June 28, 2007
10:23 a.m.
By: Gary W. Holladay Sr.
At sunset I was quite tired from transplanting a cherry tree in the front yard of my corner lot; but I still needed to tie it down to protect it from the wind. As I pounded stakes into the ground I heard the gleeful squeals of small children in the distance. Looking up, I saw a man following two small bicycles heading in my direction. One bike was clad with pink ribbons and a tiny little girl. Big brother, though not much bigger, was riding ahead. I returned to pounding stakes.
Moments later I heard the man say, ''Do not cross the street. Wait for me at the corner.'' Sure enough, when I looked back the boy had peddled farther ahead and was waiting at the corner. ''Which way should we go, Daddy?'' said the little boy raring to cross. ''Let's go this way son, so we can stay on the sidewalk,'' said the man, ''There's not a sidewalk on that side of the street.'' I saw them turn and go up the cul-de-sac away from my house.
I finished pounding in the stakes and was cutting twine when I heard again, ''Do not cross the street. Wait for me at the corner.'' Again, the boy had zipped ahead and was waiting at the street corner. As his dad caught up with him the boy asked, ''Can we cross the street now?'' The man said ''yes'' and the boy zoomed to the sidewalk in front of my house and started down the short cul-de-sac that I live on.
I tied a strip of cloth around the trunk of the tree and began tying twine to the cloth. ''Wait at the corner'' said the man as he rounded the end of the cul-de-sac. A few moments later I heard a shout, ''Son, why did you cross the street? Why didn't you wait for me?'' There was no answer. The man asked again, ''Why did you cross the street?'' After a pause the boy explained, ''Because I wanted to.'' The father was distressed, ''I told you to wait for me!'' After a longer pause the boy replied, ''Oh...Daddy, I forgot.'' ''No, that is not acceptable.'' said the disappointed man, ''Now I can no longer trust you. Our walk is over.''
How familiar those words sounded as I remembered my own children saying, ''because I wanted to'' or ''I forgot.'' And ''I can no longer trust you'' struck deep sorrow. The deed was done, the trust was broken, and the walk was over.
As I finished tying the twine to the stakes, I realized the greater significance of the event I had just witnessed. I remembered when my Father in heaven had told me to ''wait at the corner'' and I did not listen. How that must have disappointed Him! The trust I shattered as I disobeyed His word... and my ''walk'' with God ended.
I don't know what happened after the man took his children home. He seemed to be a loving father. After all, he wanted them to cross the street under his protection and stay on the sidewalk where it was safe. Perhaps he was merciful to his erring son. What I do know is that my Father in heaven has shown mercy to me. And like my cherry tree, I have been transplanted and anchored by His son.
Titus 3:3-7 ''For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures... But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.''
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Thursday, June 28, 2007
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
'Cause My Cup Has Overflowed
June 12, 2007
11:07 a.m.
By: Anonymous via Whit Sasser
I've never made a fortune,
and it's probably too late now.
But I don't worry about that much,
I'm happy anyhow.
And as I go along life's way,
I'm reaping better than I sowed.
I'm drinking from my saucer,
'Cause my cup has overflowed..
Haven't got a lot of riches,
and sometimes the going's tough.
But I've got loving ones all around me,
and that makes me rich enough.
I thank God for his blessings,
and the mercies He's bestowed.
I'm drinking from my saucer,
'Cause my cup has overflowed.
I remember times when things went wrong,
My faith wore somewhat thin.
But all at once the dark clouds broke,
and the sun peeped through again.
So Lord, help me not to gripe,
about the tough rows I have hoed..
I'm drinking from my saucer,
'Cause my cup has overflowed..
If God gives me strength and courage,
When the way grows steep and rough.
I'll not ask for other blessings,
I'm already blessed enough.
And may I never be too busy,
to help others bear their loads.
Then I'll keep drinking from my saucer,
'Cause my cup has overflowed.
Questions or Comments? Visit the forum.
11:07 a.m.
By: Anonymous via Whit Sasser
I've never made a fortune,
and it's probably too late now.
But I don't worry about that much,
I'm happy anyhow.
And as I go along life's way,
I'm reaping better than I sowed.
I'm drinking from my saucer,
'Cause my cup has overflowed..
Haven't got a lot of riches,
and sometimes the going's tough.
But I've got loving ones all around me,
and that makes me rich enough.
I thank God for his blessings,
and the mercies He's bestowed.
I'm drinking from my saucer,
'Cause my cup has overflowed.
I remember times when things went wrong,
My faith wore somewhat thin.
But all at once the dark clouds broke,
and the sun peeped through again.
So Lord, help me not to gripe,
about the tough rows I have hoed..
I'm drinking from my saucer,
'Cause my cup has overflowed..
If God gives me strength and courage,
When the way grows steep and rough.
I'll not ask for other blessings,
I'm already blessed enough.
And may I never be too busy,
to help others bear their loads.
