Did you hear the incredible story of J-Mac? That’s Jason McElwain, the autistic teen who played in the final four minutes of his team’s last basketball game of the season, sinking six three-pointers and scoring 20 points in his first—and only—high school game. When he landed in Rochester, NY earlier this week, President Bush greeted Jason, a high school senior, along with his parents and his basketball coach. President Bush reported that Jason had inspired the nation, and when he watched the video, he wept, as did many Americans. Do you have any autistic friends? This has been a terrific opportunity for members of the autistic community, as it has drawn a lot of attention to the needs and capabilities of autistic kids. Photo courtesy of the White House.

1. This weekend is the third anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. It’s hard to believe we’ve been in Iraq for that long, but it’s really good to pray for the President to have God’s help and wisdom as he leads our efforts in Iraq, especially as he works with the commanders on the ground and keeps our troops encouraged and motivated. Pray for Iraqi troops and security forces to keep getting stronger so they can keep their own nation secure and help bring freedom and liberty to their people.
2. Besides the anniversary of the war, another really big thing is happening—over 1,500 troops—Americans and Iraqis—are moving into Samarra, Iraq to clear out insurgents who are known to be hiding out there. This effort is being undertaken by the 101st Airborne Division, so it’s really important to pray for these men and women to have God’s help, strength and wisdom as they undertake this important effort. Pray that they will succeed in this effort—beyond their hopes—and that the whole nation of Iraq will become more secure. Pray that those who are still trying to make people fight one another rather than work together for a stable Iraq, will stop, and will choose a peaceful Iraq.
3. President Bush has some pretty important meetings coming up in the next few days, so it’s a great time to pray for him as he meets with Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern on March 17 for the traditional Shamrock Ceremony that symbolizes the friendship between our two countries. After that meeting, President Bush and Prime Minister Ahern will be joined by U.K. Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Peter Hain and they will greet civil society leaders who are working to build a peaceful Northern Ireland. Then, on March 21 he will welcome President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of the Republic of Liberia to the White House so he can congratulate her on becoming Africa's first woman to be elected Head of State. They will discuss continuing cooperation in the areas of reconstruction, education, HIV/AIDS, trade, asset recovery and security sector reform, and democratic reform, as well as the need to bring Charles Taylor to justice.

Photo courtesy of csmonitor.com.

Director of the Office of Management and Budget—Joshua Bolten
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 received his B.A. from Princeton University (1976) and his J.D. from Stanford Law School (1980), where he was an editor of the Stanford Law Review. Immediately after law school, he served as a law clerk at the U.S. District Court in San Francisco. During the fall semester of 1993, Mr. Bolten taught international trade at Yale Law. So you can tell he’s a very smart man and a terrific guy to have serving our country! Mr. Bolten loves to bowl and is known for taking his staff to the bowling alley to blow off steam, and he likes to ride his Harley-Davidson motorcycle when he’s not working. Josh Bolten is single and lives in Washington.

Photo courtesy of the State Department.

Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy—John Walters
Have you ever heard of the Office of National Drug Control Policy? It is a great team that fights illegal drugs and drug addiction in our country. Their efforts are especially aimed at kids, but they work to help us all understand how really, really bad drugs can be, for everyone, and they work to keep kids involved in all kinds of good things so they won’t turn to drugs.

In his job as Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, Mr. John Walters has a lot of responsibility. He is often called the President’s “Drug Czar” because he fights the battle against drugs and drug dealers on behalf of our country. With his team, Mr. Walters works to greatly reduce the use, import, production and selling of drugs in America. One of the neatest ways Mr. Walters has helped kids resist drugs is with the “Anti-Drug” campaign which points out all kinds of things that kids can do that fill their lives with good things so they don’t feel so tempted to take drugs—everything from sports to pets to math to art. ONDCP also encourages kids and parents to talk about everything so they can keep their relationship strong. We think the ONDCP should add one more item to their list of anti-drugs—PRAYER! As you pray for John Walters and the ONDCP, remember to ask God to give them great wisdom, to help them in their daily work and pray that God will work to defeat all the forms of evil that make people turn to drugs.

Walters and his wife Mary have two daughters: Michaela and Rebecca.

