Charlie Crist - Florida

Though born in the north, Charlie Crist is a southerner at heart. His family moved to Florida when he was young and he only leaves the state on business these days. Educated in North Carolina (Wake Forest where he played football), Florida State University (undergraduate) and Alabama (law school in Birmingham), Governor Crist came into public service well acquainted with the Southeast.

As a lawyer for minor league baseball in Florida (where baseball goes in the winter!), he drew the attention of Senator C. A. Mcgillicuddy III ("Connie Mack III") the grandson of Baseball great by the same name. After serving on the senator's Florida staff, Crist a state senator and then was appointed by Jeb Bush to a state Deputy Secretary post. From there he was elected to be Commissioner of Education (the last one).

Now succeeding Bush as governor, he seeks high standards in the Sunshine state. Let us lift he and his family (much of his extended family is in politics), and his state. I grew up down there, and still have many family members living around the state. He is a strong supporter of adoption, in promoting the "culture of life." This is commendable, so let us pray that he take a stronger stand against abortion and practices that approach euthanasia!

Ruth Ann Minner - Deleware

A remarkable woman from humble beginnings, Governor Minner is a twice widowed great grandmother. Having left school at the age of 16 to help work the family farm, she did not receive her Graduate Equivalent Degree (GED) until after the death of her first husband, Frank Ingram . In her mid-thirties she was working two jobs to support her three young sons alone. She later remarried and began her political career in 1974.

Her second husband, Roger Minner, did not live to see her take office in 1993 as Lieutenant Governor. After two terms in the second spot, she was elected to her present position in 2000, and re-elected in 2004. She works to encourage the improvement of education, environment, and job creation and retention. Her most impressive efforts, though, have been in the fight against cancer (killer of her second husband). The cancer rates have declined four times as much as the national average, while cancer deaths are down by twice the national average.

We pray for her continued health as she reaches the end of her second term. Assuming a retirement from public life (not a safe assumption, for sure), we wish her well as she enjoys her three sons and their wives, her seven grandchildren, and her great-granddaughter, great-grandson, and two step-great-grandsons!

Visit her and her state online at http://governor.delaware.gov/index.shtml

M. Jodi Rell - Connecticut

Governor Rell, having taken over as governor upon the resignation of her predecessor, is faced with many challenges. She won re-election largely on her distinguished career as a public servant, first as a state representative and then as lieutenant governor (into a third term!).

Today we pray for her as she works to continued Educational, Economic, and Ecological advances in Connecticut.

We pray for her family - husband Lou, daughter Meredith (married to Matthew O' Conner with son, Tyler), and son Mitchell (married to Maura).

Visit her and her state at www.ct.gov.

Bill Ritter - Colorado

In the beautiful state of Colorado, with its "mile high" capital at Denver, an activist governor fights to preserve its beauty. Let us remember Governor Bill Ritter in our prayers. He and his wife are seeking to help make their state a better place for their fellow citizens (Ritter is a native born Coloradan).



Here is what I posted to his email suggestion box:

Tonight, March 28, I am lifting a special prayer for you, your
family and your state.  I was hoping to actually speak with the governor via
telephone, but as that is not possible, let him know that I am thinking of him.
I especially lift up his efforts to improve the state's work with natural
resources and renewable resources.  I pray that the efforts of he and his wife
in the past in Africa will bear fruit in those lives.  I pray that he will be
able to work with the legislature, federal agencies, and other governors to
improve the lives of those in our resource rich Southwest.

Arnolc Schwarznegger - California

Not just another pretty face. Not just another celebrity. But the governor of a state the size of most European nations! With an entertainment industry reaching (for better or worse) the whole world, "Arnold" is in a very influencial position. Pray hard that he remains committed to public service.

Here is my email to him:

Dear Governor Schwarznegger,

I hope you and your family had a great Easter weekend. Having been unable to contact you personally, I am taking this opportunity to email you the thoughts that I am bringing to God in prayer at this moment.

You have a great state - larger in size and population than most nations of the world. This, tied to the influence of the vast media resources that are common there, California is a world leader in more ways than most of us realize. As it's governor, I know you need the strength of character to take stands that may not be popular.

Sometimes your decisions are not popular with the people, but most of the time you will be at odds with the political establishment. Whatever the case, you need the strength to endure. I pray that you will turn to God for that strength.

I pray for your wife and children, and for your extended family wherever they may be. I pray for your continued health and safety.

