President Bush said "Goodbye" to his Chief of Staff, Andy Card, this week, just before he took off for Camp David. Give thanks for the fantastic service of Mr. Card, and pray for him in his new life, and for Josh Bolten who will step into the position immediately. Photo courtesy of the White House.

1. You’ve probably seen all the interest that people are showing about the subject of immigration reform lately. Leaders in Congress were trying to pass a law that they could bring to President Bush before they left Washington for the Easter recess. They came close, but didn’t succeed. So now we have a perfect opportunity to pray for our legislators to think very clearly and have wisdom and discernment from God during their vacation, so they can know the best way to handle this important issue. Pray that they will return to Washington with workable ideas resulting in a good law that will serve the best interests of our nation and will honor God at the same time! Pray for the President as he thinks about solutions and talks with members of his team, asking God to guide him too. Pray that everyone working on this law will talk together in a civil and dignified way, just as the President has asked.

The Easter Egg Roll takes place at the White House on Easter Monday, the day after Easter. It is a tradition for the sitting president to come out to the South Lawn to greet visitors. Photo courtesy of the White House.

2. Easter! The best holiday of the whole Christian year, because it’s the one that renews our hope and reminds us that our sins are forgiven and we will live forever with Jesus! Pray that the spirit of hope and forgiveness that we celebrate on Easter will spread across our nation, and that many who need to know the Lord will come to Him! Pray for all the pastors, worship leaders, children’s ministers and others who will be doing their very best to help people understand and celebrate Easter this year. It’s also a very good time to pray as thousands flock to the White House on Easter Monday, April 17—for safety, fun and great weather for everyone who attends. Give thanks, too, for the religious freedom we enjoy in America, that this very special Christian holiday is observed in our nation’s capital—at the White House, even!
3. Pray for President and Mrs. Bush and their family and loved ones as they gather at the Camp David retreat in Maryland to celebrate this wonderful holiday. Pray that they will draw near to God in worship, the Word and in prayer and that they will be renewed and refreshed by this time. Pray that the President will be strengthened and encouraged as he returns to Washington.

This photo shows Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice shaking hands with Prime Minister Siniora of Lebanon when the two met in February. Now Mr. Siniora is coming to the White House—so remember to pray for the relationship between our two countries! Photo courtesy of the State Department.

4. Pray for the President as he welcomes to the White House Prime Minister Siniora of Lebanon on April 18, that as they talk about strengthening the economy and bringing a stronger sense of democracy to the Middle East, God will be present with them and will guide their talks. President Bush has another big meeting coming up—he will meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao on April 20! Pray that the two leaders will be able to resolve differences between our nations and will both benefit from discussions on the war on terror, nuclear weapons and the advancement of freedom in Asia and the world.

This U.S. Marine offers candy to an Iraqi boy while on weapons searches near Gharmah, Iraq last week. Photo courtesy of the Department of Defense.

5. As always, we especially want to remember our troops on Easter, asking God to be very near to each one, giving them His comfort and strength and filling them with Easter hope. Pray for the families who don’t get to be together on this holiday, asking God to meet their needs in other ways. Pray for all the members of our military who are serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, asking God to keep them all safe.

Secretary of State—Condoleezza Rice
Dr. Condoleezza Rice served our nation and our president for four years as the National Security Advisor. When President Bush won his second term of office, she was given a new job as Secretary of State. In that position she leads our country’s relationships and negotiations with other countries (nations of the world are also known as states, in case this wording confused you!).

In her job as Secretary of State, Dr. Rice has already gone to the Middle East to help Israel and the Palestinians stop fighting each other and make peace. The mission of the State Department is to work with other nations of the world to ensure peace, prosperity and security all around the world! That’s a big job that may seem nearly impossible, but when you think about the tremendous influence America has with most all the countries of the world, you can see what a really important job it is! In fact, that’s why The Presidential Prayer Team has so many members around the world—because they know that America’s policies and plans affect everyone everywhere!

