[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5728-5736]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     63RD NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST

  Mr. WICKER. Mr. President, earlier this year, Senator Casey and I had 
the honor of serving as the cochairs of the National Prayer Breakfast. 
The annual event is a longtime tradition that celebrates the importance 
of faith and fellowship in our lives. This year's breakfast featured 
moving prayers, songs, and speeches from a number of notable guests, 
including race car legend Darrell Waltrip.
  Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, Senator Wicker and I would like to thank 
all of the individuals who were involved in making the 2015 National 
Prayer Breakfast a great success. Thousands of people from across the 
country and world participated, including President Obama and His 
Holiness the Dalai Lama.
  On behalf of Senator Wicker and myself, I ask unanimous consent that 
the full transcript be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

63rd National Prayer Breakfast, Thursday, February 5, 2015, Washington, 
  DC, Co-Chairs: Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr., Senator Roger F. Wicker

       The Honorable Roger F. Wicker: Good morning, everyone. I am 
     Senator Roger Wicker from Mississippi, and together with my 
     colleague, Senator Bob Casey from the Commonwealth of 
     Pennsylvania, we welcome you to the 63rd Annual National 
     Prayer Breakfast.
       It is an honor to serve with Bob as co-chairman this year, 
     and we thank you for joining us this morning. Each year this 
     event is one of the most special and memorable in Washington. 
     Today, some 3,500 of us have gathered in this ballroom and in 
     auxiliary rooms down the hall. We represent all 50 states and 
     130 nations. As the Psalm says, ``Oh, let the nations be glad 
     and sing for joy, for Thou shall judge the people righteously 
     and govern the nations of the earth. Let the people praise 
     Thee, oh God. Let all the people praise Thee.'' So, for the 
     130 nations represented in this room today--be glad, be 
     joyful, and praise God.

[[Page 5729]]

       Since 1953, the National Prayer Breakfast has exemplified 
     and celebrated the power of prayer and fellowship in our 
     lives. We come together as Ephesians 5:19 directs us, 
     ``Addressing one another in Psalms and hymns, and spiritual 
     songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your 
     heart.''
       We have a truly remarkable program with guests and 
     performers this morning. Like our weekly prayer breakfasts in 
     the Senate and the House, we will have Scripture, prayers, 
     songs, and speakers sharing their stories and reflections. 
     Our hope is that you leave today with new blessings and 
     perspectives about the strong community of faith in this 
     country and around the world.
       The Honorable Robert P. Casey, Jr.: My name is Bob Casey 
     and I'm honored to be here this morning with my co-chair, 
     Roger Wicker, my friend who has labored with us these two 
     years. Roger, we're grateful for your work.
       In just a few minutes we'll have the opportunity to give a 
     warm welcome to the President and the First Lady when they 
     arrive. And in the meantime, we hope you are enjoying your 
     breakfast and getting to know those at your table, if you 
     don't know them already. We're honored you're with us.
       And now to lead us in our first prayer, I'm happy to 
     welcome Rabbi Gregory Marx to the podium. For more than 
     twenty-five years, Rabbi Marx has been the spiritual leader 
     of Congregation Beth Or in Maple Glen, Montgomery County, 
     Pennsylvania. We are grateful that he is with us today. And 
     he will do our prayer and then we'll have a break, and then 
     we'll go to the second part of the program. Rabbi Marx.
       Rabbi Gregory S. Marx: Thank you, Senator. Good morning.
       The Biblical prophet, Micah proclaimed: It has been told 
     you what is good, and what the Lord requires of you, only to 
     do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God. 
     Justice without mercy leads to harsh judgment. Mercy without 
     justice creates a world where there's no accountability, no 
     moral goodness. At this moment, may God bless us with both 
     mercy and justice so that we may tenderly care for those in 
     need of compassion and rejoice in the good of others. We 
     celebrate this morning our uniqueness as well as our 
     commonality. We come from our different faith perspectives, 
     yet are united in a fervent desire to strengthen the hands 
     and the hearts of those who seek to build an enduring 
     society, which tolerates neither bigotry nor hatred. Master 
     of the universe, inspire us to release those reservoirs of 
     spirit and mind which make us truly partners with you. Grant 
     us patience and hopefulness in our daily tasks. May we never 
     give in to despair, despite their enormity. Give us love for 
     truth above cleverness, for people above things, for God 
     above all else. Remind us in the immortal words of Abraham 
     Lincoln, that religious devotion is not about having God on 
     our side, which mistakenly prompts us to condemn the faith of 
     others, but rather it is about being on God's side, which 
     requires devotion to civic duty, tolerance, humility, 
     justice, mercy, and peace. Be with us, oh God, as we seek to 
     establish new ties of friendship across religious, racial, 
     and ethnic boundaries, to create innovative opportunities of 
     service, to rejoice in the growth of all of our children. And 
     to lovingly and faithfully support our fellow men and women 
     who are in need of God's care and affection. May God bless 
     our beloved and noble country and those who defend her, so 
     that each may one day sit under their own vine and fig tree 
     and none shall be afraid. Give us, oh God, the good sense and 
     understanding to buttress the moral fiber of American life, 
     that we may gird ourselves with integrity, and to 
     successfully meet the immense challenges before us. Keep us, 
     oh God, from pride which prevents us from seeing the need for 
     real change and steel us with a commitment to stay the course 
     when necessary. Most of all, oh God, shield us from impatient 
     judgment towards those who differ from us. May we always 
     remember that you are exalted, oh God whenever and wherever 
     men and women work together to fulfill Micah's prophetic 
     vision of justice, mercy, humility. And let us say, Amen.
       Senator Wicker: Thank you Rabbi Marx. At this point, 
     continue enjoying your breakfast and the conversation with 
