John Newton’s first title for Amazing Grace wasn’t, well, so amazing. Faith’s Review and Expectation, John’s first name for the song we know as Amazing Grace, wasn’t exactly sticky. In fact, John’s most famous song didn’t get off to such an amazing start either. He wrote Amazing Grace back in the day, 1773 to be exact. The song didn’t make him popular and didn’t achieve popularity until nearly 200 years after he penned it. In 1970, some British woman belted it out and the world took notice. Instantly, nearly, this old hymn was getting heard.
After 9/11 the hymn was literally heard around the world.
Over and over, as our nation grieved the losses at the Pentagon, World Trade Centers, and Pennsylvania, Amazing Grace, was repeated. Today, there are more renditions of John’s hymn than any other on Amazon. When I search for Amazing Grace on Spotify, the song just scrolls and scrolls and scrolls. I would say John Newton hit it pretty big. John’s legacy lives on.
Today, keep Amazing Grace in your head. Hum it. Replay your favorite rendition and remember. Remember. Remember all of us are gonna leave someday. And, we’re gonna leave behind a legacy. We’re gonna transmit something to the next generation. STOP worrying about the size of your estate and the size of your signal. Your only job is to transmit. And, kinda like John, your transmission may not be received and really appreciated for a long, long time. Transmit, anyway.
Faith’s Review and Expectation. Amazing, huh…
BUILT TO LEAD 