We become a product of the environment around us. Some of the things that influence our thoughts, actions, behaviors, and lives are good for us. Some are social, cultural, and even spiritual. Fashion, clothing, fit eating and living are a few of many good influences we experience. I am still waiting for Leisure suits and mullets to come back into style! Then there is the environments of peer pressure, self-serving desires of the ego, pride, and negativity. These environments can lead to bad choices, poor decisions, and hurtful habits. What actions, attitudes, and behaviors are we tolerating and allowing to influence us? What are we feeding our hearts, minds, and spirit? Check your own experience folks... To the precise extent that we permit these, do we squander the hours that might have been worthwhile.” Big Book pg 66 Lord open the eyes of our hearts to show us the things we need and the illusions we don't, AMEN. "But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance." Luke 8:15 Have a blessed day y'all! https://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Pastor+Mark+Farley&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3APastor+Mark+Farley

While we CANNOT control what others say and do...we CAN control how we choose to let it affect us. Have you ever watched a toddler throw a temper tantrum? It’s a crisis for the moment until the parent catches their attention and changes their focus to something else. We don’t have to let a bad moment become a bad day! Just because some person, place, thing, or situation is neither kind, nor going the way we expect, we don’t have to let is take us hostage for the rest of our day and control our attitudes and actions towards ourselves and others. "We are then in much less danger of excitement, fear, anger, worry, self-pity, or foolish decisions." Big Book pg. 88. Lord please bind this thought into our hearts so that in time of stress, pain, or emotional imbalance we don't let the words and actions or others take us hostage with fear or anger, AMEN. "Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger." James 1:19 Have a blessed day y'all! https://dailyhopeandinspiration.blogspot.com/

What do your eyes focus on?... Have you ever considered that our eyes have the ability to not only help us see, but also to direct our actions based on our vision? We also make adjustments based on what our eyes see. When something is hard to see we increase our focus. We either put on sunglasses to shield our eyes from intense light or we turn on a light to see through darkness just to name a few. The point is, we naturally react to what our eyes see. We even look away when we see something unpleasant or uncomfortable. When we constantly see negativity with our eyes and do nothing to adjust our focus, this in turn, affects our thoughts, behaviors, and actions. Ultimately, repeated negativity can influence the spiritual eyes of our heart causing it to harden and block out the Holy Spirit. How are you adjusting your focus away from negativity and chaos?.. Check your experience…“The outlines and the promise of the New Land had brought luster to tired eyes and fresh courage to flagging spirits.” Big Book pg 53 Lord, let us direct our eyes away from negativity and chaos to allow the spiritual eyes of our heart to show us Your grace and love in each situation we face, AMEN. “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” Hebrews 12:2 Have a blessed day y’all! www.FaithThroughWorksFellowship.org

Renewal notices… In the midst of all the posts, communications, and statements concerning New Year’s resolutions, there is another movement taking place. Folks are renewing stuff too! In our home we have car tags up for renewal along with a few memberships. Heck at 56 I can now RENEW my AARP membership and get discounts! Aside from all this fiscal and physical activity, we can also take this time to renew …get it…RE – NEW…our spiritual life and relationship. New Bible studies and devotions are a great way to start just to name a few. What are you doing to RE-NEW your spiritual life?... Check your experience…“Renewing my resolve, I tried again” Big Book pg 5 Lord, let us renew our relationship with you as this new year begins. Help us to open our hearts and minds to seek and do Your will, AMEN. “Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.” Ephesians 4:23 Have a blessed day y’all! https://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Pastor+Mark+Farley&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3APastor+Mark+Farley

Did you know a donation gets you an Arizona state tax credit up to $800? Earn yours today. The state of Arizona provides an incredible incentive for taxpayers who donate to certain qualifying charities like Furniture Bank. Thanks to the Arizona Charitable Tax Credit, you can donate up to $800 and get it right back on your Arizona tax return. Furniture Bank works directly with Phoenix based social services, programs, and faith based communities to assist families, Veterans, seniors, and other folks with a hand up to regain self-sustainability as they work to escape homelessness and helplessness. Please help us help others! Donate today! http://www.furniturebank.us/arizona-tax-credit.html

It has been a busy summer for Furniture Bank! 

In addition to helping many individuals and families with furniture and furnishings, we partnered with the Phoenix Heat Relief Network to coordinate water donation efforts for our homeless friends throughout the greater Phoenix area. Furniture Bank also joined with Faith Through Works Fellowship to work with Backpacks 4 Kids AZ, a wonderful organization that provides backpacks filled with school supplies for kids in need as well as "Love Bundles" to children who have been displaced due to neglect, abuse, abandonment. They give these bags to shelters, county offices, resource centers, foster parent agencies, police stations and schools. Bags may also go to families with very limited resources. Like Furniture Bank, Backpacks 4 Kids Az., supports the mental wellbeing and comfort of children during a stressful time in their lives.

 

We would like to share a few stories of the many we have helped so far this year. We were blessed by our grant for beds from the Foothills Women’s Club to provide needed beds for our families in need. 