     our table guests. The President and his party will be here in 
     a few moments.
       [Applause]
       Senator Casey: May everyone have a seat. Thanks very much 
     everyone. We're honored that the President and the First Lady 
     are with us. As Senator Wicker and I said earlier, we're 
     honored you're with us this morning, and we're grateful for 
     the folks who helped put this breakfast together every year.
       I'm honored to share with everyone in this audience an 
     excerpt from a message from Rome, by Pope Francis. This 
     message is to all of us gathered here at this National Prayer 
     Breakfast, and he writes in part, and I quote:
       ``Dear Friends, I send prayerful good wishes for you, for 
     the fruitfulness of your work. I ask you to pray for me, and 
     to join me in praying for our brothers and our sisters 
     throughout the world who experience persecution and death for 
     their faith. Upon you, your families, and those whom you 
     serve, I cordially invoke God's blessings of wisdom, joy, and 
     peace.''
       We're honored that the Holy Father would send us that 
     message. The entirety of the message will be read at today's 
     luncheon. While Pope Francis couldn't be with us today in 
     person, His Excellency the Papal Nuncio, the Holy Father's 
     representative in the United States is here today and we're 
     honored by his presence.
       All of us, as well have the extraordinary privilege today 
     to be joined at this breakfast by another inspirational 
     spiritual leader and peacemaker, His Holiness the Dalai Lama. 
     We're honored by his presence. [Applause]
       When I was in state government in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 
     I worked in the finance building, and right over the building 
     in the front of the building, was an inscription that I think 
     is a good summation of what it means to be in public service. 
     And I'm quoting from that precept inscribed on the building--
     here's what it says: ``All public service is a trust given in 
     faith and accepted in honor.'' Senator Wicker and I, and 
     those who are in the room who are elected officials, have 
     accepted that honor to serve. We also feel privileged. I know 
     this is true of Roger, and me, and so many others, but we're 
     privileged to do our work in the Senate, but the excessive 
     partisanship and politics that occurs in this town too often 
     gets in the way and divides the Senate. That's why the weekly 
     prayer breakfast on Wednesdays, on every Wednesday that the 
     Senate is in session, is a way for us to have an oasis from 
     the politics of the place. We gather at that breakfast for 
     prayer and to share some time with each other every Wednesday 
     morning--just as we're doing this morning with people from so 
     many different states, different countries, backgrounds, 
     faiths, and beliefs. We're reminded this morning of the 
     journey, the journey of faith that we're all on, and we 
     believe that faith is a gift, and a gift that we're blessed 
     by today and express gratitude. Senator Wicker. [Applause]
       Senator Wicker: Thank you, Bob. The Senate prayer breakfast 
     dates back to World War II when a group of legislators met in 
     the Senate restaurant. We can only imagine the conversations 
     that took place during those early days as the deadliest 
     conflict in human history swept the globe. Then as now, the 
     weekly meetings which occur when the Senate is in session 
     have remained largely low profile. In January of 1943, an 
     article from the Washington Post describes them as without 
     fanfare, front-page publicity or ballyhoo, and that is still 
     true. In many ways our prayer breakfast is a welcome 
     sanctuary from the politics and the partisanship we hear 
     about. Each week we sing a hymn, we hear prayer requests that 
     we call the ``sick and wounded report.'' We actually join 
     hands and we pray together. And we hear a presentation from 
     one of our members, but not before a very thorough 
     introduction of that member by either Senator Mike Enzi or 
     Senator Jim Inhofe. Now, Senator Inhofe and Enzi are here 
     today, and I think it's high time that something be said 
     about their introductions. Everything we do at the prayer 
     breakfast is off the record, but this needs to be said about 
     Senator Enzi and Senator Inhofe's introductions. Neither 
     opposition research professionals nor the FBI have a thing on 
     Enzi and Inhofe when it comes to background checks. Mike and 
     Jim relentlessly call former classmates, teachers, old 
     friends, and relatives to discover something a little unusual 
     about each week's presenter. Sometimes I wince. Sometimes I 
     cringe. But the introduction always ends on a high note with 
     a verse of Scripture and the suggestion that our speaker is 
     much like a Biblical character of old. Thank you for that, 
     Jim. Thank you for that, Mike.
       And then we hear from the Senator himself or herself, a 
     Democrat one week, a Republican the next week. What we learn 
     about each other is a lot. During my time in the Senate 
     prayer breakfast, we've heard from our own American sniper, 
     our own astronaut, he's here today, our own missionaries, and 
     we've had several, and our own award-winning composer. From 
     camp directors, to university presidents, we've heard the 
     good and the bad. We've heard about difficult family 
     backgrounds. We've heard about financial bankruptcy and home 
     foreclosures, and we've heard about spiritual journeys, from 
     the heights of achievement to really, really tough times. It 
     has been said, ``There is so much good in the worst of us and 
     so much bad in the best of us that it ill behooves any of us 
     to find fault with the rest of us,'' and that is true about 
     the attendees in the Senate prayer breakfast. In short, on 
     Wednesday mornings we learn we are a lot like you, and you, 
     and every other child of God, and almost always I come away 
     with a blessing. This morning, I acknowledge and thank the 
     people who have gone before Bob and me in the Senate prayer 
     breakfast leadership over the period of six decades, and 
     along with Bob, I'm honored to continue in their tradition.
       Now at this time, it is my pleasure to recognize a few 
     distinguished guests at our head table who will not be given 
     the opportunity to speak. And I'll ask the next three ladies 
     to stand and remain standing, Mrs. Stevie Waltrip, Mrs. 
     Therese Casey, and Mrs. Gayle Wicker. Thank you for joining 
     us, ladies. Thank you so much, you may be seated.

