Late on Sept. 23, I received an unsettling text message from a friend in Kenya. He wrote: “The al-Shabaab have attacked at Nairobi’s Westgate Mall and they are killing innocent people. I request you to pray for Kenya and me.”

One month from today—November 3—marks the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP). On this special Sunday thousands of churches, literally from around the world, take time to “Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also” (Hebrews 13:3).

Al-Shabaab has publicly said that they are responsible for the attack on a shopping mall in Kenya. But the group has now had a fatwa issued against it in Somali, the country in which it was founded and in which it has the largest presence. Mission Network News interviewed VOM's Todd Nettleton last week (before the mall attack) about the Fatwa and what it means.

VOM’s Todd Nettleton was interviewed last week by Mission Network News about the question of why more attention isn’t paid—in the media and in American churches—to the persecution of our Christian brothers and sisters. Here’s the resulting story from MNN:

When I prepare to conduct a radio interview on behalf of VOM I often type up “talking points” of the major information I want to share, to help me speak clearly on behalf of the persecuted church and the Christians that VOM serves around the world.

“The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, than the mighty waves of the sea.” (Psalms 93:4).

The Voice of the Martyrs joins Christians from across China and around the world in celebrating the life and legacy of Samuel Lamb (Lin Xingiao in Chinese), who died Saturday in Guangzhou at the age of 88.

What’s your plan for your life after you hit 65 or 70? Do you anticipate finally being able to relax, live off your 401k and play golf all day long? In my 20s, I’d never given much thought to that period of my life until I discussed it with a friend one day. She told me she didn’t think Christians had a right to “retire,” at least in the sense that we tend to think of it, where we live lives of leisure on the money we’ve saved up.

Peace.

Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh spent 259 days in Iran's notorious Evin Prison. Their “crime” was following Jesus Christ and encouraging others to follow him. While in prison, they received letters from believers around the world who had heard about their arrest.