“Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.”

Psalm 119:133

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”

Psalm 119:105

“for we walk by faith, not by sight.”

2 Corinthians 5:7

He has told you, O man, what is good;
    and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
    and to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:8

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” 

(Matt. 7:13-14)

Visit Where’s my backpack? for more entries to weekly challenge, “pathways”.

BE ENCOURAGED!  BE BLESSED!

The Mary Schenley Memorial Fountain, also known as A Song to Nature

stands with the Cathedral of Learning in the background.

Tunnel at Point State Park with Christmas tree in the background.

North Shore Trail with the city of Pittsburgh in the background.

Statue of Mister Rogers overlooking the city of Pittsburgh in the background.

See more “in the background images” on The Daily Post at WordPress.com.

BE ENCOURAGED!  BE BLESSED!

I want to show my support and appreciation for this community of bloggers by listing, over a period of time, some special blogs I read.

Every Thursday, I will publish a list of blogs that I enjoy.  They have been a great source of encouragement, inspiration and information. This is not an award, but a ”SHOUT OUT” to them.  I hope you will check out these wonderful blogs.  I am sure you will be blessed by them.

If you don’t see your blog listed, the time will come when it will be.

http://munchow.wordpress.com/

Creativity is one of the main themes he wants to explore in his blog – and he hopes with the help of you. He believes everyone has creativity within him or her, but most of us lose contact with our creative well as we grow older and out of childhood. His goal is to post at least once a week.

His work is rooted in the documentary and photojournalistic tradition. He works out of his base in Bergen, Norway as well as Seattle, USA. But in reality the whole world is his playing ground. In particular he finds himself travelling to Cuba, again and again since 1991. He feels it’s a lovely and very special country to visit and photograph.

His photos have been published in all major Norwegian papers and magazines, as well as internationally in magazines like Stern, Spiegel, Air France Inflight Magazine and Facts.

He loves to teach photography and particularly workshops dealing with creativity and expansion of one’s creative approach. He has taught workshops in Cuba, Malawi, Bolivia as well as many in Norway.

http://prideinphotos.com/

Laurie is smitten with photography.  Capturing a memory that you can have forever, what can compare to this?! With a lens, she sees the beauty in everyday life, whether it is in textures, light, the eyes…well you get the picture.

She have two major loves in this field, one is families, especially the children. Capturing the amazing range of love and emotion in the kiddos, nothing speaks to her heart more. The second, capturing a travel adventure, it is the best souvenir a family can bring home from their travels. Your photos will transport you back to your vacation and the preserve the BIG moments your family had.

This is my place to record creations, designs, thoughts, inspirations, but most of all photographic memories. I’d love to capture your moments, big or small.

She hopes Pride in Photos will become your daily retreat for encouragement and inspiration! It’s essentially her playground, it’s a piece of art for her and hopefully people can connect with it. She has added a new feature on her posts that is called, “Tip of the Day for Bloggers/Photographers!”

http://everydaygurus.com/

Do you need a hug? This blog is Kozo’s attempt to give a virtual hug to anyone who needs one.  Actually, he’d love to create a community of everyday gurus who uplift, embrace, and inspire each other and everyone around them.

The Dream/Vision

This dream community would look something like this:

• We are committed to creating peace in our lives, homes, communities, and world. See Bloggers for Peace.
• We are a community that is devoted to the pursuit of happiness through lovingkindness, gratitude, compassion, and empathy. See 5 Steps to Peaceful Resolution.
• We strive for happiness regardless of material conditions, relationship status, or past history. Click to Re-hydrate Your Spirit.
• We share the miracles of everyday life to inspire, instruct, and support others and ourselves. For example, Friends and Enemies.
• We try to maintain peace of mind, equanimity, and lovingkindess at all times.
• We try to be open to all points of view.
• We even try to love our enemies.

http://pollyaiken.com/

Polly is an amateur photography who like nature, birds animals and the conservation of nature.  This blog will be for her photos of nature and some info on the photo and the subject. Hope you enjoy.

