You may know about how President Bush loves to exercise and stay fit. Since developing problems with his knee, he has taken up mountain biking. Last weekend he get together with champion cyclist Lance Armstrong, and the two men enjoyed a fun time on the property at Prairie Chapel Ranch. Pray for the President to enjoy continued health and fitness, asking God to grant him strength for every task. Photo courtesy of the White House.

1. Pray for the President as he wraps up his time at his ranch in Texas, asking God to keep on giving him wisdom and strength in everything he does. Pray that he will be kept safe—physically and spiritually—along with all the members of his cabinet and staff.
2. Since everyone is heading back to school, it's a great time to give thanks to God for the privilege of living in America, because our country has many good laws that protect children and keep an eye out for their needs. Tell God how grateful you are that you can receive education, thanking Him for the vision of our Founding Fathers who wanted all children to get an education.
3. Pray for children in America and around the world that may not have the very best situation in their school, or who do not have the opportunity to go to school. Pray that kids who need to will be able to attend a good school with caring teachers.
4. You've probably heard your mom or dad talking about high gasoline prices. Pray that things will get better so that the financial burden on many Americans will be lessened.

Attorney General— Alberto Gonzales

Photo courtesy of esmas.com.

The Attorney General (AG) is the nation's top lawyer and the head of the Department of Justice (DOJ). He is also the chief law enforcement officer for the government, and it's his job to make sure all our laws are carried out effectively and fairly. Along with all that, the AG is one of the President's closest advisors, offering him sound advice on any legal matters, and he represents our government in any cases that come before the Supreme Court, or other cases of great importance. Phew! That is a lot to keep track of, but Alberto Gonzales is definitely a great man for the job.

Alberto Gonzales came to this job with terrific experience. He has been a faithful public servant for many years, first, as general counsel to newly elected Texas Governor Bush and later as Texas' Secretary of State. He followed President Bush to Washington to be White House counsel.

As head of the DOJ, Mr. Gonzales and his team work hard to be sure that everyone in America gets equal justice under the law, especially those who are marginalized. While the war on terror is certainly the highest priority of the DOJ, they also work to protect Americans from those who commit crimes with guns and those who deal drugs. They also work to protect victims of child abuse and domestic violence and create a compassionate society that upholds the dignity of every human life.

Alberto Gonzales' story is an inspiring one, for he is one of eight children in the family of a migrant worker. Graduating high school with high honors, he believed college was beyond his grasp so he enlisted in the Air Force. When his officers suggested he apply to the Air Force Academy, he did so and was accepted. Tiring of science and engineering, his interests turned to politics. Gambling his future, Alberto Gonzales prayed and applied to his hometown university, Rice in Houston. When he was accepted, he enrolled and next matriculated at Harvard University. He worked with a prestigious law firm upon graduation until he met Governor-elect Bush.

Alberto Gonzales is from Houston, TX and is a graduate of Texas public schools, Rice University, and Harvard Law School. With his wife, Rebecca Turner Gonzales, he has three sons.

Director of the Office of Management and Budget— Joshua Bolten

Photo courtesy of csmonitor.com.

Josh Bolten has been Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) since June 2003. Do you know what the OMB is all about? Their job is very important, because they watch over the preparation of the Federal budget as well as supervising the way the money is given to all the agencies of the Executive Branch. Working with Congress and the federal departments, he enacts the President's agenda of growing the economy and creating jobs to keep our national defense strong and our homeland secure.

Josh Bolten has served in a variety of positions in the government and private jobs too. He's worked in the White House, on presidential campaigns, and with different law firms. He's even worked for the State Department!

Mr. Bolten loves to bowl and is known for taking his staff to the bowling alley to blow off steam. He also likes to ride his Harley-Davidson motorcycle when he's not working. Josh Bolten is single and lives in Washington.

