Tag: bible

God Makes a Way

by rkcdlitt

Gracious Father/Mother God, as Amos predicts the return of

the continuing failure of the Kingdom of David to honor, so the promise of two pregnant women of disparate generations shows us how to bring forth new life and embrace a new, unique way of living and believing in a God who not only loves you but takes an active roll in the life you live. John and Jesus introduced an unprecedented, intimate concept of God in Hebrew history; authorities responded with fear and violence., the only tools they had in their repertoire.

The mothers exposed the intimacy of their relationships, and their very sensitive bodies for the world to see and pledged their sons only to do God’s will. Both sons were murdered by the fear of the Temple leaders.

Two men, born in poverty, travelled the countryside from village to village, preaching the word of God. Their messages are so simple: to love God and to love one another. Why must we make these two God-given requests so difficult to follow? Do we fear love that much, or are we too attracted to the jolly green giant, the US dollar? Jesus said it in the best way, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other. . .” (Matt 6:24). I discovered that the hard way.

I may not be rich, but I am happy; I may not be rich, but my relationship with my fellow man is solid, is based on unconditional love, unconditional love, just as Jesus asks. This is my way; this is God’s way for me.

Russell Kendall Carter, BA. MAT. Dlitt.

If you are inspired, read my latest book. Kindle eBook $3.99

 

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Gracious God,        

by rkcdlitt

                                       

Now that we have our bellies full,

couldn’t it be possible to now think about others,

as we should have be doing for all along?

Our brothers and sisters in the Philippines

have been suffering; suffering under such

severe weather-related terror conditions

for so long that I pray that it is time for us

to offer our prayers and gifts of Thanksgiving

to all our brothers and sisters living in the Philippines.

Russell Kendall Carter, BA. MAT. Dlitt.

 

If you are inspired, read my latest book. Kindle eBook $3.99

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Buoyancy of Hope

by rkcdlitt

 

 I’ve suffered from pressure migraine headaches for several years, and most of them have been virtually without pain. But over the past few weeks I have learned to live with pain. . . some mild, some of it very bad. The neurologists that I’ve worked with have had no solutions for them whatsoever. I finally mentioned this to my General practitioner; told her my symptoms, and she ordered a CT scan of my head. Turns out several years ago I had a mild stroke that nobody knew about.

 Rocked me solid. Set me back on my heels. Not much bothers me, but this did. I hugged wife. I cried! Then  I did the only thing that I knew was possible. I went into my little corner of the world and I meditated. I opened my Bible. And haphazardly stuck my finger into it. And wouldn’t you know? I ended up on the letter from Paul. Paul writes to the Philippians, “Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything,. . . And God’s peace shall be yours,”

. This morning was the third day I awoke without pain; three days ago, I began this note to myself. I did not pray to God for relief; I thanked God each night for a beautiful day, and each morning I awoke, I thanked Him for another chance. Three days without pain. This is a miracle. If Jesus were here, I would fall at His feet, ask him for the blessing; but then I realize He is here with me always. I also know that by thanking God each night fulfills my human  blessing of being alive, enjoying living in God’s Eden, learning every day of my life. Blessed every day of my life.

 

Russell Kendall Carter, BA. MAT. Dlitt.

If you are inspired, read my latest book. Kindle eBook $3.99

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Promises

by rkcdlitt

Our eternal search where righteousness dwells. . .

our beloved God dwells only in You.

Yet our lifelong search for material knowledge

and pressing mortal longing to bring happiness

to all around us, satisfies the shallowness of our desires

that we believe will please You

in our spiritual search for saintly truths.

 O Lord God, and we feel that we keep with You

as we gather each Sabbath and praise You on high,

Basking in the artificial, we pretend is Your light,

help us to put aside our materially glazed eyes

and like Zacchaeus, open our eyes to see;

teach us, help us to see others as You see them – with Love.

 For a gift is not given if not given by Your Son,

and a promise is not a promise without a following action.

 

Russell Kendall Carter, BA. MAT. Dlitt.

If you are inspired, read my latest book. Kindle eBook $3.99

 

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Longing

by rkcdlitt

The treetops glow in light so bright,

        their peeks bleeding pink to gold.

