“I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer,” says Brenda Scott.

“You have stage 4 melanoma,” says Jim Burgett.

“(I had) Cancer in my right lower lung,” says Helena Ludwig.

For Brenda, Jim, and Helena, a cancer diagnosis was the scariest news they ever received.

Something else they had in common, was their oncologist, Dr Dianna Shipley.  “Patients always ask, and their family members will ask, "How long am I going to live?" I'm not much of a prognostication person, so I would never decree death over somebody or their time frame.”

Diana gave her life to Jesus when she was 14.  Since childhood she knew she wanted to be a doctor.

“First grade, I was going to be a doctor and a teacher Played doctor all the time If you wanted to give me a toy, it was a baby doll and a doctor kit. And I fulfilled both of them I decreed it over myself, decreed it out loud,” says Dr. Shipley. “That's why I say all the time Words are alive Because I'd say I was going to be a doctor and a teacher And as a doctor in oncology, we teach patients every day.”

While pursuing her dream of becoming a doctor, Dianna also discovered her calling.

“When I did my internal medicine residency, I didn't even really know what oncology was. So, I said, "I'm going to sign up for this rotation with hematology and oncology" And I met a beautiful man by the name of Dr. David Lee.  Loved my month with Dr. Lee and did another month with him He taught me the whole time I was doing the rotation with him and then when the month ended, he handed me his hematology book and told me good luck in my career And that basically cinched it I knew I was supposed to do hematology and oncology,” says Dianna.

After graduation, Dr Shipley began her medical practice at Tennessee Oncology, but to her it was more than practicing medicine. To Dianna, it was a ministry to guide people through the physical and spiritual aspects of healing.

Dr. Shipley states, “I usually say if you are quiet, you can hear the still, small voice of the Lord, and sometimes you just have to know what He tells you to tell them. You know, where do you direct that patient? How do you speak to them?”

“When I first went to Dr Shipley's office, and just going down the hall, reading the framed scriptures, it was already ministering to me,” says Brenda.

“I've never met anybody that was as spiritual as she is Her office is full of things about the Lord, Bibles everywhere,” says Jim.

“You must give them hope or they won't want to even try to live for tomorrow,” says Dr. Shipley.

“She's so full of life, ask for prayer if you want it,” says Jim.

“She came into the room, and of course she knew my diagnosis. What she did was she encouraged me in hope, to put my hope in Jesus,” says Breanda.

Dr. Shipley adds, “Prayer is the essential for life Healthy or unhealthy, it is the essential for life, and it changes things.”

In her 25 years as an oncologist, Dr Shipley has treated thousands of patients and has one of the highest survival rates in the country.  She attributes all of it to the power of prayer and a healing God.

“I had met a woman 11 years ago who had stage 4 lung cancer, and she said, "Wow, when I found out my diagnosis, I didn't think I'd see my daughter," who was in eighth grade at that time, "graduate from high school" I've seen her graduate from high school, graduate from college, graduate from her master's, and in two and a half weeks, I'm going to be standing beside her as she gets married Those are big celebrations that even she didn't believe she'd live that long initially,” says Dr. Shipley.

“Anything I wanted to ask her, she'd take time to talk to me about it I hope one day I can be as spiritual as her,” says Jim.

“I would not give up Dr Shipley for anything, nothing whatsoever She has been such an inspiration to me,” says Helena.

“She was not the person that introduced me to Jesus, but she introduced me to a deep level of hope and trust and faith that I had not experienced And I was miraculously healed,” says Brenda.

“We still serve a healing God, God never changes.  I am beyond thankful to the Lord I couldn't imagine my life without the Lord and without the people He's brought into my life All the joy and the blessings I have are unbelievable It's in Ephesians 3, 20 day every day,” says Dr. Shipley. 

More information on Dr. Dianna Shipley.

Army soldier, Eric and his wife Elizabeth, have their hands full with six kids. Elizabeth used to be a soldier too. When they discovered they were having twins, they both agreed she should stay at home. Eric said, “I'm very proud of my wife. It definitely relieves a lot of stress for me. I get to come home and know that the house is taken care of.”

