It may be the best-known and most popular Christian song ever written. “Amazing Grace” has served as an anthem of comfort for people everywhere—both Christian and non-Christian. The song was written in 1773 by a slave trader, John Newton, who—after he realized the errors of his ways—marveled that God’s grace could save even him. The story of John Newton is part of a 2006 movie titled Amazing Grace—the movie being about the abolition of slavery in Great Britain.
During its 250 years—the song “Amazing Grace” has been featured in movies (Star Trek, The Wrath of Khan in 1982). And a recording by Judy Collins made the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970.
Author Bruce Hindmarsh has a treasure trove of information about the song. And he shares it with us as he visits with Paul Ladd. The four-part interview can be heard on Your New Life Station on consecutive Tuesdays starting September 12.
Speaking of amazing—actress Vanessa Benavente does an amazing job playing the part of Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the popular TV series The Chosen. If you missed her conversation with Paul, you can hear the two-part interview on Mondays, September 4 and 11.
The Pacific Rim and Southwest Asia
The Pacific Rim, the Indian subcontinent and southwest Asia provide the reasons Your New Life Station broadcasts the International English Hour. The Pacific Rim is that part of the Eastern Hemisphere that encompasses English-prevalent countries Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and New Zealand. Additionally—English is widely spoken in Indonesia. And English is the official language of government and commerce in the southwest Asian countries of India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. In Japan and in countries of the Middle East, many speak English as a second language.
Your New Life Station’s broadcast schedule makes use of Universal Coordinated Time (UTC), a 24-hour system also known as Greenwich Mean Time. Eastern Standard Time (EST) is five hours behind UTC; Central Standard Time (CST) is six hours behind. When some parts of the world switch to daylight saving time for the warm weather months, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) is four hours behind UTC, and Central Daylight Time (CDT) is five hours behind. Outside the U.S.—most locations are on standard time all year rather than daylight time. Karachi is five hours ahead of UTC. Mumbai and New Delhi are five-and-a-half hours ahead. Manila, Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur are eight hours ahead. And Tokyo is nine hours ahead of UTC.
You can use our listener website www.knls.org to hear the English Hour if you have internet access. You can also access the broadcast through the KNLS app on your mobile device or through Google or Safari. If you listen via shortwave radio, you can access knls.org to get our broadcast frequencies or you can write us and request a schedule.
The English Hour is the Asian continent’s source for the music of our time and the message of all time. We work to provide a geographical balance in the topics we feature as we take you from “Alaska to Asia to Africa to America.” Our Eye on the World stories often show the interdependence of the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.
Since our target audience is mostly non-Christians, our content is different from a typical Christian format station in America. While we provide our share of positive, uplifting content, some of our programming also provides an honest look at the dark side of life on Earth. Indeed, some program segments and music selections may raise questions that a thoughtful truth seeker will ask. And other segments, such as the Bible or Christian lifestyle lessons, serve to answer those questions.
Music to Love
Music is a universal language. Probably 80 per cent of the world’s pop tunes are sung in English, and are enjoyed by people everywhere, many who are themselves not proficient in English. The English Hour features your favorite songs from today’s best music. International pop charts show that your favorite music is also the favorite of people who are culturally diverse—whether in Nairobi, Sydney, Singapore, or Jakarta.
The songs are pop, rock, r & b, and occasional hip-hop and country music that crosses over to the pop charts. The English Hour generally features music by artists from the U.S., the U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. But music artists from all over the world, including European deejays and South Korean boy and girl bands, have found their names on or near the top of international pop charts.
In September—Your New Life station will introduce new music by Luke Combs, Post Malone, Selena Gomez, and Zayn Malik.
News to Know
The English hour features reporting about topics of current interest. Marcy Bryan reports about entertainment, business, and news about religion and social issues. Kelly Ann Monahan has the latest developments in medicine, science, and computer technology. Paul Ladd provides special reports about diverse topics, religious and secular. Larry Souder interviews interesting people, sometimes in front of a live audience, on Souder & Friends. Doug Poling provides commentary on the news from a Christian perspective on Today’s News & the Good News. And Adam Holtz, Jonathan McKee, and Paul Asay of Focus on the Family provide Plugged-in reviews of the latest movies, online games, and TV shows.
Upcoming Reports for September:
Discarded Barbie dolls will get new life thanks to the work of a dedicated seamstress. Who will get the refurbished dolls? Marcy Bryan reports.
Amazon is preparing for Whole Foods customers to use their bare hands to pay for purchases. Marcy reports about Amazon’s new palm scanner—as well as Amazon’s new walk-in health clinics.
And Marcy reports on the record-breaking estate auction of Queen front man Freddy Mercury, who died in 1991.
How many steps should we walk each day to help us live longer? Kelly Ann Monahan reports on the latest research.Kelly Ann also reports on two new pills–one that eases the symptoms of post-partum depression and one that eases symptoms of menopause.
And Kelly Ann reports on the latest concerns about Antarctic sea ice, and a new computer algorithm that helps detect asteroids that could cause significant damage if they were to hit Earth.
A Message to Live
This is what we’re about and why we’re on the air and on the internet. Our mission is to present the lessons of the Bible, including and emphasizing the Good News in an interesting, non-threatening way.
Ongoing Series:
• All God’s Giants with Larry Souder
• Andy Baker’s Prayer Lesson
• Believer’s Hall of Faith with Bill Young
• Creation Moments with Paul Taylor
• Direction with Rubel Shelly
• Encounters with Jesus with Larry Souder
• Family Minute with Brit & Kate Ryan
• First Person with Paul Ladd
• God’s Money with Don White
• God’s Passion for Humanity with Bill Young
• Groundwire with Sean Dunn
• Hope in Conflict with Larry Souder
• Hope in Troubled Times with Larry Souder
• Immersed in Life with Greg Taylor
• Jim Daly commentary
• Joy of Peacemaking with Larry Souder
• Life Stories with Joe Norris
• Positive Answers with Paul Ladd
• Profiles of the New Testament with Bob Borquez
• Profiles of the Old Testament with Royce Kessler
• Promises with Royce Kessler
• Refiner’s Fire with Paul Ladd
• The Big Picture with Steve Diggs
• The God Who Makes Himself Known with Bill Young
• The Good Book with Greg Taylor
• The Journey with Greg Taylor
• Today’s News & the Good News with Doug Poling
• True Stories of the Bible with Bill Steen
Categories: ENGLISH
