“Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!” Music and lyrics by Travis L. Boyd
“Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!” is a choral anthem and modern hymn, published by the Lorenz Corporation, that shares the full message of the gospel. The publishers’ description of the anthem states, “This memorable theme steadily builds throughout, forming a powerful statement of praise.”
(NOTE: Scroll down just below the John 3:16 needlework picture to the “Publisher’s Information Page” heading for a link to the anthem, orchestration, & accomp. trax on the Lorenz website.)
The anthem was inspired by the most beloved scripture verse and the favorite hymn for so many Christians. Travis wrote this song using as his inspiration John 3:16 and the message of the hymn, “Amazing Grace.” This is the story of how “Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!” came to be written.
In 2002, Travis stated that he wanted to write an anthem in honor of and dedicated to my Dad, who was valiantly fighting cancer (first diagnosed in December of 1999). Travis asked my Mom to find out what Dad’s favorite scripture verse and favorite hymn were, and to try to do so without arousing any suspicion. When Mom asked at first, Dad wanted to claim the entire book of John as his favorite scripture passage; but Mom was able to get him to name his favorite verse from the book, John 3:16. Mom called back to let us know his favorite scripture and also that his favorite hymn was “Amazing Grace.” Travis began the writing process, and he was blessed with a beautiful melody and a text that powerfully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. As soon as the song was complete, Travis immediately began arranging the song for SATB Choir.
When “Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!” was finished, my family began making plans to surprise Dad with the song. The son of some long time family friends was being married in Tulsa in early 2003. Since that was near our home, Travis and I invited everyone in our family who could come for the wedding to stay with us while in the area. While all were at our house, we would make the surprise happen. My sister, Linda, and brother, Rich, were both able to come, flying in from Washington State. Though Dad had endured two cancer-related surgeries by this point in his treatment and was still dealing with ongoing chemo and radiation, he was able to do some light travel. He and Mom drove the 3 and a half hours to our home. While we were together, we celebrated Dad’s birthday, which was very close to the date of the wedding. After the festivities, we surprised Dad with “Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!” Travis and Mom shared the story of the way they’d been able to learn Dad’s favorites and use them as inspiration. Then, all of us who were there helped to share the song with Dad for the first time. Our daughter, Meredith, sang Soprano with me. Mom and Linda sang alto. Rich and Travis handled the men’s parts while Travis accompanied on piano. It was an all-family production, and Dad seemed to be blown away. Travis told him that he would contact the Choir Director at Mom and Dad’s church to see if the premiere of the anthem could take place at their home church with their own church choir.
The date of the anthem premiere at Mom and Dad’s church (pictured here) was in November of 2003. Dad had a few months of feeling really good over the Spring and Summer of 2003, and on into the early Fall. He even felt well enough to drive all the way to South Carolina to visit relatives for almost a month, play a lot of golf, and drive back to Oklahoma. However, by October, the chemo that had been well tolerated had stopped working. The next regimen he was placed on seemed to immediately sap his strength, and it later became apparent that his heart had been damaged. By the time Travis and I and our two boys drove down for the premiere week-end, Dad had already lost both his hair (which had grown back w/ the former chemo med) and his strength. He was pale and not feeling very well, but he did make it to church that Sunday morning. The church had chosen to use the occasion of the anthem premiere to say ‘thank you’ to my Dad for his years of faithful service as a Sunday School teacher and in many other capacities. Dad was rather embarrassed about this. He felt that there were many others in the church who had served just as faithfully. My Mom and Travis and I sang in the choir. My sister, Linda, was able to come, and she sat with Dad, as did our son, Jared, age 10, who had just lost his other Grandpa in May of that same year. Dozens of Dad’s friends and colleagues were there, as well as his church family. Everyone present that morning heard the gospel message clearly presented as “Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!” was sung by a choir for the first time. The song is much more than a tribute to one man. It is a testimony of God’s saving grace demonstrated in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Travis had submitted “Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!” to one of his publishers, and he got word that it had been accepted for publication by the Lorenz Corporation in the Spring of 2004. My dad was very pleased to know that. The anthem went to press bearing a first page inscription in honor of my Dad. Travis had also been asked by Lorenz to write a full orchestration for the anthem, as he had done for “God is Faithful” previously. So, when “Amazing Grace! Eternal Life” was published as an SATB anthem, Travis’ full orchestration for it was published as well. Both are still available from Lorenz Music. (See info below)
Dad passed away in the Fall of 2004, less than a year after the anthem premiere at his church. The lyrics to “Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!” were read by Dad and Mom’s Pastor at his memorial service. Singing was never Dad’s thing (though he could whistle beautifully). He left the singing to other members of the family, though he did his best in the congregation at his church. He always had an appreciation for music and for the power of words. We hope that his heart was touched by this gift of his favorite expressions of spiritual truth, combined with new words and music. Our hearts were touched and challenged by his life and by his brave battle with cancer. And, far beyond anything that we could ask or think, we pray that the message of “Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!” will continue to touch the hearts of people around the world.
