The company motto has stuck with me for several years for some reason. “We aim to please,” was the motivating mission of this small business. People took them at their word and they became a very successful and growing business.

We all live to please someone. The question is, “Whom do you live to please?” Some people please the public or their employers in order to succeed in politics or business. Some people endeavor to please everyone in order “to get along”. Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9 NKJV). But there is a difference between being a peacemaker and making peace.

It was a surreal moment - a moment frozen in time that we will never forget. The terrorist attack on America September 11, 2001 was replayed before us on television as we watched in stunned silence. When the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center collapsed, the death and destruction amongst the ruble and twisted steel was referred to as “Ground Zero”.

Faith and heroic rescue attempts ensued in the aftermath of the horrible destruction. As we commemorate the anniversary of September 11th, let us remember the victims and pray for the families, friends, and fellow Americans who suffered terrible loss on that infamous day. Let us pray that God will bless America and help us preserve peace and freedom.

Ground Zero was the word the media used to describe the devastation in the aftermath of the appalling attacks on the World Trade Center. The infamous events of September 11th have caused millions of Americans to re-examine priorities and take inventory of their lives.

Stanley Praimnath was at Ground Zero that September 11th. Stanley, an assistant vice-president of Fuji Bank in New York City, was at his desk on the 81st floor of the South Tower. He arrived early to spend time reading his Bible and praying. “For some reason, I gave the Lord a little extra time of myself that morning in prayer,” he says. Fifteen minutes later a red-orange flash catches his eye. Outside his window flames cough black smoke as the result of American Airlines Flight 11 plunging into the World Trade Center North Tower. Stanley and his co-workers rush to the 78th floor elevators. At ground level a security guard meets them. “Don’t leave the building,” the guard says, “You’ll be safer inside because of falling debris.”

Recently as I sat in a McDonald’s in Central Illinois, there was a young man sitting on a stool enjoying his extra-value meal. I noticed that he was an employee of McDonald’s and developmentally challenged. He obviously had finished his workday and knew that it was payday. At least a half dozen times he went to the counter and loudly demanded his paycheck. After his job coach finally instructed him on proper etiquette, he received what he was due – his paycheck. In working with and ministering to the developmentally challenged over the years, I’ve noticed that even the most severely challenged come to know and expect payday.

I smelled the sweet fragrance of spring as I excitedly guided the U-Haul rental truck into the sleepy county seat of Eldora in north central Iowa 31 years ago. We were thrilled to be taking our first pastoral assignment. If the church board had not offered us a modest salary, I probably would have gladly paid them or some church to let me preach.

Many times first experiences are very special or memorable. We had many “first” experiences in the three and a half years we pastored our first church. It was there that our first child was born. Our first doctor’s Corvette was stolen by one of the young men we had brought to church. My first wedding lasted a total of five minutes. The wedding party ran to the front before my wife could play the first couple of measures of the processional. They wanted it simple and short.

A cloud of dust trailed behind the entourage of the royal chariot of the Secretary of the Treasury of Ethiopia, servant of Candace the queen. Dust devils spun away from the convoy as it traveled the desert road to Ethiopia.

The Ethiopian eunuch had come out of Africa to worship God in the magnificent temple in Jerusalem. Because of his great authority and privilege, he had been afforded such a fortunate opportunity. His fathers had worshipped the God of the Jews since the time of King Solomon. There was even a long held tradition, or at least a speculation, that this sect of the Jews had hidden the Ark of the Covenant for safekeeping in Ethiopia until the coming of the Messiah. But he was not privy to such secrets.

It’s been said, “You are what you eat.” That’s more truthful than we realize. Bread is called “the staff of life.” Down through the centuries, bread has been the foundational building block of man’s physical sustenance.

In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had every need provided for them by God. After they sinned, God said, “Cursed is the ground because of you. In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life . . . By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread” (Genesis 3:17-19 NASB). God gave man the strength and ability to earn his food. But he depended upon God for the seed, rain, sun, and provision.

I know that t-ball is far from pro-baseball, but to me it’s more entertaining. This past summer I had the joy of watching my grandson Elijah play t-ball. Elijah and his friend stood between first and second base talking, a girl was chasing butterflies, and another player was blowing dandelion seeds into the air. Parents were reading a book or talking on their cell phones. But there were a few seriously focused on the game, especially the coaches and couple of hyper dads looking for scouts to sign their kid to a major league contract.

