John Newton and the Storm He Kept Forgetting

In March 1748, a violent storm nearly sank the slave trading ship Greyhound off the coast of Ireland. John Newton, a profane and reckless young sailor, found himself lashed to the deck, bailing water for eleven desperate hours. Somewhere in those terrifying hours, he cried out to the Almighty for mercy. When the sea calmed, Newton felt genuine gratitude. He read Thomas à Kempis.…