O my God, be attentive to all the prayers made to you in this place.
—II Chronicles 6:40

When I pray, You answer me; You encourage me by giving me the strength I need.
—Psalm 138:3

Portrait Courtesy of TheodoreRoosevelt.com

The true Christian is the true citizen, lofty of purpose, resolute in endeavor, ready for a hero's deeds, but never looking down on his task because it is cast in the day of small things; scornful of baseness, awake to his own duties as well as to his rights, following the higher law with reverence, and in this world doing all that in him lies, so that when death comes he may feel that mankind is in some degree better because he has lived.
--Theodore Roosevelt

Since it's definitely back-to-school time, no matter what part of the country you live in, we want to give you some things to think about as you consider your education. Has it ever occurred to you to be thankful for your school? Your teachers? Your principal? Last week we talked about all the ways you can pray for your school, and we know that God is going to work powerfully through your prayers for your school. And we think you will be even more motivated to pray for your school when you are thankful for it.

So, we want you to learn a little bit about what life was like when not every kid was able to go to school! You may be surprised at what you learn!

These kids are having fun at the beach. What will you do on Labor Day weekend? Photo courtesy of ivgid.com.

Labor Day is next weekend! It's a neat day off from school, a day to spend with your family, and the last day to enjoy a day at the beach or a dip in the pool. This is also a great time to give thanks to God for the privilege of going to school.

Whether you are home schooled, go to a private school or attend public school, you can thank God for the privileges you enjoy and the protection you have as a child living in America.

Although you may never have thought about being grateful to God for your school today is a great time to start. Think of it this way--what would you be doing if you weren't in school? Where would you be? Playing? Camping? Enjoying sports? Catching fish? Skating? Flying?

These children worked in a fabric mill--that's a place where thousands of threads are carefully woven together by huge machines to make yards and yards of fabric. Their job was to change the bobbins on the machines. You can see that these two boys were so small they had to climb up on the dangerous machinery to do their job. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

If you lived 100 years ago, you might be working in a factory, sorting through coal in a mine or shucking oysters for the market--for up to 15 hours a day! That's right. At the beginning of the last century, many children in America had to work. They went to work very early in the morning and sometimes worked until after dark. These kids didn't get to play very much at all, and they didn't do sports. They pretty much worked, slept and ate. Some kids got involved in bad activities because they weren't supervised by their moms and dads when they were at work.

Most of the children who worked in factories and fields did so because their families were very poor. As our nation grew stronger and we developed more ways to make valuable products to buy and sell, children became a part of the labor force.

At first, the people who owned the factories didn't see anything wrong with kids helping out. But eventually, many Americans started to realize that this was not a good thing. Kids couldn't go to school if they were at work all day. How would they learn to read? If kids can't read, their future could be pretty sad because education is the best way to develop a good career and discover our calling in life.

This little boy also worked in a cotton mill with this large machines. His workday was probably about 12 hours long with only one half-hour break for lunch. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

In some states, children were permitted to work for most of the year, after they attended school for twenty weeks. This worked for some and brought hardship for others, because the families had come to depend on the money those children earned.

Although there were many voices working to stop factories and farms from taking advantage of children, one man, Albert J. Beveridge, believed strongly that this practice needed to end. A senator from Indiana, Mr. Beveridge believed in making America strong--and he didn't believe America could be strong if her children were not educated.

Albert Jeremiah Beveridge was a senator from Indiana who fought for children. He wrote the first bill that prevented children from working in factories and mills. He did this so their school work wouldn't be neglected. Photo courtesy of Ashland University.

These words of Senator Beveridge show you how strongly he felt about child labor, and his Christian faith.

Shall free institutions broaden their blessed reign as the children of liberty wax in strength, until the empire of our principles is established over the hearts of all mankind?

Have we no mission to perform, no duty to discharge to our fellowman? Has the Almighty Father endowed us with gifts beyond our deserts and marked us as the people of His peculiar favor, merely to rot in our own selfishness, as men and nations must who take cowardice for their companion and self for their deity.

Can you hear the passion and concern in Senator Beveridge's words?

Story continued with WEEKLY QUIZ in next column.