This follow-up book from my first publication, Inspiration Point, is my continuing writing of poems, prayers, and reflections that have taken me through a time period of loss of elderly parents, moving, financial struggle, disasters, and a worldwide pandemic. As I have gotten older, I see the importance more and more of sharing my love of God, family, friends, and our world with others through my writing. The writings are my connection with God and His connection, through me, to others. By sharing my personal experiences through my writing, I am hoping that others will know that they are not alone in their feelings and struggles and that God is always there to get them through anything.
Named for the Spanish padres who established a network of missions along California's southern and central coasts, the Los Padres National Forest is the second-largest National Forest in the state, encompassing approximately 1,950,000 acres - nearly half of which is federally-designated wilderness. Hiking and Backpacking Santa Barbara and Ventura fills a huge gap in coverage of this great hiking and backpacking destination, leading the reader through the varied terrain of the forest's southern districts, from the fern-clad grottoes of the Santa Barbara frontcountry to the sweeping vistas and granite-clad ridges of the Chumash Wilderness.No other guide covers the region in such detail, and not since Dennis Gagnon's near-legendary guides in the 70s and 80s has the Santa Barbara (and Ventura) backcountry been given the guidebook treatment ... but this book goes even further. Every official trail (and many use trails) in the Santa Barbara, Ojai, and Mt. Pinos districts are covered here, including those in the southern San Rafael Wilderness, Dick Smith Wilderness, Matilija Wilderness, Sespe Wilderness, Chumash Wilderness, the Santa Ynez Recreation Area, Rose Valley, the Santa Barbara and Montecito frontcountry, the Ojai frontcountry, and the Santa Paula/Fillmore frontcountry.
FOREWORD BY GUY KAWASAKI Presentation designer and internationally acclaimed communications expert Garr Reynolds, creator of the most popular Web site on presentation design and delivery on the Net — presentationzen.com — shares his experience in a provocative mix of illumination, inspiration, education, and guidance that will change the way you think about making presentations with PowerPoint or Keynote. Presentation Zen challenges the conventional wisdom of making "slide presentations" in today’s world and encourages you to think differently and more creatively about the preparation, design, and delivery of your presentations. Garr shares lessons and perspectives that draw upon practical advice from the fields of communication and business. Combining solid principles of design with the tenets of Zen simplicity, this book will help you along the path to simpler, more effective presentations.
Inspiration Point is aptly titled. The stories and anecdotes enable the reader to slow the day's pace and take a few moments for personal reverie. Steven Ray Bowen writes as an "every man" in a warm, homey style, and relates his memoirs with sensitivity and feeling. As Zig Ziglar would say, he "paints word pictures" that enable the reader to visualize and even "feel" the events he describes. This is pleasant, enjoyable reading." Laurie Magers, Executive Assistant to Zig Ziglar Warning In Inspiration Point, you will go on a special journey with author Steven Bowen. But you have to be warned that there could be a few hazards along the way. At times you'll feel an unexpected tugging at your heartstrings or a sharp pain in your side from laughing. In either case, make sure you have a tissue along But the benefits of hiking up to Inspiration Point far outweigh those small hazards, because you'll visit some special scenes. You'll meet a preacher who wet his pants every night, you'll sit by Mama's bedside and hear her amazing words, you'll meet a man who can touch his chin to his nose, and you'll watch as two big brothers send the little brother to the moon Plus, you'll discover something amazing about one special date: October 3. But, maybe best of all, you'll get to sit at Grandma's table. So . grab your tissue, tighten up your boot straps, pour yourself a cold glass of sweet tea, and get ready for a hike. When you finally catch your breath at the bottom of the hill, there'll be no doubt where you've been.
From former BuzzFeed personality Ashly Perez comes a funny, honest, and unabashedly feminist book of inspiration and wisdom to help you plant some roots, live in the process, and accept you for you. Take a break from mindless phone scrolling and empower yourself to live intentionally and find meaning all around you every single day. Read This for Inspiration, filled with short bursts of encouragement and enlightenment, is your staring place. Look inward and also way beyond your arm’s length—these entries are inspiring not only for the wisdom they impart but also for the way they lift you up. Virtual BuzzFeed start turned television writer Ashley Perez has compiled all of the inspirations that have enriched her own life—influenced by history, literature, music, and her mom—to help you discover what motivates you. We all have to start somewhere.
