[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 56 (Wednesday, April 9, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2769-S2773]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 56TH ANNUAL NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST

  Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, in light of the fact that a few minutes ago 
we opened the Senate in prayer, I want to say that last month I had the 
privilege of cochairing with the Senator from Colorado, Senator 
Salazar, the 56th Annual National Prayer Breakfast, held here in our 
Nation's Capital. This annual gathering is hosted by Members of the 
Senate and the House of Representatives, who have weekly prayer 
breakfast groups. Once again, we were honored to have the 56th 
consecutive participation of our President and the First Lady. 
Presidents since Dwight Eisenhower have spoken at the annual prayer 
breakfast. We were encouraged and inspired by the remarks shared by 
Ward Brehm. Unfortunately, a transcript doesn't give the superb pauses 
and delivery that we who attended got to enjoy, but it is a superb 
message I want to share.
  This year, we hosted a gathering of over 3,500 individuals from all 
walks of life in all 50 States and from many countries around the 
world. So that all may benefit from this time together, on behalf of 
the Congressional Committee for the National Prayer Breakfast, I ask 
unanimous consent that a copy of the transcript of the 2008 proceedings 
be printed in the Congressional Record at the conclusion of my speech.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  (See Exhibit 1.)
  Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, this is an example of what we do in our 
weekly prayer breakfast, with little exception, and the presenters at 
our weekly prayer breakfast are always Senators or former Senators. It 
is a chance for us to get to know each person in this body as they 
present.
  I thank the Chair and yield the floor.