[[Page 5730]]

       And it is my very special honor at this point to ask each 
     of you to give our appreciation and love to the First Lady of 
     the United States, Mrs. Michelle Obama. [Applause]
       And now, it is a special privilege for me as a Senator from 
     Mississippi to introduce a familiar face from home. Jasmine 
     Murray is from Columbus, Mississippi. She has been a 
     broadcast communication major at Mississippi State 
     University. She was a finalist on American Idol. And she was 
     a finalist in the Miss America Pageant where she proudly 
     represented my home state of Mississippi. Ladies and 
     gentlemen, please welcome Miss Mississippi, Jasmine Murray. 
     [Applause]
       Ms. Jasmine Murray: [Singing]
     Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,
     Why should my heart feel lonely, and long for heaven and 
         home,
     When Jesus is my portion? A constant friend is He:
     His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches over me;
     His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches over me.
     I sing because I'm happy,
     I sing because I'm free.
     His eye is on the sparrow,
     And I know He watches me.
     His eye is on the sparrow,
     And I know He watches, I know He watches, I know He watches 
         me.
     I sing because I'm happy,
     I sing because I'm free.
     His eye is on the sparrow,
     And I know He watches me.
     His eye is on the sparrow,
     And I know He watches me.
     He watches me. I know He watches me. He watches me.
       Ms. Murray: Thank you.
       Senator Wicker: Thank you! Jasmine, that was wonderful. 
     Thank you, that was just great. I'm delighted to introduce 
     our next guest. He's a former Mayor of San Antonio and 
     current Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. As a 
     member of the President's Cabinet, he represents the 
     executive branch of the family while his twin brother, 
     Joaquin, covers the legislative side as a member of the House 
     of Representatives. Please warmly welcome to read from the 
     Old Testament, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, 
     Julian Castro. [Applause]
       The Honorable Julian Castro: Thank you. Thank you so much 
     Mr. President for the great assist, good morning, and to Mrs. 
     Obama, and to co-chairs Senator Casey and Senator Wicker, and 
     to all of our distinguished guests. It's a great honor to 
     join you on this day of prayer and of peace. Last week I had 
     the opportunity to travel to Los Angeles where I met some of 
     our nation's most vulnerable citizens, men and women living 
     every day with homelessness. Although they have endured 
     incredibly difficult circumstances, it was clear to me that 
     they have never let their hardship extinguish their hope. I 
     spoke with an older woman who spends her nights on a tattered 
     quilt over cold concrete. Night after night, that wears on a 
     person's body, yet this woman's spirit was unbroken and her 
     faith is a true testament of strength and of grace. And it 
     was this angel in the City of Angels, who reminded me that 
     the true measure of our progress is how we care for those 
     with the least.
       The passage that I will read speaks to the hope we must 
     preserve, the needs we must meet, and the common humanity 
     that we must always honor. A reading from the book of Isaiah:
       Is this the manner of fasting I would choose, a day to 
     afflict one's self, to bow one's head like a reed and lie 
     upon sack cloth and ashes? Is this what you call a fast, a 
     day acceptable to the Lord? Is this not rather the fast I 
     choose--releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of 
     the yoke, setting free the oppressed, breaking off every 
     yoke? Is it not sharing your bread with the hungry, bringing 
     the afflicted and homeless into your house, clothing the 
     naked when you see them and not turning your back on your own 
     flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and 
     your wound shall be quickly healed. Your vindication shall go 
     before you and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear 
     guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer. You 
     shall cry for help, and he will say, ``Here I am.'' If you 
     remove the yoke from among you, the accusing finger and 
     malicious speech, if you lavish your food on the hungry and 
     satisfy the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the 
     darkness and your gloom shall become like midday.
       Thank you, and may God bless you. [Applause]
       Senator Casey: Thank you, Secretary Castro. Our prayer for 
     the poor this morning will be offered by Sister Mary 
     Scullion, a woman who has devoted her life to service, 
     advocacy, and of course, God. She is one of the founders of 
     Project HOME in Philadelphia; I'm proud to say that today. 
     Project HOME is a truly exceptional organization that does 
     the important work of providing housing, employment 
     opportunities, and medical care and education for the 
     homeless and the impoverished. For her work, Sister Mary was 
     named one of Time Magazine's world's 100 most influential 
     people in 2009. Sister Mary.
       Sister Mary Scullion: It's an honor to be here, Mr. 
     President and Mrs. Obama, thank you very much, and all 
     honored guests. And greetings to everyone from Philadelphia, 
     Pennsylvania.
       God of compassion and justice, we humbly come before you 
     with gratitude and a clear understanding that it is in you 
     that we all find our home. For when we are rooted in your 
     truth and grace, we are empowered to pray: thy kingdom come. 
     We recall how through the ages, you've been a God of 
     compassion, justice, and liberation, with a special love for 
     the poor and the oppressed. We remember your servant Moses 
     leading your people out of bondage. We recall Jesus, healing 
     the sick and proclaiming good news to the poor. We recall 
     those times in our own nation's history when moved by the 
     promise of liberty and empowered by Your Spirit, courageous 
     leaders worked to end slavery, to enfranchise women, to 
     welcome immigrants, and to expand economic opportunity for 
     all. Your constant revelation, God, is one of nonviolent 
     liberation from anything that oppresses the human spirit. As 
     we gather here, millions of your beloved children are 
     suffering under the burden of poverty, oppression, and 
     violence. Our prayers today can only be authentic if they 
     compel us to act. Let us hear the cry of the loving parents 
     struggling to provide for their children. Let us hear the cry 
     of those all around our world impacted by violence, and those 
     in our nation who suffer the wounds of gun violence. Let us 
     hear the cry of millions of children whose magnificent gifts 
     and possibilities are lost in under-resourced schools and 
     economically plundered neighborhoods, condemning them to a 
     life of persistent poverty. Let us hear the cry of our 
     veterans suffering from the wounds of war, especially those 
     who are homeless. Open our eyes, Lord, so we can see 
     suffering as a prophetic sign that calls us to radical 
     transformation. God, we know that our faith does not give us 
     answers; it gives us courage. As a people of faith, we pray 
     for the courage to live truthfully, justly, and 
     compassionately. Help us to see through our hypocrisy and 
     falsehood, empower us to stand squarely on the side of those 
     who are poor and struggling on the margins. Help us to move 
     beyond our ideological polarizations and economic 
     disparities. Form us into a united community that affirms 
     each person's dignity and works towards a shared prosperity. 
     Let us build a society free from the scourge of poverty, a 
     society that truly reflects Your Kingdom. Most of all, let us 
     understand that your ancient call for compassion and justice 
     is in truth, an invitation to us for fullness of life, and 
     richness of human community. As we meet the needs of those 
     who are poor, we are healing ourselves and our nation. As we 
     ensure that all families have enough to eat, we are building 
     the banquet table for everyone. As we work to provide health 
     care and education, we are making our whole society healthier 
     and wiser. As we bring those living on our streets home, we 
     are finding our own way home because none of us are home 
     until all of us are home. Fill us with that same spirit of 
     liberation that filled Jesus and the prophets. Fill us with 
     that spirit of joy, of hope that inspired the prophet Isaiah 
     in his powerful challenge. If you spend yourselves on behalf 
     of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then 
     your light will rise in the darkness and your night will 
     become like the noon day. God of compassion, God of justice, 
     fill us with this yearning and give us the strength, the 
     grace, the courage to make it real each and every day as we 
     pray: thy kingdom come. Amen. [Applause]
       Senator Wicker: Thank you, Sister Mary. A few minutes ago 
     when I said, ``Perhaps someone within the sound of my voice 
     could come to my assistance,'' I guess that did include you, 
     Mr. President. Though I thought perhaps someone else would 
     step forward, but thank you young man for figuring that out.
       I first became involved in the Prayer Breakfast as a House 
     member, and I'm delighted today to introduce to say a few 
     words, the co-chairs from the House Prayer Breakfast. 
     Congressman Robert Aderholt, serving his 10th term from 
     Alabama, and Congressman Juan Vargas, serving his second term 
     from California, are the co-chairs in the House, and by 
     virtue of that, they will be the co-chairs of the next 
     breakfast, the 64th Annual National Prayer Breakfast. Ladies 
     and gentlemen, Robert Aderholt and Juan Vargas. [Applause]
       The Honorable Robert B. Aderholt: Good morning. It's a real 
     honor for Juan and myself to be here on behalf of the House 
     breakfast, which meets every Thursday morning at eight 
     o'clock, about this time in the Capitol, when the House is in 
     session. The House of Representatives weekly prayer group 
     meets and we come together as Democrats and Republicans. We 
     come together once a week, not promoting a party; we're not 
     promoting a particular issue, or a particular agenda. I'm a 
     Republican from Alabama, Juan is a Democrat from California 
     but we come together that one hour during the week to promote 
     Jesus.
       We're told in John 3 that Jesus said, ``Just as Moses 
     lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the son of man must 
     be lifted up . . . that everyone who believes may have 
     eternal life in him.'' And that is what we promote during 
     that week--Jesus of Nazareth. And we

