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WASHINGTON, July 1, 2009 – A retired Army captain who survived third-degree burns over 30 percent of his body while stationed in Iraq believes that through family, faith and a lot of hard work, anything can be overcome. Retired Army Capt. Alvin Eugene Shell Jr. survived third-degree burns over 30 percent of his body while stationed in Iraq. He credits his family, faith and hard work for his recovery. U.S. Army photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Capt. Alvin Eugene Shell Jr., who served with the 16th Military Police Brigade, credits his wife, Danielle, his three sons, his mother...

Last week we witnessed Jesus' divine power at work on the forces of nature (Mark 4:37-41). Today's Gospel stories reveal his power over disease and death. In these powerful accounts, Jesus reminds us of the importance of faith. Nothing is possible without faith. On the way to Jairus' house (Mark 5), Jesus encounters interruptions, delays, and even obstacles along the road. The people in the passage transfer their uncleanness to Jesus, and to each Jesus bestows the cleansing wholeness of God. Let us consider for a moment each situation. The hemorrhaging woman Jesus' miraculous healing of this woman who...

Enlarge ImageSliced. A zebrafish larvae tail 3 minutes, 17 minutes, and 61 minutes (top to bottom) after being cut. Hydrogen peroxide (red) emanates from the wound, fading to yellow and green as it dissipates through tissue.Credit: Philipp Niethammer Anyone who has felt the sting as hydrogen peroxide foams and fizzes on a scraped knee knows about the compound's antiseptic properties. But new research suggests that hydrogen peroxide does more than just kill microbes. It may also call for reinforcements, summoning an army of bacteria-fighting cells to cuts and wounds. Punctured skin sets off a chain reaction of chemical signals...

I was a porn star. I was living the unglamorous life in the porn industry...

Going to the Mall About 15 years ago, the Holy Spirit began nudging me to go to the mall to buy some jeans. I was about 25 at the time, and, I liked nice clothes like any other 25 year old, but, I resisted the idea, because I didn't want or need any jeans. I resisted the thought all day. At first I thought it was just me thinking this. He was speaking in a much quieter voice than I was use to. Eventually I realized it was the Holy Spirit prompting me to go. Finally, I said Ok and,...

Reflections: Holy Hour for Life, Graced Hour for Healing By Dawn Slike Monday, January 26, 2009 AD This past Thursday evening I had set aside a few weeks ago for our church's Holy Hour for Life. Fr. Donnelly and several people in ministry hold this event on the 22nd, for those who do not travel to Washington for the march. It is always an evening of reverence and holiness. In light of my daughter Sherrill's recent passing, I had to think about whether I really wanted to sit in a church with an any-sized group of people. I knew it...

St. BlaiseSt. Blaise is given special recognition on February 3, not only with a feast day, but with a unique ceremony that parallels the practice of anointing the sick. In this case, it is blessing the throats of those with throat disorders and anyone who wishes to avoid getting such a malady (or something related to the throat, even the words one speaks; see Psalm 5:10). The blessing is usually done by priests (though deacons may also serve) and it is considered a sacramental of the Church. An excellent rendition of the story of St. Blaise was written by...

I've known Mike for over 40 years . He just sent me this email : " I've got some real health problems of my own that have shown up in the past three weeks. I may have Liver Cancer...and may need a Liver Transplant. I have Cirrhosis...a complication from Hepatitis C...and a lot of things just all showed up at once. I'll keep you posted. Say a prayer or two for me. "

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20, 2008 – While on patrol in northern Iraq last year, Army Spc. Kevin Hardin of Jupiter, Fla., was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. He suffered injuries to his hands and arms. As a result, some of his fingers were amputated. Shrapnel penetrated his skull, leaving inoperable injuries. Army Spc. Kevin Hardin, far right, poses with his father, Charles, right, and brothers Kyle, left, and Keith, far left, in Washington, D.C. Courtesy photo   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Twenty surgeries later, and while recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here, Hardin wrote to Luke's...

There are people in our lives that we look at with such awe. Not an awe of the material nature but an awe of their strength in God, there example and just the amazing connection with the Father that they radiate whenever you are with or around them. Our assistant pastor is one of those people. Now, he has been diagnosed with a brain tumor and is in need of prayer. I don't know much more like what type it is or the stage since this is a very new development. I am asking for prayers for "Fred" and his...

CHICAGO - When it comes to saving lives, God trumps doctors for many Americans. An eye-opening survey reveals widespread belief that divine intervention can revive dying patients. And, researchers said, doctors "need to be prepared to deal with families who are waiting for a miracle."