                               Exhibit 1

                    56th National Prayer Breakfast,

                      Thursday, February 7, 2008,

                        Hilton Washington Hotel,

                             Washington, DC

     Co-Chairs: U.S. Senator Mike Enzi and U.S. Senator Ken Salazar

       U.S. Senator Mike Enzi: I would bet that some of you are 
     wondering, ``How did I get here?'' and ``What kind of an 
     outfit is this?'' We will try to explain a little bit. Ken 
     and I are part of a very small breakfast group made up 
     entirely of Senators that has met every Wednesday that the 
     Senate has been in session since the middle part of the 
     Truman administration. That was in the late 1940's. We share 
     with each other, we eat, we pray and we discuss things that 
     really matter.
       I am reminded of a time I was in South Africa meeting with 
     their parliament for a breakfast and I suggested that our 
     Senate prayer breakfast could pray for their issues. A 
     parliamentarian named Paul brought me up short and said, 
     ``Don't pray for the issues, pray for the people and the 
     people will solve the issues.'' And that is what we do at our 
     weekly prayer breakfast. That is what we will be doing here.
       Now once a year we hold our weekly meeting in a slightly 
     bigger room and we invite 4,000 people from around the world 
     to come along for the ride. Welcome to our prayer breakfast. 
     (Applause)
       U.S. Senator Ken Salazar: We count it a privilege to serve 
     in the United States Senate but frankly it is not always an 
     easy job. President Truman once said that if you want to have 
     a friend in Washington, buy a dog. We see that all the time. 
     Our breakfast in the U.S. Senate is an attempt to put back 
     into all of us what the job takes out from all of us and 
     gives us a reason to have trusting relationships, to find 
     wisdom and to reconcile our differences.
       For me, I don't need to buy a dog in Washington, D.C. 
     because I have a friend named Mike Enzi. (Laughter) Mike Enzi 
     brings his common sense, compassion and approach to the 
     issues that face our nation and it makes him a key leader in 
     the United States Senate. That helps us get to results by 
     putting the public purpose above the politics which sometimes 
     so confines this town.
       Washington, in my view, does not need a lot more speeches. 
     It needs people who need to seek and listen and to 
     understand. More people like Mike and his wife Diana, who is 
     here with us this morning. It has been my honor and pleasure 
     to serve with Mike Enzi for the last three years in the U.S. 
     Senate.
       Senator Enzi: I have enjoyed getting to know Ken and the 
     deep wealth of heritage and caring that he brings to the 
     Senate. His family has lived in Colorado for 150 years--
     longer than there has been a Colorado. Our connection began 
     personally and now we are able to talk about things that 
     Republicans and Democrats do not talk about together. And 
     what do you know? We have figured some things out. We are a 
     couple of guys from the high plains, Colorado and Wyoming, 
     who are trying to keep things on a higher plane in our jobs. 
     We have been working on this breakfast for many months now 
     and we hope you enjoy it. A lot of prayer has gone into it 
     and we hope it somehow scratches where you itch.
       One special note, folks, Dr. Billy Graham attended the 
     Breakfast and was the main speaker for the first few years. 
     He sent a special word to us last night that he would be with 
     us in spirit this morning and is praying for us at this very 
     moment from his home in North Carolina. Thank you for your 
     prayers and a lifetime of spiritual leadership, Billy. 
     (Applause)
       Senator Salazar: 155 nations are represented here this 
     morning in Washington, D.C. I now want to introduce to all of 
     you the distinguished heads of state who have joined us from 
     other lands today: The Chairman of the Council of the 
     Ministers of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Prime Minister Nicola 
     Spiric; The President of the Republic of Burundi, Pierre 
     Nkurunziza; The President of the Republic of El Salvador, 
     Elias Antonio Saca Gonzalez, and the First Lady; The 
     President of the Republic of Honduras, Jose Manuel Zelaya 
     Rosales; The President of the Federated States of Micronesia, 
     Immanuel Mori; and The Prime Minister of the Independent 
     State of Samoa, Prime Minister Tuila'epa Lupesoliai Sailele 
     Malielegaoi. (Applause)
       You are all most welcome. Thank you for giving that warm 
     welcome to our guests here to the United States of America. 
     We live with human borders but we are one family across the 
     face of the earth. Thank you for the honor of your presence 
     and the chance to get to know you as friends and fellow 
     travelers in search of truth and a better world.
       Senator Enzi: When one of our members heard that our singer 
     was Michael W. Smith he said, ``Well that's worth getting out 
     of bed early for.'' Michael is here with his wife, Debbie, 
     this morning. He has been recording faithful music for more 
     than two decades and won countless awards but he does not 
     want the focus to be on him. He has always encouraged his 
     fans, young and old, that faith is not a spectator sport. He 
     has encouraged tens of thousands to sponsor children all over 
     the world. We are happy to have two selections from him this 
     morning. The first is ``Above All.''
       Mr. Michael W. Smith: (sings) [``Above all powers above all 
     kings''] (Applause)
       Senator Enzi: Oh, how faith shines. Thank you, Michael. 
     Everybody in life needs role models, including Senators. 
     Senator Dianne Feinstein is that for many of the new members 
     of the Senate. She personifies dignity and excellence in 
     doing the people's work. She did that as the Mayor of San 
     Francisco and she is certainly doing that in the Senate. To 
     present a reading, our friend and colleague, Senator Dianne 
     Feinstein of California.
       U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein: Thank you very much Senator 
     Enzi. Mr. President, Mrs. Bush, ladies and gentlemen.
       Religion is a very personal thing to me. I have been 
     privileged to draw on two of the world's great religions--one 
     being Judaism, and the other, Catholicism. I went to a 
     Catholic convent while I was going to a Jewish Sunday school. 
     Some people would say that left me very confused. But 
     nonetheless it was a very special experience. A very young 
     rabbi wrote what I am going to read. It is now part of 
     Reformed Judaism's prayer book and is used in the High Holy 
     Day services. I would like to share it with you.
       ``Birth is a beginning, and death a destination and life is 
     a journey: From childhood to maturity, and youth to age. From 
     innocence to awareness, and ignorance to knowing. From 
     foolishness to discretion and then perhaps to wisdom. From 
     weakness to strength or strength to weakness and often back 
     again. From health to sickness and back we pray to health 
     again. From offense to forgiveness. From loneliness to love. 
     From joy to gratitude. From pain to compassion and grief to 
     understanding. From fear to faith. From defeat to defeat, to 
     defeat until looking backward or ahead we see that victory 
     lies not at some high place along the way but in having made 
     the journey stage by stage a sacred pilgrimage. Birth is a 
     beginning and death a destination and life is a journey, a 
     sacred pilgrimage to life everlasting.''
       Thank you. (Applause)
       U.S. Representative Bart Stupak: I am Bart Stupak, co-chair 
     of the House Prayer Breakfast. In my sixteen years in the 
     house this is the second time that I have had the honor to 
     address you from the dais. Some things never change--the 
     National Prayer Breakfast remains heavy on prayer and light 
     on breakfast. (Laughter) As we join in fellowship, filled 
     with the Holy Spirit, I ask that you remember two House 
     members who were devoted to the Prayer Breakfast and who are 
     no longer with us, Congresswoman Jo Ann Davis and 
     Congresswoman Julia Carson. We miss them. Now let me turn the 
     podium over to my co-chair, friend and colleague, Gresham 
     Barrett of South Carolina.
       U.S. Representative J. Gresham Barrett: Good morning. Two 
     things--number one, we

[[Page S2770]]