She lives in Kingston Ontario and most of her photos are from around Ontario.

http://anaturemom.com/

Linda is a Bay Area mom who loves to get outside for playtime every day with her son.  their outdoor time may be social, solo, park or nature-based, near or at home, quick or lengthy, but, whatever form it takes, they make a point of getting outside every day.  Several times per week, she tries to get outside without her son for much needed “me” time.  she is a hiker, a trail runner, and an amateur photographer.

In her blog, she will share what she has learned, hoping it will help inspire others with children, encouraging families to get out into the outdoors more.  She writes about the places she goes, the things she does, what she sees, the benefits of outdoor play, and tips and tricks that make outside time fun.

http://lizziejoysphotosuite.com/

Photography has become Lizzie’s latest passion, her driving force, although she must confess that her only experience of a camera, up until now, has been to ‘point and click’ when she has been on holiday.

Passionate about all things Divine, aiming to live the fullest expression of life, following her heart and daring to dream the impossible dream. She loves travelling, writing, photography, animals, good food, music, books and much more besides.

http://mothergrogan.wordpress.com/

Married man. Joyce reader. Seasonal biker. Casual photographer. Smashing Pumpkins fan. Birdwatcher and cats admirer. Interested in medieval history, graphic design, social media and internet marketing.  Born, living in Warsaw, Poland.

Professional

He has been studying for five years to be a historian. Next 10 years he spent doing something completely different. First, selling clothes for over two years. He is still a master of folding clothes and puting them in neat piles.

Then he found himself managing a rather big store of one of the mobile network operators. And he was good at that. But he is still using the mobile he bought five years ago and writing a text message is a torture for him. It doesn’t mean he haven’t learned anything…

Lastly, he came to a place where he supposed to be an administrative-sales support-customer service-logistics-warehouse-accountig employee. And he has been for a long time. But apart from that he became a marketing, graphic design and printing specialist which was the work he really enjoyed and he hopes to enjoy in future. His beautiful photos reflect this interest.

http://photographyartplus.wordpress.com/

If you want to see some beautiful photography concerning all aspects of nature, visit this blog sight.  Every time I come here I am inspired by the photos presented.

http://seraphim6.me/

Simply Charming…the home of a self-proclaimed dabbler and earth nomad.

Blogging since September of 2011, She enjoys taking photographs for theWeekly Photo Challenge, sometimes writing 100-word fiction stories for the Friday Fictioneers or composing Haibun with haiku for the Ligo Haibun Challenge. You may also find her occasionally sharing over at Jakesprinter’s Sunday Post, Monthly Peace Challenge and Island Traveler’s, Weekly Image of Life. Nevertheless, her goals are to gain confidence as a writer, photographer, and most important, find her purpose in this life journey. Blogging helps meet her goals through the helpful insights she has receive from them, her dear readers, and their wealth-of-information they share in their posts. She feels that we are like one big happy family!

If nothing else, blogging is pure entertainment, inspiration, encouragement, and her personal teacher. One day she hopes to be, uh, simply charming.

http://cobbies69.wordpress.com/

Gerry is a  person with plenty of time on his hands. In the last couple of years he has started these blogs/posts mainly to speak his mind and generally release some pent-up frustration.

In his early years he played the guitar ( and still does) for several bands, covering various styles, rock and roll, country and middle of the road. He played as a soloist, writing his own songs, lyrics and poems, and started in folk clubs. So he thought this might be a good way to express himself and hope that he can pass on to other people. While he has been doing this he has also discovered other people whose writing he also likes so he is learning as he travel this road to discovery.

BE ENCOURAGED!  BE BLESSED!

THE GREAT KEY

“Prayer is the key that unlocks all the storehouses

of God’s infinite grace and power.

All that God is, and all that God has,

is at the disposal of prayer.”

R. A. Torrey

My prayers go out to all the people of Moore, Oklahoma who experienced such destruction and lost of lives.  May God give you strength and comfort as you endure your lost.  I pray all your needs will be met my caring and loving individuals and agencies.

The above photos were taken while visiting Cameron Indian Reservation in Arizona, where we ran into a rain storm that was seen approaching off in the distance.

BE ENCOURAGED!  BE BLESSED!

