Family Prayer Made Easy

   by Teresa J. Herbic Once I was lost, but now am found,  “Amazing Grace,”  John Newton Childhood can be a life-directing time for us. Some have an abundant, happy childhood, while others barely survive. Some of you may remember John Newton, best known for writing one of history’s most deeply moving hymnals,  “Amazing Grace.”  You may know the story of his inspiration to write the song, however, many are not familiar with his childhood struggles. By age six, John hit a rough patch of vast affliction. His mother, an exceptionally spiritual woman, lost her life to tuberculosis. His father, a ship commander, sent John away to boarding school shortly after when he remarried. At school, John suffered mistreatment. He also felt all alone like an orphan. So at age eleven, John rejoined his father on board his father’s ship. Later, he boarded a different ship, one that ran the Sierra Leone coast. There, he served as a slave trader. It turned out to be a horrendous experience for John. He was