Angels or Demons, Do We Really Have a Choice of Which We Follow or Emulate?

Armored angels with glowing swords face off against horned demons with fiery weapons on a cracked rocky ground
.

From the time we are separated from our formal education and dropped into the real world, most of us are assaulted by hordes of real demons that we’ve never faced before. These come in many forms. They are temptations that are dangling in the halls and offices in the world of business and the world of finance. In the world of intimate contact with the people we are forced to work with on a daily basis in the businesses where we are employed. And if we go out into the marketplace and the businesses that we visit on a day-to-day basis. Each person we meet is surrounded by angels and surrounded by demons. And we have to learn to recognize and discard the demons. It’s not always easy to sort the angels from the demons; the smiles and greetings are so sweet.

I know a sure way to be positive in any business or social situation or meeting; enter with a smile and be firm, showing caring love in all that you say and do. Show compassion for others. Those with demons will fall away because they can never win. Love and compassion are the only tools needed in building social and business relations. And demons cannot exist in the same rooms.

P.S. I Love You. And I pray you love others.

love is God’s symphony, the perfect beauty!

Russell Kendall Carter, BA. MAT. D.Litt.

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

Leave a comment

Lament

Russian Orthodox funeral procession with people carrying crosses and icons in snowy landscape

Lament is one of those old-fashioned words that we really don’t use anymore. But it means to feel sorrow or to feel a loss of something close to us. In times past, we might say that we lament the loss of someone dear to us and then go into a period of mourning for that loss. And people would understand what we meant and take that into account in dealing with us. For the near future, it could be that business dealings be suspended or scaled back, at least until the person is interred or when the funeral is held.

So now we don’t use lament; we just use sorrow or sadness. We don’t have the ease or closeness in relationships that a word such as lament may give us. Hell, we don’t have the variety and usage of vocabulary anymore to use words. Which is why the poet remains the one to use it.

Ruined ancient city with people walking amid rubble and smoke from fires

Poets cry lament. It is the cry that is directed more towards God than it is towards man. It’s a cry that expresses the deepest wounds that only God can heal. It’s nothing that individuals can either see or heal. It’s a loss that is going to be forever felt. It is for the closeness of God so She can cover the wounds, and those left behind can heal.

As an example, we read the five letters of Lamentations in the Bible. Written by Jeremiah, these letters of loss are prayers of loss, written to God after the destruction of Jerusalem in the 6th century BC.

So I prayed to you, friends, that you have nothing to lament. And if you do, take them to speak to God. For She is the only one that can truly help you.

P.S. I love you, and I pray you love others.
Love is God’s symphony, the perfect beauty!
Russell Kendall Carter, BA. MAT. Dlitt.


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

Leave a comment

Evil Spirits and Negative Influences

Dark hooded figure with skeletal hands grasping gold coins and jeweled treasures surrounded by black smoke in a stone chamber

There are no evil spirits that serve as personal negative influences in our lives. Any negative influences we encounter are purely man-made. We create these influences ourselves. From a very young age, we are taught to fend for ourselves. Is it any wonder that we become egotists in later life? People often blame us for putting ourselves first and ask, “Why are you so selfish?” They forget that since childhood, our parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles have instilled in us that if we want to get ahead in life, we must prioritize ourselves.

Unfortunately, for some, this mindset becomes a sickness. They take this notion too far. They constantly demand more; they want, want, want! They take, take, take! They will do anything to acquire all that they desire. In their eyes, not only are you an opponent, but you become an enemy. If you possess a pound of gold, they must possess ten. They feel no obligation to show you affection, warmth, or regard. Everything they can obtain is, in their mind, rightfully theirs.

The consequences of this mentality are dire: we see poor people begging on the streets, children with incurable diseases suffering in hospitals, and animals trapped in cages. Nations wage wars for trivial reasons.

I am reminded of a profound truth: “Whoever says, ‘I am in the light,’ while hating a brother or sister, is still in the darkness.” – 1 John 2:9

A winding dirt path leads through grassy hills toward a small stone chapel near a stream with mountains in the background.

P.S. I Love You. And I pray you love others.
Russell Kendall Carter, BA. MAT. Dlitt.

