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This photo shows President Bush in the White House Press Briefing Room during a news conference earlier this week. Photo courtesy of the White House.

1. President Bush is spending a lot of time and energy going around the country talking with all kinds of people about the changes he believes are needed in Social Security. So this is a great time to pray for the President as he travels across the country, asking God to protect him and keep him safe from harm all the time.
2. Since Social Security affects so very many people, it would be very good to pray for the President and everyone who is helping him gather ideas to change the way Social Security works. Pray that God will help everyone understand the very best way to re-do this important part of our country so that everyone can benefit.
3. Last week we prayed for former President Bill Clinton to have successful heart surgery, so we can give thanks and praise to God for answering our prayers, because things went really well in President Clinton's surgery. We can also pray that he will continue to have a speedy and strong recovery.
4. Did you hear that nearly two of every three people don't know the words to our National Anthem, the Star Spangled Banner? It's a great time to pray that people will come to love and appreciate the rich heritage of our country both in our wonderful tradition of American music and in the great stories of our history. See more about the National Anthem below.
5. As always, we want to remember to pray for our brave troops as they serve so faithfully in Afghanistan, Iraq and around the world. Pray especially for their families who make such great sacrifices to allow them to serve, and ask God to keep every member of our military safe and to draw their hearts to Him so they won't be afraid or have big problems.

Department of Labor— Elaine Chao

Photo courtesy of the ILO.

Did you know that our government has a whole big department made just to help the workers of America? That's right—it's called the Department of Labor and its leader is a dynamite woman named Elaine Chao. Elaine and her family came to our country from their native China when she was just a little girl of eight. They worked very hard and had much kind help and support from others, and soon they were doing well. The experience of receiving so much help and support from so many others made Elaine feel like she wanted to give something back to her country, so she dedicated her life to helping others succeed and find success, especially with their jobs.

Elaine Chao has done some pretty amazing things in her life—like being the Director of the Peace Corps, and being the President/CEO of the United Way. She has also worked in other parts of our government, like the Department of Transportation.

With her team at the Labor Department, Secretary Chao works hard to help all of America's workers. She wants to be sure they are doing the very best job they can, getting paid fairly, being safe and growing in numbers. She helps provide workers with information on how to get jobs and develop careers, health and retirement benefits and assistance for those who are without jobs. Her department also makes sure that no one is being treated unfairly in the workplace because of their race or gender. That's a lot to work on, so you can bet Secretary Chao and the other people at the Department of Labor really appreciate your prayers.

Secretary Chao prepared for her career by getting a college degree from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts and a MBA from Harvard University. Through the years she has given of her time and talent to lots of organizations and has received many awards for her service.

With her husband, Mitch McConnell, a Senator from Kentucky, Secretary Chao has three daughters.

Director of FEMA— Michael D. Brown

Photo courtesy of FEMA.

What happens in our country when there is a disaster? Well, lots of good neighbors come to the aid of those who have been affected, but we also have a special department in our government that helps too. It's called FEMA—Federal Emergency Management Administration, and it's a part of the Department of Homeland Security.

Michael D. Brown is the Director of FEMA, and along with his team, he works to bring the help needed after a disaster has struck. FEMA is in charge of helping people before and after a disaster like a hurricane, tornado, flood or earthquake. The governor of a state must ask for help, and then the President "declares" an official disaster for a particular area.

Growing up in "tornado alley," Michael D. Brown was raised in Oklahoma and had a basset hound named Roosevelt and a dachshund named Eisenhower. When he was a boy there were many tornadoes and he recalls a time when he went into his grandparents' storm shelter during a particularly big one! He enjoyed fishing, hiking and camping as well as debate, speech and history classes in school.

With his team at FEMA, Michael Brown doesn't just help when things go wrong, he also works to keep people safe in case a disaster happens, by providing training for firefighters and emergency managers and a flood insurance program, along with many other things!

Mr. Brown followed his dream to be a lawyer and went to law school after getting his college degree and was an attorney in Colorado and Oklahoma. He has been a part of FEMA since 2001.

Answer me when I call, O God who declares me innocent. Take away my distress. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
—Psalm 4:1

God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear, even if earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.
—Psalm 46:1-2

The story behind our National Anthem is a wonderful one. In case you are one of those people who isn't sure about all the details or the words, and if you could stand to learn a little more about it, keep reading.

To learn about the National Anthem, we first need to learn a bit about the War of 1812, because that's what gave rise to the great pride and patriotism that caused the anthem to be written.

This print shows one artist's idea of what it looked like when the British burned Washington, D.C. in 1814. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress. Click HERE to enlarge this image.

It was during September of 1814, as the war had been dragging on for quite some time that British troops invaded the Chesapeake Bay region, coming right on up to Washington, D.C. to burn and bomb as much as they could with the hope of scaring everyone—even people fighting very far away. They marched all through Washington where the summer had been dry, and they lit on fire everything they could, including the White House and the Capitol Building. Fortunately, messengers brought word of the attack to many in that city, including First Lady Dolley Madison and several government officials. They escaped in time.

Portrait of Dolley Madison courtesy of the University of Texas.

James Madison was president during the War of 1812, and his wife, Dolley Madison, was one of the most beloved women ever to live in the White House. When British soldiers invaded and captured Washington in 1814, Dolley Madison, who was warned of the attack in advance, ordered that the famous Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington be ripped it from its frame. When this effort was unsuccessful, she had workers break the frame to get the canvas out. Mrs. Madison was successful in saving the portrait, for it hangs in the White House today. The Madison's were able to get away to safety, but that gives you an idea of how very scary things were when the British attacked Washington. To read this story in Dolley Madison's own words, click HERE.

A young lawyer named Francis Scott Key was living in Georgetown—a part of Washington—at this time with his wife, Mary and 11 children. Georgetown was a peaceful part of Washington with a population of about 5,000, most of whom left when they heard about the coming invasion. Francis loved to write poetry and was very successful in the practice of law.

This picture shows what Ft. McHenry, Baltimore looked like with its huge flag flying proudly overhead. Image courtesy of the Ft. McHenry Museum.

The British had come to Washington through the Chesapeake Bay, so it was expected that they would continue up to Baltimore and attack that city. Everyone got ready for the British to attack, expecting them to come both on land and water. They did come, and as they captured many citizens, they also carried off a beloved doctor from the area named Dr. William Beanes. Dr. Beanes was being kept prisoner on a British ship in the harbor, and his friends were afraid that he would be hanged! The people turned to young lawyer Francis Scott Key for help.

This photo shows what British troops might have looked like as they marched into Washington and Baltimore during the War of 1812. Image courtesy of thinkquest.com.

Francis went to work to free Dr. Beanes and soon had arranged to have Col. John Skinner, an agent for the exchange of prisoners, come with him. They boarded the ship on which Dr. Beanes was being held and spoke with the British officers in charge. At first, there was no willingness to release the beloved doctor. But when Francis showed the British officers a packet of many letters from wounded British troops that told what wonderful care Beanes had given them, the officers agreed to the release. But not right away! They had heard too much about the battle that was about to take place in Baltimore, so they held all three men, Dr. Beanes, Francis Scott Key and Col. Skinner, on a sloop behind the British ships. They were a safe distance from the battle, but could see the flames, the bombs and the sparks of the conflict. From that spot they watched all night as the British advanced.