¶ Welcome to Starting Right
Good morning and welcome to Starting Right with Danny Mac . I'm going to be here every Monday to Friday to help you get a great five-minute start to your day . So grab your cup of coffee , sit back , relax and let me help you start your day right
¶ Amazing Grace History
. Good morning everybody . A couple years ago we talked about the song Amazing Grace by John Newton . It is by far the most recorded Christian song of all time . It is the most popular Christian song of all time .
It is the most well-known Christian song even amongst non-Christians of all time , so it actually deserves a revisit today , I think , because today's version of this song is by one of the most well-known female singers in the world and she recently released her gospel album featuring Amazing Grace .
Before we get there , let me talk just for a moment about Amazing Grace , because right now in many churches when we sing Amazing Grace , we have combined with it the song my Chains Are Gone .
¶ Chris Tomlin's Addition
John Newton wrote Amazing Grace back in 1779 , but it wasn't until 2006 that Chris Tomlin wrote and added my Chains Are Gone . It was a beautiful addition to the song and just makes it flow in so much fuller and so much better . In an interview , tomlin talked about this addition to Amazing Grace .
He said that he had read about the history of John Newton and reflected on the depth of the lyrics in their context of slavery . Out of this reflection , he had this revelation . These words just started flowing one night my chains are gone , I've been set free . My God , my Savior , has ransomed me .
He said I was thinking about how you pay a ransom for a slave . And then he continues reciting the lyrics and like a flood , his mercy rains an ending love , amazing grace . I really like that addition to amazing grace . I think Tomlin's words and his melody just fit with it so beautifully and add even more impact to this very
¶ Reba McIntyre's Gospel Album
powerful song . Well , today I want to talk about a new version of that song that was sung by one of the most well-known country artists of all time , and that lady happens to be Reba McIntyre .
In a recent interview she was talking about the most important things in her life , which are her relationship with God , her family and the impact that music has had on all of them . The interviewer then asked about her current gospel album and what the song Amazing Grace means to her as she sings it .
She said that was a song that she grew up with knowing a lot about . But in fact Reba was baptized when she was 12 years old . But while Reba made that initial commitment to Christ when she was quite young , it was a completely different story
¶ Her Mother's Late-Life Faith
for her mother . You see , her mother , jacqueline Smith , was raised in a Pentecostal church and Reba's grandmother made them attend every time the doors opened . Reba said I guess that's why my mama was rebellious she didn't like church , she didn't want anything to do with it until she got older .
In fact it wasn't until her mom turned 89 that she surrendered her life to God . Reba said she went to the Baptist church in Spring County , walked down the aisle and the preacher said Jackie , what can I do for you ? She said well , preacher , I'm here to turn myself in . And so she was baptized . Reba continues her story .
She said I wasn't raised religious but by the time my parents passed , both of them were saved . Everyone in my immediate family is saved and I'll see them up in heaven when I die .
I'm so glad to know that For all three people involved in the song today , that's John Newton and Chris Tomlin and Reba McIntyre it makes us understand how true Philippians 1.6 is . Be confident of this he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion , until the day of Christ Jesus .
Whatever God begins , he will see it come to completion , whether it was a former slave trader who found God and found freedom and strength and love that he was missing in his life .
Or whether it was a woman who was hurt by what happened in church when she was a young'un and then grew up knowing that she needed to come back to God , and so she turned herself in at the latter stages of life , finding peace with God and an eternal home with him
¶ God Completes His Work
. Finding peace with God and an eternal home with Him . Or a world-famous entertainer like Reba McEntire , who has recognition and material success in this world , but she still knows that she needed Jesus . What Christ begins in us , he will bring to a completion , and that's the celebration of amazing grace my chains are gone . Here's Reba McEntire's . Enjoy it .
His word my chains are gone . I've been set free . My God , my