     will not take up a love offering today and number two, we are 
     here to feed your soul. If you want to feed the body with ham 
     and grits and eggs we are going to the Waffle House after 
     this, OK? I do concur with Bart on that. It is an honor to be 
     here. Bart told me that being from South Carolina I tend to 
     speak a little bit slowly, but if I speak any slower it will 
     take all day so I will speed up just a little bit.
       I want to tell you a little bit about what we do in the 
     House during our Prayer Breakfast. It is a bi-partisan 
     meeting. We meet every Thursday at 8 o'clock. We talk amongst 
     ourselves with fellowship, with food, with laughter. We pray 
     for one another, we pray for folks that we don't know. It is 
     open to members and former members, sometimes we have foreign 
     dignitaries. But the biggest thing of all is to be an 
     encouragement to each other. That is a little bit about how 
     we do it. The question is ``Why do we do it?'' And I can sum 
     it up the best in Paul's letter to the Corinthians. I 
     Corinthians 13:13: ``And now abideth faith, hope and love, 
     these three, but the greatest is love.'' We meet together 
     because we love each other, we love our families, we love 
     what we do, we love this nation and I believe that the one 
     thing we can do that is stronger than anything is to love. If 
     you don't take anything away from this Prayer Breakfast this 
     morning, remember this: someone in this room loves you. And 
     more important than that, someone up above has given us the 
     greatest gift of love. Thank you for being here this morning 
     and have a blessed day.
       Senator Salazar: Thank you, Congressman Stupak and 
     Congressman Barrett. Part of what we try and celebrate here 
     as well is our nation's government and to pray for our 
     nation's government. Certainly the judiciary is very much a 
     part of our government and our democracy. This morning I am 
     honored to introduce my great friend and one of the most 
     distinguished jurists in the United States of America, the 
     Honorable Judge Carlos Lucero of the 10th Circuit Court of 
     Appeals. Judge Lucero practiced law in my native, beautiful 
     San Luis Valley in Colorado and like my family Judge Lucero's 
     family helped found the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico, the 
     city of Holy Faith, back in 1598. For the last 12 years he 
     has served with distinction on the 10th Circuit Court of 
     Appeals. To lead us in prayer for our national leaders help 
     me welcome Judge Carlos Lucero.
       The Honorable Carlos E. Lucero: Good morning, Mr. President 
     and Mrs. Bush. As Ken says, our families go way back and 
     these early pioneers were sustained in their travels to what 
     was to them the new world by this deep abiding faith and 
     great sense of belief and commitment. Some of my earliest 
     memories of my grandfather were before there was 
     electrification--his sitting next to a window reading the 
     Bible and caring deeply about his prayer. My parents hauling 
     us children, as I am sure Ken's parents did as well, to go to 
     these early old adobe churches of southern Colorado and 
     northern New Mexico for their Te Deums. And it is really the 
     parents of the United States, the great families who 
     inculcate their children with a belief in God and with a 
     belief in values and in prayer that are the genuine heroes of 
     the United States. Back in the earliest of days the faith of 
     these pioneers carried them. There was an early territorial 
     governor of New Mexico who is said to have prayed at one 
     time, ``pobre Nuevo Mexico, poor little New Mexico'' he said, 
     ``so far from heaven, so close to Texas.'' (Laughter)
       As public officials all of us take the oath of office to 
     support and defend the constitution of the United States. The 
     American history flows back to those images of the 
     President raising his arm and stating his oath. The rest 
     of us too are required, constitutionally, to take our oath 
     of office or affirmation, the constitution allows both, to 
     support the constitution of the United States. My prayer 
     today relates to seeking God's help in asking that the 
     leaders of our country faithfully discharge our 
     obligations and that we might have the providence of God, 
     the Creator, in aiding us to do so.
       Dear God, as each of us may worship you in the many creeds 
     represented here today, my prayer is that you bless our 
     country, our government, the President of the United States 
     and his family, the members of the United States Senate, the 
     United States House of Representatives, the Justices of the 
     United States Supreme Court and the members of the federal 
     judiciary and all of our families. I ask the blessings of God 
     on the governors of the states, the state legislatures and 
     judges, the mayors of our cities, the members of our city 
     councils throughout the United States and all those who serve 
     in public service, most especially on the officers and the 
     men and women of the United States military who serve our 
     beloved country and our beloved constitution so faithfully.
       May the Almighty grant us the wisdom and sound judgment to 
     discharge our constitutional oath with the clearest of 
     conscience and that our every action on behalf of the people 
     of the United States be true and loyal and faithful to you 
     and to this document. I pray that the citizens of our country 
     may be blessed with your Spirit and citizens of all races and 
     creeds may forge a common bond in true harmony, to banish 
     hatred and replace it with love, to banish bigotry and 
     replace it with understanding and to safeguard the ideals of 
     free institutions that are the pride and glory of our country 
     and of this world. I pray that this land under your 
