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The author of the well-known Christian hymn Amazing Grace was a wretch, a moral pariah. While a new believer around 1750, John Newton had commanded an English slave ship. Ships would make the first leg of their voyage from England nearly empty until they would anchor off the African coast. There tribal chiefs would deliver to the Europeans stockades full of men and women, captured in raids and wars against other tribes. Buyers would select the finest specimens, which would be bartered for weapons, ammunition, metal, liquor, trinkets, and cloth. Then the captives would be loaded aboard, packed for sailing. They were chained below decks to prevent suicides, laid side by side to save space, row after row, one after another, until the vessel was laden with as many as 600 units of human cargo.

Captains sought a fast voyage across the Atlantic's infamous "middle passage," hoping to preserve as much as their cargo as possible, yet mortality sometimes ran 20% or higher. When an outbreak of smallpox or dysentery occurred, the stricken were cast overboard. Once they arrived in the New World, blacks were traded for sugar and molasses to manufacture rum, which the ships would carry to England for the final leg of their "triangle trade." Then off to Africa for yet another round. John Newton transported more than a few shiploads of the 6 million African slaves brought to the Americas in the 18th century. At sea by the age of eleven, he was forced to enlist on a British man-of-war seven years later. Recaptured after desertion, the disgraced sailor was exchanged to the crew of a slave ship bound for Africa.

It was a book he found on board--Thomas à Kempis' Imitation of Christ--which sowed the seeds of his conversion. When a ship nearly foundered in a storm, he gave his life to Christ. Later he was promoted to captain of a slave ship. Commanding a slave vessel seems like a strange place to find a new Christian. But at last the inhuman aspects of the business began to pall on him, and he left the sea for good.

While working as a tide surveyor he studied for the ministry, and for the last 43 years of his life preached the gospel in Olney and London. At 82, Newton said, "My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things, that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Saviour." No wonder he understood so well grace--the completely undeserved mercy and favor of God.

Newton's tombstone reads, "John Newton, Clerk, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had long labored to destroy." But a far greater testimony outlives Newton in the most famous of the hundreds of hymns he wrote:

John New­ton, Ol­ney Hymns (Lon­don: W. Ol­i­ver, 1779)

Amazing Grace is a 2006 film directed by Michael Apted about the campaign against the slave trade in 18th century Britain, led by famous abolitionist William Wilberforce, who was responsible for steering anti-slave trade legislation through the British parliament. The title is a reference to the hymn "Amazing Grace" and the film also recounts John Newton's writing of the hymn.

Tragic accident la Albota - O tânără s-a stins din viaţă la 23 de ani

"Destin tragic pentru o fată de 23 de ani, din Călineşti. Alexandra Filip şi-a găsit sfârşitul în urma unui cumplit accident care s-a petrecut ieri, în localitatea Albota. Un şofer neatent, care se pare că a adormit la volan, a intrat pe contrasens şi s-a izbit de o Dacie, în care se afla tânăra împreună cu soţul ei.
Autoturismul Logan a fost lovit apoi din spate, de un tir.Fata a fost scoasă din maşină de pompieri. Tânăra, împreună cu soţul ei, Vasile Filip, de 26 ani, veneau dinspre Albota şi se îndreptau către casă. Acesta conducea o Dacie şi în apropierea Staţiunii de cercetare de la Albota, a fost lovit de un Logan care a pierdut controlul volanului şi a intrat pe contrasens. Impactul a fost puternic, iar Loganul a fost lovit de un Tir, al cărui şofer a spus că nu a mai reuşit să evite maşina.
Conducătorul autocamionului, bănuia că şoferul ar fi adormit la volan, altfel nu putea să-şi explice cum de a pierdut contrulul autovehiculului. Cristian Neacşu, de 31 ani, din Piteşti, cel care conducea Logan-ul, s-a abţinut să facă vreun comentariu. În urma impactului puternic, fata de 23 ani, care se afla pe scaunul din dreapta şoferului, a rămas încarcerată între fiarele maşinii. Starea ei de sănătate era critică, iar pompierii s-au străduit minute în şir s-o descarcereze. În cele din urmă fata a fost scoasă din mormanul de fiare şi urcată în ambulanţă. Din păcate, Alexandra Filip s-a stins din viaţă înainte să fie dusă la spital, deşi medicii au făcut tot posibilul pentru a o salva. Soţul tinerei a scăpat doar cu câteva răni uşoare."(Observatorul argesean)

Pentru tine a plouat astazi, Alex... a plans cerul!
Nu te vom uita! Durerea ne-a luat cuvintele...