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

Leave a comment

Earth: a Type of Eternity and Immortality

Sun with planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune orbiting

Earth! A mere rock hurtling through space
At a speed we know not how to measure
Though we pretend to understand how
We amass knowledge at the speed of sound
And pretend to know the why and the how
And prove to others how great we are

But alas with every turn we find change
Our paths change as quickly as our emotions
When in our sacred spaces can we pray
And remember those forgotten by others
Forgotten by ourselves in our rush for riches
May God forgive us for our egotism

May we remember that although Earth is a mere rock
It is our sacred rock upon which we were placed
And made shepherds of Your great creation
There are those deniers who protest saying it is too late
But certainly not; for You alone are eternal
And You alone will determine the future of Earth our Rock

P.S. I Love You. And I pray you love others.
Russell Kendall Carter, BA. MAT. Dlitt.
If you are inspired, read my latest book. Kindle eBook $3.99

Leave a comment

Life Itself Becomes the Path

Man holding hands with a glowing angel ascending a celestial staircase.

I remember the times that people would tell me that it’s too bad that life sometimes gets in the way of having a good time. Is that mismanagement of time or trying to stuff too much into an otherwise productive day? Every moment of life is a dress rehearsal for true life. And our life is a play that doesn’t quite make it to Broadway. “Hamnet” we are not! (Although the book IS better than the movie).

Our blessed God, however we name Her, placed us on this rock in space to nurture it as caretakers. And we have done a terrible job! We pray to Her daily asking for forgiveness and then leave our churches and continue to destroy our planet with no remorse. We fear flushing the toilet in which we live.

But we do have one saving: “Grace.” “Love.” Love abides in God, and since God abides in us, Love thusly abides in us. This has been true since time immemorial! When we accept that God lives within us, God becomes our life and it comes down from God and embraces spirit, soul, and body, and LIFE THEN BECOMES OUR PATH.

P.S. I Love You. And I pray you love others.
Russell Kendall Carter, BA. MAT. Dlitt.
If you are inspired, read my latest book. Kindle eBook $3.99.

Leave a comment

Our Intimate Relationship with God

A burlap banner reading 'love God and neighbor' displayed in a vibrant community garden.

I apologize if I offend people, but I am very disappointed in our political leaders and many of our religious leaders who talk a good game but live a life much different from that which they preach. Throughout the history of the United States, there has been an undercurrent of pure hatred of the other… just simmering, waiting for an evil leader to allow it to surface. We are in the midst of one of those times now.

Large crowd kneeling and praying on grassy hillside around an outdoor altar

When we stop and pray and really listen for God’s word, we hear Her words in Lamentations: “Let us test and examine our ways and return to the Lord (3:40).” Our true relationship with God asks us to love the other as ourselves, care for the forgotten by society as if they were kin, and not allow them to feel thrown away.

P.S. I Love You. And I pray you love others.
Russell Kendall Carter, BA. MAT. Dlitt.
If you are inspired, read my latest book. Kindle eBook $3.99

Leave a comment

Man and God 

Large mossy boulder on a coastal cliff featuring the word HOPE in white paint.

I quote from Genesis 9:6, “Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man.” And earlier in Genesis 1:27 , God directed man to write: “ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.  There are those in Christianity who believe that God made man to be a god. this is ludicrous; nowhere in any religious writing does man write God allowing man being a god, or even godlike. Except of course, Jesus the Nazarene, whom God did elevate to that status. And whose Godly resurrection we just celebrated.

And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Gen1:27)

I sometimes wonder how and why God puts up with mankind. The Old and New Testaments that are used as the Christian Bible are filled with instances of mankind outright killing God! in my current version, including the Apocrypha, there are 70 stories {books} that comprise the Christian Bible. That excludes many of the relatively newly discovered Gospels found from the deserts in northern Africa or the caves in the mountains of East Asia referred to as the Dead Sea Scrolls.

So, now that we have taken the time to bless ourselves for recognizing the sacredness of the resurrection of Jesus we can return to our professions of war-making, dropping bomb on other societies, killing their people, making death count. And why, for oil of course. Money, or some other reason God didn’t  make us for. Jesus asked us to do two things: Love God and love one another, I know it may not seem like it but I must leave by saying that I love you and I love God.