Looking through a veil can be frustrating. Through the veil you can see the shadow of a thing but the real substance is hidden and unobtainable. Jacob worked for seven years to obtain his promised bride Rachel. Finally, on his wedding day, in joyful anticipation he took his bride. But after the veil was taken away, he found that his father-in-law had tricked him. Jacob was given Leah instead of the promised Rachel whom he loved. He had to work for another seven years to obtain his beloved bride. (Genesis 29) Evidently, Jacob could not see through the veil and was prevented from receiving the promised love of his heart.

Multitudes of people throughout the world live in fear and with a sense of stark terror. Bradford was one who wore a mask of calmness and normalcy during the day, but at night, the middle-aged computer programmer lived and slept in constant fear and harassment from “spirit beings.” As October 31st, Halloween, approached, he grew more apprehensive and agitated. Initiated into a pagan religion by his parents as a young man, he was often depressed and had begun to think that the only way out was to take his own life.

For most Americans, Halloween is viewed as simply superstition, fun, and frivolity.

Noah, our three year old grandson, sat at the long table of people, deep in thought, while waiting for the church fellowship dinner to begin. “Mom,” he said, “Dad doesn’t have any sense!” “What do you mean your dad doesn’t have any sense?” his mother replied. “He doesn’t have any bucks!” he replied. “Any bucks?” she asked. “Yes. Dad said he didn’t have any change for me to put in the offering during church today,” he stated dejectedly.

Sometimes we all have a difficult time being understood. Noah, I’ll give you a buck for that illustration. While Noah was disappointed that he didn’t have any change for the church offering, I want to point out a different type of change.

A few years ago a movie was produced with an intriguing title – “Dead Man Walking”. The movie dealt with inmates on death row and the death penalty. As an inmate is escorted to the death chamber an announcement is made, “Dead man walking!” All the other inmates on death row watch the inmate walk the last few yards to their execution.

It was a sad movie without a lot of hope offered. But the Word of God teaches us that we are all “dead men walking”. “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

The late George Harrison of the Beatles wrote and sang the song “My Sweet Lord”. It was a moving and intimate song of devotion to his Lord. Unfortunately “My Sweet Lord” was not directed toward the Lord, the Creator of the universe, and Savior of the world, but towards his lord, Hare Krishna. Krishna, one of the nine incarnations of the god Vishnu is a distinct Hindu sect. The ninth incarnation was Buddha.

While most of Hinduism tends to have a rather impersonal feeling about God, Krishna Consciousness stresses the importance of a personal relationship with Krishna.

I remember the house my father built with his own hands when I was a child. Much of it was built with used lumber. I remember pulling hundreds of nails from the old boards. We mixed the cement ourselves in an old cement mixer. Compared to most homes, it might have been considered just a simple cottage. But it was a labor of love.

I’ve got a more glorious mansion awaiting me in my Father’s House. The carpenter of Nazareth built it with nailed scarred hands. Jesus told His disciples, whose hearts were sorrowful because of their Lord’s predicted death on the cross, “Let not your hearts be troubled, believe in God, believe also in me.

What a surprise! I don’t really relish surprise birthday parties. As I unwrapped the gift wrapped box given to me by my special friend, out popped a white hound dog with black spots, bobbing it’s head profusely up and down and from side to side.

I’ve had numerous dogs in my life. My favorites are outside dogs. Pampered pooches are just a little too annoying. I guess I’ve never been close to a dog since Old Shep died. When I was a preschooler, my grandfather gave me a black and white border collie. It had been a cattle dog. It was probably given to me to watch over me in my many wanderings. My parents reminded me of the many times Old Shep grabbed me by the seat of my baggy pants and pulled me from the road when I got too close. Now Old Shep is long gone.

I’ve been fortunate to have some good “bosses” in my life. They encouraged me and brought out the best in me. They were patient and desired to help me reach my fullest potential. I’ve also had a few “bad” bosses over the years. Some were impatient, aloof, intolerant, and verbally abusive to people and cursed those who made a mistake.

My boss is a Jewish carpenter. Like my dad, his hands were calloused, cracked, scarred, and strong. He also died at a relatively young age. He was a hard worker.

“Her children arise up, and call her blessed, her husband also, and he praiseth her” (Proverbs 31:28). Many mothers live with a sense of guilt and frustration in measuring up to the standards of a good mother. One mother confided in me, “When will my family understand that I am not super-mom? Mothers are people too.”

How does the Bible describe the mother that pleases God? She possesses a sense of spiritual values: faith, courage, prayer, wisdom, joy, trustworthiness, dedication, kindness, and reverence. (Read Exodus 2:2; I Samuel 1:12; Proverbs 31; Psalms 113:9.)

