Yousef, whose mother threatened to kill him for having a Bible, now smuggles Bibles the way his family once smuggled drugs.
After Parveen’s employer beats her for attending church, Parveen begins to help other young Christian women who work in Muslim houses.
Abdulmasi kills hundreds of Christians in northern Nigeria with no remorse—until the day he chooses a new life of faith and sacrifices everything for a God of love.
What can we learn from these faith-filled brothers and sisters around the world? How can we pray for them? And what do their remarkable stories teach us about a God whose light shines in a dark world?
I-Am-N reminds us that we are each “N”—as radical Muslims in Iraq identify followers of Jesus the Nazarene. Wherever we live, we have camaraderie with those who are persecuted. So come meet their families. Read their stories. Deepen your faith in a God who gives us the courage to shine in a dark and hurting world.
My review:
You almost can't turn on the news without hearing about ISIS or troubles in the Middle East. In I Am N, The Voice of the Martyrs strives to move the story from sensational headlines to personal connections. Each of the 17 stories are real. Some end horribly in martyrdom. Others end with new Christians reaching out to others in their community sharing the truth of Jesus despite the personal risks. All will bring home the reality of what it truly is to abandon self and whole-heartedly serve God.
My church had already committed to praying for the Christians facing Islamic extremists several months ago. You will see many of us wearing orange (because of the jumpsuits the prisoners are often wearing when shown on the news) bracelets with Hebrews 13:3 on them as reminders of our brothers and sisters in Christ who are living it first hand. This book has helped to guide how I pray for these people.
The only negative (besides the obvious need to write such a book) is that the writing seems very impersonal and almost cold. Not that I think the authors don't hurt for those they write about, but as if they have distanced themselves from the horror. The stories present the facts with little emotion.
As an effort to share the stories of those who are N, Voice of the Martyrs has truly succeeded. I dare say you will be changed after reading this and will no longer be able to read the headlines or watch the news without realizing that every person being terrorized by ISIS has a story, has a family that loves them, has a desire to live....and yet their faith in Jesus love is such that they refuse to turn their back on Him. I never thought I would see persecution like in the days of Nero.....yet here we are......
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