it's times like these that the president can probably use some choice words from a man who has been there for some of his worst moments, his former spiritual advisor. in the midst of a bruising 2008 presidential campaign, a young staffer was quietly praying for his candidate and decided to let him know. >> i was thinking i wonder who's looking after his soul, his spirit. so shot him an e-mail, wasn't sure what kind of response i was going to get, if i was going to get fired or what would happen if i sent this note. in a few minutes he wrote back and said this is exactly what i was looking for. >> reporter: that message was a short meditation on the 23rd psalm. the lord is my shepherd, i shall not want. that started a daily tradition for joshua and barack obama. about 2,000 devotions later, the e-mails are part of how the president quietly practices his christian faith. dubois joined the administration helping to shape policy and acting as a bridge between faith leaders and president obama. >> president obama is not