Budgeting for a family of eight on Eric’s single salary is tough. It became even tougher when they learned their older daughter needed braces. Elizabeth asked, “How are we going to do this? How are we going to pay this bill?”

Their financial situation looked hopeless when they discovered they needed new windows and their furnace died, leaving them with no heat. Eric saod, “It’s very frustrating. Very taxing on me. I don’t know how I’m going to handle it.”

With winter in Colorado approaching, the couple borrowed space heaters. At night, they slept with the babies in their room with one heater, and kept a second running in the older kids’ room. Eric recalled, “I just want to put all of our faith into the Lord 'cause I know He will watch over us, He will guide us.”

Elizabeth agreed, “I know He'll get us there. I just don't know what that looks like and I’ve got no choice but to trust that He will get us there."

Pastor Joe Adams reached out to CBN’s Helping the Home Front.
        
Pastor Joe said, “The reality is there are some needs in the church with military families where we don’t have the resources to be able to provide. And when that happens, we know we can count on Helping the Home Front. They step in, they make a difference, they change people’s lives.”
        
The couple was invited over to the pastor’s house. Pastor Joe welcomed them having said, "CBN’s Helping the Home Front is going to pay for the braces." 

Elizabeth exclaimed, “Thank you.”

Pastor Joe continued, "There is more here. Because CBN has already contacted ANA Professional Cooling and Heating, to replace your furnace, completely paid for this weekend."

Elizabeth said, “Thank you. Thank you!”

Pastor Joe continued, “Well, we're not done because CBN is also going pay to have your windows to be replaced so the cold air doesn't continue to come into your home."

An elated Eric said, “Very blessed, thankful in every way.”

A few days later their furnace was fixed. Then, they scheduled to have their windows replaced and made an orthodontist appointment for their daughter, all paid for thanks to support from donors like you.

Eric concluded, “Thank you CBN for helping our family. We're grateful to you. We definitely needed it. And we love you!"
 

Chuck Keels is a fighter. This year he plans to bike from California to Florida in 2 months. Finishing the 3000-mile trek will be an incredible feat in itself, even more so considering that 7 years ago he was given just 3 months to live. He recalls, “It was a really, really scary time for me. I watched my body melt off of me. I was dying.”

As a single dad, Chuck enjoyed hiking and mountain biking in the hills around Phoenix where he lived with his two teenage boys, Daunte, and Chucky. He was in good health until mid-April of 2015. He says, “I noticed that I was getting tired. I noticed that there was pain starting in my body, and each day I got up and it was worse.”

Then, the evening of May 15th, Chuck’s pain was so intense that he went to the ER. After a battery of tests, his doctor told him he had two fractured vertebrae. What she said next left Chuck stunned.

Chuck recalls, “She said, ‘Everything you're going through is cancer-related.’ And I just felt the tears rolling down my face. I can't believe that I have cancer at the age of 50 years old. Cancer makes you step back and look at what really is important in your life.”

For Chuck, that had always been providing for his boys. God—and a relationship with Him—wasn’t a priority. He recalls, “It was, you know, church and a prayer once in a while with my kids before bed. I wasn’t close to God. I didn’t go to God at that time.”

Biopsies would reveal Chuck had stage 4 prostate cancer, and it had spread to 90% of his bones. His doctors offered hospice care to ease his pain and sent Chuck home to die. He says, “That was a very, very difficult time, because that's when I had to tell my boys. It was a nightmare. I had to sit them down on the couch and explain to them that the doctor said that I might have three more months to live.”

Chuck made plans to move back to Ohio where extended family would take care of his boys after he was gone. Chuck says, “You plan for a graduation, you plan for a wedding, you plan for these things when you're a parent. And all of a sudden, this diagnosis comes down and then it starts going through your head, you know, you're not gonna see that, you know, graduation, you won't see them get married. It was tough. It was really tough.”

On May 25th, the morning they were to leave Arizona, Chuck was walking down the hall when he heard a pop. He says, “The next thing I know is I'm flat on my face on the ground. And I couldn't move. The pain was excruciating. It felt like somebody was stabbing me in the back with a knife and then running it up to my head.”

