myself and the Lord, amazing things happen. 


What areas of your life are controlled by doubt and holding you back?… 


Check your experience… 


“Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more… You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.” Matthew 21-21:22 


Lord, let us drop our doubts and replace them with faith in ourselves and You, AMEN. 


“I was to sit quietly when in doubt, asking only for direction and strength to meet my problems as He would have me.” 
Big Book pg. 13 


Have a blessed day Y’all! 


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


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I
t’s a free site to help connect folks with volunteer and helping opportunities! 


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Check Your Words

   January 26, 2023 0 Likes 270 Views
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! 


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! 


http://aservantsheart.us 

Spiritual Food Sticks to You

   January 25, 2023 0 Likes 283 Views
Well it ain’t 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 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! 


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Walk by Faith

   January 24, 2023 0 Likes 208 Views
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 must 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 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? 

Walk Your Talk

   January 23, 2023 0 Likes 198 Views
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! 

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 in? 


[email protected]

Conform or Transform?

   January 22, 2023 0 Likes 246 Views
Be transformed….. 


Those pesky expectations 


I sometimes allow to sneak in and dominate my thinking always cause me confusion when real everyday life fails to match up to the picture in my head of what it’s SUPPOSED to be like. 


I do my best to neither set expectations nor try to live by the expectations of others. 


Everyone is human, and like me, prone to faults, fears, and forgetfulness. 


 I have found through years of trial and error, that when I try to be present in the moment and work with what I have instead of what I think or feel I should have, my day and my life goes better. 


When those pesky expectations try to grab my attention and sway my thinking, I turn them over to God and stay in the moment trying to be of maximum service to those around me. 


Check your experience… 


“Before we begin, we ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self-pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives.” Big Book pg 86. 


Lord let us renew our minds and refresh our hearts with Your Spirit replacing our expectations, AMEN. 


“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,” Romans 12:2 


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?