The large living room window is constantly smudged and slathered up by Miki, our golden retriever. When we are gone from the house, Miki stands sentinel anticipating our return. When my wife pulls her car into the driveway, I may not hear anything, but Miki’s ears perk up and she runs to the window, poking her nose through the blinds for a glimpse of her “master’s” return. When the garage door starts to open, she gets even more excited. She starts to whine and bounds to the garage door with a joyful greeting.

In the mornings, after her outdoor romp, she runs to the bedroom door and whines until my wife finally opens the door and lets Miki in. Miki’s joy and compelling desire is to be with her “masters”.

The horrifying carnage in the aftermath of the terrorist’s hijacking of four airliners and the subsequent devastation of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon is almost beyond description. It was truly an attack on America. Terror, grief, anger, disbelief, and fear were common emotions that many experienced in trying to cope with such a tragedy.

Some people were so traumatized that it will take awhile for them to move on. Others are paralyzed or gripped with fear. Some refuse to fly again or enter a skyscraper. One experienced firefighter was so overcome by all the devastation that he had a fatal heart attack.

Having a farm background, I know how important it is to mend fences. It is sometimes a tedious and tiring job, but to neglect it can result in tragedy and loss. When we lived in South Dakota, a rancher friend had several sheep. When a sheep would find a hole in the fence and go through it, the whole flock would usually follow. Occasionally one would get stuck and die struggling to get out. It is imperative to be ever vigilant in mending fences.

Multitudes of marriages and human relationships have been damaged and destroyed because of the neglect of mending fences. We must constantly work at mending relationship fences in marriage, family, church, and the work place. Let us consider seven steps to healing of marriage and human relationships.

Perhaps you heard about the man who went to a rancher to buy a horse. He was informed that he had the perfect horse for him. There was one problem with this particular horse. It seems that a Christian trained it. To get the horse to go you had to yell “Praise the Lord!” To get the horse to stop you had to yell “Amen!” The man bought the horse and sure enough, when he yelled, “Praise the Lord” – the horse took off like a rocket. Suddenly the man saw a cliff looming ahead. He became so excited that he forgot the word that stopped the horse. Just in the nick of time he remembered the word and yelled “Amen!” The horse skidded to a stop within inches of the precipice. The man wiped the sweat from his brow and declared – “Praise the Lord!”

What would you consider to be man’s greatest breakthrough? Perhaps you would say that it some new breakthrough in science or technology. Whatever it might be, it pales in comparison of the most earth-shattering event in the history of mankind. Even the great illusionist, David Copperfield, could not duplicate it. Man’s greatest breakthrough was the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. After dying on the cross for the sins of the world and being laid in a tomb that was sealed with a stone and Roman soldiers standing guard – Jesus Christ arose victorious over death, hell, and the grave. He broke the power of death which is sin (I Corinthians 15:56).

There is a popular television series entitled “Lost”. Although I’ve never seen it, I have been told that it is a very suspenseful and well produced television series. The program began two years ago with the crash of Oceanic Flight 815 that was flying from Sydney, Australia to Los Angels, CA. For some unknown reason the plane breaks apart and crashes onto a remote island. The passengers, through story lines shown in flash backs, bring to the island their baggage of lost faith and being lost in life. The story shows how faith and purpose in life are rediscovered and sometimes lost again.

It is an awful feeling being lost. Were you ever been lost in a crowd as a child? Many people have nightmares about being lost.

Have you ever had your back against the wall with seemingly no way out? Have you ever felt that you were drowning in despair? We all face what we perceive to be impossibilities. Life has it’s cul-de-sac of problems and perplexities when we think we are at a dead end. Difficult people and awesome opportunities confront us all. Many times, we face life’s challenges and say, “why, that’s impossible.” Instead we should listen to God’s angel who told a young virgin girl, “With God, nothing is impossible” (Luke 1:37). She believed the Lord of the impossible.

Every time my wife or I return home there is a joyful celebration. Miki, our golden retriever, greets us with gleeful abandon. Brewser, our little dorky which is half miniature dachshund and half Yorkshire terrier, whom we have recently inherited, stands on her hind legs and twirls around in joy to welcome us home. They enjoy our presence.

What about your relationship with God? Do you exuberantly celebrate His presence and goodness? Judeo-Christian worship has been marked by joyful celebration. Christian doctrine and experience is joy even in the midst of suffering and trials.