     providence may be an influence for good throughout the world, 
     uniting all people in peace and in freedom. I have a very 
     brief reading from the Old Testament today that I would like 
     to conclude my prayer with. One word of explanation in 
     speaking to friends of many denominations in preparing for 
     today's prayer--I learned that in the earliest days of the 
     history of the Old Testament when the tribes went forth, 
     there were no kings or leaders as such but the judges 
     governed, so a rabbi tells me. Don't think that I am getting 
     any ideas. I know those of us in the judiciary know what is 
     buzzed about us but you have to have that understanding to 
     have a deeper understanding of what the Old Testament means 
     as it speaks of judgment because of the special ethics and 
     requirements that were imposed on these earliest leaders. 
     From the book of Deuteronomy chapter 1 verses 15-17:
       ``So I took the leading men of your tribes, wise and 
     respected men, and appointed them to have authority over 
     you--as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and 
     of tens and as tribal officials. And I charged your judges at 
     that time: Hear the disputes between your brothers and judge 
     fairly, whether the case is between brother Israelites or 
     between one of them and an alien. Do not show partiality in 
     judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of 
     any man, for judgment belongs to God.''
       And from chapter 6 verse 8 of the book of Micah:
       ``He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the 
     Lord require of you but to act justly and to love mercy and 
     to walk humbly with your God.'' Amen.
       Senator Enzi: Historically, we have been honored to have a 
     member of the United States military be a part of our 
     leadership of this breakfast and today we go all the way 
     to the top of the chain of command--Admiral Michael Mullen 
     is the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is joined 
     this morning by his wife, Deborah. He was born in Los 
     Angeles, graduated from the Naval Academy and has served 
     our nation all over the world. To present our second 
     reading from the Holy Scriptures, Admiral Michael Mullen.
       Admiral Michael Mullen: Mr. President and Mrs. Bush, good 
     morning everyone. It is great to see all of you and join you 
     in worship this morning. I testified before Congress 
     yesterday so believe me I know the value of prayer. 
     (Laughter) The verse I would like to read is from the book of 
     Philippians. It is short, powerful, poetic and concise. It 
     reminds me daily in this time of war and great uncertainty of 
     the things of which we must always remain certain. It speaks 
     to me of the nobility of service to one another, to the 
     nation and to a cause greater than one's self and it calls to 
     mind the sacrifices of those who serve and of the families 
     and loved ones who wait and worry and support those men and 
     women in uniform who serve this noble cause. Philippians 4: 
     8,9 ``. . . whatever things are true, whatever things are 
     noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, 
     whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good 
     report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything 
     praiseworthy, think on these things. Those things, which you 
     have learned, and received, and heard and seen in me, do; and 
     the God of peace shall be with you.'' Thank you.
       Senator Salazar: I am delighted to introduce my good friend 
     from Minnesota, Senator Amy Klobuchar. Her husband, John 
     Bessler is with her this morning. In her short time as a 
     member of the United States Senate she has become one of the 
     stars of our Senate. With the values of the Iron Range and 
     the sharp mind and tongue of a prosecutor she is the champion 
     of the people of Minnesota. To lead us in prayer for world 
     leaders, Senator Amy Klobuchar.
       U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar: Thank you, Senator Salazar, 
     President Bush, Mrs. Bush, members of Congress, friends. It 
     is an honor to be here today to share a prayer for our world 
     leaders. Like so many who are gathered here today, my faith 
     came from those before me. Their worlds did not stretch the 
     globe like the leaders for whom we will pray today instead 
     they lived in much simpler, humbler circumstances but they 
     still had the courage to believe. My grandpa worked 1,500 
     feet underground in the mines in Ely, Minnesota and never 
     graduated from high school but he saved money in a coffee can 
     in the basement to send my dad to college. Up in Iron Range 
     there is a rollicking collision of ethnic cultures from the 
     Slovenians to the Serbs to the Croatians and to the Finns. My 
     grandma and grandpa were Catholic and you could worship up on 
     the range at polka masses held by an entrepreneurial polka 
     priest, named Father Frank Perkovich. He did so well that he 
     has been last heard of as a priest on a Caribbean cruise 
     line. Prayer is needed everywhere. But my faith also comes 
     from my mom who never learned to drive until I was in high 
     school but who was bound and determined to get our family to 
     church. Once a week she would load us into a cab, which was 
     quite a sight in a middle class Minnesota suburb on a Sunday 
     morning, and it was my job to say at the end of the drive to 
     the driver, ``add 50 cents please.'' I would be so nervous 
     that I would forget to say this and deny the driver his tip 
     that the entire way to church I would say in my head, ``add 
     50 cents, please, add 50 cents, please.'' Today I can never 
     go to church without thinking, `add 50 cents please'. That I 
     got from my mom. And, finally, my faith comes from my dad 
     who became a popular newspaper columnist and an avid 
     adventurer. He climbed mountains the world over but his 
     faith was

