All the Bible verses in this edition of The Presidential Prayer Team
for Kids Update are from The New Living Translation of the Bible.
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  • Easter is over and everyone’s returning to Washington—what a great time to pray!
  • Great inspiration to pray from Rev. Billy Graham—it’s definitely worth reading and understanding!
  • Meet a man in the news—controversial, and inspirational!
Things to pray for

President Bush greeted members of the National Guard and the Border Patrol during a trip to Yuma, AZ earlier this week.  Pray for President Bush as he leads our country and our military.  Photo courtesy of the White House. 

  1. President Bush is facing some really important decisions—decisions that are impacted by the fact that he claims Christ as his Savior and seeks to serve Him wisely! This is especially true with an important kind scientific program called stem cell research which seeks cures to terrible diseases.  Stem cell research uses human embryos to do genetic research.  Some kinds of stem cell research cause the embryo to be destroyed and some do not.  The President is doing his best to help the scientific community find solutions to these devastating diseases and not destroy embryos—human life—in the process!  Many people agree with the President’s approach, others do not!  Two different bills have been passed by the Senate—one that protects embryos and one that does not!  Guess which one the President has said he will sign and which one he has said he will veto!  Since we know that all human life is valuable and important to God, we must pray for President Bush as he seeks to protect and preserve human life while helping advance important forms of scientific research.

    President Bush is also working with members of Congress on emergency funding for the war in Iraq.  He believes it is very important to continue our efforts there and that we must continue to help the people of Iraq to become completely independent and self-sustaining.  We must pray for President Bush as he works with members of Congress to gain support for our effort in Iraq, asking God to help these leaders work out their differences and to move forward in a way that will be good for America and for all the people of the world.

The little girl getting a hug from First Lady Laura Bush in this photo, Rae Leigh Bradbury, is a very special person.  Do you know why?  She was the very first child to be recovered as a result of an AMBER Alert.  Rae was only eight weeks old at the time—November 1998.  The Amber Alert program has saved more than 300 children from kidnapping or abduction so far!  Mrs. Bush met Rae in Austin, TX last week while seeking to bring attention to the importance of the AMBER Alert program.  Pray for all the people who work to keep children safe, whether through AMBER Alert, law enforcement or other means.  Photo courtesy of the White House. 

  1. Pray for the members of Congress—the Senate has already returned to the Capitol and the House will come back on April 17—as they get back to work after their spring recess, asking God to guide them as they work together with President Bush and others to deal with many key concerns for our nation.
     

  1. Have you heard people talking about Attorney General Alberto Gonzales?  His name has been in the news quite a bit lately because he fired some U.S. Attorneys.  Some people in Washington are upset about these firings.  They say the firings may have been politically motivated.  Since the U.S. Attorneys are under the Department of Justice, the head of that department, Alberto Gonzales, is under fire too.  That means this is a fantastic time to pray for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and all those in Washington who seek to investigate these firings, that the truth will come out and God’s will is done in this situation.  Pray that people will really want to understand the “right and wrong” of the situation rather than trying to pursue self-serving ends.  You can learn more about Attorney General Gonzales as you read on.
  1. Hey!  The National Day of Prayer is coming up really soon—Thursday, May 3!   With just a few weeks before the big day, it’s a great time to pray about how you will get involved in the NDOP and how you will encourage others to get involved too.  Pray that many, many Americans will jump in and decide to help America in this important way, and that God will help our country through the prayers of the people!  Learn how you can get involved HERE.

  2. Did you know that experts are predicting a very bad hurricane season this year?   We’ve prayed for the weather before, and we can pray for the weather once again, asking God to calm the storms that form during hurricane season, and that they will diminish before they come ashore on the U.S. or anywhere else! 

  3. Pray for the brave members of our military as they keep on serving our country faithfully.  Those who are currently in Afghanistan and Iraq have been told that they will have to stay there three months longer, so we must pray for them to be strengthened and encouraged.  Pray that God will protect and keep each one in safety and security, and that He will also watch over their families as they do without their loved one. 

Leaders to pray for

NASA Administrator—Michael D. Griffin
Let's just say that Michael D. Griffin is a really, really smart guy. That's surely one of the reasons President Bush appointed him to be our country's Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration—NASA. Dr. Griffin lives in Virginia and has been the head of the Space Department at Johns Hopkins University—that's not the class where they decide how to plan your closet, it's a really important program that trains many young scientists to understand and explore outer space.

Dr. Griffin has also worked as an engineer at NASA as well as having had a really successful career with several science-based companies. He is be the first true scientist to run NASA, and people are getting pretty excited about what he will be able to do. In fact, one of his biggest jobs will be to help all the people at NASA as they continue to work at getting the Space Shuttle program up and going again since it was grounded after the horrible explosion of the Challenger on February 1, 2003.  President Bush has called for many new initiatives in our space program, so Dr. Griffin has his work cut out for him.