[[Page 5731]]

     are honored to be here this morning. We're glad to be here 
     with our colleagues and all of our friends, and our family 
     from literally around the world and it is an honor to work 
     together in a bipartisan effort and to work as I say, with 
     our colleagues and especially this year to work with my 
     colleague, Juan Vargas from California. [Applause]
       The Honorable Juan C. Vargas: Thank you, and greetings from 
     the Prayer Breakfast. Mr. President, it was great to see the 
     assist that you gave today. We went to law school together, 
     played against him a couple times in basketball, he didn't 
     assist like that. It was a little rougher out there. That was 
     great to see.
       We do come together every Thursday morning and we call it 
     the best hour of the week. We come together as Democrats and 
     Republicans. Who would have guessed--a California Democrat 
     and someone from Alabama who is a Republican? But we come 
     together and we pray, and we bring Jesus into our prayers and 
     we lift up the country, we lift up the Congress. And we know 
     that special things can happen, and they do. And because of 
     that, I think we're all here today and appreciate very, very 
     much the prayers that you all have for us. We know that you 
     pray for us throughout the country. I've gone to many, many 
     services where we hear that you pray for your leaders, you 
     pray for the President, you pray for all of us in public 
     office. And we love that and understand that, and we bring 
     those prayers up too. So again, thank you very much. And for 
     all of my colleagues, I invite you to come and pray with us 
     every Thursday morning. It's the best hour of the week from 
     eight in the morning until nine, and it really is something 
     special. You get to meet people that you wouldn't otherwise. 
     Who would have known that I would have loved Louie Gohmert? 
     Louie Gohmert has been one of our leaders and it's just 
     fabulous to come and pray with him. He brings us Jesus every 
     Thursday, so thank you very much. It's an honor to be here. 
     [Applause]
       Senator Casey: Thank you very much for the Members of 
     Congress. I'm pleased to introduce The Honorable Deborah Lee 
     James, the 23rd Secretary of the United States Air Force. She 
     joins us today to offer a prayer for the leaders of our 
     nation. Secretary James, of course is a distinguished leader 
     in her own right for our nation's military, and has the 
     responsibility of managing more than 690,000 Air Force 
     personnel and a budget of 110 billion dollars. Please welcome 
     Secretary Deborah Lee James. Madam Secretary. [Applause]
       The Honorable Deborah Lee James: Thank you so much, Senator 
     Casey, Senator Wicker. It is truly an honor and a privilege 
     for me to come before all of you today. Mr. President, Mrs. 
     Obama, Senators, Congressmen, distinguished guests, friends 
     and allies from around the world, may I please invite all of 
     you to join me in a prayer for our national leaders.
       Oh mighty God, it is in you that we trust. We ask for your 
     blessings on our President, Barack Obama. Lord, grant him the 
     wisdom and the vision to lead our nation toward a more just, 
     peaceful, and prosperous world. Help him to keep the beacon 
     of American freedom burning brightly as an inspiration to all 
     who long to live free from fear, free from want, free to 
     speak, and free to worship as they choose. We ask you also, 
     Lord, to bless our First Lady, Michelle Obama. Strengthen her 
     as she works to inspire all of America's children to reach 
     higher and to live healthier lives, so that one day they will 
     be ready to build strong families of their own, compassionate 
     communities, and contribute to a better world. Please guide 
     our Vice President, Joe Biden, Lord, and all the members of 
     the President's cabinet. Grant to these and all others who 
     serve and advise our President the grace to lean not only on 
     their own understanding, but also to trust in you with all of 
     their hearts. Lord, bless our lawmakers sent from every 
     corner of America to form our Congress. Grant them the 
     priceless gifts of insight, courage, and unity. Shepherd them 
     by your spirit to do what is right, to love mercy, and to 
     walk humbly with you. Grant our Chief Justice and all of our 
     judicial leaders across the nation your wisdom, Lord, that 
     they may judge the law impartially as instruments of your 
     will. And very close to my heart, Lord, please, please 
     protect our men and women in uniform and all who stand in 
     harm's way to preserve the freedoms we cherish for our 
     children and grandchildren. And as you watch over those 
     serving far from home, also please encourage those who wait 
     for their return, and comfort those who have suffered 
     unspeakable losses. Lord, may the service and sacrifice of 
     those who have gone before us, and the lives of the heroes 
     who walk amongst us, let those individuals inspire the rest 
     of us to give our country, and our communities, and our 
     families the very best that we can with our wholeness of 
     heart, particularly in these uncertain times. Being always 
     mindful and grateful to you, Lord, for the many blessings 
     that you have bestowed on us, Amen. [Applause]
       Senator Wicker: Thank you, Madam Secretary. Thank you so 
     much. As you can see from the program in front of you, our 
     next speaker was to be King Abdullah II of Jordan. We all 
     know the heartbreaking circumstances his country is 
     experiencing at this point. They required that His Majesty 
     King Abdullah return to Jordan. Our prayers are with the 
     people of Jordan during this troubling time of crisis. The 
     passage that King Abdullah was expected to read is from the 
     New Testament, Luke 10, and I will read this passage at this 
     point. Luke 10:
       On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test 
     Jesus, ``Teacher,'' he asked, ``What must I do to inherit 
     eternal life?'' ``What is written in the law?'' he replied. 
     ``How do you read it?'' He answered, ``Love the Lord your God 
     with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all 
     your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor 
     as yourself.'' ``You have answered correctly,'' Jesus 
     replied. ``Do this and you will live.'' But he wanted to 
     justify himself, so he asked Jesus, ``And who is my 
     neighbor?''
       In reply, Jesus said: ``A man was going down from Jerusalem 
     to Jericho when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him 
     of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half 
     dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and 
     when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, 
     a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on 
     the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where 
     the man was and when he saw him he took pity on him. He went 
     to him and he bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine, 
     and then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an 
     inn and took care of him. The next day, he took out two 
     denarii and gave them to the inn keeper. `Look after him,' he 
     said, `and when I return I will reimburse you for any extra 
     expense you may have.' Which of these three do you think was 
     a neighbor to the man who fell into the hand of robbers?''
       The expert in the law replied, ``The one who had mercy on 
     him.'' Jesus told him, ``Go and do likewise.''
       May God add His blessing to the reading of His Holy Word.
       Senator Wicker: At this point it is my pleasure to 
     introduce to you our next guest. He too has been recognized 
     by Time Magazine. For 2014, he was one of the persons of the 
     year of Time Magazine. Dr. Kent Brantly and his colleagues 
     became known as the Ebola fighters for their work saving 
     lives and caring for those affected by this deadly disease. 
     As a doctor with the Christian relief organization, 
     Samaritan's Purse, Dr. Brantly contracted Ebola in Liberia. 
     Now fully recovered, he gives thanks to God and to the power 
     of prayer. Today he is with us to offer a prayer for the 
     leaders of the world, please warmly welcome Dr. Kent Brantly. 
     [Applause]
       Dr. Kent Brantly: Let us pray. Our Father who art in 
     heaven. The Lord, the Lord, the God of compassion and mercy, 
     slow to anger and abounding in love and faithfulness, lover 
     of all peoples of the earth, there is no God like you in all 
     of heaven above or on the earth below. You keep your covenant 
     and show unfailing love to all who walk before you in 
     wholehearted devotion. Hallowed by thy name. Remind us that 
     all nations are as nothing before you, their governments but 
     a shadow of passing age, all authorities are intended to be 
     your servants, to do good to the people under their care and 
     to ensure justice for those who have been wronged. But we 
     all, including our leaders, will stand before your judgment 
     seat, oh God, and as surely as you live, oh Lord, every knee 
     will bow and every tongue confess and give praise to you. Thy 
     kingdom come on earth. Grant to thy children throughout the 
     world, and especially to the leaders of the nations the gifts 
     of prayerful thought and of thoughtful prayer that following 
     the example of our Lord, we may discern what is right and do 
     it. Bless the leaders of the nations that they may not walk 
     in the council of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners, 
     or sit in the seat of mockers. Bless the leaders of the 
     nations that they might delight in the law of the Lord, that 
     they might meditate on it day and night that Thy will might 
     be done on earth as it is in heaven. Help us, Lord to protect 
     and to provide for all who are hungry and homeless, 
     especially those who are deprived of food and shelter, family 
     and friends. For true religion that is acceptable to you, oh 
     Lord, is this, to care for orphans and widows in their 
     distress, and to flee corruption. Give us this day our daily 
     bread. Forgive us for neglecting to seek peace and pursue it, 
     and finding ourselves in each new crisis more ready to make 
     war than to make peace, for choosing violence and war over 
     peace and reconciliation. We have not loved you with our 
     whole heart, and we have not loved our neighbors as our 
     selves. Forgive us for neglecting the needs of our people, 
     for choosing corruption and greed over integrity and 
     generosity. Forgive us for oppressing the minority while the 
     majority is filled with pride and self reliance. We have all 
     sinned and fallen short of your glory, oh Lord. Forgive us 
     our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. 
     Let us not seek revenge but reconciliation. Let us not 
     delight in victory but in justice. Let us not give ourselves 
     up to pride, but to prayer. Lead us not into temptation. Be 
     present, Lord, to all your children. Be present to those who 
     are killing, and to those who are being killed. Be present to 
     the oppressed and to the oppressor. Be present to the leaders 
     of the nations. Deliver us from evil. Subdue our selfish 
     desires to possess and to dominate. Forbid us arrogance and 
     victory, and self-pity, and defeat. Bless the leaders of the 
     nations, Father,