EMTs rushed Chuck to the nearest hospital, Fohn C. Lincoln in Phoenix -- a new hospital and a new doctor. They discovered one of Chuck’s vertebrae, eroded by cancer, had collapsed. However, this doctor had a plan: surgically stop Chuck’s testosterone which was feeding the cancer and start him on six months of chemo. He says, “Their goal was to just give me another six months, year, maybe two years of life. They said if we can do that, you know, that's amazing. I was excited about the surgery.”

Chuck was in tremendous pain and on a morphine drip all night. The next morning after the successful surgery, he woke up in the recovery room and noticed there was someone next to his bed. Chuck recalls, “I'm looking at Jesus, He's looking at me. His hand reaches out and touches me on the shoulder. I didn't see His mouth move, but I heard in my head, ‘I got you.’ And I look up and He's gone. In my head I’m thinking, ‘I was in the presence of Jesus.’ And I'm flipping out. I'm just – everything is going through my head. I cannot understand what's going on here. And so, the question was, you know, ‘why me?’”

Moments later, Chuck noticed he was no longer in pain. That night, he decided his relationship with God would never be the same. He says, “I thanked God and I started thinking about it. And I said, ‘I know you've been probably trying my entire life, but you've got my attention now.’ I completely surrender to you, I’m gonna let you orchestrate my life.” 

Chuck started his chemo and stayed in the hospital for 10 days. Then, he was transferred to the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale for five weeks of additional rehab. There he enjoyed walks in the surrounding desert and a deepening connection with God.

Chuck recalls, “The conversations that I had with God are just lifechanging. God said, ‘As long as you’re alive, be alive’. So, I said, that’s what I’m gonna do. I call it God school.”

After three months of treatment, Chuck returned to his doctor for an assessment. He says, “She’s got a big smile on her face. She says, ‘Your journey is not of medicine, it's miraculous. Your scans look like a normal, healthy guy.'"

When Chuck completed chemo in November of 2015, there was no longer any trace of cancer in his body and a bone scan showed absolutely no damage.  He recalls, “She says, ‘If we didn't know you and we hadn't seen your previous scan, we would think you're lying to us. Your bones are completely clean.’ I was completely healed 100% when Jesus touched me on the shoulder.” 

Chuck has since remarried and started a foundation which offers assistance to people battling cancer. His ride across the country is to raise awareness for his foundation and healing power that God offers. He says, “I’ve seen now the power of having a relationship with Jesus. That's what takes the stress and the worry off you. That's why you can still smile at the end of the day, even though you're going through something really, really, really tough. That makes a huge difference in your entire life.”
 

PRAYERS AND PRESIDENTS

In his book, Prayers and Presidents, Federer explores the role of faith in the lives and leadership of past American presidents. Containing various speeches from U.S. presidents like James Madison, Zachary Taylor, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Roosevelt, Federer provides readers with insights into how American leaders have incorporated their religious beliefs into their public roles and how they shaped our nation.

JAMES MADISON

James Madison called for a day of prayer and fasting during the War of 1812, specifically in response to the burning of Washington D.C., by British forces.

On August 24, 1814, British troops invaded Washington D.C. and set fire to major government buildings, including the Capitol, the White House (then called the Presidential Mansion), and other federal structures. This attack came as retaliation for earlier American actions in Canada during the war.

In response to this devastating attack on the nation's capital, President James Madison issued a proclamation on September 1, 1814, condemning the British attack as showing "a deliberate disregard of the principles of humanity and the rules of civilized warfare." More importantly, Madison called for a day of public humiliation, fasting, and prayer. He was seeking divine intervention in the war effort and attempting to unite the nation in a time of crisis. While he was known for his strong advocacy of the separation of church and state, Madison did not hesitate to call for national prayer in this extreme national peril.

The burning of Washington D.C. did not have the demoralizing effect the British had hoped for. Instead, it rallied Americans behind the war effort. The capital was quickly rebuilt, with the White House becoming operational again by 1817 and the Capitol Building by 1819.

ZACHARY TAYLOR

In 1849, President Zachary Taylor proclaimed a National Day of Fasting, Humiliation, and Prayer in response to a severe cholera pandemic that was spreading across the United States killing approximately 150,000 Americans.