Oh, and Dr. Griffin has a few educational degrees to help him as he takes on the job—a bachelor's degree in physics, a doctorate in aerospace engineering and five, count them five, master's degrees ranging from business administration to applied physics!

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.

Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what He did for me.  For I cried out to Him for help, praising Him as I spoke.  If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, my Lord would not have listened.  But God did listen!  He paid attention to my prayer.  Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer and did not withdraw His unfailing love from me.
--Psalm 66:15-20

And we can be confident that He will listen to us whenever we ask Him for anything in line with His will.  And if we know He is listening when we make our requests, we can be sure that He will give us what we ask for.
--I John 5:14-15

First Lady Laura Bush poses with Clifford the Big Red Dog and lots of special kids who were at the White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday, April 9.  Photo courtesy of the White House. 

Did you know that a really special event, the White House Easter Egg Roll, takes place every year on the Monday after Easter?  It is a really fun time when lots of kids and their families get to romp around the South Lawn and interact with all kinds of great characters from their favorite books. Clifford the Big Red Dog, Arthur and the Easter Bunny were among the VIP’s present.  Cabinet members and actors also came to read to the children. 

First Lady Laura Bush is flanked by Mr. and Mrs. Easter Bunny as she welcomes guests to the White House from the Truman Balcony on Easter Monday.  Photo courtesy of the White House.

This great tradition began when President Rutherford B. Hayes first invited Sunday School children to the South Lawn for an Easter egg hunt! 

Kylie wrote in to tell us how much she loves Easter!  Do you have a message for the rest of the kids on PPK?  Just write a line to editor@presidentialprayerteam.org, and we’ll make sure the other kids get to read what you have to say. 

I like Easter.  We go to sunrise church then breakfast, back to church and then we can find eggs. Jesus is alive and I love him. 
--Kylie

Does your school observe the National Day of Prayer?  What do you do?  How do kids get involved?  What materials do you use? 

We’d love to tell all the kids and parents who read The Presidential Prayer Team for Kids all about the celebrations at your school!  So plan now to get involved—maybe talk to a teacher or your principal.  Tell us in an email about your plans for the big day, May 3.  Then be sure to collect some stories and pictures of how you observe the National Day of Prayer.  So plan now to be involved, and be sure to take photos, whether you have a special chapel service, a flagpole rally, a gathering with your youth group or Sunday School class.  Write your PPK Editor here:  Editor@presidentialprayerteam.org. Write us a few sentences about how you observe the NDOP and we’ll do our best to tell your story on the PPK website.

You know about Billy Graham, don’t you?  He is one of the most beloved people in the world, and some say he has appeared personally before more people than anyone else in the world. (We know you are probably thinking of the Pope, but Rev. Graham has been speaking to huge live audiences since 1947!  That’s a long time ago!)  One of the reasons people love Billy Graham so much is because he always explains things in a way the people can easily understand.  In this quote, he explains a really well-known Bible verse, Psalm 37:4. 
Your petitions should always be conditioned by ‘Thy will be done.’ ‘Delight thyself also in the Lord and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart’ (Psalm 37:4).  But the delighting of oneself in Him precedes the fulfillment of our desires.  Delighting ourselves in Him will direct our desires, so God can answer our petitions.  Remember that you can pray any time, anywhere.  Washing dishes, digging ditches, working in the office, in the shop, on the athletic field, even in prison—you can pray and know God hears!
--Rev. Billy Graham

This photo shows Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor introducing newly sworn-in Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.  President Bush, Gonzales’ mother, his wife, Rebecca and his sons are shown as well.  Photo courtesy of the White House. 

An American Inspiration

Alberto Gonzales has been in the news lately, so that’s a great reminder for us to keep praying for him as he leads the Department of Justice.  Maybe you have heard people talking about Attorney General Gonzales—now you can get to know him just a little bit better, and we hope, knowing him better, you can pray! 
Alberto Gonzales’ story is an inspiring one, for he is one of eight children in the family of a migrant worker.  His parents spoke little English and had only eight years of education between them.  The family of ten lived in a two bedroom house in Houston with no hot water and no telephone. Lacking the funds to buy a home, his father and uncles built the home from scratch.  Alberto and his siblings grew strong on his mother’s tortillas and beans.   Though they had no tradition of education in their family, they did have a tradition of working hard to scrape out a living.

Alberto Gonzales loves to tell how he took a job at age 12 selling soda at the Rice University football stadium in order to help support his family.  Lugging those trays to the highest part of the stands, Alberto dreamed of a better life.  "I would stare over the stadium walls and watch the Rice students stroll back to the colleges, and I wondered what it would be like to be…a Rice student," Gonzales says.