I'd like everyone to know that Cajungirl is in a potentially life-threatening crisis/illness. She is a dear friend to me and others here know her by her humor and impressive writing. (We met during the hilarious Runaway Bride debacle, and C.G. gave us some hilarious instruction about Southern Culture and weddings and flatware!) Few here know, and she never tells about herself, but she is a very accomplished woman in the healing profession. She has spent her life doing good works. She loves life, her husband, daughters, and grandchildren. Recently she partially retired and she and her husband have had...

The History and Future of the Present Revival - Part 7  View Part 1 Last Sunday morning in one of our services, I polled those attending by asking the following questions: How many had come to the Lord through a revival?How many had come to the Lord through a crusade or evangelistic campaign?How many had come to the Lord through Christian television?How many had come to the Lord through the witness of a friend or relative? There were roughly a thousand people in that service. The following are the approximate results to these questions: 3 people7 – 8 people4...

Evangelical Christianity now offers heaven on the installment plan. Through a magical kind of faith we can take advantage of a spiritual lay-away plan. We can sell the gospel on a 90-day payment system. The future can be ours, now. How does this legerdemain work? With the proper formula, the new magic brings the rabbit out of the hat without the use of mirrors. It is the “name it and claim it” gambit, a ploy that even Houdini failed to grasp. If we name it and claim it we can have heaven and all its benefits now. Before we die....

Sydney's Polish-Catholic community World Youth Day coordinator, 24-year-old Basia Slusarczyk, explained to ZENIT that her non-Catholic boyfriend is participating in the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. His conversion was triggered by the experience of praying with her for the fruits of World Youth Day. "He is attending World Youth Day with me and I hope the week of events and the solidarity with so many Catholics from around the world will make him proud to be joining the Catholic family," Basia said. She was with a group of young Polish-Australians dressed in traditional Polish dancing uniforms at the veneration...

WASHINGTON, April 17, 2008 – The Defense Department today launched a five-year, Army-led cooperative effort to leverage cutting-edge medical technology to develop new ways to assist servicemembers who’ve suffered severe, disfiguring wounds during their wartime service. U.S. Army Surgeon General Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker explains, during an April 17, 2008 Pentagon press conference, how researchers are growing a new ear for a badly burned Marine using stem cells from his own body. This is one area of advanced treatment being explored by the new Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine. Defense Dept. photo by R. D. Ward   (Click photo...

Regenerative Powder Helped Re-Grow A Man's Fingertip, And Could Change Medicine (CBS) A new generation of researchers is changing the way we heal, one cell at a time. This is the second in a CBS News series on the innovative field of regenerative medicine. You might become a believer in the power of magic dust, when you see how a special powder re-grew the tip of Lee Spievack's finger. He sliced off a half inch of his finger in the propeller of a hobby shop airplane. His finger never even formed a scar. "Your finger grew back flesh, blood, vessels...

I humbly ask for everyone on FR to pray for my niece born on Wednesday. She is undergoing a heart operation @ CHOP in Phily to treat a heart defect called transposition of the great arteries. She was born to a loving family and they would like all the help they can get. Thanks, frogjerk

A quick request, as I trust and value the prayers of all the saints on here...the daughter of one of my best friends is home sick from college with something they can't pin down. She is studying to be youth minister and as vibrant and wonderful as anybody you've ever met. Three weeks ago, she began running a 103 degree tempterature, and went in the hospital near Cleveland I think. Temp finally dropped but all her immunities are low' they've shipped her home to Cincinnat, but have "white roomed" her room at home, and in recent days she's gone back...

A national weekly news magazine recently featured a debate between atheist/author Sam Harris and author/pastor Rick Warren ("The Purpose Driven Life"). As part of his debate, Mr. Harris threw down a challenge to prove God's existence by finding a deserving amputee and having 1 billion people pray for God to grow the leg back. In trying to disprove the existence of God, it's unclear why Mr. Harris chooses to focus on amputees growing limbs back rather than looking for a sea to split open or fish and loaves to multiply, and it's equally unclear why Harris specifically asked that it...

JOST VAN DYKE, British Virgin Islands, Oct. 30, 2007 – A group of injured war veterans on a 12-mile round-trip kayak adventure paused on the shores of this small British island earlier this month for a two-night stay at a campground locally known as “Ivan’s.” A sign at “Ivan’s Local Flavor Stress Free Bar,” part of White Bay Campground on Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands, says it all for a group of injured war veterans and their spouses. For the veterans participating in a Team River Runner adaptive kayaking and camping adventure trip, Ivan’s did, indeed equal healing....