NOTE: “Amazing Grace! Eternal Life” was on the Lorenz best-sellers list after it was released, and it continues to be a well-loved anthem for choirs all over the world (translated into 3 languages that we know of). There are Youtube and Vimeo videos that we have discovered of choirs singing the anthem in English, Mandarin, Korean, and Italian. See additional information below.
Here is the audio from my Sound Cloud set of Pulisher’s Demo Recordings of the Lorenz Studio Demo of “Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!” See the publisher’s info page link below for ordereing the music.
LYRICS FOR “Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!”
There is a love sent down to man,
A rugged cross, a spotless lamb,
A life laid down, a sacrifice.
Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!
Here’s the first page of “Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!”, published by the Lorenz Corporation (Monarch Division). The inscription at the top reads, “Dedicated to Dr. Harold McCoy White, in celebration of 38 years of faithful service as a layman of The First United Methodist Church, Weatherford, Oklahoma.
There is a hope beyond the grave,
With love so deep and pow’r to save.
Rising above all earthly strife,
Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!
There is a peace that all can know.
It calms the heart and heals the soul.
“Come unto Me!,” the Savior cries!
Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!
(bridge – a paraphrase of John 3:16 – 17)
God so loved the world that He gave His Son,
For us to believe in Him.
For the Son was not sent to condemn the world,
But to save us from our sin.
There is a home prepared for all
Who on the name of Jesus call.
A place of rest, a throne on high!
Amazing grace! Eternal life!
(repeat last 2 phrases)
Amazing Grace!
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
PUBLISHER’S INFORMATION PAGE: Here is a link to the Lorenz Music product page for “Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!”, where you can hear the entire studio demonstration recording of the anthem with the complete orchestration. Click on the music note icon to hear the recording or on the Adobe icon to view sample pages.
Information is also provided about the related products available for the anthem, including the orchestration and an accompaniment/performance CD. http://www.lorenz.com/product.aspxid=10_3228M
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
TRANSLATED INTO MANDARIN LANGUAGE:
“Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!” has been translated into Mandarin Chinese and included in a book for Chinese choirs. It has been posted on Youtube by choirs from several churches singing in Mandarin.
The youtube videos are a little hard to find because as soon as you type in “Amazing Grace,” hundreds of versions of that song come up first, but here’s one of our favorite videos of the anthem in the Chinese language, sung by the choir at the Mandarin Baptist Church of Los Angeles, California: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYnchYmXVoI)
Here are the lyrics to “Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!” in Chinese characters:
奇異恩典！永恆生命！Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
TRANSLATED INTO KOREAN:
“Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!’ has also been translated into Korean. Numerous Korean churches have posted videos of their choirs singing this anthem on YouTube. The video below is of the Choir and Orchestra from New York Presbyterian Church.
See our playlist of over 20 choirs around the world, singing “Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!’ in Korean (church locations include South Korea, the United States, and New Zealand) at this link: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMJind8w21aQ2kRrM5f9bcc80ZUpOAvlc
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
TRANSLATED INTO ITALIAN:
In the video below, the Coro Tre Ponti (Three Bridges Choir), directed by Rino Adam, is singing “Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!” in Italian at the Festa di San Giorgio (@ Terdobbate, Italy, April 21st, 2013). This is the only video we’ve found of “Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!” in Italian. We are not sure whether other choirs have access to this translation, “Sorprendente Grazia! Eterno Vita!”
