OnFire Encouragement Letter

Hi Folks:

The boys and I had fun on Sunday afternoon. The weather was so nice we took a walk through the woods on a compass course. I arbitrarily set a course for 230 degrees, and we took turns sighting ahead and following the course until we reached the river below our house. After 2 or 3 hundred yards, we emerged at the river, where I broke out a thermos of hot water to make hot chocolate.

A funny thing - at some point one of the boys said, ""This compass is funny. I can''t get it to point right.""

""The compass always points north,"" I replied. ""We have to turn our bodies in the right direction.""

""Oh,"" he said.

I guess I''m thinking about this little incident because of our topic today. A little break from our regular study of the characters around Jesus to look at the story of the hymn ""Amazing Grace,"" and the power of one man who had the courage to follow his moral compass.

Blessings on your week. I''m off for a few days to interview ministry candidates at our Convention''s Board of Ministerial Standards and Education. As much as I don''t like sitting for so long, it really is neat to meet these people and to hear the story of God''s call and working in their lives to arrive at this point. Makes it all worthwhile.

Troy

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Yesterday many churches, including ours, celebrated Amazing Grace Sunday. The story of the hymn Amazing Grace is tied to the slave trade, and March 25, 2007, will mark the 200^th anniversary of the signing of the bill against slavery in Britain. Even though it would take another 27 years to officially end slavery in Britain, it was a key moment, and hymn writer John Newton had a part to play in the struggle for freedom.

The struggle for freedom is not unknown to us here is Shelburne. Over 2000 of the Loyalists who came here in 1783-4 were Blacks, many of whom had been slaves who were promised freedom and land if they would defect from their American owners and join the British. Conditions when they arrived here, however, were far from what they were promised. The rocky forests were difficult to clear and the soil was poor. The area they were given, Birchtown, was landlocked by other properties and not large enough to support the population. Winter came quickly and was much colder than the southern climate many came from. Conditions were so bad that within a few years over 1000 left for Sierra Leone under the leadership of Rev. David George. Some sold themselves back into slavery. Some were captured by American bounty hunters after the War of Independence ended. Some were kidnapped and sold into slavery.

Amazing Grace was written by John Newton. Newton had himself been a slave and slave ship captain. He went to sea with his father at age 11, and was later press-ganged into the navy. After trying to escape, he was demoted and traded to a merchant ship, which took him to Africa where he became a servant to slaves and was beaten and mistreated. A friend of his fathers found him and he returned to England.

While on the return voyage, the ship he was on foundered in heavy seas. He cried out to God and he was later to count this day as his conversion to follow Jesus. For the rest of his life he marked May 10 by praying and fasting.

When he went back to sea, he was first mate and later master of several slave ships. By 1754, he was back on land and came under the influence of great revival preachers such as George Whitefield and the Wesley brothers, John and Charles. At this time he felt a call into ministry and was ordained in 1764. Newton proved to be a popular minister and soon filled the church.

It was in this first church that Newton wrote Amazing Grace, for New Years 1773. His text that day was from 1 Chronicles 17:16-17, and he talked about the believer''s past, present and future. It is not hard to see how this text inspired the hymn.

After 15 years in that church, he moved to London to take up parish ministry there. He again proved to be a popular and respected minister, with many seeking him out to inquire about the faith and ask his advice.

Once such man was a young politician, William Wilberforce. When he became a Christian in 1785, he sought Newton''s advice. He thought he might better serve God as a minister. Newton advised him that God might better use him in politics. Wilberforce''s friend, Prime Minister William Pitt, agreed.

Within a few years, Wilberforce took up the cause of abolition. It took 10 years of campaigning, but finally the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act was passed on March 25, 1807. His mentor, John Newton, lived to see the day.

The hymn Amazing Grace and its writer John Newton are tied to the abolition of the slave trade. We can trace the thread of a former slave trader, turned Christian, pastor, mentor, who influenced a young politician to do the right thing, and the world was changed.

We see how one person can change the world. Sometimes we think, ""I''m no Wilberforce or Newton. What can I do, anyway?"" I''m sure they felt the same way. And, don''t forget about the people who influenced Newton along the way. They are nameless, ordinary folk, and they helped change the world. We never know how the people we touch will change the world after us.

The story of Amazing Grace, of Newton and Wilberforce, is a reminder that one person can change the world. When we are tempted to think that what we do doesn''t matter much, remember that God uses us where we are.

Hope this helps. Be On Fire,

Troy Dennis

Feb 26, 2007