It has been nearly a month since members of the Jeppi family gathered in the living room of their Baldwin home to pray for 12-year-old Sal, who had been suffering from headaches so severe they left him unable to walk.Sal's father, for whom he is named, was in the living room, with its brick fireplace and high ceiling. So were his mother, Denise; his sister, Ashley, 10; and other relatives.An uncle, Darren Upham, led the prayer -- as young Sal recalled, "just that I would get healed."Sal felt what he called "a warm, tingly feeling" that didn't strike him...

FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas, July 6, 2007 – Sweetheart, Jackson and Ellie Mae, three pooches, are helping to change the lives of wounded warriors at Brooke Army Medical Center here. Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Pettway snuggles up to Ellie Mae, a Lhasa Apso, held by dog trainer and owner Charlie Brugnola at the Center for the Intrepid, a physical rehabilitation center. Photo by Jen Rodriguez  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The mixed beagle, German shepherd and Lhasa Apso are therapy dogs trained to console soldiers, family members and sometimes medical staff with reassuring hugs and occasionally dog kisses....

Surgeons are using stem cells to fix broken bones that won't mend on their own, Sky News has learned. Patients who faced a life of disability or even an amputation because of serious fractures have been able to walk once more. Fifteen patients have so-far been treated in a ground-breaking clinical trial at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Oswestry. Assessments of the first 10 patients show that 8 have been successfully healed. They are able to drive and return to work. Previous attempts to rejoin the bones using metal pins and plates had all failed. Consultant...

Through this Operation Recruiter Appreciation I met a woman whose grandson is fighting cancer. He loves postcards, so I sent him one from D.C. She wrote me back saying he loved it and put it in his scrapbook. Unfortunately, of the family/ friends she asked, only one other person wrote him one. So I'm now respectfully requesting that you consider sending him one and mention Gathering of Eagles. Zach is 12, and he just had an operation to get a tumor from behind his ear. The good news is the doctor thought it went very well. The bad news is...

After a 17-year-old boy died, oil began seeping through his bedroom walls and ash appeared on the floor. Some now believe he was a messenger of God. There are crowds in a suburban Sydney street this evening, as there have been for weeks. They are hoping for a miracle, to be touched by the hand of God. All because of a young boy who died and occurrences inside the house that are so far unexplained by science. They line up for hours, hundreds at a time, to enter the small suburban home, a place thousands call "God on Earth". Inside...

Traditional Masculinity Can Aid Recovery from Serious Injuries, MU Study Finds COLUMBIA, Mo. - For years, experts have said that the strong, silent male is not one to ask for help when he's hurt, and therefore at a disadvantage when it comes to getting better. But new research says this might not be completely accurate. This masculine identity often associated with men in the armed forces and other high-risk occupations may actually encourage and quicken a man's recovery from serious injuries, says a new exploratory study from the University of Missouri-Columbia. The study is the first to quantitatively confirm correlations...

VAIL, Colo., March 10, 2007 – After two days of skiing and snowboarding, last night was all about fun for the 25 injured veterans participating in the Vail Veterans Program here and their guests. Army Sgt. J.R. Salzman (from left), adaptive snowboard instructor Eric Norton, Wendy Owen, and Josie Salzman, fly down a tubing trail at Vail Mountain’s Adventure Ridge on March 9 in Vail, Colo. The outing, which included ski biking and dinner, was a time for the 25 injured veterans and their guests to come together as a group after two days of private and group lessons....

New Scientist has received an unprecedented amount of interest in this story from readers. If you would like up-to-date information on any plans for clinical trials of DCA in patients with cancer, or would like to donate towards a fund for such trials, please visit the site set up by the University of Alberta and the Alberta Cancer Board. We will also follow events closely and will report any progress as it happens. It sounds almost too good to be true: a cheap and simple drug that kills almost all cancers by switching off their “immortality”. The drug, dichloroacetate (DCA),...

The late Pope John Paul II praying in front of the remains of Blessed Gorg Preca at the MUSEUM chapel in Blata l-Bajda in May 2001 The Congregation for Sainthood Causes in Rome has approved a second miracle that should lead to the canonisation of the Blessed Gorg Preca, the Archbishop's Curia said yesterday. The decision was taken following a discussion held at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican headed by Cardinal José Saraiva Martins on Tuesday. The decision was originally expected in the middle of last year but was delayed. Pope John Paul II beatified Dun Gorg in...