On July 3, 1849, President Taylor issued a proclamation recommending that the first Friday in August (August 3, 1849) be observed throughout the United States as a Day of Fasting, Humiliation, and Prayer.

In his proclamation, Taylor stated that it was fitting for people to "humble themselves before His throne" and ask for "Divine mercy" in the face of the "fearful pestilence" spreading through the land.

The president recommended that people abstain from secular occupations as much as possible on that day and instead assemble in their places of worship.

Taylor called on Americans to acknowledge God's protection of the nation and to "implore the Almighty in His own good time to stay the destroying hand which is now lifted up against us.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

During the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln issued multiple proclamations calling for national days of fasting, humiliation, and prayer. These proclamations were significant efforts to unite the nation and seek divine guidance during great turmoil.

Lincoln issued three major proclamations:

• First Proclamation: August 12, 1861
• Lincoln called for the last Thursday in September 1861 to be observed as a day of humiliation, prayer, and fasting.
• Second Proclamation: March 30, 1863
• This proclamation, initially requested by the Senate, designated April 30, 1863, as a day of national humiliation, fasting, and prayer. Lincoln asked citizens to abstain from their usual activities and unite in prayer at places of worship or in their homes.
• Third Proclamation: July 7, 1864
• In this proclamation, Lincoln made a special plea for those in positions of authority to seek God through fasting and prayer. Lincoln's proclamations served multiple purposes:
• National Unity: They were attempts to bring the divided nation together through shared religious observance.
• Divine Guidance: Lincoln sought God's blessings on the nation's efforts to restore peace and unity.
• Repentance: The proclamations called for national repentance, acknowledging that the nation had "forgotten God" and needed to humble itself.

These proclamations reflect Lincoln's faith and his understanding of the role of providence in national affairs. They also demonstrate the deep religious sentiment of the time, when it was not uncommon for political leaders to call for such observances.

Lincoln's words in these proclamations continue to resonate, offering insights into the spiritual dimensions of leadership during times of national crisis.

FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT

Franklin Roosevelt issued prayer on D-Day and passed out Gideon's New Testaments and Book of Psalms during World War II.

Roosevelt delivered a national prayer via radio broadcast on the evening of June 6, 1944, as Allied forces were landing in Normandy. This prayer, which lasted about 6 minutes, was a solemn and moving address to the nation during one of the most crucial moments of World War II. Roosevelt asked for:

• God's blessing and guidance for the troops
• Emphasizing the righteousness of the Allied cause
• Calling for strength and faith from the American people
• Urging continuous prayer throughout the war effort

The prayer resonated deeply with the American public. Printed copies were widely distributed and displayed throughout the remainder of the war.

The impact of Roosevelt's D-Day prayer has been long-lasting:

• In 2014, legislation was passed to add the prayer to the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.
• A plaque featuring the prayer was dedicated at the restored Circle of Remembrance near the main memorial on the 79th anniversary of D-Day.
• The prayer continues to be remembered and recited, particularly on D-Day anniversaries, as a powerful expression of national unity and purpose during a critical moment in history.

IN THE BEGINNING

William Federer was raised Catholic in a family of 11 children. At 24, he began dating his future wife Susan, and noticed that her mom watched The 700 Club. After accepting an invitation to attend a FGBMI meeting, he went forward because the other men had something that he wanted.  He gave his life to Christ soon after.  Once married and living in Texas, Bill was drawn into politics during Pat’s presidential run. A former youth pastor, Bill stayed interested in politics and was asked to run against Gephardt, which turned into one of the closest races in the nation. 

To find more books on like Prayers and Presidents click the Link! 

CREDITS

Author, Prayers for Presidents (AmeriSearch); Founder & President, AmeriSearch, Inc. – a publishing company dedicated to the historical research/preservation of America’s heritage; Host of TV show, Faith in History; Rep. Congressional candidate against House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt in 1998 & 2000 elections; Speaker before Congressmen, Senators, political conventions; Appeared on CSPAN, FOX, and O’Reilly Factor, etc.; Graduated from Saint Louis University with an Accounting/Business degree; married to Susie