January 1
1773 - The hymn that became known as "Amazing Grace", then titled "I Chronicles 17:16 & 17", is first used to accompany a sermon led by John Newton in the town of Olney, Buckinghamshire, England (Source)
"Yet we in our day, much as we love to sing Amazing Grace (I suppose because we like the tune), are not inwardly amazed by grace as the Puritans were; it does not startle us that the holy Creator should receive sinners into his company; rather, we take it for granted! 'God will forgive. That's his job!' was the final scoff with which the French cynic went to meet his maker." - , A Quest for Godliness - The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life
Here is a great version of Amazing Grace in English and Swedish:
January 2
1967 - Ronald Reagan, past movie actor and future President of the United States, is sworn in as Governor of California (Source)
Recommended sermons and podcasts:
Worst Presidents: Reagan, Bush and Ford - Fiscally Irresponsible Presidents, by Pastor Kevin Swanson