[[Page 5732]]

     that they might act justly and love mercy, and walk humbly 
     with you, oh God. For yours is the kingdom, and the power, 
     and the glory forever and ever. In the name of Jesus we pray, 
     Amen. [Applause]
       Senator Wicker: Thank you Dr. Brantly, and please pass 
     along our good wishes to our friends at Samaritan's Purse. 
     Ladies and gentlemen, the National Association of Stock Car 
     Auto Racing, commonly known as NASCAR, is second only to the 
     National Football League in terms of TV ratings in our 
     country. NASCAR races are broadcast in over 150 countries. 
     Our keynote speaker this morning is one of the best known 
     figures in NASCAR. Simply put, Darrell Waltrip is one of the 
     great race car drivers in history. In 1 Corinthians 9:24 we 
     hear, ``Do you not know that in a race, all runners run.'' 
     (The internal combustion engine had not been invented back 
     then.) ``All runners run but only one receives the prize.'' 
     Well, Darrell Waltrip has received that winning prize some 84 
     times. He's driven 809 races and 237,773 laps. His life story 
     includes an important faith journey. I believe God has placed 
     a message on Darrell's heart that can benefit us today. But 
     first, let's see this clip from 1991 at the Daytona Speedway.
       [Clip from Daytona Speedway, showing Darrell Waltrip's car 
     crashing]
       Senator Wicker: Well, he made it. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. 
     Darrell Waltrip. [Applause]
       Mr. Darrell Waltrip: Let's go racing boys. I always chuckle 
     when I see that clip because my insurance man says, ``Have 
     you ever had an accident?'' I've had a couple. But good 
     morning, Mr. President, First Lady, all of the distinguished 
     guests, Congress members, everybody that's here this morning. 
     This is a huge honor for a kid that grew up in Owensboro, 
     Kentucky, and now resides in Franklin, Tennessee.
       So, I knew about the Prayer Breakfast. I'd heard about it. 
     It's been going on since the early 1940s, so I'd heard about 
     it for a long time. But I have to tell you a quick story:
       When the ``committee'' called me and asked me, ``Would I 
     like to come have breakfast with the President?'' I said, 
     ``Wow, they must know it's my birthday. What an honor to go 
     to Washington, D.C., and have breakfast with the president. 
     Oh, this is going to be great.'' ``And by the way, we'd like 
     for you to be the keynote speaker.'' ``Ah, I'll get back to 
     you on that.'' But I thought about it, prayed about it--and 
     I've got a lot of really great friends that pray for me all 
     the time--but I thought about it, Mr. President, and said, 
     ``I've got it. I'm not a brain surgeon, and I'm not running 
     for office, so I'm the perfect guy to be here this morning.'' 
     [Applause]
       I hope that was okay. My wife told me maybe I shouldn't say 
     that, but she's sitting down there shaking her head now. But 
     anyway, I'd like to introduce my family. You've already met 
     my beautiful, redheaded wife Stevie. Jessica and Sarah, my 
     two daughters, and their husbands, Fausto and Matthew, are 
     out there, and it makes me feel so good to have them here 
     this morning with me. I love my family, and I love the Lord.
       If the room should start vibrating just a little bit--don't 
     get excited, don't get nervous--it's just all my friends back 
     in Franklin, Tennessee, my Tuesday morning Bible study group, 
     all my friends over in Charlotte, North Carolina, at Motor 
     Racing Outreach, our ministry at the track. All my friends 
     are praying for me right now. And I don't know if you can 
     feel it or not, but I certainly can, and I'm thankful for it. 
     So if it starts shaking a little bit, it's okay. It's just 
     the Lord. He's amongst us. [Applause]
       Being here this morning reminds me of this: Before you 
     start a big event as a driver, like the Daytona 500, which 
     comes up in a couple of weeks on Fox, you go down on pit 
     road, you get in your car--and quite honestly, I did it for 
     30 years but it never failed, always that adrenaline, those 
     butterflies, being excited, nervous. Because when they 
     dropped the green flag and they say, ``Let's go racing 
     boys,'' you didn't really know what was going to happen. And 
     so, that's kind of how I feel this morning. I really don't 
     know what's going to happen here, folks. They kept asking me, 
     ``Do you have an outline?'' I said, ``No, I've never really 
     done an outline for a speech before.'' That's when they 
     thought maybe I wasn't the right guy for this show.
       I've got to tell you this. I probably shouldn't, but I'm 
     going to: So, they call me up, and they tell me all the great 
     speakers that have been here before. And as they went down 
     the list, I said, ``Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait just a minute, 
     boys. I'm just not sure I'm qualified for this job.'' And 
     they said, ``Well, we kind of knew that going in.'' So, right 
     away I knew I was in good company.
       I think all of us in this room know that sometimes your 
     biggest assets can be something that works against you. They 
     can be a blessing and a curse, and that's really how racing 
     was for me. It was sort of a blessing and a curse. I grew up 
     in Owensboro, Kentucky. My dad drove a Pepsi-Cola truck. My 
     mom was a cashier at the local grocery store. I had two 
     brothers and two sisters. We didn't have a lot of money; we 
     worked hard to put food on the table. And so, when I went to 
     races as a six-year-old kid with my grandmother and came home 
     and told Mom and Dad that someday I wanted to be a race car 
     driver, they said, ``Good luck, son.'' My dad was a believer 
     in hard work. He said, ``You know, if you really work hard, 
     and that's what you want to do, then maybe someday you'll be 
     successful.'' But that was about all the encouragement my dad 
     gave me, because racing is expensive. It costs a lot of money 
     to go racing, so we didn't have a lot of money. So, I had to 
     figure out a way to make that happen. I became a self-
     promoter--in other words, I bragged a lot. God had given me a 
     talent; there was no question about that. I don't know where 
     it came from. There's no reason for me to be able to do what 
     I did other than that was my passion, that's what I cared 
     about. I tell kids every day--and Mr. President, you know 
     this--there's nothing any more discouraging and disheartening 
     when you ask a kid, ``What are you going to do when you grow 
     up?'' ``I don't know.'' ``Really? Embrace something. You've 
     got to have a passion.'' Well, my passion was racing, and 
     quite honestly, I went at it all the wrong ways in the early 
     years. I was just as aggressive off the racetrack as I was 
     on. I didn't have a lot of friends. I didn't think I needed 
     friends. I looked over in the car, and I was the only one 
     ever in there, so I didn't need any friends to be with me. 
     So, my relationships early on in my life were shallow. I 
     didn't have any really close friends. Quite honestly, I 
     looked back, and it's the hardest thing for me to do this 
     morning--to look back--because when I look back, I see things 
     that are disturbing to me. I can see things and say, ``How 
     could I have felt that way? How could I have acted that way? 
     How could I have been that way?'' But I was.
       And you're going to love this. This is what people said 
     about me: They said I was brash, ruthless--ruthless?--pushy, 
     cocky, conceited, aloof, boastful, arrogant, and just 
     downright annoying. I hope you don't feel that way this 
     morning, but if you do, I'm sorry. And I've got to tell you, 
     those were people that liked me. You could imagine what 
     people who didn't like me had to say about me. The fans booed 
     me when we'd have driver introductions. It would be just like 
     if I got up this morning to speak, and they started booing. 
     Instead of hollering ``boogity, boogity, boogity,'' they 
     would start booing. Fans wore ``Anybody but Waltrip'' T-
     shirts to the track. They hated me. The drivers despised me. 
     Richard Petty once told me: ``I don't know how you keep a 
     sponsor. You're so unpopular with the fans; I don't know how 
     you keep a sponsor.'' And this is Richard Petty. He's the 
     icon of our sport. He's the king of our sport. I wanted to be 
     king, but I went at it all the wrong ways, for sure. I was 
     always arguing with NASCAR. I didn't like the rules, mainly 
     because they never worked in my favor, so I was always trying 
     to change the rules. We know guys like that, right? Always 
     wanting to change the rules. [Laughter, Applause.] I always 
     like to say I fought the wall, [and] the wall won. I fought 
     the law, and the law won. Those were the things that were 
     going on at the track, and quite honestly, my personal life 
     wasn't much better. I was so arrogant. I really was, and 
     that's why I say it's the hardest thing for me to do. My kids 
     are sitting out here for heaven's sake. But the hardest thing 
     to do is to look back and see how you were. My personal life 
     was a mess. I drank too much. I liked to go to the bars and 
     hang out with the boys. I did everything to satisfy me. 
     Whatever felt good to me, I did it; I didn't give it a second 
     thought--that was my lifestyle, that's how I lived. Like I 
     told you, I didn't have any great friends. I didn't have any 
     close friends. Heck, I always figured if you wanted a friend, 
     get a dog. I have several dogs.
       But my wife, my beautiful wife, my redheaded wife whom I 
     love dearly--we've been married 45 years. [Applause] That in 
     of itself is a miracle. She was married to that guy I was 
     telling you about. She lived it. My wife once described me as 
     this: that she had lived with two different men with the same 
     name. And that might be a little confusing to you, and so 
     obviously I must explain. But that first guy that I told you 
     about, that was the guy she was married to originally. I knew 
     God had his hand on me when I met Stevie. I didn't 
     acknowledge it. I didn't necessarily follow through, but it's 
     one of the few times in the early years of my life that I 
     felt like God spoke to me. God said to me, ``I gave you this 
     woman. I brought you this woman. Don't let her get away.'' 
     And so, I tried to always be on my best behavior when I was 
     around her, and certainly when I was around her mother and 
     father, because they didn't think a whole lot about a race 
     car driver. When her father asked me, ``How are you going to 
     support Stevie?'' I said, ``I'm going to be a professional 
     race car driver.'' He was the president of Texas Gas, and he 
     didn't quite understand how a race car driver could make a 
     living and be able to support his daughter. He wasn't sold on 
     the idea at first but he became a big fan as time went by.
       So, Stevie would always pray for me. She is a Godly woman, 
     and she loved the Lord way before I did. And she would always 
     pray that someday, somehow we would get involved in a Bible 
     study or that I would, that I would get involved in a Bible 
     study, or a church, or something. And I'd always kind of blow 
     her off, and I'd say, ``Look honey, I race on Sundays. I 
     don't have time to go to