PPG Place sits atop a 5.5 acre, three-city-block site in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, adjacent to historic Market Square. The shimmering glass complex is centered on a 40-story office tower, reflecting the skies, hills, rivers, and buildings of one of America’s most livable cities.

The gleaming glass and steel structures, known worldwide for their breathtaking design, were developed by John Burgee Architects with the internationally renowned architect Philip Johnson from New York.

This complex with its thicket of 231 spires was designed to weave into the architecture of Pittsburgh and recall the city’s great buildings, such as the Cathedral of Learning and the Allegheny County Courthouse. PPG Place’s neo-Gothic forms are the perfect architectural bridge between the historical structures of the city and the newer geometrical high-rise towers.

In addition to the centerpiece 635-foot tower, there are five other buildings in the complex – a 14-story building and four six-story buildings.

The buildings surround a grand plaza evoking visions of the great public squares of Europe. Paved in a mosaic of red, grey and black granite, the plaza serves both as a restful haven and a reflection of a pulsing urban marketplace. The soaring glass-enclosed Wintergarden on the west side of the main tower furnishes an oasis of green while providing a dramatic gathering place for all seasons.

This post is in reply to Jakesprinter’s Sunday Post: Windows.  Visit his blog to see other entries here.

BE ENCOURAGED!  BE BLESSED!

I was attending a ceremony to honor the EMS units of Pittsburgh when I spotted this person in the crowd.  It was at least 80 degrees and I found their manner of dress a little bit unusual on such a hot day.  What do you think?

The definition of unusual from the Free Dictionary is defined as, out of the ordinary; uncommon; extraordinary an unusual design,  being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird;

“Today is a most unusual day,

because we have never lived it before;

we will never live it again;

it is the only day we have.”

William Arthur Ward

BE ENCOURAGED!  BE BLESSED!

Fire is a purifying, masculine energy, and connected to strong will and energy. Fire both creates and destroys. Fire can heal or harm, and can bring about new life or destroy the old and worn.

WATER

Water is a feminine energy.  Used for healing, cleansing, and purification.

AIR

Air is another element , connected to the soul and the breath of life. If you’re doing a working related to communication, wisdom or the powers of the mind, air is the element to focus on. Air carries away your troubles, blows away strife, and carries positive thoughts to those who are far away.

EARTH

Earth is considered the ultimate feminine element. The Earth is fertile and stable.  As the earth turns, we can watch all the aspects of life take place in it: birth, life, death, and finally rebirth. The Earth is nurturing and stable, solid and firm, full of endurance and strength.

To view other post on the four elements look here.

BE ENCOURAGED!  BE BLESSED!

Weather you are escaping aboard a fast boat on one of Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers,

Or from a fire escape on a local apartment building,

or a personal home escape ladder

Or one of the old business building in downtown Pittsburgh. 

Maybe you are aboard one of our buses, and need an emergency escape hatch.

The Pittsburgh EMS squad will be there to protect and provide

a way of escape from any disaster.

You will find peace not by trying to escape your problems, but by confronting them courageously. You will find peace not in denial, but in victory.

J. Donald Walters

Visit The Daily Post at WordPress.com for more entries to the challenge.

BE ENCOURAGE!  BE BLESSED!

The entry is in answer to the Digital Photography School Challenge: Headshots.

I’m very proud of this young lady.  She is now in her junior year at the University of Pittsburgh and has been accepted into the School of Pharmacology.

Pharmacology has evolved over the years. Originally a scientific discipline that described the overt effects of biologically active chemicals, pharmacology now explores the molecular mechanisms by which drugs cause biological effects. In the broadest sense, pharmacology is the study of how chemical agents, both natural and synthetic (i.e., drugs) affect biological systems. This encompasses investigation of the derivation, chemical properties, physiological and behavioral effects, mechanisms of action, biological transformations, and the therapeutic and non-therapeutic uses of drugs. Pharmacological studies can determine the effects of chemical agents upon subcellular, systemic, physiological or behavioral processes; focus on the treatment and prevention of diseases; or deal with the potential hazards of pesticides and herbicides.

See more information on pharmacology here.

BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!

A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT

You are valuable because you exist.

Not because of what you do or what you have done,

but simply because you are.

 –Max Lucado

I want to show my support and appreciation for this community of bloggers by listing, over a period of time, some special blogs I read.

Every Thursday, I will publish a list of blogs that I enjoy.  They have been a great source of encouragement, inspiration and information. This is not an award, but a ”SHOUT OUT” to them.  I hope you will check out these wonderful blogs.  I am sure you will be blessed by them.

If you don’t see your blog listed, the time will come when it will be.

http://marinakanavaki.com/

Marina is a very talented artist.  Her paintings are creative and colorful.  She operates her own art shop that contain her beautiful paintings.  She also features her designs on many forms, from jewelry, clocks, book covers, mugs, notebooks, etc. Visit here blog to see her beautiful designs.

http://rutheh.com/

Ruth Ella Hendricks now teaches Digital Photography at Pittsburgh Carrick High School after more than 20 years of teaching Visual Arts K-8 in the Pittsburgh Schools.  Photographing since the mid ’60′s, she studied photography as an undergrad and more recently at Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild and Pittsburgh Filmmakers.  Her film portrait of Dorothy Holley Quart Jar Poet premiered in Fall 2005.  Two of her photos are published in Along These Rivers Anthology of Poetry and Photography About Pittsburgh.  She is my friend and mentor.  See the post I did on her photo gallery showing here.

http://vineandbranchworldministries.com/

Davis is an ordained minister who has served three congregations.  His present ministry is a multi-faceted one.  He is President of Livingston Mind Reality Institute, and as such he travels throughout North America as a Teacher, Preacher, Inspirational Speaker and Motivator, and he is now working to help build global ministries throughout the world in order to bring God’s people into their right relationship with him.  He has been a keynote speaker and taught at many schools and delivered named lectures at a variety of Universities.

Five years ago Davis founded THE VINE AND BRANCH WORLD MINISTRIES.COM and on-line ministry and it would be a ministry that would completely change his life in so many ways.  The Vine and Branch World Ministries would be a Teaching Ministry that would work to help relieve poverty around the world and bring salvation to God’s people.

Davis is the author of six books and working on his seventh to be published in early 2012.   He is also a frequent contributor to various magazines and journals, as well as writing regularly for several on-line sites.

http://flickrcomments.wordpress.com/

Frizz is combining the Flickr photo-pool idea with the blogger idea of writing a DAILY post; but step by step he enjoyed more and more the comments of his readers. They often inspired him to dive deeper into a topic. The result now is a print edition “Fragments And Feedbacks” – 100 pages, only words, no photos, a “best of” (so far) out of more than 1,200 articles – if you are interested please visit blurb book: fragments-and-feedbacks  Frizz also host a weekly challenge Tagged (each week there is a different alphabet letter).

http://dianarasmussen.com/

Her name is Diana.  She started her site at the beginning of this year after God spoke to her.   He told me to “quit playing church”, and testify about what He has delivered me from. I am using this site to not only share the deliverance of God, but also the music He has given me – to bless you on your journey.

I have also written a lot of  poems about abuse, domestic violence, and depression.  These are from the dark part of her life.  She shares them to show what God can do with a life.  Yes, there is healing, and she is no longer living in the darkness! God has delivered her from rape, depression, homelessness, suicide attempts, divorce, domestic violence, and betrayal. There were many times that she did not think she would make it.  God had other plans… Visit her blog and be inspired and encouraged.

http://kattermonran.com/  

A 45-year-old father of two children. One is 14 and acts like an 18-year-old sometimes, and a 16-year-old who has Asperger’s Syndrome which is an Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

His sister got him into taking a photo every day of the year. That way, you get to see what is around you, no matter how small. He usually take over a thousand photos a month at the moment so he had to buy a spare memory card and battery as well. He participates in a number of blog challenges with wonderful posts. He hopes you will enjoy the photos (and other articles) that he uploads.

http://3rdculturechildren.com/

3rd Culture Children is the channel they found to voice her impressions and feelings about life, friends, jobs, travels, all wrapped up by her duties with the Foreign Service.