Alberto Gonzales hugs his mother, Maria, after being sworn in as our nation’s Attorney General.  Photo courtesy of the White House. 

Color Blind
Texas high schools had just been integrated when Alberto Gonzales started high school in the mid-1960’s, enabling him to attend a MacArthur Senior High School and take college prep classes.  Social interaction was still pretty tightly bound along racial lines back then, and most Hispanic kids just didn’t mix with other kids.  That didn’t bother Al.  He joined the Christian Student Union, the International Club, the football and baseball teams and stayed active with all of them. 

Graduating high school with high honors, Al still believed college was beyond his grasp so he did what lots of kids did--he enlisted in the Air Force and was sent all the way up to an outpost north of the Arctic Circle at Fort Yukon, Alaska, a radar station.  He did well, but the officers in command soon realized that he should aim his sights higher than a military career.  They urged him to apply to a college: the U.S. Air Force Academy.  He was accepted there and began in 1975. 

In God’s Hands
Tiring quickly of science and engineering, Alberto’s interests turned to politics.  Gambling his future, Alberto Gonzales prayed and applied to his hometown university, Rice in Houston.  . "Ultimately I simply put it in God's hands by applying for a transfer to the school I once dreamed about attending as a boy," he says. "If accepted at Rice, I would leave and pursue a legal career. If denied, I would stay and fulfill my military obligations. This was my prayer."  Alberto was accepted at Rice and did well.  His next school--Harvard University where he studied law.  When he completed his law degree and passed the bar, he worked with a prestigious law firm back in Houston.  He continued in the practice of law until he met newly-elected Governor Bush of Texas who soon appointed him to be his attorney. 

The list of “firsts” Alberto Gonzales has achieved as a Hispanic are many, but it all came down to his dream and the prayer he prayed that set him on a new path.  His prayer eventually led to a fulfilling career in public service. 

With Attorney General Alberto Gonzales at his side, President Bush addresses a group in the White House Rose Garden.  Photo courtesy of the White House. 

Presidential Endorsement
At Attorney General Gonzales’ swearing-in ceremony, President Bush made the following comments, reflecting on the great strides made by the young man from Houston with a dream in his heart and faith in his God:  As he embarks on all these duties, Attorney General Gonzales has my complete confidence. From his early days of selling soda at Rice University football games, to his time in the Air Force, to his distinguished legal career and service on the White House staff, Al has been a model of courage and character to his fellow citizens. I've witnessed his integrity, his decency, his deep dedication to the cause of justice. Now he will advance that cause as the Attorney General and ensure that more Americans have the opportunity to achieve their dreams.

Rutherford B. Hayes was the first president to invite Washington’s children to the White House for the Easter Egg Roll.  Portrait courtesy of the White House.  

This week’s presidential quote is from a man with a familiar name:  George H.W. Bush.  Did you know that only two presidents have prayed before beginning their inaugural address, and George H.W. Bush is one of them?  Do you know who the other one is?  Hover here for answer. With these words, former President Bush reminds us of the great burden every leader has to serve the people he or she leads.  Whether you are on student council in school or the captain of a sports team or simply a big sister or brother to someone in your family, you have a big responsibility as you lead others.  Read below to learn more.

Heavenly father, we bow our heads and thank You for Your love.  Accept our thanks for the peace that yields this day and the shared faith that makes its continuance likely.  Make us strong to do Your work, willing to heed and hear Your will, and write on our hearts these words:  ‘Use power to help people’  For we are given power not to advance our own purposes, nor to make a great show in the world, nor a name.  There is but one just use of power and it is to serve people.  Help us to remember it, Lord.  Amen.

--George Herbert Walker Bush, Inaugural address, January 1989

It’s just terrific that President George H.W. Bush prayed when he was sworn into office.  For starters, that’s a great way to begin a presidency.  But when he asks God to “write on our hearts” he’s referring directly to and idea found in Scripture.  Do you know where it is?  Hover here to read. 

President Bush seemed to be very aware as he prayed that prayer that leaders can go two ways—they can serve God or they can serve themselves.  The Bible is full of leaders who did both!  Can you think of an example of a leader in the Bible who used his power and authority to help the people he led and was honored by God for doing so? Hover here to read. 

The PPT and PPK websites are rich fields of fantastic, fun facts and information!  Since we’ve been writing about the awesome heritage of America for over five years, we’ve got a lot of great info that you’ll be thrilled to learn. 

So we’re introducing a new feature, PPK Treasure Hunt.  It will make you explore around the many pages of the PPT and PPK sites.  It should help you grow in your knowledge of the great, godly heritage of our country.  And we hope you’ll learn some great stuff along the way!

