Power sources… It’s amazing and enjoyable to see the many lighting and lawn displays this time of year as we celebrate the Christmas season. What a credit it is to our resourcefulness and technological advancements seeing how all of these amazing displays are powered. There is even a gadget that electronically coats the entire outside of your home in electronic moving Christmas lights! It seems there is power available to support whatever we can imagine. That leads me to think about the things inside of us that perhaps either pride, fear, and or negativity keep us from trying, doing, or experiencing. Perhaps it’s different for you, but “the committee” residing in my mind used to prevent me from trying to improve myself, not to mention growing mentally and spiritually. The result was I stayed stuck in my own mental prison void of spiritual growth and freedom from the bondage. It all changed when I was able to choose to fight for my freedom. As I grew my sobriety and my spiritual life, my fears quieted down, my pride and self-centeredness decreased, and the committee in my mind was voted out of office! Just like the virtually unlimited power sources we have in our homes, I was able to tap into the unlimited Power Source of Jesus and sobriety based on the maintenance of my spiritual condition through daily working of the 12 Steps. Where are you getting your power from?.. 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 tap into Your power, grace and love to fuel and support all areas of our lives, AMEN “But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth.” 2 Timothy 4:17 Have a blessed day y’all!! Support Furniture Bank today when you shop on Cyber Monday. Go to smile.amazon.com/ch/46-2771809 and Amazon donates to Furniture Bank. https://smile.amazon.com/?ie=UTF8&ein=46-2771809&ref_=smi_chpf_redirect&ref_=smi_ext_ch_46-2771809_cl&ref_=smi_ext_ch_46-2771809_dl Have a blessed day y'all! Did you know a donation to Furniture Bank 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

Clearing our vision… Those of us who wear eye glasses know that we have to frequently clean them in order to have clear vision. Most of us enjoy a clean windshield free of debris as we drive our cars. It’s even beneficial to clean our tablet, laptop, and computer screens, in order to see images a clearly. So why is it we allow our internal vision to be clouded like a pair of dark sunglasses? Think about it. Perhaps it’s different for you, but there have been times in my life where I have allowed the influences of people, places, and things to cloud my visons and not see the truth. Unfortunately, consequences followed because of my inability to see clearly. I have learned over time through the 12 Steps and in having a daily relationship with Jesus in my life that I can keep the eyes of my heart free and clear of external negative influences along with my own selfish self-centered pride filled wishes by constantly seeking ad doing God’s will. What helps me the best to keep the eyes of my heart clear is to have folks in my life that also seek God will over their own…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 open the eyes of our heart and clean away anything that clouds or blocks our vision and relationship with You, AMEN. “First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.” Luke 6:42 Have a blessed day y’all! Did you know a donation to Furniture Bank 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

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 power lifter 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 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! Did you know that your financial gift to Furniture Bank is not only tax deductible but also qualifies you for up to $800 in AZ Tax Credits? 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

Reaping and sowing…. It’s a fact of life, based on a solid spiritual principle that we GET what we GIVE. I was grateful to learn this fact in the rooms of AA listening to others share. I was also blessed to experience this as I walk with Jesus daily. Now perhaps it’s a bit different for you, but I have learned from my own experiences, as well as from helping others in their walk that we only GET OUT of a person, place, things, or situation, what we are WILLING TO GIVE to it. Negativity breeds negativity, and misery does love company. However, supply some positive attitude, support, encouragement, and good effort and you will be amazed at what you get in return!.. Check your experience…“Do not think of what you will get out of the occasion. Think of what you can bring to it.” Big Book pg 102 Lord, let us give our best to others and be a source of hope, grace, and love, just like You are for us, AMEN. “Do not be deceived. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” Galatians 6:7-8 Have blessed day y’all! Did you know that your financial gift to Furniture Bank is not only tax deductible but also qualifies you for up to $800 in AZ Tax Credits? 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

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 27 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. AA and walking with Jesus 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. With yesterday being National Giving day, please …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! Its National giving day! Did you know that your financial gift to Furniture Bank is not only tax deductible but also qualifies you for up to $800 in AZ Tax Credits? 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

Take time to listen before waiting to speak… Have you ever caught yourself on “auto-pilot” in a conversation? For me, it usually happens when 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! Did you know a donation to Furniture Bank 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

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 its "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!! Support Furniture Bank today when you shop on Cyber Monday. Go to smile.amazon.com/ch/46-2771809 and Amazon donates to Furniture Bank. https://smile.amazon.com/?ie=UTF8&ein=46-2771809&ref_=smi_chpf_redirect&ref_=smi_ext_ch_46-2771809_cl&ref_=smi_ext_ch_46-2771809_dl Have a blessed day y'all! Did you know a donation to Furniture Bank 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