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     tested time and time again through his own battle with 
     alcoholism. I watched him climb the highest peaks, but at 
     times slip in the lowest valleys. He finally overcame it 
     when in his own words, he was pursued by grace.
       We bow our heads today, God, to pray that our world leaders 
     may also be pursued by grace. God, in the Himalayas of Nepal 
     there is a simple greeting that today we share as a simple 
     blessing for our world leaders. When the Nepalese see a 
     friend they bow their heads and clasp their hands and say, 
     Namaste, which in its most spiritual translation means, ``I 
     praise the God that lives within you.'' God, in this time of 
     year when an English poet once described it as the bleak mid-
     winter, we are experiencing world events that too often match 
     that somber description. We pray that when our world leaders 
     are confronted by religion used to divide us, they will find 
     the God that lives within them to guide them to common ground 
     in peace. God, we pray that our leaders find the God that 
     lives within them to work together across borders to cure 
     disease, confront hunger and poverty and offer hope to the 
     children of the world. God, as the icebergs melt and the seas 
     flood we ask that our world leaders listen to you and answer 
     your call to care for your creation, to treasure the changing 
     of the seasons and to remember the philosophy of the Ojibwe 
     Indians that great leaders' decisions are not always made for 
     today but for children seven generations from now. And, God, 
     we know that leadership is sometimes a lonely place, wisdom 
     is often illusive and making the right choice can be hard but 
     we pray that when burdened with difficult decisions our 
     leaders will heed the God that lives within them and find the 
     best that is in our humanity, draw from the best of our 
     history and instincts and enlist the energy of our young. To 
     all our world leaders we praise the God that lives within 
     you. Namaste. Amen.
       Senator Enzi: I am proud now to introduce our speaker, Ward 
     Brehm. I knew him before I ever met him. I was involved in 
     the United States AIDS bill and was headed to Africa to see 
     what could be done. I was given a copy of a book called 
     ``White Man Walking,'' written by Ward, telling of his effort 
     to get to know the people of a continent face to face, step 
     by step. As I read about how the Lord used Africa to change 
     his life it changed mine. Ward serves as the chair of the 
     board of the United States Africa Development Fund, a small 
     agency with a very big job--that of making micro investments 
     across Africa that build people up through emerging private 
     enterprise. Ward's wife, Chris, is here with us at the head 
     table as well. After I read his book I got to work with his 
     confirmation in the Senate. I then got to work with him to 
     increase the agency's budget. He encouraged and was 
     successful in getting countries to match the monies. He found 
     customers for products made in Africa without going through 
     middlemen. He has traveled to Africa more than 30 times. Each 
     time he has a prayer and a scripture for each day of his 
     journey and several of us join him in prayer from the United 
     States as he makes a difference in Africa. Did you ever 
     wonder what would happen if you allowed the Lord to really 
     get a hold of your life and use you for His purposes? Here is 
     a pretty good example of what happens when a great God gets a 
     chance to use a regular person like you and me. Ladies and 
     gentlemen, my friend, Ward Brehm.
       Mr. Ward Brehm: Thank you, Senator Enzi. I am deeply 
     humbled by your introduction and proud to be able to call you 
     my friend.
       Most of you were probably surprised when you picked up your 
     program and saw a speaker you have never heard of before. I 
     want to tell you, you are not alone. One month ago, I sent in 
     my registration to this breakfast and I was just hoping for a 
     good seat. (Laughter)
       My thanks also to the members of the Senate group for this 
     opportunity. A good friend emailed me last night and said 
     that if God was going to speak through me, I did not need to 
     be nervous . . . God is the one who should be nervous! 
     (Laughter)
       My wife read to me from Scriptures last night that Jesus 
     said when two or more gather in His name, He will be there. 
     That is good enough for me!
       My work has given me the high privilege of serving you, Mr. 
     President, the American people, and above all, the poor in 
     Africa.
       The best way to help the poor is to help them not be poor 
     anymore. The only way I know how to do that is through job 
     creation, and the very best form of sustainable development 
     is a steady paycheck.
       It has been said that if you give a man a fish, you feed 
     him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a 
     lifetime. But that is not the full story. If you want to eat 
     for a lifetime, you need to own the pond.
       So a bit of background . . . Despite that eloquent 
     introduction, I am a recovering Type-A controlling 
     businessman. I have been described even by people who like me 
     as someone who is often wrong but seldom in doubt. I was a 
     bit of a problem child growing up. In fact, my pastor since 
     childhood, Arthur Rouner, recently referred to me as a 
     ministerial long shot!
       They say that if God wants to get your attention he will 
     toss a little pebble into your life. If that doesn't work, He 
     will throw a rock. As a last resort, He will heave a brick!
       Africa was my brick. In 1994, Africa was not on my personal 
     radar screen. In fact, the only significant thing on that 