Rev. Billy Graham tells us in today’s update that we pray anywhere at anytime!  In 2001 he wrote a great prayer for our country.  Check it out and be inspired!
When Attorney General John Ashcroft stepped down from the position in 2004, Alberto Gonzales became our country’s Attorney General.  Do you wonder how he made his way to Washington?

Now check out the BONUS QUIZ QUESTIONS and see if you found the treasure! 

QUESTION 1

Which of the following would you say is true about the way Billy Graham explains Psalm 37:4? 

  1. When you meditate on the promise of Psalm 37:4, it’s really important that you remember that God wants to give you anything you dream of.
  2. When you meditate on the promise of Psalm 37:4 it’s important to keep your heart attuned to God’s will first and foremost. 
  3. When you meditate on the promise of Psalm 37:4, it is important to delight in God first.  That way you can get your desires in tune with God’s desires. 

QUESTION 2

Read Rev. Graham’s quote again.  Which of the following is true?

  1. Rev. Graham says it’s important to only pray in special places like church or the top of a mountain.
  2. Only garbage men, ditch diggers and athletes can pray in their workplace.
  3. Anyone can pray anywhere, and that’s a great thing to practice.

QUESTION 3

As you think about the life of Alberto Gonzales, which of the following would you say is true? 

  1. Kids who dream about the future should get serious and deal with reality.  Dreams aren’t real and they can keep you from dealing with life in the here and now.
  2. As an Hispanic teen, Alberto should have paid better attention to his Hispanic friends and just stayed with them.
  3. Even though many circumstances were working against him, Alberto did the right thing by working hard, following his dream and trusting his future to God.

QUESTION 4

When you read former President Bush’s words, which of the following would you say is true?

  1. President Bush wanted the Lord to write a certain phrase on the hearts of everyone listening so that they would all remember that he is the new leader and all power is his.
  2. President Bush wanted the Lord to write the phrase ‘use power to help people’ on peoples’ hearts so they could all learn to advance their own purposes.
  3. President Bush wanted the Lord to write that phrase on everyone’s hearts because he knew how easily sinful human beings can forget that power is a gift from God and God alone, not a tool for selfish advancement.

QUESTION 5

Which three things is President Bush thankful for on his inaugural day?

  1. Power, fame and a big name.
  2. Nice weather, a good turnout and pretty decorations at the Capitol.
  3. The love of God, the peace America was experiencing at the time and a common, shared faith in our nation.

QUESTION 6

President Bush seems to be acknowledging that every leader faces significant temptations as he or she steps up to lead others.  He names three of those temptations.  What are they?

  1. To abuse their power by getting the highest ratings, to appearing  on television the most times and meeting with the most world leaders.
  2. To abuse their power by manipulating things to get what they want, to attract a lot of attention and to become famous for all time.
  3. To enjoy the great menu at the White House, to fly on Air Force One as often as possible and to make a lot of money writing books when your presidency is over.

QUESTION 7

As George H.W. Bush prayed that day he prayed in a way that followed the advice given in the previous quote by Billy Graham.  What concept do the two leaders’ quotes have in common?  Hover here to read.


BONUS QUIZ QUESTIONS
See PPK TREASURE HUNT

BONUS QUESTION 8

As you read Rev. Billy Graham’s Prayer for Our Nation, which of the following would you say is true?

  1. Billy Graham loves America very much.
  2. Billy Graham loves America very much, but he is aware that our country is not perfect.
  3. Billy Graham loves America very much and he is very aware that it is not perfect—but that is all the more reason to pray for our country!

BONUS QUESTION 9

In Billy Graham’s Prayer for Our Nation, he asks God to help America do what? 

  1. Repent, believe and walk in righteousness.
  2. Repent, gain wisdom and courage.
  3. Repent, humble ourselves and lift up Jesus as our Savior.

BONUS QUESTION 10

Fifty-one year old Alberto Gonzales is a native Texan.  How did he make his way from his home state to the nation’s capital? 

  1. Alberto Gonzales hitchhiked to Washington when he was a college student and liked it so much he decided to stay.
  2. Alberto Gonzales went to college in Washington, attending Georgetown University.  He began working there after graduation.
  3. Alberto Gonzales followed George Bush to Washington, having worked for him when he was Governor of Texas.

As a kid who prays for the leaders of your country, you may never have thought about being a leader yourself some day.  Or maybe you are already a leader, working to serve people in your community.  Whichever the case, we hope you’ve learned a lot from the leaders we’ve looked at this week.  They all have something in common—they prayed and they trusted God, and that’s something good for anyone to do, especially kids who pray!

Would you like to offer feedback on PPT for Kids? Write to your editor: Editor@presidentialprayerteam.org.

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