Then I'll keep drinking from my saucer,
'Cause my cup has overflowed.
Questions or Comments? Visit the forum.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
CATSKILLS SITE EYED
June 5, 2007
10:42 a.m.
By: JOHN MAZOR and MURRAY WEISS
My friend Sonja shared this article with me and to be perfectly honest, it freaks me out a bit. Please check it out. See the full article here
Authorities cite connections between a secretive upstate camp called Islamberg and Pakistani cleric Mubarak AliJune 4, 2007 -- A remote Muslim commune nestled in the Catskill Mountains has come under the scrutiny of state and federal authorities for possible ties to terrorism, according to law-enforcement sources.
Officials say Islamberg - a wooded, 70-acre encampment in upstate Tompkins, about three hours north of the city - acts as the headquarters for an outfit called Muslims of the Americas, widely believed to be a front for Jamaat al-Fuqra, founded by radical Pakistani cleric Mubarak Ali Gilani.
Reports of gunfire and military-style physical training at the camp have led some investigators to believe that the group's members are preparing for homegrown jihad.
According to one account, a neighbor said he has seen commune members dressed in Port Authority uniforms.
Al-Fuqra members have been suspects in assassinations and firebombings in the United States, authorities said, and an associate of the group, Rodney Hampton-el, was jailed in 1996 for plotting to bomb New York bridges and tunnels.
Gilani is the extremist who Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was reportedly trying to meet in Pakistan when he was abducted and beheaded.
Gilani started the organization in 1980, when he came to America and began preaching at a Brooklyn mosque.
After Gilani returned to Pakistan, the American group he started entrenched itself in a number of rural outposts, according to authorities.
The feds have alleged that some group members have been sent to Pakistan and Afghanistan to receive terrorist training.
One Islamberg resident denied the charge.
''This is my country, the resident said. ''I love this country. I did a year in the bush in Vietnam for this country.''
The resident, who wouldn't give his name, was wearing traditional Islamic garb when he intercepted a Post reporter seeking a tour of the camp.
The camp, which sits off a dirt road, appears to be little more than a collection of ramshackle homes and trailers.
The resident admitted that Gilani was the spiritual head of Muslims of the Americas but denied the existence of al-Fuqra.
The resident called Gilani ''a reformer.''
"But some people don't reform," he said. ''They do a lot of foolishness in [Gilani's] name.''
Asked whether commune members kept weapons at the camp, the resident said, ''We got guns up here just like everyone else got guns. We're American citizens.''
john.mazor@nypost.com
Questions or Comments? Visit the Forum
10:42 a.m.
By: JOHN MAZOR and MURRAY WEISS
My friend Sonja shared this article with me and to be perfectly honest, it freaks me out a bit. Please check it out. See the full article here
Authorities cite connections between a secretive upstate camp called Islamberg and Pakistani cleric Mubarak AliJune 4, 2007 -- A remote Muslim commune nestled in the Catskill Mountains has come under the scrutiny of state and federal authorities for possible ties to terrorism, according to law-enforcement sources.
Officials say Islamberg - a wooded, 70-acre encampment in upstate Tompkins, about three hours north of the city - acts as the headquarters for an outfit called Muslims of the Americas, widely believed to be a front for Jamaat al-Fuqra, founded by radical Pakistani cleric Mubarak Ali Gilani.
Reports of gunfire and military-style physical training at the camp have led some investigators to believe that the group's members are preparing for homegrown jihad.
According to one account, a neighbor said he has seen commune members dressed in Port Authority uniforms.
Al-Fuqra members have been suspects in assassinations and firebombings in the United States, authorities said, and an associate of the group, Rodney Hampton-el, was jailed in 1996 for plotting to bomb New York bridges and tunnels.
Gilani is the extremist who Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was reportedly trying to meet in Pakistan when he was abducted and beheaded.
Gilani started the organization in 1980, when he came to America and began preaching at a Brooklyn mosque.
After Gilani returned to Pakistan, the American group he started entrenched itself in a number of rural outposts, according to authorities.
The feds have alleged that some group members have been sent to Pakistan and Afghanistan to receive terrorist training.
One Islamberg resident denied the charge.
''This is my country, the resident said. ''I love this country. I did a year in the bush in Vietnam for this country.''
The resident, who wouldn't give his name, was wearing traditional Islamic garb when he intercepted a Post reporter seeking a tour of the camp.
The camp, which sits off a dirt road, appears to be little more than a collection of ramshackle homes and trailers.
The resident admitted that Gilani was the spiritual head of Muslims of the Americas but denied the existence of al-Fuqra.
The resident called Gilani ''a reformer.''
"But some people don't reform," he said. ''They do a lot of foolishness in [Gilani's] name.''
Asked whether commune members kept weapons at the camp, the resident said, ''We got guns up here just like everyone else got guns. We're American citizens.''
john.mazor@nypost.com
Questions or Comments? Visit the Forum
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