Yet morning’s stroll on lakeside path,

        Sun playfully peeking through the void,     

 a promise of daylight hidden by early mist,

        never hiding God’s love, so bold!!

 

Life is this morning walk of wonder. . .

        with colors of positive fortune surround,

hindered only by mortality’s reminders

        of long ago, life-altering bodily wounds

lifted forever in the circle of love and caring  

        with the Angels of God always around!!

Russell Kendall Carter, BA. MAT. Dlitt.

 

If you are inspired, read my latest book. Kindle eBook $3.99

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Self-help Psych

by rkcdlitt

Self-help Psych

 

I have to admit that there are times when life has totally destroyed me, when my friends and family have surrounded me with love and support and have treated me with gentleness and kindness and love. . . and had offered me so many ways to find a path out of the tragedy, out of the loneliness, the trouble I was temporarily in. And their suggestions and their kindness, although very difficult for me to follow, because in the end, it is something that I must do myself. Their attention is only temporary, for they must at some point return to their lives. It is up to me to fight the battle alone. I understand this and they understand this.

When you hit bottom, and all of your friends help you, you’re given such good ideas to come out of this blue phone you’re in. And all of your lovely neighbors, friends and relatives. Just love you and give you this support for which you are very grateful. You laugh with them. You cry with them. But one by one, they go back to their lives. And then you were alone again.

Speaking of your personal tragedy, eventually. And you’re in your own  black pit again. But. . . there is small light that you see before you. So, you begin to do something. I call it meditation. Others call it prayer. And in my meditation, I turned to the one that I always forget is with me, and that is God. God and his living angels that protect me through all of the tougher times of my life. And I realized that my life isn’t over. The one thing in my life that will never change. There’s something that my friends gave to me. That I didn’t lose. Because it was with me all the time. Because God was with me all the time. And that is love. It’s the gift I always give to people.

So how can I be sad because of my personal tragedy? It was not a miracle; it was only material. And that is not permanent. But love is. I got so wrapped up in being rich. But I forgot about the important thing. I forgot about the fact that I was to love. The person on the corner begging for a nickel. So, the next time I went to cash to check at the bank. I got twenty $5.00 bills. And stuck them in the. Sunglass holder in my car to hand out to that brother or sister on them corner. My personal tragedy is that I got too wrapped up I self. And just something that did not involve sharing. What God gives everybody. Remember when our brother Jesus? Asked us to do. And that is to love God. And love one another. What betters self-help Psych is it there? To get us out of personal tragedies.

To quote Maya Angelou, “I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.”

 

Russell Kendall Carter, BA. MAT. Dlitt.

If you are inspired, read my latest book. Kindle eBook $3.99

 

How It All Started

by rkcdlitt

I spent an overly amount of time contemplating today. I centered on a certain Sunday in February 1954 when I was delivering morning newspapers in East Orange, New Jersey. I t had snowed on Friday and Saturday, the roads were plowed but snow-covered, my new fat-wheeled Schwinn bike held three news bags filled with Sunday morning Newark News papers and I was struggling along 20th street about 7:30 AM, not really paying attention to what was on the street, did not hear a car coming up behind me, heard a very loud beep, I swerved to the right, slammed right into the rear end of a parked car, went head over heels and landed on the trunk of the car face first.

I woke up on the sofa in the house of a family who owned the car I ran into. The driver of the car I swerved from picked me up, carried me to the front door, rang the bell, and into the house. As luck would have it, the father of the family was a doctor. Diagnosis: two chipped front teeth, one broken nose, and a mild concussion (a forgotten and the first of many concussions in my life).

What I realize now but did not then (at the age of ten) was that my seemingly good luck was not luck at all. It was one of God’s protective, loving angels sent to wrap His love around me as a comforting blanket that would guide me through life.

 

Russell Kendall Carter, BA. MAT. Dlitt.

 

Knowledge

by rkcdlitt

Most of us are born into life of love. We are fortunate enough to be given a basic education both in a public or a parochial school that provides us with the ability to read, write, add, subtract, multiply, and divide at least simple numbers (p.s. in my case!). And, if we are lucky, our parents forced us into a Sunday school class that fed us with a basic knowledge of the Bible.