Julie escapes home to avoid marrying the wrong man... But her wealthy controlling fiance will stop at nothing to bring her back... So when Julie finds her soulmate, she must risk everything to outwit her fiance... If you want a riveting and heartwarming Christian clean romance book, you'll want to get your copy of The Inspiration Point Series. This book includes both popular-selling books in the series by reader favorite Kelsey MacBride. In Free to Love Book #1, Julie Petersen sets out to find freedom from her controlling fiancé and her rich overbearing mother. She leaves home under the cover of darkness with nothing more than a handful of clothes, little money to her name, and a strong Christian faith that God will help her survive. During her journey, she meets Mark, a handsome man who touches her heart with his helpfulness and genuine concern for her well-being. But before their relationship can blossom, disaster strikes when her controlling fiancé tracks her down and kidnaps her. Mark must figure out a way to rescue her from her crazy fiancé. Can he rescue Julie in time and profess his love for her? Or will he be too late and miss out on true Christian romance? ___________________________________________________________ In Unforgettable Love, Julie Petersen has escaped her evil fiancé, and the Berry sisters find her washed ashore on the beaches of Catalina Island and discover she suffers from amnesia. The sisters eventually locate Julie’s family, and she returns home to James, who is determined to marry her in a matter of weeks before Julie remembers how selfish and controlling he is. When Mark discovers Julie is missing, he sets out to find her, knowing her fiancé is up to no good. He finally confronts James, who makes Mark question Julie’s heart and her intentions. Will Mark find out the truth about James and reach Julie before the wedding so he can share his real feelings? Or will he return home with a broken heart and miss out on the Christian romance of his life? Find out by downloading this exciting and heartwarming clean & wholesome romance novel for women today. Get your copy now!
The #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Power of Intention “What I’m offering in this book is the awareness that we can return to a full-time position of inspiration, which is the true meaning of our life.”— Dr. Wayne W. Dyer In this groundbreaking book, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer explains how we’ve chosen to enter this world of particles and form. From our place of origin, in ways that we don’t readily comprehend now, we knew what we were coming here to accomplish, and we participated in setting this life process in motion. So why not think along these same lines? Why put the responsibility or blame on any one or any thing that’s not a part of us? On Earth we have the capacity of volition—we can choose—so let’s assume that we had the same capacity when we resided in the spiritual realm. We chose our physical body, and we chose the parents we needed for the trip. It doesn’t seem too great a stretch to move into the idea that we chose this life in concert with our Source. Inspiration can be cultivated and be a driving force throughout life, rather than showing up every now and then and just as mysteriously disappearing, seemingly independent of our desires. Inspiration is for everyone! It isn’t reserved for high-profile creative geniuses in the arts and sciences—it’s inherent in our Divine birthright. The problem is that as children we’re gradually taught to believe exclusively in the world of phenomena where ego is dominant and inspiration diminished. As you read each chapter in this book, you’ll find specific suggestions for living “in-Spirit.” From a very personal viewpoint, Wayne offers a blueprint through the world of inspiration—your ultimate calling.
The co-founder and longtime president of Pixar updates and expands his 2014 New York Times bestseller on creative leadership, reflecting on the management principles that built Pixar’s singularly successful culture, and on all he learned during the past nine years that allowed Pixar to retain its creative culture while continuing to evolve. “Might be the most thoughtful management book ever.”—Fast Company For nearly thirty years, Pixar has dominated the world of animation, producing such beloved films as the Toy Story trilogy, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Up, and WALL-E, which have gone on to set box-office records and garner eighteen Academy Awards. The joyous storytelling, the inventive plots, the emotional authenticity: In some ways, Pixar movies are an object lesson in what creativity really is. Here, Catmull reveals the ideals and techniques that have made Pixar so widely admired—and so profitable. As a young man, Ed Catmull had a dream: to make the first computer-animated movie. He nurtured that dream as a Ph.D. student, and then forged a partnership with George Lucas that led, indirectly, to his founding Pixar with Steve Jobs and John Lasseter in 1986. Nine years later, Toy Story was released, changing animation forever. The essential ingredient in that movie’s success—and in the twenty-five movies that followed—was the unique environment that Catmull and his colleagues built at Pixar, based on philosophies that protect the creative process and defy convention, such as: • Give a good idea to a mediocre team and they will screw it up. But give a mediocre idea to a great team and they will either fix it or come up with something better. • It’s not the manager’s job to prevent risks. It’s the manager’s job to make it safe for others to take them. • The cost of preventing errors is often far greater than the cost of fixing them. • A company’s communication structure should not mirror its organizational structure. Everybody should be able to talk to anybody. Creativity, Inc. has been significantly expanded to illuminate the continuing development of the unique culture at Pixar. It features a new introduction, two entirely new chapters, four new chapter postscripts, and changes and updates throughout. Pursuing excellence isn’t a one-off assignment but an ongoing, day-in, day-out, full-time job. And Creativity, Inc. explores how it is done.
God only knows what possessed Bill Bryson, a reluctant adventurer if ever there was one, to undertake a gruelling hike along the world's longest continuous footpath—The Appalachian Trail. The 2,000-plus-mile trail winds through 14 states, stretching along the east coast of the United States, from Georgia to Maine. It snakes through some of the wildest and most spectacular landscapes in North America, as well as through some of its most poverty-stricken and primitive backwoods areas. With his offbeat sensibility, his eye for the absurd, and his laugh-out-loud sense of humour, Bryson recounts his confrontations with nature at its most uncompromising over his five-month journey. An instant classic, riotously funny, A Walk in the Woods will add a whole new audience to the legions of Bill Bryson fans.
