Sing songs from your heart to Christ.  Sing praises over everything, any excuse for a song to God the Father in the name of our Master, Jesus Christ .  ~  Ephesians 5:19-20, Msg.

John Newton quit his life on the sea and began working as a surveyor of tides in 1755. He began preparing for the ministry after being touched by Evangelist George Whitefield and his wife, Mary.  Ordained at age 39, he was appointed to the Anglican church in Olney, England. During

his tenure there he and the great British poet, William Cowper, developed a lasting friendship. They met together nearly every day in the garden between their homes, producing a volume of hymns. After fifteen years Newton was appointed rector of

a quaint church in the heart of London’s financial district, where he preached for 28 years until his death at age 82.Late in life, when his mind began failing, he said, “My memory is nearly gone; but I remember two

things, that I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great Savior.”  Though he wrote many songs, his best-known hymn obscured most of them: Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me . . .