The Hymn that Changed a Country

Researching historical novels can take you into some surprising rabbit holes. Most distract, but some are real blessings, even when they never impact the eventual book. I have an alter call in my current project and wanted to find a suitable hymn.

I’ve always loved the hymn, I have Decided to Follow Jesus, because it was the first hymn I learned to play on the piano. And it fit the mood of the scene so well.

The lyrics are based on the last words of Nokseng, a Garo tribesman from Meghalaya, then called Assam in India. Nokseng and his family were converted to Christianity by a Welsh missionary. When called to renounce his faith by the village chief, Nokseng declared, “I have decided to follow Jesus.” As his two children were killed, he continued with the now familiar lyrics, “Though none go with me, still I will follow.” When his wife was killed, his response was, “The cross before me, the world behind me.” Each time he was prodded to recant, he repeated the haunting refrain, “No turning back, no turning back.”

The tribal chief who witnessed the executions was so moved, he later converted to Christianity, along with most in the village. Nokseng’s last words of testimony were often repeated until an Indian missionary, Sadhu Sundar Singh, wrote the hymn and set it to the Indian melody, Assam.

Today, Meghalaya is a lush state in northeast India. It is one of three Indian states with a Christian majority. Close to ninety percent of the Garo tribe is Christian. Because of British rule, beginning in the 1830s, English is the official language. The language and the beautiful scenery make it a popular tourist attraction.

It wasn’t until 1959 that an American hymn editor composed an arrangement of the song, and it became a regular feature of Billy Graham’s evangelistic meetings before they switched to Just as I Am.

Since my book is set in the 1880s, I can’t use the hymn as I intended. But I’m glad I stumbled across Nokseng’s testimony. It affirms the power of one man’s faith. Instead of remaining a hidden rain forest of head-hunters in the high Indian plateau, Meghalaya is a place of lush forests, lakes and waterfalls. Its people are industrious farmers and tradesmen whose villages are dotted with churches, where I’m sure this hymn is frequently heard.

What is your favorite hymn? Maybe I can find one that’s old enough to use in my story.

Standing Up for Standing Bear

Something about this crazy election year reminded me of a bit of research I did for my historical romance, Pursued. A lot of political rhetoric involves Washington lobbyists and how officials are bought by rich donors and superpacs. Like we didn’t already know that, right? But there’s another side of lobbying that allows all citizens to make a difference—and that’s been the case all through history.

The slave issue would never have come to a head if people of conscience hadn’t been lobbying for years to get rid of slavery. It took nearly a hundred years of constant lobbying for women to attain the vote. Civil Rights legislation depended on thousands of activists descending on Washington and demanding change.

Some issues are not as well-known but also changed the course of history. It happened relatively quickly and involved only a few passionate citizens.

Standing Bear was a Ponca Indian Chief who successfully argued that Indians were persons within the meaning of the law. But he had help. In 1875, the US Indian Agency ordered the Poncas to be moved to the Indian Territory in what is now Oklahoma. Standing Bear and his associates felt they should have been allowed to moved to the Omaha Reservation instead.

In 1877, the government forced the Poncas, including Standing Bear and his family, to be removed to the Quapaw Reservation near present-day Peoria, Oklahoma. By spring of the next year nearly a third of the tribe had died due to starvation, malaria and other causes, including Standing Bear’s oldest son. The chief and sixty-five followers traveled north to bury the son in their original homeland. They were arrested for leaving the assigned reservation and taken to Fort Omaha.

It was there Standing Bear found his first advocate in General George Crook, who gave the Indians an opportunity to seek legal redress and told the story to Thomas Tibbles, an editor of the Omaha Daily Herald. Tibbles publicized the Ponca’s story widely, and two prominent lawyers offered their services for free.

In a crowded courtroom, Standing Bear, spoke on his own behalf. His speech is the reason I remember this story so well. You see, Standing Bear had been taught by missionaries earlier in his life, and his speech is one of the best testimonies of Christian faith I’ve ever read. In fact, it was so moving, most of the attendees were in tears at the conclusion, and later many of them went to Washington to petition the Hayes administration on behalf of Indian rights.

Standing bear won his case—and it was a landmark case. For the first time, Indians were ruled to be human under the laws of the United States. It’s unlikely to have happened without the help of God and those who were willing to stand up for what was right.

One of the easiest ways of standing up for our beliefs is to exercise our right to vote. Yes, we have to put up with the nasty politicking, but it’s worth it. If we don’t, the lobbyists will call all the shots.

Don’t forget to leave a comment to get your name in the drawing for While I’m Waiting Devotional by Laura Hodges Poole. Winner announced in the Weekly Windup on the 29^th. Check out all of our great prizes on the Prizes Galore Page.

SPECIAL GIVEAWAY!!! In honor of Standing Bear’s courage and those who stood with him, I’m giving away an eBook copy of Pursued today only. Winner to be announded in Weekly Windup.

Carianne Barlow never expected to leave her comfortable Philadelphia townhouse and travel to the wild-west, but when she inherits a fortune, conditions are attached. She must carry out her grandmother’s vision of a western culture center anchored by a library to rival those of the east. Such an undertaking requires political support, and no one is more influential than Rhyan Cason, a handsome cattle baron with the reputation of hardened businessman and rabble rousing lobbyist with a preference for the ladies. Carianne gets on the westbound train with no thought of the treacherous world awaiting her in the little prairie town near Rhyan’s sprawling ranch.When he asks her to catalog his library, she jumps at the chance without realizing he's pursued by a sinister adversary bent on destroying everything he cares for--including her.