From George Bush: "Actually, the seeds of my decision
had been planted the year before, by the Reverend
Billy Graham. He visited my family for a summer
weekend in Maine. I saw him preach at the small
summer church, St. Ann's by the Sea. We all had
lunch on the patio overlooking the ocean. One
evening my dad asked Billy to answer questions
from a big group of family gathered for the weekend.
He sat by the fire and talked. And what he said
sparked a change in my heart. I don't remember
the exact words. It was more the power of his
example. The Lord was so clearly reflected in
his gentle and loving demeanor. The next day we
walked and talked at Walker's Point, and I knew
I was in the presence of a great man. He was like
a magnet; I felt drawn to seek something different.
He didn't lecture or admonish; he shared warmth
and concern. Billy Graham didn't make you feel
guilty; he made you feel loved. Over the course
of that weekend, Reverend Graham planted a mustard
seed in my soul, a seed that grew over the next
year. He led me to the path, and I began walking.
It was the beginning of a change in my life. I
had always been a "religious" person, had regularly
attended church, even taught Sunday school and
served as an altar boy. But that weekend my faith
took on a new meaning. It was the beginning of
a new walk where I would commit my heart to Jesus
Christ. I was humbled to learn that God sent His
Son to die for a sinner like me. I was comforted
to know that through the Son, I could find God's
amazing grace, a grace that crosses every border,
every barrier and is open to everyone. Through
the love of Christ's life, I could understand
the life changing powers of faith. When I returned
to Midland, I began reading the Bible regularly.
Don Evans talked me into joining him and another
friend, Don Jones, at a men's community Bible
study. The Group had first assembled the year
before, in spring of 1984, at the beginning of
the downturn in the energy industry. Midland was
hurting. A lot of people were looking for comfort
and strength and direction. A couple of men started
the Bible study as a support group, and it grew.
By the time I began attending, in the fall of
1985, almost 120 men would gather. We met in small
discussion groups of ten or twelve, and then joined
the larger group for full meetings. Don Jones
picked me up every week for the meetings. I remember
looking forward to them. My interest in reading
the Bible grew stronger and stronger, and the
words became clearer and more meaningful. We studied
Acts, the Story of the Apostles building the Christian
Church, and next year, the Gospel of Luke. The
preparation for each meeting took several hours,
reading the Scripture passages and thinking through
responses to discussion questions. I took it seriously,
with my usual touch of humor.... Laura and I were
active members of the First Methodist Church of
Midland, and we participated in many family programs,
including James > Dobson's Focus on the Family
series on raising children. As I studied and learned,
Scripture took on greater meaning, and gained
confidence and understanding in my faith. I read
the Bible regularly. Don Evans gave me the "one-year"
Bible; a Bible divided into 365 daily readings,
each one including a section from the New Testament,
the Old Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. I read
through that Bible every other year. During the
years in between, pick different chapters to study
at different times. I have also learned the power
of prayer. I pray for guidance. I do not pray
for earthly things, but for heavenly things, for
wisdom and patience and understanding. My faith
gives me focus and perspective It teaches humility.
But I also recognize that faith can be misinterpreted
in the political process. Faith is an important
part of my life. I believe it is important to
live my faith, not flaunt it. America is a great
country because of our religious freedoms. It
is important for any leader to respect the faith
of others. That point was driven home when Laura
and I visited Israel in 1998. We had traveled
to Rome to spend Thanksgiving with our daughter,
who was attending a school program there, and
spent three days in Israel on the way home. It
was an incredible experience. I remember waking
up at the Jerusalem Hilton and opening the curtains
and seeing the Old City before us, the Jerusalem
stone glowing gold. We visited the Western Wall
and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. And we went
to the Sea of Galilee and stood atop the hill
where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount.
It was an overwhelming feeling to stand in the
spot where the most famous speech in the history
of the world was delivered, the spot where Jesus
outlined the character and conduct of a believer
and gave his disciples and the world the beatitudes,
the golden rule, and the Lord's Prayer. Our delegation
included four gentile governors - one Methodist,
two Catholics, and a Mormon, and several Jewish-American
friends. Someone suggested we read Scripture.
I chose to read "Amazing Grace," my favorite hymn.
Later that night we all gathered at a restaurant
in Tel Aviv for dinner before we boarded our middle-of-night
flight back to America. We talked about the wonderful
experiences and thanked the guides and government
officials who had introduced us to their country.
And toward the end of the meal, one of our friends
rose to share a story, to tell us how he, a gentile,
and his friend, a Jew, had (unbeknownst to the
rest of us) walked down to the Sea of Galilee,
joined hands underwater, and prayed together,
on bended knee. Then out of his mouth came a hymn
he had known as a child, a hymn he hadn't thought
about in years. He got every word right: Now is
the time approaching, by prophets long foretold,
when all shall dwell together, One Shepherd and
one fold. Now Jew and gentile, meeting, from many
a distant shore, around an altar kneeling, one
common Lord. Faith changes lives. I know, because
faith has changed mine. "I could not be governor
if I did not believe in a divine plan that supersedes
all human plans. Politics is a fickle business.
