Amazing Grace - The Movie / The Song / The wide-eyed 10-year-old spirit that I love unconditionally

"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn published in 1779, with words written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton (1725–1807). Newton wrote the words, with the message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of sins committed and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God, from personal experience. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazing_Grace ------ John Newton (/ˈnjuːtən/; 24 July 1725 O.S./4 August N.S. – 21 December 1807) was an English sailor, in the Royal Navy for a period, and later a captain of slave ships. He became ordained as an evangelical Anglican cleric, served Olney, Buckinghamshire for two decades, and also wrote hymns, known for Amazing Grace and Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken. Newton started his career at sea at a young age, and worked on slave ships in the slave trade for several years, even after having a Christian conversion. Although Newton continued in the slave trade for several years, he later became a prominent supporter of abolitionism, living to see Britain's abolition of the African slave trade in 1807. ------ During his 1748 voyage to England after his rescue, Newton had a spiritual conversion. The ship encountered a severe storm off the coast of Donegal, Ireland and almost sank. Newton awoke in the middle of the night and, as the ship filled with water, called out to God. The cargo shifted and stopped up the hole, and the ship drifted to safety. Newton marked this experience as the beginning of his conversion to evangelical Christianity. He began to read the Bible and other religious literature. By the time he reached Britain, he had accepted the doctrines of evangelical Christianity. The date was 10 March 1748,[7] an anniversary he marked for the rest of his life. From that point on, he avoided profanity, gambling, and drinking. Although he continued to work in the slave trade, he had gained considerable sympathy for the slaves during his time in Africa. He later said that his true conversion did not happen until some time later: "I cannot consider myself to have been a believer in the full sense of the word, until a considerable time afterwards."[8] Back in 2006, when my younger daughter was 10-years-old, we saw the movie "Amazing Grace" as a family at the cinema. I remember the huge impact the movie had on her. To this day, I marvel at how she allowed herself to be moved and inspired by the story of how Britain ended its immoral involvement in the slave trade due in large part to the efforts of one man. According to Wikipedia, "William Wilberforce (24 August 1759 – 29 July 1833) was an English politician, philanthropist, theologian[1] and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade". To my 10-year-old daughter he was so much more than that. My dream is for the young members of my family to recall the amazing grace that allowed John Newton to go from slave trader to abolitionist. May God`s powerful grace inspire my family to make a journey as challenging and beautifully rewarding as the one that inspired the wondrous song Amazing Grace. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazing_Grace_(2006_film)