Author: Mark Farley

Spiritual Nourishment

   November 13, 2022 0 Likes 279 Views
Filling food… 


Most folks I know are doing a better job these days of choosing better foods and meals. 


Just like having the proper fuel for our cars, it’s important to have the proper fuel in the form of nutritious healthy food for our bodies. 


Slowly the fast food chains are getting this message and it’s possible to get a sort of healthy meal from them if there are no other healthier options, but for the most part, fast food, like sugary snacks, are full of empty calories that fool our bodies and leave us more hungry as well as tired. 


It’s the same in our spiritual nutrition as well. 


We can fool ourselves and load up on man-made words and spiritual “junk food” that require no action on our part and make us feel momentarily good about ourselves. 


Unfortunately, like fast food, this leaves us hungry and thirsty in our souls. 


We can get true spiritual nutrition daily by turning our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understand Him and feast on His Word daily… 


Check your experience… 


“A new life has been given us or, if you prefer, “a design for living” that really works.” Big Book pg 28


Lord, let us feed spiritually on Your Word and the Holy Spirit, 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.” John 6:35 


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? 

Trading the Truth for a Lie

   November 12, 2022 0 Likes 245 Views
Truth or consequences… 


Perhaps you have a better handle on this, but it can get confusing for me at times to know when I am getting the truth or a lie with respect to information. 


Looking at information for just about anything these days takes a measure or patience mixed with persistence to sort through the word vomit and visual imagery to learn the truth needed to make a decision. 


Trying to help Miss Tami find sunscreen for her face became a hunting expedition as we read ingredients and learned about all kinds of scary stuff that is part of the ingredients in some brands. 


I am neither a scientist nor an expert, but it seems to me that putting various concoctions and mixtures of alcohol and mineral oils on one one’s face cannot be good in the long run, let alone make a good sunscreen for sensitive skin! 


 Experience, trust, and faith are the anchors I depend on to get me through. 


We found the brand she likes and lo and behold, no alcohol or mineral based petroleum products are used! 


This experience leads me to my thought for today,.. 


How are we reading the ingredients that we are putting into our spiritual lives? 


Are we getting the good soul food from God’s Word or….


Are we getting “junk food” and chemical substitutes that make us feel good for the moment but have no lasting spiritual nutritional value?…


Check your experience…


“We have seen the truth demonstrated again and again:” Big Book pg. 33 


Lord, let us look for Your Truth in seeking Your will and learning from Your Word, AMEN. 


“They exchanged the truth of God for a lie,” Romans 1:25 


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]

Thank You Veterans!

   November 11, 2022 0 Likes 351 Views
Thanks, and God Bless Chuck Jackson, Rick Jackson, Scott Jackson, Nick Farley, Uncle Charles King, Uncle Russell Priddy, Curtis Smith, Eric Fowlston, John R., Coop, Bill S., Roger, Tyler, Dan H., my Sponsor Jim R., Phil, Adam, Mel, KD, Dave C., Raenee, and all Veterans past, present, and future. 


Your honor, duty, sacrifice, and service keep us safe, protected, and free! 


“Our real purpose is to fit ourselves to be of maximum service to God and the people about us.” Big Book pg. 77 


Lord, we thank and honor those who protect our freedom by serving our country. May You constantly bless them and their families, AMEN. 


 “Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13 


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? 

Willingness in Our Hearts

   November 10, 2022 0 Likes 221 Views
It’s a matter of your heart… 


Have you ever had a situation where even though you are there, your heart’s not in it? 


Perhaps it’s out of your immediate control and for the greater good you need to be there, but given your preferences, you would choose to be elsewhere. 


I am sure we all have these times, and we manage to get through them just fine. 

What about your faith? 


While it’s good to go to church and participate in worship, 


it’s not so good if our hearts are not in it. 


God doesn’t care where we are physically at, 


but He does want our hearts to be open and full of faith. 


Believing is a heart matter and our actions show our faith… 


Check your experience… 


“It was only a matter of being willing to believe in a Power greater than myself. Nothing more was required of me to make my beginning.” Big Book pg. 12


Lord, let us keep our hearts open and filled with our belief in You and Your promises, AMEN. 


“For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.” Romans 10:10 


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 

Looking for the Good

   November 9, 2022 0 Likes 254 Views
Looking for the good…


It just comes naturally. 

We are prone to look for the wrong, talk about the negative, and point out the faults in others. 


Our culture and society has trained us to think, act, and react this way. 


As a result, we seem to only see and hear about these things. 


Ever seen a newscast devoted to showing the good things folks are doing? 


We become what we are exposed to and our environment can conflict with our spiritual walk 

IF WE LET IT… 


I propose that we should shift our thinking to look for the good, talk about what is positive, and catch people doing things right! 


Try this for a day and see how much better you feel!.. 


Check your experience… 


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


Lord let us look for the good and lift others up instead of constantly bringing them down, AMEN. 


“So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11


Have a blessed day Y’all! 


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Choosing Good Choices

   November 8, 2022 0 Likes 307 Views
The power of choice… 

We face many choices daily but for me, the most important and constant choice I face is to either seek God’s will or follow my own self-will. 