Polls change. Today's friend is tomorrow's adversary.
People lavish praise and attention. Many times
it is genuine; sometimes it is not. Yet I build
my life on a foundation that will not shift. My
faith frees me. Frees me to put the problem of
the moment in proper perspective. Frees me to
make decisions that others might not like. Frees
me to try to do the right thing, even though it
may not poll well ... The death penalty is a difficult
issue for supporters as well as its opponents.
I have a reverence for life; my faith teaches
that life is a gift from our Creator. In a perfect
world, life is given by God and only taken by
God. I hope someday our society will respect life,
the full spectrum of life, from the unborn to
the elderly. I hope someday unborn children will
be protected by law and welcomed in life. I support
the death penalty because I believe, if administered
swiftly and justly, capital punishment is a deterrent
against future violence and will save other innocent
lives. Some advocates of life will challenge why
I oppose abortion yet support the death penalty.
To me, it's the difference between innocence and
guilt. Today, two weeks after Jeb's inauguration,
in my church in downtown Austin, Pastor Mark Craig,
was telling me that my re-election was the first
Governor to win back-to-back, four-year terms
in the history of the State of Texas. It was a
beginning, not an end. People are starved for
faithfulness. He talked of the need for honesty
in government. He warned that leaders who cheat
on their wives will cheat their country, will
cheat their colleagues, and will cheat themselves.
Pastor Craig said that America is starved for
honest leaders. He told the story of Moses, asked
by God to lead his people to a land of milk and
honey. Moses had a lot of reasons to shirk the
task. As the Pastor told it, Moses' basic reaction
was, "Sorry, God, I'm busy. I've got a family.
I've got sheep to tend. I've got a life. "Who
am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the
sons of Israel out of Egypt? The people won't
believe me, he protested. I'm not a very good
speaker. Oh, my Lord, send, I pray, some other
person," Moses pleaded. But God did not, and Moses
ultimately did His bidding, leading his people
through forty years of wilderness and wandering,
relying on God for strength and direction and
inspiration. People are starved for Leadership,
"Pastor Craig said, "Starved for leaders who have
ethical and moral courage." "It is not enough
to have an ethical compass to know right from
wrong," he argued. "America needs leaders who
have the moral courage to do what is right for
the right reason. It's not always easy or convenient
for leaders to step forward," he acknowledged.
"Remember, even Moses had doubts." "He was talking
to you," my mother later said. The pastor was,
of course, talking to all of us, challenging each
one of us to make the most of our lives, to assume
the mantle of Leadership and responsibility wherever
we find it. He was calling on us to use whatever
power we have, in business, in politics, in our
communities, and in our families, to do good for
the right reason. And his sermon spoke directly
to my heart and my Life. There was no magic moment
of decision. After talking with my family during
the Christmas holidays, then hearing this rousing
sermon, to make most of every moment, during my
inaugural church service, I gradually felt more
comfortable with the prospect of a presidential
campaign. My family would love me; my faith would
sustain me, no matter what. "During the more than
half century of my life, we have seen an unprecedented
decay in our American culture, a decay that has
eroded the foundations of our collective values
and moral standards of conduct. Our sense of personal
responsibility has declined dramatically, just
as the role and responsibility of the federal
government have increased. The changing culture
blurred the sharp contrast between right and wrong
and created a new standard of conduct: 'If it
feels good, do it.' And 'If you've got a problem,
blame somebody else.'" "Individuals are not responsible
for their actions," the new culture has said.
"We are all victims of forces beyond our control."
We have gone from a culture of sacrifice and saving
to a culture obsessed with grabbing all the gusto.
We went from accepting responsibility to assigning
blame. As government did more and more, individuals
were required to do less and less. The new culture
said: if people were poor, the government should
feed them. If someone had no house, the government
should provide one. If criminals are not responsible
for their acts, then the answers are not prisons,
but social programs.... "For our culture to change,
it must change one heart, one soul, and one conscience
at a time. Government can spend money, but it
cannot put hope in our hearts or a sense of purpose
in our lives."... "But government should welcome
the active involvement of people who are following
a religious imperative to love their neighbors
through after school programs, child care, drug
treatment, maternity group homes, and a range
of other services. Supporting these men and women
- the soldiers in the armies of compassion - is
the next bold step of welfare reform, because
I know that changing hearts will change our entire
society." "During the opening months of my presidential
campaign, I have traveled our country and my heart
has been warmed. My experiences have reinvigorated
my faith in the greatness of Americans. They have
reminded me that societies are renewed from the
bottom up, not the top down. Everywhere I go,
I see people of love and faith, taking time to
help a neighbor in need... These people and thousands
like them are the heart and soul and greatness
of America. And I want to do my part. I am running
for President because I believe America must seize
this moment, America must lead. We must give our
prosperity a greater purpose, a purpose of peace
and freedom and hope. We are a great nation of
good and loving people. And together, we have
a charge to keep."
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