The Coro Tre Ponti is based in Arona, Italy. Their facebook page can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/#!/CoroTrePonti?fref=ts
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
The Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma, The Singing Churchwomen of Oklahoma, and Oklahoma Baptist Symphony share worship anthems, including “Amazing Grace! Eternal Life”) at the “Foundations” worship concert, directed by Dr. Bill Green. Over 700 musicians filled the platform, the staircases leading to the balcony on both sides of the platform, and the first section of pews on both sides of the platform. What a glorious night of praise!
“FOUNDATIONS” CD and DVD RECORDINGS: “Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!” was chosen as part of the concert repertoire for the ‘Foundations’ concert presented by The Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma, The Singing Churchwomen of Oklahoma, and the Oklahoma Baptist Symphony, directed by Dr. Bill Green, in May, 2005. The entire concert was recorded on both a CD and a DVD called “Foundations.” Our post about the blessings of worshipping together all through the day of rehearsals and the evening’s concert at this event is called, “The Blessings of Worshipping Together.” There is a photo of the event included in the post as well. Here is the link to that post:
https://worshipsounds.wordpress.com/2011/11/04/blessings-through-worshipping-together/
Here is a link to the audio recording of the previously mentioned BGCO groups singing, “Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!” during the “Foundations” worship concert.
https://soundcloud.com/#travis-l-boyd/amazing-grace-eternal-life-bgco?in=travis-l-boyd/sets/recordings-of-my-anthems-by
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
TITLE SONG ON RECORDING BY TOURING GROUP: “Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!” has also been recorded by The Farrells, a ministry of the Tom Farrell Evangelistic Foundation, as the title song on one of their CDs.
One website that offers this CD can be found at http://www.mbbcbookstore.com/SPD/amazing-grace–eternal-life—9015751555667820287.jsp
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
“Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!” was included in the repertoire for the Atlanta Choral Guild’s May, 2012, concert. The program was titled “Georgia: The Past Meets the Present.” There is a blog post about this event @ https://worshipsounds.wordpress.com/2012/05/10/blessings-through-community/
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
EPILOGUE
My mother and several of her friends were able to attend the “Foundations” concert and hear the song that was first inspired by my Dad’s favorites as it was being sung and played by over 700 musicians. The ladies loved the entire worship concert, and especially “Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!” My Dad would have enjoyed that evening as well, but he probably would still have cherished the initial family performance of the anthem and the premiere at the church where he and Mom had attended and served for decades even more.
Happy 80th Birthday, Dad!
I wrote this to honor the Lord and in your memory.
Love, Cindy
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Post written by Cynthia A. Boyd, February 1st, 2012
In honor and in memory of Dr. H. M. White, longtime professor of Organic Chemistry at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, founder of the SWOSU Summer Science Academy, graduate of Clemson University (Bachelors, Masters, and PhD), Army veteran and Reservist (served in the United States and in Germany), crossword puzzle pro, community volunteer, golfer, Sunday School teacher, active layman, Founding Board Member of Weatherford YMCA, Rotarian, Paul Harris Fellow, Weatherford Golf Course Board member, a faithful son and husband, father, brother, uncle, great uncle, cousin, nephew, Grandaddy, and friend.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Do you know Jesus?
The decision to ask Jesus to come into your heart and life as your Lord and Savior is the best decision you could ever make! The one true God is ready to give you forgiveness and eternal life as soon as you understand your need for Him and believe on the name of His only Son, Jesus, for your salvation. Here’s a blog page link to help you find the answers to your questions about Jesus. http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
WOULD YOU LIKE TO READ MORE POSTS LIKE THIS ONE?
Link to our “Song Stories” category to see all of the song story posts: https://worshipsounds.wordpress.com/category/song-stories/
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Worship Sounds Music 
Written by praise4ever
Leave a comment