The CD tells the story of six women who prayed for a friend with breast cancer.

"At the end of that journey, we not only saw our friend healed, but also experienced God's love and healing power in a way we never thought possible," says Prayer Ventures' Betsy Lee.

Producing the CD was Lee's idea. "Our passion at Prayer Ventures is transforming lives through the power of prayer. This is a wonderful story of how God did that not just for Maureen Magnuson, the woman we prayed for, but also for all of us."

Maureen, left, holding her No More Chemo cake with Betsy Lee of Prayer Ventures (on the far right)

Lee explains that her prayer team prayed daily for six months for Maureen as she underwent chemotherapy treatment.

At the end of that time, Maureen’s friends had a “No More Chemo” party to celebrate the end of her chemotherapy treatments.

"It was fascinating to hear what each of us had learned through the experience and how uniquely God had worked through our different styles of praying. I wanted to produce a recording that showed the many different ways that people can pray for someone with cancer," says Lee.

There are lots of ways to help someone suffering with cancer. "The goal of this CD is to encourage friends and family to reach out to their loved ones battling cancer—especially through prayer," she said.

"We saw prayer make an amazing difference in Maureen’s case. She was spared severe side effects from chemo and radiation. Her blood counts were good enough to stay on schedule for treatments. And throughout it all, she felt a wonderful sense of peace and rest."

On the CD, Prayer Ventures also draws attention to the other aspects of a disease like cancer -- not just the physical aspects, but also the emotional and spiritual aspects. For example, praying for emotional hurts in the past often releases healing to the body as well as the heart.

Lee says, "We believe this CD will offer hope and encouragement to cancer patients and family and friends walking that journey with them. This is not the account of an instant miracle healing. It is rather the story of how God used the prayers of ordinary people—along with medical means—to restore someone to health and wholeness."

Maureen's friends gather for a No More Chemo Party.

She went on to say there have been many studies done on the effects of prayer on healing.

"Most of these studies conclude that prayer aids in healing, but it cannot be proved scientifically. My own observation is that when you don’t pray at all, you will not see any results from prayer. When you do pray—regardless of whether or not the person is healed—the patient feels loved 100 percent of the time. Isn’t that worth offering a prayer of faith?

"I met with a group of women who had heard about our story and prayed in the same way for a neighbor who had breast cancer. Even though their friend died, which was a heartbreak for them all, they were amazed by how much closer they had become as neighbors and friends as they had prayed for her. That was something they celebrated."

After 11 years, Maureen Magnuson is cancer-free. “As odd as it seems,” she says, “I look back at the year I had cancer as one of the best years of my life. It was the year I truly learned how much God loved me and how outrageously He can pour out his love and healing through a community of believers.”

The CD is available through the Prayer Ventures website at www.prayerventures.org.  

** Michael Ireland is an international British freelance journalist. A former reporter with a London newspaper, Michael is the Chief Correspondent for ASSIST News Service of Lake Forest, California. Michael immigrated to the United States in 1982 and became a US citizen in September, 1995. He is married with two children. Michael has also been a frequent contributor to UCB Europe, a British Christian radio station. His weblog appears at: Michael's Wor(l)d BLOG