We met in small discussion groups of ten or twelve 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 the 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 of 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, I picked 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 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 Hold 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 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, 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. Toward the end of the meal, one of our friends rose to share a story of 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 knees. 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 shores, around an alter 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