A friend of mine sent this to my wife and she sent it to me. I liked it, so you get it. Enjoy.

WASHINGTON - After President Bush met with Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski in the White House this month (May), Bush invited his
guest into his private study. There, the two men knelt side by side in silent prayer.


White House aides didn't mention that devotional interlude when they
described Trajkovski's visit May 2 to reporters, and they were displeased to
learn that the private moment was about to become public.


Religion infuses the president's daily life. He takes his
religion seriously. Graham questioned him about his
commitment to his faith, Bush wrote in his
autobiography, A Charge to Keep, and "planted the seed
of faith in my heart. ... It was the beginning of a
new walk where I would recommit my heart to Jesus
Christ."

He was raised an Episcopalian but became a Methodist
when he got married and joined the church of his wife,
Laura. He spoke of his beliefs often during the
campaign and said at his inauguration, "We are guided
by a power larger than ourselves who creates us equal
in his image."

Bush isn't reluctant to describe his active faith. "I
pray all the time," he said in the Fox News interview.
"When I am alone in the Oval Office (and) something
might be on my mind ... I will pray. I don't think
that I could be sitting here as comfortable as I am
and as peaceful as I am had it not been for my
religion."

Bush's prayers in the Oval Office are usually
solitary. But Trajkovski, like Bush, is a Methodist.
The Macedonian president is also a lay minister.
Before the visit, Trajkovski's staff suggested to
White House aides that he would welcome a chance to
pray with Bush. When Trajkovski entered the Oval
Office for the formal meeting, Bush recognized a pin
on his lapel. It was the emblem of the United
Methodist Church, a cross and a flame signifying the
Holy Spirit. After their official conversation, Bush
invited Trajkovski to join him in prayer.

Bush's frequent references to God and his faith make
Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for
Separation of Church and State, cringe. "When a
president wears his religion on his sleeve as visibly
as this one does ... he isn't simply using the bully
pulpit to speak his mind," Lynn says. "He's trying to
impose his religious views on other people."

Some critics thought Bush exploited religion during
the primary-election campaign. To build support among
traditional Republican voters before a hard-fought
South Carolina primary, he visited Bob Jones
University, an evangelical school in Greenville that
banned interracial dating and whose founder called
Catholicism a cult. Another time, in a debate, he was
asked what political philosopher or thinker he most
identified with. He answered simply, "Christ, because
he changed my heart."

Since taking office, Bush has met often with clerics,
including Catholic bishops and African-American
ministers, at the White House and while traveling.
When U.S. military personnel were being detained in
China last month, he asked American officials to be
sure they had Bibles if they wanted them. He has
proposed that religious groups operate some federal
programs for the needy.

"Jesus says, 'Keep your piety in private,' " says
Martin Marty, a religious historian. "People like the
notion that piety shapes a president's morality ...
but they know that policies backed by religion have to
be scrutinized more than others."


Kirbyjon Caldwell is senior pastor at Windsor Village
United Methodist Church in Houston and a Bush friend
who sometimes prays with the president over the phone.
Caldwell says Bush's faith is such a significant part
of his life that he can't help but talk about it.

"The president's faith is extraordinarily important to
him, not just for spiritual reasons but for
professional, emotional, social and family reasons,"
Caldwell says. "The president allows his faith to
permeate his entire being. He does not keep his faith
in a box and open it when he's in trouble."

However, he doesn't impose it on anybody, his aides
say. They see his expressions of faith as one key to
his character. "I find it very welcoming," says press
secretary Ari Fleischer, who is Jewish. "It's a
reminder for everyone about the importance of faith in
our lives, and the president practices his so
powerfully and so privately that it serves as a simple
reminder of the American tradition of having a strong
faith."


Bush often attends church on Sundays, including
services in the chapel at Camp David, Md., the
presidential retreat, but he has not joined a church
in Washington.

Other presidents have had deep religious convictions.
During his presidency, Jimmy Carter, a Baptist, taught
Sunday school. Richard Nixon, a Quaker, invited
evangelists to the White House. Abraham Lincoln never
joined a church but rarely gave a speech without
references to God. Bill Clinton, a Baptist, recited
lengthy Bible passages from memory. John Adams, a
Unitarian, studied for the ministry before becoming a
lawyer.

Bush has said he doesn't think of himself as an
advocate for his religion, but he doesn't intend to
hide his faith.

"I am ... a lowly sinner who sought redemption and
found it," he told USA TODAY in January. "That doesn't
make me better than anybody, it just adds perspective,
I hope. I think people are going to find that in tough
times ... they're going to see a steady hand because
the rock on which I stand is something other than the
moment, the emotion of the day. Faith can be a
steadying influence."


Please forward on to all your friends and please
continue to pray for our President.


*Thanks Gay, I loved this.