Maybe some folks think like I used to think   when I was first saved that I no longer had to battle with life’s twists, turns, trials, and temptations, because I had Jesus in my heart.

However, the fact is that God loves us so much that even though through Baptism He fills our heart with His Holy Spirit,
 
He loves us so much and so unconditionally that He allows us to keep our free will. 


Now perhaps it’s different for you, but this is exactly why I must make the choice daily and even hourly at times to seek His will and not give into my selfish self-centered will. 


How do you handle this choice?… 

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, thank You for loving us so completely and unconditionally that you let us keep our free will. Let us exercise this power of choice and choose to seek Your will in all things, AMEN.   


“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Deuteronomy 30:19-20 


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? 

Put the Isolating on Ice!

   November 7, 2022 0 Likes 233 Views
We are not alone…
 
There are all sorts of hi-tech headsets, earphones, and other apparatus that makes it very easy to isolate these days. 


Heck, with headphones being so popular, it’s almost even cool to keep them on whenever possible. 


This comfortable isolation is good for brief periods to allow for pause, meditation, rest, and or prayer, but when it happens often and for long periods of time, then it can be very dangerous. 


This type of isolation not only separates you from others but also closes your heart to the Holy Spirit. 


Think about it, in times of stress or strain, do you find yourself desiring to be alone with your own thoughts? 


Again, for a brief moment, its fine, but when it becomes a constant preferred mechanism of escape then problems left inside our own head become issues that lead to all sorts of behaviors, actions, and ultimately consequences we do not need. 


Sharing your life’s trials, twists, turns, and temptations with other believers will not only keep you from falling victim to the delusions of the isolated mind, but will also allow the Holy Spirit to show you the solution. 


Are you isolating?.. 


Check your experience… 


“No words can tell of the loneliness and despair I found in that bitter morass of self-pity.” Big Book pg. 8 


Lord, let us know that You put others in our lives to for us to lean on in rough times, AMEN. 


“That their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love.” Colossians 2:2 


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 the Real Cost?

   November 6, 2022 0 Likes 251 Views
What is the total cost?.. 


Anyone who knows me understands my preference to avoid numbers in just about every situation that I can. 


What I have learned in life and in school is that everything has a cost. 


Not only a numerical valued cost, but also the cost of time, effort, relationships, and growth. 


It’s pretty easy to count the numerical cost in most things. 


My wallet and my bank account are a constant reminder that I am not made of money. 


Now maybe it’s different for you, but it’s those other costs that are the most expensive to me. 


I have learned to ask myself what is the cost; to the relationship, time, as well as what value is to be gained. 

Needless to say, whenever Miss Tami or my daughter needs me, that automatically wins, …


but what about the time I spend on other matters that may or may not be healthy for me or my relationships with my family, friends, and Jesus?… 


Check your experience… 


“Simple, but not easy; a price had to be paid.” Big Book pg. 14 


 Lord, let us include our loves, our priorities, and our relationship with You when we count the cost of our efforts, AMEN. 


“But don’t begin until you count the cost.” Luke 14:28 


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? 

We Can Always Learn

   November 5, 2022 0 Likes 225 Views
Becoming teachable…


Remember the last time you were able to lay aside your preconceived notions, expectations, and self-made opinions in order to truly learn something new? 


Yeah, it’s been a while for me too! 

Part of having free will and becoming an adult is this magic magnifying mind that we have that likes to unconsciously grow and feed from our perceptions and experiences. 


It tries to predict situations for us as well as attempts to harden our hearts through our own self-made assessments and judgements. 


Until we stop this process and set aside the ability and power it has over us, we cease to truly grow spiritually. 


Kids don’t have this. 


They look to us with wide eyes and open minds thirsty to learn. 


It’s only when we can open our minds willingly in this manner can God truly teach us and fill our hearts with His Spirit and wisdom.


 Are you still willing and able to be teachable?..


Check your experience…


“But after a while we had to face the fact that we must find a spiritual basis of life-or else.” Big Book pg 44 


Lord let us set aside our own thoughts and become teachable like a child for Your Word, AMEN. 


“He said: I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3 


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 in? 


[email protected]

Head and Heart Knowledge

   November 4, 2022 0 Likes 228 Views
Stay outta yer head!…


Perhaps it’s different for you, but for many folks, myself included at times, we tend to live in our heads and block our emotions and feelings. 


This causes us to make decisions based on self-will that affect us and others in not so good ways. 


Now, hopefully we know that making decisions based on emotions only is also not a healthy thing, but blocking off our emotions prevents us from seeing, hearing, feeling, and allowing our hearts to assist us in making decisions. 


Why is this 
so important?


It’s in our hearts where the Holy Spirit lives and guides us WHEN we let Him!.. 


Check your experience… 


“Much has already been said about receiving strength, inspiration, and direction from Him who has all knowledge and power.” Big Book pg 85 


Lord, let us rely on the love in our hearts to guide us in our daily walk, AMEN. 


 “…knowledge puffs up while love builds up” 1 Corinthians 8:1 


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?