Tag: meditation

Labels

by rkcdlitt

 We all wear labels throughout our lives.

My dad often called me stupid;

my coaches often called “my chunk.”

Neither were labels of respect!

That’s why I never, ever used terms

For kids of other cultures in school that

some of my friends used in private.

Then I became a Marine!

After which I became a retailer

worker with my father and mother

in their retail business; my label was a retailer.

And eventually became a teacher and then a professor!

I wore labels of great respect. And I wore labels of no respect.

I love all the labels I wore, and I hated all the labels I wore, because I always wanted a life without labels.

But now that I am retired, I realize

that this is possible only if we give up our desires

to be better than others. Give up the competition

that our parents and teachers have drilled into us since birth.

The competition that we are better than anybody else.

 

We are all children of God. Equal in God eyes. We must realize that there are no labels. We are all loved by God equally,

regardless of who we are or what we looked like.

Accepting a life without labels makes us humans living in God’s heart.

 

Russell Kendall Carter, BA. MAT. Dlitt.

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

 

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Love without Fear

by rkcdlitt

I say that I love everyone,

and I suppose it’s true;

if I really know what love is –

that is. . .

 

I greet strangers with the open arms

and love of all mankind.

I love my wife and children and grandchildren

more than my own life,

and I love my in-laws, like

Well, in-laws. . .

 

I guess what I am trying to say is:

that to see this clearly is to live

with a humble heart,

know what you don’t know,

and above all,

Love without fear.

 

Russell Kendall Carter, BA. MAT. Dlitt.

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

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Life Itself Becomes the Path

by rkcdlitt

Gracious Father-Mother God, we try so hard to follow your ways, but our bodily needs and temptations are so strong that all seem to stress us as basic needs. The false security we feel when we amass the stacks of money needed to survive gives us a false sense of security that is nothing better than an empty promise.

Gracious Father-Mother God, all the promises we make on our knees are lost when we return to our worlds of commerce and continue to argue over mundane issues of international trade or issues of strategic importance that mean nothing to the poor and needy of our societies around the globe that we call Earth and you call your children.

Gracious Father-Mother God, forgive us as we casually recite the Apostles’ or Nicene Creed at our local church, promising the sanctity of one god by the church. As if the church controls You! But I do go along with what my church dictates; for me, (for the most part!) However, on Monday morning we do go back on our Sunday morning pledges for the poor, the promises to You, God.

Gracious Father-Mother God, when every moment of life becomes a  question of following what we should do for You or for us. We always fail You. We are to egocentric; we are too selfish. We are too unworthy to be called Your children.

Gracious Father-Mother God, two thousand years ago, You sent us help to find the way. We did not listen. Are we worthy enough for a second chance? Can we learn that “life itself becomes the path” to eternal life? 

Russell Kendall Carter, BA. MAT. Dlitt.

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

 

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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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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