     radar screen was ME!
       In the Los Angeles airport I bought a copy of Stephen 
     Covey's book, The Seven Habits for Highly Effective People. I 
     didn't buy it to learn anything, but just wanted to make sure 
     that he got them all right. (Laughter)
       I was intrigued by Covey's notion of paradigms: identical 
     sets of facts can mean something totally different because of 
     your world view.
       Somalia was in the news at the time, and countless numbers 
     of Africans were dying from starvation. I felt no real 
     connection to this humanitarian crisis. My radar screen was 
     full.
       Paradigms usually change because of shock or trauma, but I 
     wondered if it might be possible for someone to change their 
     paradigm on purpose. I supposed that if I were to see 
     people starving, it would change that paradigm and perhaps 
     much more. The thought left me as quickly as it came.
       But God sent me a reminder . . . One week later, I made one 
     of my occasional stops at church . . . and my pastor, out of 
     the blue, took me aside and said, ``Ward, I'm going to Africa 
     in two months, and I would like you to go with me.''
       I told him I couldn't believe the coincidence of his 
     invitation given my recent reflections on Somalia. Then I 
     said . . . ``No!'' (Laughter)
       He looked at me in a strange way, and he said, ``Would you 
     at least pray about it?'' I looked at him and said, ``You're 
     the pastor; YOU pray about it. I will THINK about it but 
     suspect my answer will be.'' (Laughter)
       He must have prayed hard . . . because two months later, I 
     found myself in the Minneapolis airport with a ticket to 
     Ethiopia in my hand. I was surrounded by (for the lack of a 
     better word) church ladies. (Laughter) And they were hugging 
     me . . . (Laughter) Then someone suggested that we pray 
     before we departed, so I found myself outside Gate 8A, 
     holding hands with a group of strangers. And as I stand here 
     before the National Prayer Breakfast, I can honestly say I 
     uttered my first heartfelt and sincere prayer . . . ``Lord, 
     don't let any of my clients see me!'' (Laughter)
       And then we flew twelve thousand miles to Africa, and a 
     million miles from my comfort zone. I had the high privilege 
     of having my heart broken. I saw poverty on an obscene level. 
     Children with flies on their eyes and for the lack of a 50 
     cent medicine doomed to blindness, the emaciated faces of 
     famine, families shattered by civil war. In Masaka, Uganda I 
     held the hand of a 22-year-old mother as she died of AIDS and 
     then turned to look directly into the faces of four brand new 
     orphans.
       I was an eyewitness. It put a face on the statistics. I 
     always believed that those statistics were true, but now they 
     become real. It got personal. . . .
       More recently, I took a long walk with a warrior turned 
     pastor friend, Lodinyo, deep into an unknown wilderness along 
     the northern Rift Valley that divides northwest Kenya with 
     Uganda. He took me to where they had never seen a person with 
     white skin. When they first spotted me, they thought I was a 
     ghost . . . a dead man walking. For a while, I thought they 
     would be right.
       I fasted for five days on this walk to experience real 
     hunger, but had brought along protein bars in case of (as 
     Lodinyo put it) an ``emergency''. At the end of this walk, I 
     collapsed in a borrowed sleeping hut. When I awoke 13 hours 
     later, I saw a little boy peeking through the door. While he 
     was initially terrified, curiosity eventually got the best of 
     him, and I noticed he was concentrating more on my stash of 
     power bars than he was on me. He succeeded in snatching a 
     bar, and immediately ran away. ``Kids are the same 
     everywhere,'' I thought, until I stepped outside the hut, and 
     I found that little boy kneeling over his two-year old sister 
     with a terribly distended stomach, feeding her tiny pieces of 
     protein. . . .
       Three months later, I was to learn that she died . . . 
     another paradigm shift.
       Now after more than 30 trips to Africa, the question that I 
     have been asked more than any other by my African friends is 
     ``What do you pray for?''
       Most of us among the affluent have too many things. Too 
     much food, multiple cars, great health care, retirement, 
     insurance . . .
       It is only when things fall apart completely, and we are 
     totally out of control that we feel totally dependent, and 
     thus closest to God. Death, cancer, business failure, 
     addiction, divorce, crises; these are the things that truly 
     drop us to our knees.
       All across the world, including America, things are 
     continuously falling apart for the truly poor . . . They are 
     always out of control, constantly living in crises mode, and 
     thus dependent and faithful to God's own commandment that we 
     love Him with all of our hearts. God is often all the poor 
     have.
       The leaders that God anoints are their only hope. And 
     despite the often-horrific conditions that they live in, the 
     poor are thankful for their very existence.
       Scripture asks, ``Hasn't God chosen those who are poor in 
     the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the 
     Kingdom?'' Yes, He has. I have seen it with my own eyes.
       The question that I am asked by most of my American friends 
     is, ``Why cross an ocean to help people when you need only 
     cross the street, to help your own?'' It is a great question, 
     and the answer is, of course, that we need to do both.
       Solzhenitsyn said that disaster is defined by two things: 
     magnitude and distance. So a small disaster close to home or 
     a huge disaster faraway, results in what he describes

