Author: rkcdlitt

So says the Lord; we are blessed by His caring. Revelation is a wonderful recitation to study over and over. There is always something new that tweaks my attention and gets me closer to God. The Lord commanded these five words for you and for me. This is a recognition of life evermore, eternal. True Life is God. And we are always with Him and He with us.

God through Jesus is the light of our world; this cannot be disputed. All goodness comes from God, bringing us a life of pure light and comfort. We walk this glory path with the knowledge that God is the only life given to us, with Grace, no strings attached. God only askes that we give rebirth to the ancient Hebrew custom of welcoming the stranger in our midst. Jesus says this when asking that we love our neighbors.

We come together as the body of Christ when we hold each other in love, not derision. Each breath we take as a loving community brings us closer to a productive and serene life of love and caring, just as God wishes for us, just as He offered in the Garden. God’s plan is for the gifts that we are lovingly given be shared. We cannot have all the talents; we rely on others for what we cannot do. We are stronger together!

We seek God when we attend our worship services forgetting that God’s face is on each person we meet in life. His strength is shared by us when we love together. For when we live and love together, God makes all things new.

 ©Russell Kendall Carter

There are times in my life when I have been in despair, as we all have experienced. It is during these times that I have waited patiently for God to step in and help me, but I seemed to wait in vain. I thought that all doors were closed to me. In my trauma, I was not content with my life; I was impatient.

But that is in my time, not God’s time. God does feel me cry; He never disappoints; as I have faith, so He shares His faithfulness with me. I am blessed. When I cast aside all hostile and unpleasant thoughts, the doors always open. For with God, all is within reach for me. As I relax in God’s comfort, I am again content with my life.

As I give aid and comfort to my brothers and sisters, they give me hope and comfort in return. This is the blessing of God. As a good neighbor, we all help each other though the tough times, spiritually, mentally, and physically. When we do not exhibit love for our neighbors, it is then that we are closed from the comfort of God’s compassion. It is our misdeeds that causes separation from God.

All that I have comes from God; I cannot truthfully horde what is given to me. Every time I am knocked down by societal life, there is always a Good Samaritan to lift me back to life. My resilience is at the hands of others, given by God. What a blessing! What true salvation! Each of my breaths are from God; each of my encounters with others are from God; when I walk with God, I am in right relationship with God’s creation. . . Earth; when I walk with God, I am in right relationship with God’s greatest creation. . . humankind.

This is Salvation. . . This is Blessing!

©Russell Kendall Carter

God is Love, Amen!

This is such a simple concept to wrap our weary and over-stressed brains around. We would not be here without this Love. God gives us unending Love and yet we expect more. . . always. We are never satisfied with what we have. We are trained from birth to want more and to work for more in our less than spiritual society.

Are we worthy of this eternal Love? Are we worthy to be called children of God considering all the greed we own, the forever unkindnesses we spew at our neighbors? Of course, we are because God loves us unconditionally.

Each of us, that is all of us, is given unconditional Grace as a gift of life. This is from a loving God who cherishes our very existence. Can we ask any more? Each of us brags of the charitable deeds we do but ignore the selfish and unpleasantries we do. We take possession of our deeds, good and bad, recognizing that we are mere mortal beings and are flawed. And, if we try to rise above our imperfections, which God has made us able, nothing can interrupt our ability to walk the lighted path paved by Jesus.

If we walk on the path created my man’s imperfect society, we are lost. But if we step off this barren roadway and onto the enlightened path of God’s Truth, we attest to our worthiness of being God’s children.

Let us walk worthy with God.

©Russell Kendall Carter

The most fully human love is brotherly (or sisterly) love; the Greeks called this Philia. It is not a sexual love, although it could become such. But more important, is a love shared by two people who have close ties, a close friendship. It could begin with two boys building sandcastles at the shore, (I remain forever a New Jerseyan; I cannot call it the beach!), or two girls playing with dolls.

My wife is fortunate to have such a relationship with a friend from before kindergarten. Now, seventy-three years later, they still talk on the phone. Theirs is a shared love that has lasted through the test of time and turmoil. I am so pleased and a little jealous that she enjoys this friendship. I am not privy to it, but I am sure that they still tell secrets they do not share with their husbands. This is true Philia, true everlasting love.

This is spiritual love; this is a love that lasts forever! This is the Love taught and preached by Jesus. It is the Love of Grace, patience, and charitable deeds. It is also the promise of “love thy neighbor.” Jesus taught us how to live a life of love. He held nothing back about the worth of people. When we have that special spiritual friend, we understand what Jesus taught. I have learned what and how Jesus taught the more difficult way; I never had that spiritual friend. I was too timid, too private a person to open myself to another person.

I am fortunate to finally understand how precious this is. This is not a common love; it is held special by God for special people. My love of God and all that God means for us has opened me to a ministry of love that allows me at least understanding and knowledge. I share this ministry with all. I am so happy when I see people sharing their spiritual friendship, their Philia. Praise God for Love.

©Russell Kendall Carter

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love cast out fear: because fear has

torment. He who fears is not made perfect in love.”1 John 4:18

We are mortal; therefore, we fear! This is such an unfortunate truth and leads to a future of doubt, sorrow, and disappointment. God created us; God loves us; we will come to no harm! Everywhere we turn there are factors that hang on us making us fear. My wife and several of my friends fear going anywhere because of the gun violence we are experiencing. I understand; this is troubling.

