The story of "Amazing Grace"

John Newton

Who was John Newton? He was the composer of a hymn which many people consider to be the most popular hymn in the world today -- Amazing Grace. Almost everyone knows the first verse from memory:

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,
that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
was blind but now I see.

Very few people know the real life story of John Newton, who was born in 1725 and died in 1807. He could best be described as a Naval deserter from "Her Majesty's Navy", an atheist, a slave trader, stubborn, very disobedient, with a vicious temper. His mother, who was a deeply religious woman, died when he was seven years old and he was sent to a private boarding school. (He was kicked out of this school.)



John's father was a sea captain. He joined his father on his ship at a very young age, learning navigation, sails, and winds. He spent five years on this ship. He later served on many boats, including the Royal Navy (which kicked him out), trade ships and slave trade ships.

John Newton was 'saved' on the ship. Have you found It?

John had many harrowing escapes while at sea. He also had many positive signs and at the last minute his life was spared. However, it was on the slave ship "Greyhound" that he had his greatest awakening. Heading back to England, it ran into a vicious storm that really battered the ship and the weary crew. They fought hard to keep the ship together. The supplies were very low and they wondered if they could survive another day. Finally, they thought they spotted land, only to realize that it was a mirage. John asked God to have mercy on them as they were nearly out of all food and water.

The Greyhound ship

Finally, they saw land and it was Northern Ireland. They got a great reception from the people. After examining the boat, the carpenters and shipbuilders stated the boat would not have survived another day. The "Greyhound" had not been heard from for 18 months and was assumed lost at sea. Try to imagine being on a small boat, no radio, no one to help you but God.

John fell in love with a young lady who was only 14 when they met. After seven years they were married. She was 21 and he was 25. The year was 1750.

John finally became captain of his own slave ship. A plot was uncovered to overthrow the ship's captain by the crew. The ringleaders both became sick and one died. The mutiny failed. In the verse in "Amazing Grace" where he writes "Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come", he was speaking not only of his previous trials but of this danger as well.

Because of the grace that changed John's life, he made six attempts to be ordained a minister. Finally, at the age of 39, he became a parson. He wrote a number of hymns, and his real life experiences are reflected in "Amazing Grace."

John Newton grave

"Amazing Grace" is a song of hope and it binds people together.

Last verse

"When we've been here 10,000 years
bright shining as the sun
we've no less days to sing God's praise
than when we first begun."




Chris Tomlin's version

Colton Burpo: The Little Boy Who Has Been In Heaven

"I saw heaven...Jesus was on the right hand side of God ... everything was beautiful,” said Colton Burpo. It sounded like a story dreamed up by a little4-year-old boy but to understand what Colton Burpo said you have to hear what he did.

Colton Burpo (11 years old)

After a burst appendix nearly cost 4-year-old Colton Burpo his life in 2003, his parents were thankful just to have him alive and well. But when he opened up about his brush with death a few months later, they were shocked when he described a very vivid trip to heaven, and spoke of matters about which he had no apparent way of knowing.

Jesus painting by Akiane Kramarik

During an automobile trip, when Sonja Burpo asked him about his memories of being in the hospital, little Colton replied: “Yes, Mommy, I remember — that’s where the angels sang to me.” An answer that Colton made his parents’ jaws drop when he told them about sitting in Jesus’ lap, watching his parents while he lay seemingly near death, and meeting his great-grandfather.

But most poignantly, Colton described meeting a sibling in Heaven — even though he had no way of knowing that his mother had miscarried two years before he was born, since his parents had never told him.

This is how Jesus look like according to Colton

Little Colton nearly didn’t make it: He lay in a hospital bed for 17 days. When he finally rallied, the family rejoiced — but they were floored when, months later, the boy began matter-of-factly describing what he had experienced when he was in between life and death: seeing Jesus dressed in royal purple, meeting John the Baptist, having angels sing to him to ease his anxiety.

Read also on Akiane Kramarik -The Spiritual Young artist

The Burpos believed these were things Colton could have gleaned from his Bible studies. But he also told his mother he saw her talking on the phone in another room while he was having surgery, and saw his father praying in a small room, all while he was seated in Jesus’ lap.

Colton also spoke of meeting a long-departed relative in heaven,“I was just sitting by the Holy Spirit and then this guy comes up to me and says, ‘Are you Todd’s son?’ I say yes, and he says, ‘Well, I’m his grandfather.’

3 year old Colton Burpo

Colton said that everyone in Heaven has wings. He described his great-grandfather “Pops” as being “very big, huge wings, curly hair, a big smile, and he was very nice.”
But the real shocker came when Colton told his mother, “Mommy, I have two sisters.” Sonja told her son that he had to be referring to his oldest sister, Cassie, and his cousin Traci, but he responded: “No, I have two sisters. You had a baby die in your tummy, didn’t you?”

Akiane Kramarik -
Colton said her Jesus drawing is exactly  how Jesus looks

When Colton was asked what heaven looked like, the 11-year-old replied, “Well, there’s a lot of color. There are a lot of people and a lot of angels.” ....and Colton revealed that Gabriel the angel sit on the left hand side of God!

New pet of the Chinese super rich

Duolang sheep – dubbed the "Treasure of Xinjiang" with only around 1,000 left in the world – has become the latest pet of the super-rich in China.

Duolang sheep

Its extraordinary features – a curved nose, long floppy ears and twin tails – have made the animal very special for the "taiko" who want something different from the others to show off their status.

The sheep, bred in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, can be sold for up to 14mil yuan (RM7mil) each! RM 7million for a sheep!!
Also known as Maigaiti by the locals, it is a crossbreed between a local sheep species and a fat-rumped one introduced from Afghanistan.

The more curved the face, the better

Duolang breeder Liu Fenghua said the price of the sheep depends on its pedigree.

The darker the fleece, the bigger the ears, the better. The more curved the face, the better, like an eagle's beak, he said.

"The best ones have a dark body and white tail," said Liu, adding that he fed his Duolang with dates and walnuts, along with other grains.

Duolang is easy to raise. A mature animal weighs around 150kg, and its meat can be eaten.

It is highly resistant to disease and can adapt to different environments. Moreover, their meat is juicy and does not have the usual smell of mutton.

Liu said he bought a pair of Duolang for 25,000 yuan (RM12,450) in 2009, and was offered 10 times the original price for them a year later.

"The price keeps rising," he said, adding even Duolang semen can fetch up to 300,000 yuan (RM149,400) per dose.

China's sudden wealth has produced bubbles in all sorts of commodities, from tea to fine wine to jade.

Tibetan Mastiff

Last year, a Tibetan Mastiff puppy became the world's most expensive dog when it was sold for nearly £1mil (RM5mil) in Qinghai.