So, here we go, we have our degrees, we have been assured that God is on our side, and we are on our way to achieve our personal happiness. After one or two steps, we trip and fall flat on our faces and return home bloodied by the wars of society and ask what we did wrong. Our parents and pasters repeat the same lines. And we fail again, again, again, and again.

Finally, a good Samaritan picks you up, or you discover the truth yourself, and realizes that what made you successful in college was continual studying; and, what may make you successful in life might also be continual studying; but continual studying in what?

Start with yourself and your relationship with God; the God within you. The God who made you! The God who loves You! Turn that same thought to others and their relationship with God. learn how it is the same. Learn how the hunger for knowledge increases every day. Learn how the byproduct is success in life, happiness, and business.

Learn how the search for the knowledge of love of God and man brings happiness and success in life. 

Russell Kendall Carter, BA. MAT. Dlitt.

If you are inspired, read my latest book. Kindle eBook $3.99

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Yahweh Tsuri

by rkcdlitt

“Yahweh Tsuri-The Lord Is My Rock!” is one of the ancient Hebrew names of God. I recently wrote a reflection on whether I was worthy enough to refer to God as “ABBA,” the name Jesus used for God. I am not strong enough, or pure enough in my own mind, to call God Abba, but from my earliest religious Sunday school education, I am sure, no, I know that God, you are my way, my truth, and my life. No one has the power to change that. My relationship with my Father is too strong.

I know that life throws us many problems to face; I have stumbled over many, and with the help of a strong family, a super-loving wife, and my faith in a loving God, I have been able to surpass these problems and journey on the path to spiritual enlightenment.

I’m a practical person, so I do not believe in a return to Eden, but I do believe in a path to return to earth, God’s creation, to some semblance of rightful peace. Yet I fear that humankind is too enamored by its toys of warfare! I feel that I am blessed to believe that I can luxuriate on the final lines of Maya Angelou’s Poem, “On the Pulse of Morning”:

                              “The Rock cries out to us today,   

                                You may stand upon me,   

                                But do not hide your face.”

 ©Russell Kendall Carter, BA. MAT. Dlitt.

If you are inspired, read my latest book. Kindle eBook $3.99

 

 

 

Musings

by rkcdlitt

I have been contemplating my navel a great deal lately, which is a futile attempt at hypocrisy since the last time a had a naval was 1985 after a nearly fatal auto accident and major surgery on my abdomen.

 

Anyway. I’ve been seriously contemplating life. Because at the ripe young age. Of 82. I sometimes wonder how I’m still here. But God does have something for me to do. Maybe it’s just writing this blog. Where I attempt to pull that past love and kindness together, Peace and charity through my words. to those who read my blog three or four times a week I publish. Today my musings settle on medieval doctors, you remember the ones with the masks and the large horns that stick out about a foot and 1/2 from their faces, practicing voodoo medicine. I’m seeing one today because I’ve had migraine headaches for about two 2 1/2 years. I feel pressure on my brain. You know, sleeping, lying down, sitting in chair, standing, walking, exercising, reading, writing. 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 1/4 days a year. And all they do is say, here, take this pill. All from their horned masks. Voodoo. . .boo!

 

There is no Jesus walking around here and able to place his hands on my head to cure me. But. . . there is a God. . . and he does reach down every day. . . to comfort me and tell me that everything’s going to be fine. Because like you and all sons and daughters, I am one of His beloveds, and the path I walk on is sacred, as I do His bidding on Earth. In my daily meditations I receive a message to meet people with agape love, recognizing the face of God is in every person that I meet. 

Friends, I am a great skeptic. I am of great faith. I believe in God, and I believe that She believes in me. I believe there was a man, a prophet, a healer named Jesus. When he gathered his disciples, he merely said, “Follow me!” He never said to believe in him, but always to believe in His Father. I understand this to mean that his miracles were performed by God, not by man. 

Therefore, As I walk the streets of Virginia, I meet God with a smile and a blessing every time I say hello to someone new. 

Russell Kendall Carter, BA. MAT. Dlitt.

If you are inspired, read my latest book. Kindle eBook $3.99