Is it a miracle that a legally blind man now has perfect vision? CNN's Jason Carroll reports. (December 21) VIDEO LINK

Folks, I would like to ask all of you belivers for a prayer for my nephew, Shawn. He is 20 and trying to get into the Army as Linguist. This weekend, he went to the doctor to have a mole removed and the doctor is very concerned due to the size and depth of the mole. In short, the doc is having it tested for cancer. If it is cancer, besides the physical trama, it will shatter his dreams of serving his country... something Shawn has desired since he was in his early teens. It will be heard for him...

HUSAYBA — Navy Seaman Samuel L. Blanco is a healer. The hospital corpsman, geared up in layers of body armor, has a bag of tricks he carries that heals not just bumps and bruises, scrapes and cuts, but also relations and trust between Americans and local Iraqis. During a Sept. 23 patrol with 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, Blanco provided health care for dozens of Iraqi villagers. “From an American view, it gives us a sense of pride to know that Iraqis would come to us,” said Blanco, a 26-year-old from Justin, Texas, assigned to Weapons Company. He said less...

KENNETT SQUARE, Penn. It's been just over three months since Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was severely injured, breaking his leg while running the Preakness. Though his recovery has been slow and anything but steady, the colt's doctors are very encouraged by his recent progress, according to The Early Show's resident veterinarian, Dr. Debbye Turner. She went to New Bolton Center at the University of Pennsylvania College of Veterinary Medicine in Kennett Square, Penn., to visit Barbaro and his surgeon, fellow veterinarian Dr. Dean Richardson, and filed an exclusive update on the thoroughbred's condition. From the start, Turner said, Barbaro has...

Lucille Pope's red oak tree has baffled tree experts, water specialists and nursery professionals. The knotted, towering tree, more than 100 years old, has become the root of scrutiny in her East Side neighborhood. The tree has gurgled water from its trunk for the past three months. Pope, 65, has sought answers from several specialists, calling experts from the Texas Forest Service, the Edwards Aquifer Authority and nurseries for an explanation. They've combed her backyard, probing the gnarled tree that leans away from a parked white 1980s Cadillac. After snapping pictures, doing taste tests and conducting preliminary studies, they're still...

Below is a little missive I ripped out just as soon as I heard about MS. Magazine’s attempts to recruit abortion supporters by asking them to supply their names and their stories. In a fit, an absolute fit of pique, I typed up my own abortion story. Then I saved it on the hard drive and pondered all week how to deal with my narrative of anger and angst. I don’t want to put it on my own Blog as frankly-MS. Magazine doesn’t realize this-I am certainly not at all proud of my story. Yet I wonder if the millions...

Dear Free Republic Prayer Warriors: You have responded many times in recent years to my personal requests for prayers for my own family members and friends who were in need of healing. Today I ask for your prayers for Anna, the beloved wife of my friend, Massachusetts Freeper ThirstyMan. As some of you may know, Anna has been waging a courageous battle against breast cancer for several years. The cancer has returned and now Anna needs our prayers again. Please join me in praying for God's Healing Grace and Peace for Anna. And also for Strength and Peace for Thirstyman...

CAMP AL ASAD, Iraq (Aug. 8, 2006) -- When Army Maj. John W. Penree decided to pay his nephew, Marine Sgt. Peter A. Penree Jr., a visit in Iraq’s Al Anbar province, the timing couldn’t have been better. The circumstances, however, probably could have. Both men are currently deployed to Iraq – Penree Jr., serves with the Hawaii-based 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment in western Al Anbar Province; Maj. Penree with the Wiesbaden, Germany-based 3rd Corps Support Command in Balad, Iraq. Penree Jr., a 23-year-old Marine infantryman from Frankfort, N.Y., was wounded recently when a suicide bomber drove a truck...

If the pursuit of happiness was once an ideal in American life, the entitlement to happiness may now have replaced it. Since the late 1980s, when psychotropic drugs first came on the market, grateful Americans have been lining up at the counter. Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Wellbutrin and a host of other antidepressants have been embraced as practical solutions to everyday unhappiness. More than 15% of Americans now use one of the above. Needless to say, they are not all clinically depressed. Whereas Sigmund Freud once described the goal of psychotherapy as "transforming hysterical misery into ordinary unhappiness," many doctors now...

Just when you thought it was safe, there's a story out there that Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo will soon resurface with some interesting company.... Word quickly flying around indicates that the colorful Zambian prelate, who yet again went missing some weeks back and has been the subject of a missing-person search by his home government, skipped Rome in late June with George Augustus Stallings, patriarch of the breakaway African American Catholic Congregation, based in Washington. Stallings, a onetime priest of the archdiocese of Washington, established his base at the Imani Temple, where he was ordained a bishop in the lineage of...

