Click HERE to hear a great Easter hymn.

Click Here to take the survey.

President Bush is seen here talking with Prime Minister Martin of Canada during meetings on Wednesday. President Vicente Fox of Mexico was also included in this gathering that met at Baylor University in Texas. Photo courtesy of the White House.

1. Earlier this week President Bush had a really important meeting with the leaders of Canada and Mexico. (Do you know who they are?) Prime Minister Paul Martin of Canada and President Vicente Fox of Mexico came to Texas to meet with President Bush and other leaders, and they talked about how they can work together to help all the people in all three of their countries! That's a pretty great example of cooperation, isn't it? And that means this is a great time to pray for all three leaders as they work together to fight terrorism in North America and to bring hope and prosperity to all the people living in these nations. Pray for them also as they work on the challenging issues of border security—who is allowed in and out of each country and how that works. Pray that they will have God's help and wisdom to come up with plans that will help everyone and keep our countries safe.
2. Hey, it's Easter Week! Most everyone will be taking some time to spend with their family and loved ones, including President and Mrs. Bush, so pray for them and their daughters Jenna and Barbara and other members of their family as they gather to celebrate Easter. Pray that they will have terrific family times together filled with lots of fun and enjoyment, and that they will also experience in a very real way the joy and power of the resurrection of Jesus so they can return to Washington refreshed and strengthened by God to face the new challenges that will come.
3. As long as we're praying about Easter, let's ask God to turn the hearts of all Americans toward Him this Easter, so that everyone can know the goodness and hope that come with belonging to Him and believing in Him. Pray that the good news that Jesus is risen will spread to everyone this week.
4. Pray for our troops as they keep on working to protect not only us, but the people of Iraq and Afghanistan and many other parts of the world like Japan, Korea, Italy and Germany. Since lots of families will be separated from one another this Easter, we can pray that God will be very near to those who miss their loved ones, asking Him to be especially close to everyone who has lost a loved one due to their military service. Thank God for the faithful service of all our military personnel and pray that those who are far from home will soon be able to come home.

He isn't here! He has risen from the dead! Don't you remember what He told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that He would rise again the third day?
—Luke 24:6-7

O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring You.
—Nehemiah 11:1

White House Chief of Staff— Andrew Card

Photo courtesy of the White House.

As Chief of Staff, Andy Card holds one of the most important positions on President Bush's team. He is the person who makes sure that all the things the President wants to do—from the people he meets with to the places he goes and the policies he enacts—get accomplished. The modern-day White House is a really complicated place, and the Chief of Staff is the person who keeps everything organized, coordinated and moving smoothly. Andy Card has been doing a great job of this since the beginning of President Bush's service, and he has agreed to continue through the next four years.

Andy Card's job is really challenging because of its long days, many crises and challenges from many different people and situations. He must represent the President in all kinds of situations as he interacts with the cabinet, deals with Congress and manages his relationship with the press. Working with a large staff, he makes sure the President is always meeting with the right people at the right time—especially those who can help him do his job and lead our country most effectively.

Mr. Card brought great experience with him when he began as Chief of Staff, having served previously as Secretary of Transportation and Assistant Chief of Staff under George H.W. Bush as well as serving under President Reagan in Intergovernmental Affairs. He served a stint in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1975-1983 and has worked successfully in the automotive industry in a variety of executive and leadership positions.

Mr. Card graduated from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering. He attended the United States Merchant Marine Academy and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and has received numerous honorary degrees and awards. A native of Holbrook, Massachusetts (near the homestead of Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams), Andy and his wife Kathleene, have three children and four grandchildren.

NASA Administrator— Michael D. Griffin

Photo courtesy of NASA.

Let's just say that Michael D. Griffin is a really, really smart guy. That's surely one of the reasons President Bush just appointed him to be our country's new 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 will 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. You may remember that President Bush has called for lots of new initiatives in our space program, so Dr. Griffin has his work cut out for him.

Dr. Griffin will have to undergo confirmation by a Senate committee, just like most of President Bush's appointees, but he sure has a lot of support from members of Congress and others. His excitement about space exploration is infectious so watch for great things to be happening with this important part of our government.

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! He will need our prayers as he steps into this new position following Senate confirmation.

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

An empty tomb equals new life.

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

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' people 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.

Christians in Romania decorate eggs with elaborate designs like these to celebrate new life at Easter. Photo courtesy of mainichi.com.

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

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.

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!

This painting shows artist Homer Hacker's idea of what the Easter Egg Roll was like at the turn of the last century. You can see the long dresses and parasols sported by the women, and men wearing the stylish derby hats that were popular in the early 1900's. Painting courtesy of the White House Historical Association.