They are a family of 5, 3 being children under 7 years of age, living and working around the world. And  write about that.  Her impressions as a mother, former “geeky stuff” scientist, researcher, partner and household queen!

You will find here her experiences, challenges and victories. Her impressions as foreigners, spouses, parents, travellers!

http://creativityaroused.wordpress.com/

This is a place to post his photos, art, photo manipulations, haiku and whatever else he creates.   He calls it his “album of creativity.”  He created this blog as an offshoot to his main blog named Ichigo Ichie, and he uses the pseudonym “Fergiemoto.”

He likes to take photos, mostly of nature.  He also likes to manipulate photos and see what kind of art he can create with them.  Haiku is something he has not attempted before starting this blog, and he finds it quite enjoyable.  Exploring creativity is part of his healing process, and a refreshing and important outlet, but he wanted a separate place just for his creativity attempts, whatever comes to mind, and for whatever reason.

http://darrellcreswell.wordpress.com/

Darrell was born the son of a Pastor/Missionary. He began traveling on mission trips  as a small boy and began preaching the Gospel at the age of 13. In his life he has preached the gospel all over the world. He is thankful to God for allowing him to have success in also the business world. He took a one year sabbatical, that led to him leaving the ministry for 10 years of his life. During that time he was able to become a multimillionaire in the oil business, but also fell away from God.  During that time he also lost the fortune the Lord had given him. He became a drug addict for a few years and was totally lost. But many years ago, by His mercy the Lord reached out to him, and he gave his heart and soul back to Him. By His grace He has restored him into a life of being a servant, ministering to those in need, and for that he is the most thankful of all.  He thanks the Lord for Romans 5:20..But where sin increased, grace increased all the more.  Visit his blog and learn more about the experience he brings to his site.

http://betigaklaten.wordpress.com/

Bambang (Bams) Triwoko lives in Jogjakarta, Indonesia. He’s only human, a husband, a father of 4 daughters and 1 son-in-law. He much loves his cute grandson, Dominic… 

He was an employee since 1976 and resigned in 2001. Ever since then, he’s an independent entrepreneur and manage his own business (Consumer Goods Distributor and Event Productions).

He does start a blog, it’s obvious for possibility of self-expression, to share and interact with others.
He’s passionate about helping people discover their wanting to become an Entrepreneur.

He’s interest in : Family living, Friendship and community networking, Entrepreneurship, Human Resources Development and Photograph.

http://mountainperspective.wordpress.com/

Barney is a retired man who moved to the mountains. He now has the opportunity to step back and gain perspective on what’s important, and to discover that most of what we deal with really is not.  He has lived and worked in a number of places over the years, the most adventuresome locations being Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and China. There is nothing like being immersed in an 8,000 year old culture to learn perspective, he states.  Improving his perspective, accepting life with a modicum of tranquility, and learning how to become at peace with the world are his personal goals. I love how he stimulates the mind with his words, whether you agree or disagree.

http://50yearproject.wordpress.com/

This blog is be about his pursuit of visiting 192 countries, reading 1001 books, and watching the top 100 movies before he dies.  The postings will include thoughts and feelings about the books and movies and experiences from past travels and future travels to keep him inspired and focused on the fun aspects of his life.  He doesn’t want to bog down his mind with negativity, but want to remind himself that going to work allows him to pursue my his goals.  Also he will post photos from his travels and experiences to remind him what all the hard work is for.  All of the photos that are posted are from his personal collection.

http://www.ceephotography.com/

The reason why Cee is doing this blog is her love of photography and pictures.  She is a very visual person and reading or writing is not the easiest way for her to communicate.  So Chris, her partner now since January 1989, and she have been talking about the best way for her to journal.  And she started her photography blogs. It is her way of saying, she is here on this world and a place to express herself.  She has Chronic Lyme Disease and it was undiagnosed for 25 years and has been through a 40-day coma with multi-organ failure and she is dependent on insulin (Type I Diabetes) because of her Lyme Disease.  To read more about Lyme Disease, please see her Living with Lyme page.  She is also the host of many wonderful blog challenges.

BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!