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     as ``bearable disasters of bearable proportion.'' We have 
     become too good at ``bearing.'' Our hearts should be broken 
     by the things that break the heart of God.
       Specifically in Africa, there are many faraway disasters of 
     epic proportions. In 1994, in Rwanda, a country the size of 
     Maryland, the political genocide claimed over 800,000 lives: 
     9,000 lives per day for 90 days. That is two World Trade 
     Center disasters per day for three months.
       Today, in Darfur, Sudan, 1.5 million homeless. Thousands 
     terrorized, raped and killed. AIDS is killing 4,400 people 
     per day in Africa, and even more are dying from curable 
     malaria. Epic disasters of epic proportions, far from home 
     for most of us. We have hundreds today right here in this 
     room from all around the world, our neighbors this morning, 
     who experience these epic disasters close to home.
       I do want to say while I have the chance with the President 
     sitting right here. Very few people are aware that due to 
     President Bush's commitment and the resulting partnership 
     with Congress there has been an absolutely historic four-fold 
     increase in American assistance to fight poverty and AIDS 
     in Africa.
       In 2003 there were 50,000 Africans on Anti-Viral medication 
     and today there are over 1.5 million. I have not met a SINGLE 
     person who hasn't agreed with this high calling.
       Proverbs the book of Wisdom says ``speak up for those who 
     can not speak for themselves and defend the rights of the 
     poor and destitute.'' You have been that voice and on behalf 
     of the ``least of these'' in Africa as well as the collective 
     American conscience, I want to say . . .``Thank you Mr. 
     President.'' (Applause)
       Do you remember when Jesus was talking to His disciples, 
     and asked them when He was hungry, why they didn't give Him 
     any food, and when He was naked, why they didn't give Him any 
     clothes? And the disciples said something like, ``Lord, we 
     never did any of those things to You.'' I always thought 
     (like most folks) that Jesus replied ``Whenever you did this 
     to the least of these, you did this unto Me.''
       Except that's not what He said. What He said was, ``When 
     ever you did this to one of the least of these, you did this 
     unto Me.''
       How often do we forget the word ``one.''
       It changes the meaning of what Jesus said completely. In 
     our quest to be helpful, we can rob the poor of their 
     dignity. In order to be of any help to the poor, we need to 
     understand them, we need to know them, and we need to love 
     them. They are not a group. The poor is not a species. They 
     are identical to us in their hopes and dreams. They love 
     their families and long for a better life. The only 
     difference is that they are poor.
       And people don't suffer and die in groups. It is one at a 
     time. And each one of those deaths leaves an identical wake 
     of agony to what you and I and our families would experience.
       So what are we supposed to do with all this? How does this 
     fit with our world, so different and so far away? Frankly, I 
     am not sure, but we do have some clues. Jesus said, ``The 
     poor will always be with you.'' What an odd thing to say, 
     especially coming from Him!
       Jesus also said, ``To whom much has been given, much will 
     be expected.'' So maybe this is a test of sorts. If so . . . 
     how are we doing?
       I have heard stories similar to mine of peoples' lives 
     being changed: from orphanages in Russia to inner-city 
     schools in Minneapolis, from the slums of Calcutta to remote 
     medical clinics in the mountains of Afghanistan, from the 
     streets of Washington, D.C., to wretched prisons in East 
     Asia. Indeed, all across the world people are answering 
     Jesus' question, ``Who is my neighbor?'' And these people are 
     finding themselves changed, engaged, and discovering 
     meaning and relevance by being involved in things much 
     bigger than themselves.
       I believe that, deep down, most people would love to have 
     God change their lives. Here's the thing: If asked, He will, 
     every time, guaranteed. And while these changes may initially 
     seem scary, they ultimately lay a foundation for a life lived 
     on purpose rather than by default.
       I will forever be indebted to Africa. Africa awakened me 
     when I didn't even know I was asleep. I pray that everyone 
     who seeks one will find a similar path.
       I pray that each of you will find your own Africa. . . .
       A few years ago my friend, Gary Haugen, asked me the most 
     important question of all . . .
       For those four orphans I was with in Uganda who watched 
     their mother die of AIDS and were suddenly and completely on 
     their own . . . For a twelve year old girl kidnapped and sold 
     into slavery in rural India . . . For a single mom evicted 
     and homeless on the streets of Washington, D.C. . . . For 
     each one of them: What is God's strategy for letting them 
     know that He's good?
       For the mother in Ethiopia who sees her baby die of 
     malnutrition--Why would she think God is good? And what is 
     God's strategy for allowing her to know that He loves her?
       The answer is astounding. The answer is . . . US!
       Even more astonishing . . . He has no plan B. . . .
       God bless you one and all. (Applause)
       Senator Salazar: Thank you, Ward Brehm, for that 
     inspirational message. Ladies and gentlemen and guests from 
     around the world, it is my honor to introduce to all of you 
     the President of our United States. We are delighted to see 
     with President Bush his lovely and wonderful wife, Laura. 
     (Applause)
       For all of us gathered here today in Washington, D.C. we 
     know that this is a funny town. If you only read the papers 
     you would think the Democrats and Republicans simply never 
     work together. The truth is since I first met the President 
     several years ago we have had a friendship that has helped us 
     work on issues that are important to our nation, including 
     the issues of renewable energy and the issues of immigration 
     reform. It is a friendship that is rooted in our shared love 
     for our nation, our faith and our reverence for family. The 
     President and I have spoken several times about the powerful 
     impact that our fathers have had on our lives. Our dad's 
     stories show how the American experience can send different 
     people down different paths to fulfill truly the American 
     dream. World War II inspired both of our fathers to don the 
     uniform of their country. The American West inspired their 
     love for open spaces and for the ranching traditions of our 
     states. Their love of God inspired them to work long days 
     in service to generations to come. And so here we are 
     today, the President of the United States and a United 
     States Senator from Colorado, bound by our service to our 
     country, by our faith in humanity, and by our hope that we 
     too will be heroes to our daughters as our fathers were to 
     all of us.
       Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of the United States of 
     America. (Applause)
       The President of the United States: Thank you all. Gracias, 
     mi amigo. Thank you, friend. Laura and I are honored to join 
     you all here for the 56th National Prayer Breakfast. There 
     are a lot of reasons to pray and one of course is to 
     strengthen us against temptation--particularly this morning, 
     the temptation to stay in bed. (Laughter)
       Obviously there are a lot of prayerful people here and I 
     appreciate your warm welcome.
       We have a lot of distinguished guests here today, members 
     of Congress, military leaders, captains of industry. Yet at 
     this annual gathering we are reminded of an eternal truth, 
     when we lift our hearts to God we are all equal in His sight. 
     We are all equally precious; we are all equally dependant on 
     His grace. It is fitting that we gather each year to approach 
     our Creator in fellowship and to thank Him for the many 
     blessings He has bestowed upon our families and our nation. 
     It is fitting that we gather in prayer because we recognize a 
     prayerful nation is a stronger nation.
       I appreciate Senators Salazar and Enzi. Thank you for 
     putting this event on.
       Madame Speaker, Leader Hoyer, Leader Blunt, thank you for 
     being here.
       I welcome the members of Congress. I appreciate the Heads 
     of State who are here. Welcome to America, again.
       I thank the members of the Diplomatic Corps who joined us. 
     I appreciate the distinguished dignitaries, all the members 
     of my cabinet--don't linger, get back to work. (Laughter) 
     Admiral, thank you for your leadership. I am always proud to 
     be with the members of the United States military. I thank 
     the state and local officials. Ward, thanks for your remarks. 
     Those were awesome. I guess that is a presidential word. I am 
     proud to be here with Michael W. and Debbie, long time 
     friends of our family. Thank you for lending your beautiful 
     voice. Judge, I am not going to hold the Texas thing against 
     you. (Laughter)
       Every President since Dwight Eisenhower has attended the 
     National Prayer Breakfast--and I am really proud to carry on 
     this tradition. It is an important tradition, and I am 
     confident Presidents who follow me will do the same. The 
     people in this room come from many different walks of faith. 
     Yet we share one clear conviction: We believe that the 
     Almighty hears our prayers--and answers those who seek Him. 
     That is what we believe; otherwise, why come? That through 
     the miracle of prayer, we believe he listens--if we listen to 
     his voice and seek His presence in our lives, our hearts will 
     change. And in so doing, in seeking God, we grow in ways that 
     we could never imagine.
       And in prayer we grow in gratitude and thanksgiving. When 
     we spend time with the Almighty we realize how much he has 
     bestowed upon us and our hearts are filled with joy. We give 
     thanks for our families, we give thanks for the parents who 
     raised us, we give thanks for the patient souls who married 
     us and the children who make us proud each day. We give 
     thanks for our liberty and the universal desire for freedom 
     that He has written in every human heart. We give thanks for 
     the God who made us in His image and redeemed us in His love.
       In prayer we grow in meekness and humility. By approaching 
     our Maker on bended knee we acknowledge our complete 
     dependence on Him. We recognize that we have nothing to offer 
     God that He does not already have, except our love. So we 
     offer Him that love and ask for the grace to discern His 
     will. We ask Him to remain near to us at all times. We ask 
     Him to help us lead lives that are pleasing to Him. We 
     discover that by surrendering our lives to the Almighty we 
     are strengthened, refreshed and ready for all that may come. 
     In prayer we also grow in boldness and courage.
       The more time we spend with God, the more we see that He is 
     not a distant king but a loving Father. Inspired by this 
     confidence we approach Him with bold requests, we ask Him to 
     heal the sick and comfort the dying and sustain those who 
     care for them. We ask

