NIGERIAN MARTYR
Muslim extremists overwhelmed police officers who were providing refuge for an unidentified Christian woman in Niger state June 28. The extremists stoned and clubbed the woman to death for doing street evangelism. When nearby Muslim elders learned that the woman had shared the gospel with a group of Muslim youths, they claimed she insulted Muhammad, and ordered that she be killed. Police took her into protective custody, but a mob stormed the police station. The police tried to smuggle the woman out the back door to escape with her, but the assailants blocked all escape routes, and the police abandoned the woman to save their lives. Pray our omnipotent Father will move in power to change the hearts of Muslim extremists in Nigeria. Pray God will use the martyrdom of this bold Christian woman for His ultimate and eternal glory. (Source: VOM)

ORPHAN GIRLS TARGETED IN INDIA
On July 15th, a notorious group of Hindu radicals tried to burn down a transformer as part of a plan to attack an orphanage housing 150 girls in Kota, Rajasthan. The attackers allegedly intended to rape the girls. Their plan failed when the transformer led to an uncontrolled fire that drew many onlookers. This is the latest in a serious of attempts to disrupt and shut down the work of Emmanuel Orphanages. Most of the orphan girls that Emmanuel Orphanages help are from Dalit background. Pray that God will continue to protect the children in Emmanuel Orphanages. Pray that our Lord will give the orphanage workers His love for those who oppose them. (Source: Global Council of Indian Christians)

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THE WORLD AT YOUR DOOR The mission of the church is both local and global. We don't need to leave the country--or even our own zip code--to minister cross-culturally in the name of Jesus Christ. A helpful tool for getting an idea of the nationalities present in your area is www.peoplegroups.info. From the home page you can select any state, and then search within that state by city, county, or zip code. Figures are based primarily on the 2000 census, and the site is sponsored by the SBC's International Mission Board. Access to other features on the site requires registration, which is free but subject to approval by the site administrator (for security purposes). Visit the site's FAQ page for more info.

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Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America by Garry Wills
1993 Simon and Schuster (Reviewed by David Korb)

At the November 19, 1863 dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Edward Everett, considered to be the nation’s greatest orator, delivered the main address. President Abraham Lincoln had been asked, almost as an afterthought, to be one of three men to make “a few appropriate remarks” at the ceremony.

The dedication was originally scheduled for September 23, 1863, but Dr. Everett, the former president of Harvard, told the committee that he would be unable to prepare an appropriate speech in the time given him, so the event was pushed back to November 19th.

Everett addressed the gathered crowd for two hours. Lincoln’s speech consisted of 272 words and lasted 3 minutes. Even the prayer offered by Rev. Stockton on that occasion was four times longer than Lincoln’s “remarks.” While Everett spoke with great expression and a “voice that was sweet and expertly modulated,” Lincoln’s voice “was high to the point of shrillness, and his Kentucky accent offended some Eastern sensibilities.”

We call Lincoln’s remarks the “Gettysburg Address,” but as author Garry Wills reminds us, that title really belongs to the speech given by Everett, as he was the one honored with delivering the main address that day. The day after the dedication, the New York Times reported that Lincoln “had good things to say” but all the accolades went to Everett. Nevertheless, looking back through the lens of history, it was Lincoln’s words and not Everett’s that “remade America.”

I read this Pulitzer Prize Winning book this week for the third time. It is a good reminder to me of the power of words well spoken; words whose power may not be recognized when delivered but words that nevertheless endure and bring about change.

Secrets in the Dark: A Life in Sermons by Frederick Buechner
2006 Harper San Francisco (Reviewed by David Korb)

I’ve enjoyed reading many of Frederick Buechner’s writings over the years. I am not attracted to his theology as much as his ability to tell the Biblical story in a fresh and unassuming way. In the introduction to this volume, Buechner explains that as a young minister at Exeter Academy in New Hampshire he strove to capture the minds and hearts of uninterested school boys by avoiding strong religious “language and imagery.” He knew most of those boys had no interest in church, yet the Academy required chapel attendance, giving Buechner the opportunity to engage a literally captive audience. Buechner knows that what stirred the hearts of those boys, and the many others who have heard or read his sermons over the years, is not his own words but the Biblical narrative itself. This latest collection contains 37 of Buechner’s most memorable sermons, delivered between the late 1950s and late 1990s. I’ve enjoyed reading and rereading many of these sermons this summer. You also may find this book refreshing.

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