I pray that those issues that are close to your heart will go well - such as Special Olympics (my daughter works with special needs children). Thank you for your work in promoting physical fitness among the youth of your state. All too often we affluent Americans allow our health to slide, passing those bad habits on to our children.

Again, thank you for your service to our nation. Our continuing prayers go out for you.

Henry Martin,
Greenville, SC

Mike Beebe - Arkansas

Incredibly, another Mike steps in to continue the path which Mike Huckabee began in the land of the Clintons! Mike Beebe has his own style, but continues much in the line of his predecessor.

Let us pray for him and his wife as they face the problems of a small state seeking to improve in so many areas.

Check out the website.

Here is the email I sent the governor:


Dear Gov. Beebe,

As I proposed in an email a while back, tonight is the night I say a special prayer for you, your family and your state.

I lift up your family, that it will stay strong. I pray fro the moral strength to do what is right.

I pray for your initiatives in education, health, and economics.

May our God, who placed you in a position of leadership, be the One who sustains you through the hard times.

Sincerely,
Henry Martin

Janet Napolitano - Arizona

Though I may not understand all that Ms. Napolitano, a former US Attorney and State Attorney General, is trying to accomplish. She seems to be a dedicated servant to her state. In an email, I commended her on her service.

She is a defender of the US border, insisting that the federal government treat it as just that - a NATIONAL border.

In social issues, she seems to trust the system that to work. However, she is faced with an unmanageable budget. We need to pray that her state, much of it a beautiful but barren wilderness, continues to profit. Let's pray that her efforts for education and with the elderly continue to prosper.

Alaska - Gov. Sarah Palin

I was impressed as I began researching our governors as to the number of women presently serving. The first I came across, this being alphabetical, was Sarah Palin of Alaska. Though not a native Alaskan, she embodies the frontier spirit that typifies our fiftieth state.

Tonight I am remembering Gov. Palin, her husband Todd and their four children in prayer.

I visited Alaska in 2002 on a cruise. It is a strikingly beautiful state with a promising economy. We need to remember especially, though, the Native Americans - Intuits and Indians - who make up a sizable minority of the state. Below is the email which I sent the Governor tonight:



Dear Governor Palin,

I trust you and your family had a good Easter holiday. As I have indicated in previous emails, it was my wish to actually contact you by telephone for a few minutes this evening. However, since that was not possible, I am taking this opportunity to let you know what I will be praying this evening.

First and foremost, I lift up your son Track as he serves our nation in the Army. I pray that he will be safe and serve honorably in his tour of duty.

I lift up your husband Todd in his work in the icy north. I am sure as a manager he faces risks overseeing production of your natural resources.

I pray for the continued education of your younger children.

As our economy is tied to the very natural resources that your state is blessed with, I pray for the continued success of your efforts in managing those resources. I pray for the economic prosperity of all Alaskans, especially the Native Americans, be they Eskimo, Inuit or Indian.

I pray for the safety and satisfaction of the many visitors to your beautiful state. My wife and I, along with my parents, visited Alaska on a cruise in 2002. My visits to Skagway and Haines were especially memorable! I just loved Haines, and fancied myself retiring there some day!

May your service to Alaska be remembered for generations to come!

In Christ,

Henry Martin,
Greenville, SC

Alabama - Gov. Bob Riley

In his second term, Gov. Riley & his wife Patsy have as their priorities health care and education. We pray that the prosperity of late in this historically poor state will continue.

I have relatives in Dothan and in Birmingham, as well as ancestral roots in Greenville. And so, this first of fifty prayers goes out for "family." Below is the email I sent the governor tonight:


Dear Governor and Mrs. Riley,

Here is hoping you had a wonderful Easter Sunday. I regret that I could not be praying with Gov. Riley personally this evening, but rest assured that I have not forgotten my appointment with God to lift you and your state up in his presence.

I pray that above all your relationship with God is strong. Second only to that relationship, I pray that your marriage remains strong as you face the many challenges that governing a state must entail.

I pray for the continued prosperity of your state - a state in which I have relatives on both sides of my family. Having ancestral roots in Greenville, ALABAMA, it is a bit ironic that I have called Greenville, SC, my home for over 30 years now.

I especially lift up your state's educational and health programs. As the parents of our next generation raise these future leaders, we need to assure them that the resources are there to be prepared mentally and physically to meet those challenges.

I pray that this term will be as blessed as the last as you seek the best course for the people of your state.

In Christ,

Henry Martin