"Go out and stand before me on the mountain," the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper.
—I Kings 19:11-12

Now all of us, both Jews and Gentiles, may come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.
—Ephesians 2:18

If you are a baseball fan, you know that it's spring training time! If you don't care that much about baseball, stay with us anyway, because we have lots of great things to learn from baseball and the great tradition of spring training! We'll also get to know two special baseball players from history.

Billy Sunday's baseball card when he was with the Chicago White Stockings. Image Courtesy Library of Congress

What would you think about hearing from a preacher who was once a record-setting baseball player? That's Billy Sunday! He's a great American to get to know, because he used his fame and influence for lots of really good things. He not only spoke before millions of people, hundreds of thousands of them decided to begin a friendship with God through Jesus Christ. He also influenced the culture of his day, bringing change and revolution to many communities from small towns in the Midwest to the biggest cities in America!

Billy Sunday's baseball card when he was with the Pittsburg Alleghenys. Image Courtesy Library of Congress

Billy Sunday was a very famous evangelist who lived at the end of the 1800's. Billy was known for his very enthusiastic style of preaching that captured peoples' attention and kept it. He spoke to thousands at a time before the days of microphones or public address systems. He was especially concerned about alcohol and often preached against it—in part because he had seen the very bad things that happened in the lives of people who were addicted to alcohol.

Billy Sunday was born in Iowa in 1862. His father died while fighting for the Union in the Civil War when Billy was only one year old. This caused quite a hardship on his mother, so Billy lived in an orphanage until he set out on his own at age 15. A very fast runner, Billy dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player. He was eventually discovered and played for the Chicago White Stockings starting in 1883.

This photo shows the Chicago White Stockings of 1886. Just 12 players! Teams have many more players than that today! Do you know how many? Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Billy also played for the Philadelphia Athletics and the Pittsburg Alleghenys, but he had developed ties to Chicago. He was the first player to run the bases in 14 seconds and broke records for stealing bases.

The Pacific Garden Mission south of Chicago's Loop as it looks today. Photo courtesy of the Pacific Garden Mission.

The world of professional sports was very different in those days, but some things were the same then as they are today. Young men made more money than every day workers, and they faced all kinds of temptations when they traveled to games. One evening in 1886, Billy and some friends were drinking in a part of Chicago with a lot of taverns and bars. A local mission had posted their "Gospel Wagon" at the corner of State Street and Van Buren and members of the mission were singing and sharing the Good News of God's love for all people. Billy and his friends stopped to listen to the music and Billy later accepted the invitation to go back to the mission with the volunteers.

Here Billy is seen with Jack Pickett. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.

It was there he heard powerful preaching about Jesus. Billy felt convicted of his sin and realized that he was spending too much time with alcohol and other pursuits that were neither good nor pleasing to God. He soon decided to give his life to Christ. Things changed for Billy Sunday, and he never looked back.

Billy was eager to learn the Bible, and he soaked up all he could. Soon he was telling others how Jesus had saved him and helping them to find new life and grow in their faith. Meanwhile, Billy was trying to keep his baseball career going. In fact, a few different teams were luring him with offers of large salaries. But Billy didn't care about making $400 a week. He wanted to be involved in growing God's Kingdom! He soon took a job for $83 a week at the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) in Chicago.

Billy also met and married his wife, Helen, who quickly became known as "Ma." Billy and Ma were a great team, and she helped with his work in many ways.

It wasn't long before Billy was preaching to crowds of his own in big cities across the country. His flamboyant personality and athleticism led to a preaching style that was loved and criticized alike. Billy was known for moving around and striking dramatic poses as he preached. Here are some photos that show his crazy style:

All photos courtesy of billysunday.org.

Billy also took what he'd learned from his life before Christ and applied it to his evangelistic efforts. He realized that people would be more likely to come to his meetings if he had something unique to offer them. So Billy added music and promotional efforts like advertising in local newspapers, keying off his background as a famous baseball player. He built a team that helped him as he traveled to each city, including Ma and trombonist Homer Rodeheaver. Some prayed, some led music, many did follow-up on those who made commitments to Christ, referring them to churches where they could grow in their faith. Billy also made sure that he worked with the local pastors and interested businesses wherever he preached.

Billy Sunday wanted to help everyone know about God's love for them, and he was willing to do just about anything to get the Good News out. His approach was a lot like the Apostle Paul's. Can you think of a place in the Bible where Paul explains this?
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