[[Page 5733]]

     church. I'm busy all through the week getting ready for the 
     next race. I just don't have time for this church stuff and 
     this God stuff. I just don't have time, okay.'' And you know 
     what she said? ``Well, I'll just keep on praying.'' And let 
     me tell you, when somebody says they're praying for you, you 
     better pay attention and don't take it lightly. People don't 
     pray for you if they don't care about you and if they don't 
     love you. [Applause.] Amen, amen. It used to happen to me at 
     the track, and people would come up and say, ``I'm praying 
     for you.'' And I'd say, ``Oh, thank you very much. I've got 
     to go now.'' Don't ever do that. Embrace that person, because 
     it's not a waste of time. It's them embracing you and caring 
     about you, and that's the most important thing in the world 
     is that we all care about each other.
       I almost had us do this, and Stevie talked me out of it. At 
     home when we pray, we hold hands. And in Bible study when we 
     pray, we kind of lock arms or hold hands. I was going to ask 
     everybody in the room to hold hands while we pray, but then I 
     thought maybe you weren't that close just yet, so I kind of 
     let that one go.
       I got a great opportunity in 1983. I got a chance to drive 
     for Junior Johnson. Junior Johnson was a childhood hero. He's 
     the last American hero. They made a film about him. They 
     wrote books about him. He was the last American hero. As a 
     kid growing up in Owensboro, I listened to my little 
     transistor radio, and Junior Johnson drove this white #3 
     Chevrolet with a 427 mystery engine. Junior Johnson, a 
     moonshiner from Wilkesboro, North Carolina, car #3 with a 
     mystery engine. I mean, that's hero material right there for 
     a guy like me. So obviously, I thought maybe someday I'd get 
     to meet him, but never thought that someday I'd get to drive 
     for him. Those were the best years of my career--'81, '82 we 
     won 24 races, 18 pole positions, 2 championships. But Junior 
     was a no-nonsense kind of guy. He said, ``Let me tell you 
     something, boy: When you come to drive for me, you work your 
     hands and not your mouth.'' I said, ``Yes, sir.'' Because 
     when Junior spoke, I listened. We had great times together. 
     We won races together, but in 1983 I had a horrible wreck--
     worse than that one you saw there. I had a concussion. I went 
     for a couple of weeks to the next couple of races, and I 
     didn't even remember being there. And when I finally came to, 
     or woke up, I realized that that wreck had knocked me 
     conscious. It scared the hell out of me, and I mean that 
     literally. I realized I could have been killed that day. What 
     if I would have lost my life right there that day at Daytona? 
     What would I have done? Would I have gone to heaven? Or would 
     I have gone to hell? I thought I was a pretty good guy. But 
     folks, let me tell you something: Good guys go to hell. If 
     you don't know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, if you 
     don't have a relationship, if He's not the master of your 
     life, if you've never gotten on your knees and asked him to 
     forgive you of your sins, you're just a pretty good guy or a 
     pretty good gal. You're going to go to hell. Think about 
     that. I did. And like I said, it was a wake-up call. It 
     literally knocked me conscious.
       Stevie and I started going to church. We met Dr. Cortez 
     Cooper, one of the Godliest men--preached from the Bible, 
     loved sports, a lot like the President. He could play any 
     sport, he pretty much knew a little bit about every sport 
     there was, and he knew me personally. And because of him, and 
     him talking to me just like I'm talking to you this morning, 
     every time I went to hear him preach, I felt like he was 
     talking directly to me. And so, we met in a high school in 
     Hillsboro, just outside of Nashville there while they were 
     building a big sanctuary. It was July; it was hot, kind of 
     like being in a race car--no air conditioning. I got down off 
     my high horse, I got down on my knees, and Dr. Cortez Cooper 
     and Stevie and I prayed that the Lord would come into my life 
     and forgive me of my sins and be my Lord and Savior. And that 
     was the greatest day of my life. [Applause]
       That changed everything. I'll never forget: We were going 
     home from that night, and I told Stevie, ``Man, I feel like 
     the weight of the world has been lifted off of my shoulders. 
     I feel like I've been born again. I feel like a new man.'' I 
     felt different, and I knew I was different. When the Lord 
     comes into your life, you're going to be different. You have 
     to be different. If he comes into your heart, into your life, 
     and you're not different, you better go back and try it 
     again, because the Lord changes you. And He changed me, and 
     it was for the better. And we left there that night, and did 
     it fix all? Listen, you don't make a deal with the Lord: 
     ``Hey Lord, if you do this, I'll do that.'' It don't work 
     that way, folks. He's there for you. He's there to walk with 
     you. But you've got to do your part, too. So did my life, my 
     personal life, change things on the race track? I still had 
     wrecks. I still had problems. Things still happened, but I 
     wasn't in it alone. Where I felt like I was always in it by 
     myself, now I had somebody to pray with, talk with, to guide 
     me, direct me--the wisdom of the Lord. I had it, and I needed 
     to use it.
       Stevie and I wanted to have a family. We were having 
     trouble having kids. We had a couple of miscarriages, and we 
     were praying, ``God, can you give us a child?'' And we'd 
     gotten to the point where we thought we'd just adopt. We're 
     not going to be able to have kids on our own, so we'll adopt. 
     And then Stevie got pregnant, and we prayed, and the Lord 
     gave us peace about it. He said, ``Hang in there this time, 
     I've got something special for you.'' And sure enough: 
     Jessica Lee Waltrip. September the 17th, 1987, we had our 
     first child. I, folks, was on cloud nine. I was so excited. I 
     couldn't wait to get to the track. I left that weekend to go 
     to Martinsville. I get to the racetrack, I'm a proud papa, 
     and everybody's congratulating me because they knew how badly 
     we wanted kids. I go over to my race car on Sunday morning, 
     and in the seat of the car is a vase with one rose in it and 
     a note. I pulled the note out, I opened it up, and it said, 
     ``Win this one for me, Daddy.'' That was quite a moment. I'd 
     never been called Daddy before, and I'd never been a father 
     before, and I was so happy. And I have to tell you: This is a 
     fairy tale. I never led a lap of that race. I wanted so badly 
     to win that race for Jessica--never led a dadgum lap, until 
     the last one--and you won't believe what happened. People 
     say, ``Can you tell me a time when God showed up?'' I don't 
     think he was working against those other guys, but he sure 
     was working for me--I know that. We go off the last lap, the 
     white flag's in the air, and I thought, ``Oh man, I'm running 
     third.'' There's nothing I can do. Dale Earnhardt and Terry 
     Labonte, they're a little bit quicker than I am. They go down 
     the back straightaway into third turn at Martinsville, a 
     little paperclip racetrack, and Terry bumps into the back of 
     Dale. And when he does, both cars get a little loose, and 
     they slide up the racetrack, and DW goes driving by. 
     [Applause]
       Daddy won that one. Same thing--1992, Sarah was born. Sarah 
     Kaitlin Kerns Waltrip. Same deal: Go to the racetrack. It had 
     been kind of a tough year. I dominated that race, Bristol 
     half-mile track, like being hung up in a salad bowl for 500 
     laps. Spinning around--your head's hurting, your eyes are 
     burning. I get out of the car, and I can't remember my 
     daughter's name. So, I'm trying really hard. I'm saying 
     ``Sarah, Sarah, Kaitlin''--she had a lot of names--``Kerns 
     Waltrip.'' Because when I left the hospital, we really hadn't 
     decided on exactly what her name was going to be. So, it took 
     a little time, but it came to me, and certainly Sarah's never 
     let me forget that I couldn't remember her name.
       One final story for you, and it's about Dale Earnhardt Sr. 
     And I don't know how many of you people knew the old 
     intimidator. He was one tough customer and my biggest 
     competitor. We were `frenemies.' We were friends off the 
     racetrack but not so much on the racetrack. And this 
     beautiful redhead down here--she loved Dale, and Dale loved 
     her. And she witnessed to him just as much as she witnessed 
     to me. In 1994, Neil Bonnett lost his life at Daytona in a 
     practice crash. Sunday morning, Stevie had always put 
     Scriptures in my race car on a note card. Not good luck 
     charms, just encouragement. Whatever happened that week, the 
     Scripture sort of fit the events of that week.
       We're standing on pit road praying with some of the 
     chaplains from MRO, and Dale walks by. Now, Dale is one of 
     those guys that you know he's a tough guy, so for him to pray 
     or to acknowledge that he may have a relationship with the 
     Lord was pretty hard for him to do. But he walks by, Stevie 
     grabs him and says, ``Come and pray with us.'' We all huddled 
     up on pit road there, and when we finished praying, Stevie 
     hands me the note card with the Scripture on it, and Dale 
     grabs it, and he says, ``What's that?'' And he read it. And 
     he looked at Stevie, and he said, ``Where's mine?'' Oh my 
     gosh, she ran to the pit box, got a note card, wrote a 
     Scripture, put it on the note card, and ran back to Dale's 
     car, and Dale put it on his dash. And so from that day until 
     2001, when he lost his life at Daytona, he had a Scripture in 
     his car just like I had in my car. You have to know 
     something: Me and this guy, we were fierce competitors. He 
     didn't like me, and I didn't like him when we were on that 
     racetrack. That woman would make us pray together. Stevie 
     would grab him and grab me and say, ``I want you all to pray 
     together,'' and we'd ``[makes mumbling noises].'' And then, 
     and then to make it worse, she'd say, ``Tell him you love 
     him.'' [Laughter, Applause] So, as he was walking away and I 
     was walking away: ``I love you.'' [stated in perfunctory 
     tone]
       As I said, the hardest thing about being here this morning 
     was, as I prepared--and I did prepare--was looking back and 
     remembering how I was. But the good news this morning is I'm 
     not that way anymore. I just share this: You don't have to 
     walk alone. You don't have to carry all those burdens like 
     it's you against the world. You have to do like I did. You've 
     got to get off your high horse and get on your knees and ask 
     for forgiveness. He's waiting for you. He was there all the 
     time. I just didn't know it or acknowledge it. I told you 
     when I got up here I wasn't running for anything, but I will 
     tell you this: I am running to something. The Lord is a 
     strong tower; the righteous will run to it and be safe. God 
     bless you. God bless America. God bless our President, and 
     thank you for letting me share with you this morning. 
     [Applause]
       Senator Casey: Darrell, thank you for that great message. 
     Darrell, I want to ask your

[[Page 5734]]