A burlap banner reading 'love God and neighbor' displayed in a vibrant community garden.

Russell Kendall Carter, BA. MAT. Dlitt.

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

Why Are We Boasting So?

We strut around with our heads held high thinking that we are the greatest thing in the world. Maybe this is because we earn the most money, drive the biggest or classiest car, or live in the most luxurious home. If we stop and think about our lives, we should realize that everything we have was in some way or other was given to us. We may have sweated to get it but in the end, it was given, not truly earned.

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

We really need to celebrate the miracle of being alive and reach out to those who are suffering in our midst. We can use our voices as a force for good and use the courage to do what is right, not what is easy. May have the strength to shine a light in the darkness and not distance ourselves from ourselves. This way we will always be present for others, realizing that what we have is a gift to be shared and a blessing to have for the community of man, not just for ourselves.

Wooden cross on a hill of spring wildflowers during a misty sunrise.

Teachers get it! They commit to a lifetime of learning new teaching methods to allow their students to learn. For instance, I learned to stop talking from the front of the class as the teacher and allow the students to carry the conversation, so I wandered around the classroom. It’s amazing how much my students taught me!!! We have to rethink our modes of operation and our own importance. We might learn something.

Happy Easter

Russell Kendall Carter, BA. MAT. Dlitt.

Unsettled Mind

During my morning meditation, I could not settle my mind. I could never calm myself to a state of pure serene prayer; so, I returned to my old trick of letting my Bible open to a passage to allow me to read unprepared for what was to follow; and hence this is it:

“Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt 5:10.)

So, I ask another of Jesus’ questions. “Do you love me?” Who is to argue with either of these? Jesus taught us to love those who suffer at the hands of those who have it all on this earth. You know the stingy ones. They drive the fanciest cars, eat at the fanciest restaurants, and ignore those suffering in the streets. I’m not saying all the rich do these selfish misguided deeds.

I am fortunate to have two of the haves in my life who are aware of the needs of those not a fortunate and are willing to share. Their hearts are in the right place, and I hope that in their daily lives they’re actions model what God freely shares. . . love; God did not create hate. Man created this in his search for identity. Man also joined people together in community. However, by forming a community, this closed the door on others to be denied entrance; thus, creating jealousy and hatred.

This community also set up a strict set of rules to be followed, and all must join, otherwise be expelled from the community. These rules became religions. As the religions became the strong word of God, the men in charge inadvertently caused an increase in the hatred of all outsiders.

“Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt 5:10)

So, I go back to my questions from above and ask, “Do you love me?” And don’t recite any religious doctrine created by those ancient men who also created division and hatred to hide behind.

I would love to drop all the rhetoric, for when God created everything, including Man, nowhere in the story is there mention of God creating hate. That is created solely by man.

Russell Kendall Carter, BA. MAT. Dlitt.

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

Leave a comment

Only 63 cents a Day

You’ve seen the ads on TV, the children in wheelchairs, disabled, with no arms or legs, asking for only 63 cents a day ; or the starving dog, horse, or cat and the spokesperson asking the same amount for food for these dying animals; I even saw one for the Heart Association. The other night I saw one with a very old woman walking in and out of a hovel dressed in ragged clothes. The announcer was telling us that this 90-year-old  woman suffered under persecution by the Russians during World War Two and now in Ukraine is suffering again under Russian occupation, and, you guessed it, for only 61 cents a day we could feed this woman healthy food and save her life.

There must be something magical about 63 cents a day or $19.00 a month; each of these organizations are asking the same amount. Do they figure that we are chumps for that magic figure? Excuse me! But all of these organizations are worthwhile!!! On top of this we have almost 800,000 homeless people with no place to sleep except on the streets of our cities.

You know; we have over 400 billionaires in this country. If these 400 rear-cheek tightwads would give just 1%, no 5%, of their ill-gotten gains to help correct these problems, can you imagine what our country would look like? Could you imagine? how fulfilling the Sermon on the Mount can truly be if this were to be true?

Russell Kendall Carter, BA. MAT. Dlitt.

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