Dr. Rice is single and is very close friends with President and Mrs. Bush. She often spends time with them, both at Camp David, MD and at their Crawford, TX ranch. She works out regularly, loves sports and carefully follows the athletic teams of Stanford University where she taught and served as provost for several years before coming to Washington, D. C.

Photo courtesy of HUD.

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development—Alphonso Jackson
Alphonso Jackson has been at the helm of the Department of Housing and Urban Development since March 31, 2004. In that role, he and his team work hard to provide affordable housing for all Americans while promoting economic development in our nation’s cities. HUD works hard to make our cities great places to live. They work to provide housing for the homeless, to help neighborhoods with big problems to tackle and solve them and to help every American realize the dream of home ownership.

Alphonso Jackson knows about the importance of good housing—he grew up in a family with 12 children! His father worked very hard at three jobs. He educated his children, and instilled the values that have helped Secretary Jackson as he leads HUD—among those the importance of giving back to the community.

Secretary Jackson holds a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's degree in education administration from Truman State University. He received his law degree from Washington University School of Law. With his wife, Marcia, he has two grown daughters.

Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray…" Stay here and keep watch with me." Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done."
—Matthew 26:36, 39-42

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."
—Matthew 28:5-7

Unless you understand the real meaning of Easter for those who believe in Christ, that equation won’t make much sense to you!

This tomb in Jerusalem may be the one where Jesus was laid. The open door to the cave reminds us that Jesus is risen! Photo courtesy of ida.net.

If you know the story of Easter, you know that after Jesus was crucified on the Cross, he was gently taken down and carefully placed in a tomb--that’s a cave that was used to place bodies in. Jesus’ followers were very sad, until Easter morning when they went to the tomb to take care of some things. When they got there, the cave where Jesus’ body had been placed was empty! Jesus wasn’t there.

At first Jesus’ friends wondered if someone mean had taken the Lord’s body in a cruel trick. But soon they saw Jesus with their own eyes. He was alive again! The promises that had been made about a risen King, a strong Messiah, were really true.

Jesus kept on reminding the people how much He loved them. He kept on promising them new life--eternal life--if they would make friends with Him and dedicate their lives to Him. For those who do that, Jesus promises life forever in heaven with Him. He includes in this promise the forgiveness of our sins.

So that’s how an empty tomb equals new life.

Did you ever wonder why eggs and bunnies and chicks are a part of our Easter celebrations?

People in many cultures around the world decorate eggs at Easter to celebrate new life! Photo courtesy of momsbreak.com.

For many years--even before Jesus--people celebrated spring. They enjoyed the way the earth bloomed and flowered after the long cold winter. They were glad for the baby animals that were born. Once Christians began to observe Easter, it fell on the calendar at just about the same time of year as the spring time celebrations.

At first Christians felt they should not be involved in these celebrations at all. But eventually they decided to observe Easter around the same time of year as it had always been celebrated, because if they did not, they risked great persecution from rulers who wanted to wipe out all believers in Christ.

God shows us new life at Easter time, in our gardens, public parks and in our hearts!

Hopefully, in the area where you live, spring is starting to show itself with flowers pushing up through the ground, light green leaves budding out on the trees and warmer breezes blowing through the air. If you live on a farm, you may be expecting a new calf or colt or a batch of chicks. That’s why eggs and bunnies and chicks are such popular symbols of Easter, because as part of God’s creation, they remind us of the wonderful way He makes the world new each and every spring. They are good symbols of new life, but the very best symbol of new life is the empty tomb, because it reminds us that Jesus died for us and is now alive!

Pilgrims and Puritans did not observe Easter. Photo courtesy of 4kids.org.

You might be interested to know that the Puritans and most of our Founding Fathers did not observe Easter for many of the same reasons that the early Christians did not--they did not want anything to distract them from their commitment to holy living. They felt that the lightheartedness that goes with celebrating Easter could go against their commitment to live separate from non-Christians in purity and holiness.

In time, though, Christians in North America realized that the fulfillment of God’s promise of new life in Christ would be the best possible thing to celebrate!