Valerie (name has been changed to protect her and her children’s privacy) is a mom of 3 children who not only escaped a domestic violence situation, but also got job training and secured employment and a safe place to live for her and her children to have a fresh start. In addition to the beds we were able to provide a kitchen table, living room, bedroom furniture, and furnishings for their new home.

Tonya (name has been changed to protect her privacy) was relocated here from another state due to a serious domestic violence event. We were able to assist her and her special needs high school aged son with needed beds, kitchen and living room furniture, furnishings, and a special student desk her son could use for his studies. It touched our hearts to know that because of donations from our community we were able to help them turn their house into a home as they adjust to their new life.

Furniture Bank continues to receive a wide variety of daily requests from people in all types of situations and challenges, our average client is a single mother with 3 children usually all under the age of 10. We are also helping veterans, elderly, and people overcoming physical and mental challenges to regain self-sustainability, independence, employment, and their own places to live. Working in partnership with the various helping agencies and social service organizations in our greater Phoenix area allows us to give those working to achieve self-sustainability a hand up as they move back into jobs and affordable and safe housing. We are in the Hand –UP business and not the hand –OUT game.

Furniture Bank continues to look and pray for financial support to accommodate a warehouse so we can expand our operations and serve even more folks in our community. Please share our need and pray for our continued healthy growth.

We can always use your gently used and no longer needed furniture and furnishings. As always, every donated penny goes toward supporting our client families and individuals needs for their homes.

Please pray about helping us help others! All donations are tax deductible!

Did you know that in addition to giving to your children’s school you can also help Furniture Bank when you contribute to the Arizona Charitable Tax Credit program ?(ARS 43-1088) You can earn a dollar for dollar tax credit on your tax return while supporting children and families as they escape homelessness and move back into homes and jobs. For more information visit www.furniturebank.us

Let the blessings Roll!

Furniture Bank is a 501c3 public charity and every penny donated goes toward helping our families, veterans, and individuals in need. We are in the hand-UP business and not the HANDOUT GAME! Please help us help others! http://www.furniturebank.us/arizona-tax-credit.html

Furniture Bank would like to thank the Foothills Women’s Club for selecting us as their Charity of Choice for 2016. President Shelly Miller and her team presented Furniture Bank with a check for $1500 to be used to purchase beds for our families and clients in need. This gift allows Furniture Bank to buy new beds for our clients. We are humbled to receive this wonderful gift and honored that we were chosen. Thank you Shelley, Liz, Maggie, and the rest of the Foothills Women’s Club for helping us to help others in a bigger way!


Prior to the gift from the Foothills Women’s Club, an unexpected financial donation came our way in late May and as it is with our history we knew an extraordinary request would follow…


We received a request for assistance from a Phoenix based children’s hospital. They were assisting a young child with a very serious lung condition that required him to have a special bed. The child’s family was not in a financial position to be able to purchase the needed bed and mattress. Furniture Bank worked with the hospital’s social workers to learn the specific needs for the bed, mattress, and bedding. We did some assertive and educated shopping and not only found the needed bed, bedding and mattress, but also were able to have it delivered and set up for the family so their child could have it to sleep in when he discharged from the hospital. Without the unexpected financial gift, Furniture Bank would have had a challenge to meet this need.


Furniture Bank continues to receive a wide variety of daily requests from people in all types of situations and challenges, our average client is a single mother with 3 children usually all under the age of 10. We are also helping veterans, elderly, and people overcoming physical and mental challenges to regain self-sustainability, independence, employment, and their own places to live. Working in partnership with the various helping agencies and social service organizations in our greater Phoenix area allows us to give those working to achieve self-sustainability a hand up as they move back into jobs and affordable and safe housing. We are in the Hand –UP business and not the hand –OUT game.


The temperatures have been extremely high for Phoenix this year. Furniture Bank has come alongside ministry partner Faith Through Works Fellowship and its Advocate Fellowship and LTBR Marketing teams to partner with partner with Phoenix Heat Relief Network This network is valley wide and provides hydration, respite and wellness checks during the summer months.


Furniture Bank continues to look and pray for financial support to accommodate a warehouse so we can expand our operations and serve even more folks in our community. Please share our need and pray for our continued healthy growth.


We can always use your gently used and no longer needed furniture and furnishings. As always, every donated penny goes toward supporting our client families and individuals needs for their homes.


Please pray about helping us help others! All donations are tax deductible!


Let the blessings Roll!


Furniture Bank is a 501c3 public charity and every penny donated goes toward helping our families, veterans, and individuals in need. We are in the hand-UP business and not the HANDOUT GAME! Please help us help others! http://www.furniturebank.us/arizona-tax-credit.html


Foothills Women’s Club https://www.foothillswomensclub.org/


Phoenix Heat Relief Network https://www.phoenix.gov/humanservic…/…/volunteer/heat-relief


Faith Through Works Fellowship http://www.faiththroughworksfellowship.org/

LTBR Marketing http://www.faiththroughworksfellowship.org/ltbr-marketing.html