When I was in my twenties, serving in the military, I feared going to war; not because I may be killed, but because I might come home physically debilitated and forced to live a life of abandonment. So, I understand fear. I try to comfort my brothers and sisters who fear. This is the mission God has given me in this chapter of my long life. I love serving God.

As I review my life, I see pleasures and disappointments, successes and failures, happy times, and sad times. One thing I noticed is that the better times alway followed and always erased those less than satisfying times. And I wondered why! When I reached my 50^th birthday, my heart was opened to a newness of life that I had never before experienced. I found purpose for my life!

I found what God wanted me to do all along. Not that the last thirty years had been a smooth ride, but when I opened my senses, my very being to the truth of God’s presence, I see reasons to rejoice. God blesses me with a life of fulfillment and loving service. I am much busier now as a retired person than I ever was when teaching. I am what God wants!

When you open your eyes, your minds, your hearts, you also will receive what is already there. I know people who struggle through life, and I know people who are highly successful financially. Those who understand God’s presence in their lives are comfortable with their position and their mission. Remember, Jesus had no money. He walked the earth walked living on God’s plenty. See what He did!  He loved! He changed the world.

Fear not for God is with you and loves you!

 Russell Kendall Carter     

Serenity, the calmness of quiet streams
Chaos interrupting my dreams
Society filled with turmoil
Or so it often seems

My heart awakes for my forgotten brother
Begging for pennies as they suffer
Without decent work or a cozy home
Lost with neither sister nor brother

Then God enters my very soul, my spirit
Promising a future which we must share it
For all who embrace His eternal Love
Which none of us truly merit

For God brings us a life that will not cease
In His creation, His masterpiece
Eternal life with neither sickness nor trial
Bring us all the greatest inner peace

©Russell Kendall Carter

I love my brother Marines; I love my sister Marines. I do not fear saying this. This love is friendship, or as the Greeks called it Sorge. Love among my brothers is affection, a spiritual blessing bonding us in community. We experience God in this affection because living relationships bring Christ into our midst.

With this affection, both, or all, long for perfection, the need for the gift of being better. This is spiritual; this is the blessing we receive because we see God in each other’s image. . . we are both made in His image. As we walk through life together, we receive blessed communication with God; we are His children and receive blessed Grace from His Wisdom. We consecrate our relationship. Strengthening the goodness for all mankind.

Our mutual love, affection, triumphs over all. We are together, devoid of self-congratulation, humble in each other’s and God’s presence. There is no place in the affection we share and the Grace of God for jealous, greed, anger, or hatred. God is Love; therefore, we are Love.

Russell Kendall Carter 

Dear Lord, why do we crave praise and attention from others, when only Your presence truly matters in our lives?

Yes, we covet mortal companionship, but we do not need to be uplifted by shallow, temporary embellishments regardless of the care and comfort given.

Your words and your eternal Love are truly all we search for as we travel the roads, we call life. You have often shown us the lighted path even though we wander far afield.

Father, we pray for and lift those in need both – spiritual and material need. For your Word is truly what all of us desire.

O Perfect God, thank You for allowing me to walk on the enlightened path You have shown me so that I may continue bringing Your Love to all.

Russell Kendall Carter      

I am troubled by what is happening in the world, our country, the state I live in, and my immediate community. Piece by piece mankind is trying to kill itself off either by damages to the Earth or by violence to each other – wars and senseless killings. All religions have a creed of peace, love, and a fealty to a supreme power, and yet all religions support war and for the most part avoid speaking against the senseless killing.

We are led by God’s Wisdom; we are delivered by His Grace. I know better than a lot of people how difficult it is to obey God’s Word. Then I look at the world around me and see God’s beauty laid out before me in unimaginable splendor. This is when I open myself completely to feel the presence of God in my heart. The ancient philosophers taught that God desires us to live in our hearts, where He is. How easy to accept!

Our relationship with God is indestructible, renewing in us the infinite promise of the return of the Christ. God is everywhere for us if we are open and aware. He guards us in our times of trial, His voice comforts.

Russell Kendall Carter      

 Not an easy task, obeying God’s Word. We read our Bibles and other holy books and see such requests as “sell all your possessions to follow me.” This is a hard task to follow, considering that we toil hard to live in our nice homes and drive our nice cars. This is why we spent all that money to attend college. Why would God ask us to do this to follow Him?

Well, He doesn’t! God asks us to do two things: Love Him and love each other as we love ourselves. Period. Exclamation point! Period. God gave us this law and asks us to follow it. And, He knows the content of our hearts. We cannot separate ourselves from God, nor can we ignore His call for action.

The other day, God turned me around and I notice a lump across the parking lot. I entered the café behind me with my wife for breakfast. Something was eating at me while I joked with the server and spoke with those around us. My wife said that the lump was a homeless person. We then discussed how wrong our country is with its many multibillionaires, trillion-dollar corporations, billions spent on the military, and thousands upon thousands of poor and homeless who cannot afford life in these Untied States.

When we left the cafe, God invited me to cross the parking lot to a man dressed in all his clothing, sweating in this heat, an old worn beach towel draped over his head. I asked his forgiveness as I handed him enough to have breakfast at the café we just left. We spoke for a minute; he blessed me for what I gave him; I discovered that he is a veteran with PTSD and is unemployable.

Our society has left behind (and written off as useless) him and all his brothers and sisters who are either homeless or in deep poverty. It is up to us to do what our society will not do. I gave this poor man enough for a breakfast; I feel guilty because I cannot do much more. Is this obeying God’s Word? Am I loving my neighbor as myself? Am I loving God?!!!!

©Russell Kendall Carter