 Does Sickness Glorify God?By Troy J. EdwardsTherefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. -John 11:3, 4 Taken out of it's contextual setting, this Scripture would appear to teach that God gets glory out of the sickness of others. So many have used this passage irresponsibly. However, a careful study of this passage proves that it is not so much the sickness that brought Jesus the...

KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. -- Barbaro had the cast replaced on his shattered right hind leg Tuesday, another huge stride in the recovery of the Kentucky Derby winner who suffered a life-threatening injury at the Preakness. Barbaro's cast was replaced under general anesthesia, and the 3-year-old bay colt had a very smooth pool recovery, the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine's New Bolton Center said in a statement. Dean Richardson, the chief of surgery at the George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals, replaced the cast he first put on Barbaro's leg during surgery May 21. "His leg looks excellent,"...

RELIGION: In God's name? The misuse of sex is one of the great curses of our age. The abuse of women is like a byword for our modern times. But it has absolutely no place in the church or the world. God has no part with it. There is never any excuse for violence toward one's mate- certainly not in the name of God. `Husbands, loves your wives; dwell with them according to knowledge' (Ephesians 5:25 and 1 Peter 3:7, Paraphrased). This advice is the way married people ought to relate to each other. With deep love and understanding. How...

Family Fights To Take Toddler Home Chris Frank Life Or Death Battle Feb. 28-A life or death decision could be hanging in the balance for a child. Little Brett Shively Junior was rushed to the hospital after a terrible accident where he nearly drowned in a bathtub. Now his family is fighting to bring the little boy home. A hearing is scheduled Wednesday in District Court to decide whether or not a Wichita hospital can remove the ventilator keeping the two year old boy alive. Brett's family says, "We just believe that we're the best people to decide his care."...

Please pray for my sister, who is 22 years old. She recently had a routine examination, and the person that was performing part of her examination became concerned when doing an examination of one of her breasts. They ordered an ultrasound for the area, and they found a mass of some sorts. My sister, who lives in Phildelphia, is going home to my parents to find a surgeon that will do a biopsy on the area. This has been a stressful time for my family health-wise. My mom had minor surgery earlier this year, my father had his kidney removed...

FR Prayer Warriors, please pray for a woman named Ana Alston. She is a young woman (30ish) who has a disease cauled schleroderma. It is a disease that causes hardening of the skin and soft tissues of the body and can affect the internal organs. She went into the hospital this morning with excruciating pain. She is in so much pain all she can do is lay there and cry. Please lift her up to the Lord for healing. She is a Christian.Thank you.

CBS 13) SACRAMENTO Nearly 4 weeks since a statue outside an area church appeared to be crying tears of blood, many of the catholic faithful say they're beginning to see miracles. They're reporting everything from improved health to resolved legal problems. Something that's drawing even more visitors to the church. Where they once came out of curiosity, they now come with individual concerns. Their hearts heavy with burdens they plan to leave at the altar, in hopes the Virgin Mary will hear their prayers. "I do believe in God and I do believe in miracles and I believe this is...

Kristi S. Anseth, a professor of chemical and biological engineering at the University of Colorado, likes to break barriers. She does this almost obliviously, and in doing so, she is helping to change the culture of science. At 37, Dr. Anseth is a professor in a field once the sole province of bookish men. Moreover, she is the first engineer, male or female, to become a Howard Hughes medical investigator, a prize usually reserved for Nobel-worthy researchers in the basic sciences. Additionally, in 2004, Dr. Anseth won the $500,000 Alan T. Waterman Award, presented by the National Science Foundation to...

<p>My pastor, Rev. James Witherington, of East Acres Baptist Church, Millington, TN, was just admitted to Methodist North Hospital in Memphis, TN, for CHEST PAINS.</p> <p>I have seerved under his ministry as Youth Leader for the past 7 years.</p> <p>He is a great man of God and I BEG my fellow Believers to join us in prayer for Bro. Jim.</p>

SOUTHLAKE, TEXAS (ANS) -- As a Christian parent, Dr. James Mahoney prays for his children when they are sick or hurt. In church, he prays and asks the Lord to heal sick friends. “So doesn't it make sense that when I walk into my medical practice each day, I should pray with my patients?” Mahoney wrote in a recent article. “And shouldn't the way I practice medicine give patients every opportunity to get well?” That notwithstanding, some Christian physicians and patients still have a hard time mixing their faith and their medical practice, Mahoney wrote. He added, “Since prayer costs...