[[Page S2773]]

     Him to bring solace to the victims of tragedy and help to 
     those suffering from addiction and adversity. We ask Him to 
     strengthen our families and to protect the innocent and 
     vulnerable in our country. We ask Him to protect our nation 
     from those who wish us harm and watch over all who step 
     forward to defend us. We ask Him to bring about the day when 
     His peace shall reign across the world and every tear shall 
     be wiped away.
       In prayer we grow in mercy and compassion. We are reminded 
     in prayer that we are all fallen creatures in need of mercy. 
     And in seeking God's mercy we grow in mercy ourselves. 
     Experiencing the presence of God transforms our hearts and 
     the more we seek His presence, the more we feel the tug at 
     our souls to reach out to the poor and the hungry, the 
     elderly and the infirmed.
       When we answer God's call to love a neighbor as ourselves 
     we enter into a deeper friendship with our fellow man and a 
     deeper relationship with our Eternal Father.
       I believe in the power of prayer because I felt it in my 
     own life. Prayer has strengthened me in times of personal 
     challenge. It has helped me meet the challenges of the 
     presidency. I understand now clearly the story of the calm in 
     the rough seas. And so at this final prayer breakfast as your 
     President, I thank you for your prayers and I thank our 
     people all across America for their prayers and I ask you not 
     to stop in the year ahead. We have so much work to do for our 
     country. And with the help of the Almighty we will build a 
     freer world and a safer, a more hopeful, a more noble, 
     America. God bless. (Applause)
       Senator Enzi: Thank you, Mr. President for that prayer for 
     our country. We thank you for your presence here. This is the 
     56th consecutive time that a President of the United States 
     has been at the National Prayer Breakfast, a tremendous and 
     important tradition. Ladies and gentlemen, we would ask that 
     you please remain at your places as the President and First 
     Lady take their leave of us. And we do thank you for your 
     presence, Mr. President, and the faithful way that you strive 
     to carry the burdens of our nation. I know all of us want to 
     join in saying we will pray for you and for your spouse and 
     for your family that the Lord will give you success in your 
     efforts toward the common needs of all mankind, which are 
     life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
       God bless you, Mr. President and Mrs. Bush. (Applause)
       Mr. Smith: (Sings) [``Amazing Grace''] (Applause)
       Senator Enzi: Thank you, Michael for the gift of worship as 
     you do it so well through song. We're very grateful for all 
     at our head table, the participants and the loving, 
     thoughtful spirit that they have shared with all of us. I 
     know that when I leave today, I will take with me the 
     prayers, the scriptures, the words of our two speakers and 
     try to remember that the word ``one'' is the important part 
     to the least and that we all have the opportunity to do our 
     part. I hope that God doesn't get too nervous when He is 
     working through us. This has been an outstanding morning. We 
     have shared with you a little bit of what our Wednesday 
     prayer breakfast is like, it is the way we get filled up 
     during the week and I hope this has helped to fill you today.
       Senator Salazar: We hope you have all been encouraged. We 
     hope you have been challenged. We hope you take the faith and 
     hope and optimism and challenges that Ward Brehm has 
     presented to us here today that not only in Africa, but in 
     Latin America and all across this world that we work for a 
     more perfect world and I am sure that this prayer breakfast 
     will help us move along the way. Thank you to the 4,000 
     people who are here, to the millions around the world who are 
     praying for us, to the 155 nations who are represented here 
     knowing at the end of the day we are one human race. Thank 
     you for coming this morning.

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from South Carolina is 
recognized.

                          ____________________