     permission but I'll do this as I'm pretending to ask your 
     permission. Your birthday is today?
       Mr. Waltrip: Yes.
       Senator Casey: It's also the same birthday as my mother-in-
     law, Nancy Foppiano, so I've just scored big points, Darrell, 
     thank you very much. It's my honor now to introduce the 
     President. Mr. President, First Lady Michelle Obama, we're 
     honored you're with us, honored by your presence. And they've 
     been here every year. So we're grateful to have them back. 
     [Applause]
       President Obama is a person of faith who has spoken often 
     about his faith journey. His life has been, and continues to 
     be, a life of service, public service, in the pursuit of 
     justice here, at home, and around the world. My mother, Ellen 
     Casey, (that way I've got my mother-in-law and my mother in 
     the same remarks) always told us when we were growing up 
     over, and over again, she would say, ``Count your 
     blessings.'' Count your blessings. And I've tried to do that; 
     probably don't do enough of it. But I know that the President 
     is one who follows my mother's advice, especially about the 
     blessings of his family. So today as we gather to pray and to 
     express gratitude for so much on a morning like today, I 
     count as one of our blessings, Mr. President, your good work 
     as our President and your abiding commitment to your family, 
     to your faith, and to our country. Ladies and gentlemen, the 
     44th President of the United States, Barack Obama. [Applause]
       The President: Thank you. Well, good morning. Giving all 
     praise and honor to God. It is wonderful to be back with you 
     here. I want to thank our co-chairs, Bob and Roger. These two 
     don't always agree in the Senate, but in coming together and 
     uniting us all in prayer, they embody the spirit of our 
     gathering today.
       I also want to thank everybody who helped organize this 
     breakfast. It's wonderful to see so many friends and faith 
     leaders and dignitaries. And Michelle and I are truly honored 
     to be joining you here today.
       I want to offer a special welcome to a good friend, His 
     Holiness the Dalai Lama--who is a powerful example of what it 
     means to practice compassion, who inspires us to speak up for 
     the freedom and dignity of all human beings. I've been 
     pleased to welcome him to the White House on many occasions, 
     and we're grateful that he's able to join us here today. 
     [Applause]
       There aren't that many occasions that bring His Holiness 
     under the same roof as NASCAR. This may be the first. But God 
     works in mysterious ways. [Laughter] And so I want to thank 
     Darrell for that wonderful presentation. Darrell knows that 
     when you're going 200 miles an hour, a little prayer cannot 
     hurt. I suspect that more than once, Darrell has had the same 
     thought as many of us have in our own lives--Jesus, take the 
     wheel. Although I hope that you kept your hands on the wheel 
     when you were thinking that. [Laughter]
       He and I obviously share something in having married up. 
     And we are so grateful to Stevie for the incredible work that 
     they've done together to build a ministry where the fastest 
     drivers can slow down a little bit, and spend some time in 
     prayer and reflection and thanks. And we certainly want to 
     wish Darrell a happy birthday. [Applause] Happy birthday.
       I will note, though, Darrell, when you were reading that 
     list of things folks were saying about you, I was thinking, 
     well, you're a piker. I mean, if you really want a list, come 
     talk to me, because that ain't nothing. That's the best they 
     can do in NASCAR? [Laughter.]
       Slowing down and pausing for fellowship and prayer--that's 
     what this breakfast is about. I think it's fair to say that 
     Washington moves a lot slower than NASCAR. Certainly my 
     agenda does sometimes. [Laughter.] But still, it's easier to 
     get caught up in the rush of our lives, and in the political 
     back-and-forth that can take over this city. We get 
     sidetracked with distractions, large and small. We can't go 
     10 minutes without checking our smartphones--and for my 
     staff, that's every 10 seconds. And so for 63 years, this 
     prayer tradition has brought us together, giving us the 
     opportunity to come together in humility before the Almighty 
     and to be reminded of what it is that we share as children of 
     God.
       And certainly for me, this is always a chance to reflect on 
     my own faith journey. Many times as President, I've been 
     reminded of a line of prayer that Eleanor Roosevelt was fond 
     of. She said, ``Keep us at tasks too hard for us that we may 
     be driven to Thee for strength. ``Keep us at tasks too hard 
     for us that we may be driven to Thee for strength. I've 
     wondered at times if maybe God was answering that prayer a 
     little too literally. But no matter the challenge, He has 
     been there for all of us. He's certainly strengthened me 
     ``with the power through His Spirit,'' as I've sought His 
     guidance not just in my own life but in the life of our 
     nation.
       Now, over the last few months, we've seen a number of 
     challenges--certainly over the last six years. But part of 
     what I want to touch on today is the degree to which we've 
     seen professions of faith used both as an instrument of great 
     good, but also twisted and misused in the name of evil.
       As we speak, around the world, we see faith inspiring 
     people to lift up one another--to feed the hungry and care 
     for the poor, and comfort the afflicted and make peace where 
     there is strife. We heard the good work that Sister has done 
     in Philadelphia, and the incredible work that Dr. Brantly and 
     his colleagues have done. We see faith driving us to do 
     right.
       But we also see faith being twisted and distorted, used as 
     a wedge--or, worse, sometimes used as a weapon. From a school 
     in Pakistan to the streets of Paris, we have seen violence 
     and terror perpetrated by those who profess to stand up for 
     faith, their faith, professed to stand up for Islam, but, in 
     fact, are betraying it. We see ISIL, a brutal, vicious death 
     cult that, in the name of religion, carries out unspeakable 
     acts of barbarism--terrorizing religious minorities like the 
     Yazidis, subjecting women to rape as a weapon of war, and 
     claiming the mantle of religious authority for such actions.
       We see sectarian war in Syria, the murder of Muslims and 
     Christians in Nigeria, religious war in the Central African 
     Republic, a rising tide of anti-Semitism and hate crimes in 
     Europe, so often perpetrated in the name of religion.
       So how do we, as people of faith, reconcile these 
     realities--the profound good, the strength, the tenacity, the 
     compassion and love that can flow from all of our faiths, 
     operating alongside those who seek to hijack religions for 
     their own murderous ends?
       Humanity has been grappling with these questions throughout 
     human history. And lest we get on our high horse and think 
     this is unique to some other place, remember that during the 
     Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds 
     in the name of Christ. In our home country, slavery and Jim 
     Crow all too often was justified in the name of Christ. 
     Michelle and I returned from India--an incredible, beautiful 
     country, full of magnificent diversity--but a place where, in 
     past years, religious faiths of all types on occasion have, 
     on occasion, been targeted by other peoples of faith, simply 
     due to their heritage and their beliefs--acts of intolerance 
     that would have shocked Ghandiji, the person who helped to 
     liberate that nation.
       So, this is not unique to one group or one religion. There 
     is a tendency in us, a sinful tendency that can pervert and 
     distort our faith. In today's world, when hate groups have 
     their own Twitter accounts and bigotry can fester in hidden 
     places in cyberspace, it can be even harder to counteract 
     such intolerance. But God compels us to try. And in this 
     mission, I believe there are a few principles that can guide 
     us, particularly those of us who profess to believe.
       And, first, we should start with some basic humility. I 
     believe that the starting point of faith is some doubt--not 
     being so full of yourself and so confident that you are right 
     and that God speaks only to us, and doesn't speak to others, 
     that God only cares about us and doesn't care about others, 
     that somehow we alone are in possession of the truth.
       Our job is not to ask that God respond to our notion of 
     truth--our job is to be true to Him, His word and His 
     commandments. And we should assume humbly that we're confused 
     and don't always know what we're doing and we're staggering 
     and stumbling towards Him, and have some humility in that 
     process. And that means we have to speak up against those who 
     would misuse His name to justify oppression, or violence, or 
     hatred with that fierce certainty. No God condones terror. No 
     grievance justifies the taking of innocent lives, or the 
     oppression of those who are weaker or fewer in number.
       And so, as people of faith, we are summoned to push back 
     against those who try to distort our religion--any religion--
     for their own nihilistic ends. And here at home and around 
     the world, we will constantly reaffirm that fundamental 
     freedom--freedom of religion--the right to practice our faith 
     how we choose, to change our faith if we choose, to practice 
     no faith at all if we choose, and to do so free of 
     persecution and fear and discrimination.
       There's wisdom in our founders writing in those documents 
     that helped found this nation, the notion of freedom of 
     religion, because they understood the need for humility. They 
     also understood the need to uphold freedom of speech, that 
     there is a connection between freedom of speech and freedom 
     of religion. For to infringe on one right under the pretext 
     of protecting another is a betrayal of both.
       But part of humility is also recognizing in modern, 
     complicated, diverse societies, the functioning of these 
     rights, the concern for the protection of theses rights calls 
     for each of us to exercise civility and restraint and 
     judgment. And if, in fact, we defend the legal right of a 
     person to insult another's religion, we're equally obligated 
     to use our free speech to condemn such insults--[Applause]--
     and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with religious communities, 
     particularly religious minorities who are the targets of such 
     attacks. Just because you have the right to say something 
     doesn't mean the rest of us shouldn't question those who 
     would insult others in the name of free speech. Because we 
     know that our nations are stronger when people of all faiths 
     feel that they are welcome, that they, too, are full and 
     equal members of our countries.

[[Page 5735]]

       So humility I think is needed. And the second thing we need 
     is to uphold the distinction between our faith and our 
     governments. Between church and between state. The United 
     States is one of the most religious countries in the world--
     far more religious than most Western developed countries. And 
     one of the reasons is that our founders wisely embraced the 
     separation of church and state. Our government does not 
     sponsor a religion, nor does it pressure anyone to practice a 
     particular faith, or any faith at all. And the result is a 
     culture where people of all backgrounds and beliefs can 
     freely and proudly worship, without fear, or coercion--so 
     that when you listen to Darrell talk about his faith journey, 
     you know it's real. You know he's not saying it because it 
     helps him advance, or because somebody told him to. It's from 
     the heart.
       That's not the case in theocracies that restrict people's 
     choice of faith. It's not the case in authoritarian 
     governments that elevate an individual leader or a political 
     party above the people, or in some cases, above the concept 
     of God Himself. So the freedom of religion is a value we will 
     continue to protect here at home and stand up for around the 
     world, and is one that we guard vigilantly here in the United 
     States.
       Last year, we joined together to pray for the release of 
     Christian missionary Kenneth Bae, held in North Korea for two 
     years. And today, we give thanks that Kenneth is finally back 
     where he belongs--home with his family. [Applause]
       Last year we prayed together for Pastor Saeed Abedini, 
     detained in Iran since 2012. And I was recently in Boise, 
     Idaho, and had the opportunity to meet with Pastor Abedini's 
     beautiful wife and wonderful children and to convey to them 
     that our country has not forgotten brother Saeed and that 
     we're doing everything that we can to bring him home. 
     [Applause] And then, I received an extraordinary letter from 
     Pastor Abedini. And in it, he describes his captivity, and 
     expressed his gratitude for my visit with his family, and 
     thanked us all for standing in solidarity with him during his 
     captivity.
       And Pastor Abedini wrote, ``Nothing is more valuable to the 
     Body of Christ than to see how the Lord is in control, and 
     moves ahead of countries and leadership through united 
     prayer.'' And he closed his letter by describing himself as 
     ``prisoner for Christ, who is proud to be part of this great 
     nation, the United States of America that cares for religious 
     freedom around the world.'' [Applause]
       We're going to keep up this work--for Pastor Abedini and 
     all those around the world who are unjustly held or 
     persecuted because of their faith. And we're grateful to our 
     new Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, 
     Rabbi David Saperstein--who has hit the ground running, and 
     is heading to Iraq in a few days to help religious 
     communities there address some of those challenges. Where's 
     David? I know he's here somewhere. Thank you David for the 
     great work you're doing. [Applause]
       Humility; a suspicion of government getting between us and 
     our faith or trying to dictate our faiths, or elevate one 
     faith over another. And, finally, let's remember that if 
     there is one law that we can all be most certain of that 
     seems to bind people of all faiths and people who are still 
     finding their way towards faith but have a sense of ethics 
     and morality in them--that one law, that Golden Rule that we 
     should treat one another as we wish to be treated. The Torah 
     says ``Love thy neighbor as yourself.'' In Islam, there is a 
     Hadith that states: ``None of you truly believes until he 
     loves for his brother what he loves for himself.'' The Holy 
     Bible tells us to ``put on love, which binds everything 
     together in perfect harmony.'' Put on love.
       Whatever our beliefs, whatever our traditions, we must seek 
     to be instruments of peace, and bringing light where there is 
     darkness, and sowing love where there is hatred. And this is 
     the loving message of His Holiness Pope Francis. And like so 
     many people around the world, I've been touched by his call 
     to relieve suffering, and to show justice and mercy and 
     compassion to the most vulnerable; to walk with the Lord and 
     ask ``Who am I to judge?'' He challenges us to press on in 
     what he calls our ``march of living hope.'' And like millions 
     of Americans, I am very much looking forward to welcoming 
     Pope Francis to the United States later this year. 
     [Applause.]
       His Holiness expresses that basic law: Treat thy neighbor 
     as thyself. The Dalai Lama--anybody who's had an opportunity 
     to be with him senses that same spirit. Kent Brantly 
     expresses that same spirit. Kent was with Samaritan's Purse, 
     treating Ebola patients in Liberia, when he contracted the 
     virus himself. And with world-class medical care and a deep 
     reliance on faith--with God's help, Kent survived. 
     [Applause.]
       And then by donating his plasma, he helped others survive 
     as well. And he continues to advocate for a global response 
     in West Africa, reminding us that ``our efforts need to be on 
     loving the people there.'' And I could not have been prouder 
     to welcome Kent and his wonderful wife Amber to the Oval 
     Office. We are blessed to have him here today--because he 
     reminds us of what it means to really ``love thy neighbor as 
     thyself.'' Not just words, but deeds.
       Each of us has a role in fulfilling our common, greater 
     purpose--not merely to seek high position, but to plumb 
     greater depth so that we may find the strength to love more 
     fully. And this is perhaps our greatest challenge--to see our 
     own reflection in each other; to be our brother's keepers and 
     sister's keepers, and to keep faith with one another. As 
     children of God, let's make that our work, together.
       As children of God, let's work to end injustice--injustice 
     of poverty and hunger. No one should ever suffer from such 
     want amid such plenty. As children of God, let's work to 
     eliminate the scourge of homelessness, because as Sister Mary 
     says, ``None of us are home until all of us are home.'' None 
     of us are home until all of us are home.
       As children of God, let's stand up for the dignity and 
     value of every woman, and man, and child, because we are all 
     equal in His eyes, and work to end the scourge and the sin of 
     modern-day slavery and human trafficking, and ``set the 
     oppressed free.'' [Applause]
       If we are properly humble, if we drop to our knees on 
     occasion, we will acknowledge that we never fully know God's 
     purpose. We can never fully fathom His amazing grace. ``We 
     see through a glass, darkly''--grappling with the expanse of 
     His awesome love. But even with our limits, we can heed that 
     which is required: To do justice, and love kindness, and walk 
     humbly with our God.
       I pray that we will. And as we journey together on this 
     ``march of living hope,'' I pray that, in His name, we will 
     run and not be weary, and walk and not be faint, and we will 
     heed those words and ``put on love.''
       May the Lord bless you and keep you, and may He bless this 
     precious country that we love.
       Thank you all very much. [Applause]
       Senator Casey: Mr. President, thank you for your message, 
     and we're honored by your presence here today. We close our 
     program with one song and one prayer. Our last song this 
     morning will be sung by a remarkable young man, and those 
     words don't do justice to who this person is. A young man 
     from Tennessee named Quintavious Johnson. If you're a fan of 
     the television show, America's Got Talent, you might 
     recognize him as one of last year's finalists. But today, 
     singing at the National Prayer Breakfast in front of more 
     than 3,500 at the age of 13. Just imagine that, that's going 
     to be hard to top. And now to sing the Lord's Prayer, please 
     welcome Quintavious Johnson. [Applause]
       Quintavious Johnson [Singing]
     Our Father, which art in heaven,
     Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come and thy will be done
     On earth as it is in heaven.
     And give us this day our daily bread,
     And forgive us our debt, as we forgive our debtors.
     And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;
     For thine is the kingdom, and the power,
     And the glory, forever.
     Amen.
       [Applause]
       Senator Casey: Wow! Quintavious, thank you for your great 
     performance, we're grateful you're with us this morning. And 
     finally this morning, our last prayer at this breakfast will 
     be offered by an extraordinary public servant who also 
     happens to be a minister. He's a former Member of Congress, 
     Ambassador to the United Nations, Mayor of Atlanta, and 
     recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a well-known 
     civil rights leader and friend of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 
     Our next speaker was instrumental in the civil rights 
     campaigns in Selma, and in Birmingham that ultimately led to 
     the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting 
     Rights Act of 1965. [Applause] But of all of his many titles 
     and accomplishments, he's most proud of his role as husband, 
     father, and grandfather. Ladies and gentlemen, the Honorable 
     Andrew Young. [Applause]
       The Honorable Andrew J. Young: This morning I woke up to 
     the hearings of the Senate committee on your new appointment 
     as Secretary of Defense. And as they went around talking 
     about all of the dangers and problems that he must confront, 
     and that you must face every day, I realized that's why we 
     need prayer. And I wondered, has the world ever been in this 
     bad of shape? And I remember when I was about the age of 
     Quintavious, even a little earlier, the Japanese bombed Pearl 
     Harbor, and Germans were sinking ships, and America was far 
     weaker then. We still had the same conflicts in Congress. We 
     still had the same differences racially, and emotionally, and 
     religiously, but somehow we pulled together and we heard the 
     President say, ``The only thing we have to fear is fear 
     itself.'' And then a little while later, in fact quite a 
     while later, the people with whom we had gone to war became 
     our best friends and our trading partners. And this country 
     of ours helped unite the world, and in thanks for that, 
     President Eisenhower asked that we come together and form 
     this prayer breakfast, to thank God--for only the spirit of 
     Jesus can forgive as we forgave, can reconcile enemies to 
     each other, and that same Jesus that walked with President 
     Eisenhower and all the presidents since, therefore, with you 
     Mr. President. And when I look at these young people from 
     Mississippi, Senator, we have overcome so much.

[[Page 5736]]

     [Applause] And we thank you, and we thank all of you, and we 
     thank God. May we pray:
       Be with us dear Father, as we take on the challenges of 
     life, not just as government but as business, as private 
     sector and nonprofit sector, as religious leaders, as 
     community leaders, as volunteers, as fathers and mothers, as 
     brothers and sisters, as mothers and sons, and fathers and 
     daughters, bind us together, heal our wounds, calm our 
     spirits and make us always mindful that you came into the 
     world to say you would make all things new, but that you 
     would be with us always. So as we go through many dangers, 
     toils, and snares by your amazing grace, make us always 
     mindful that your presence is in the midst of us. That each 
     of us, because of you, know that we too are your children and 
     that our Father loves us, forgives us, saves us by the mercy 
     that we must share with each other and with the world in 
     which we live. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen. [Applause]
       Senator Wicker: Thank you, Ambassador Young. And as we 
     conclude this, the 63rd Annual National Prayer Breakfast--
     depart with these words of God from the Book of Numbers: 
     ``The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face 
     shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His 
     countenance upon you and give you peace.'' Amen.

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