We all say we love justice, at least when it benefits us. The guy who cuts us off in traffic gets a ticket. The arrogant speaker is proven wrong. A friend or family member doesn't listen to our advice, and we get to say, "I told you so!" But as I get older, I am learning more and more that what I really love is grace. I am not sure I fully understand it yet, but I have come to more fully understand when I receive it. As I look back on my years, I think of those who showed me grace: friends, teachers, family. There are times I have not received it, and the slap of justice and, at times, injustice tends to be equally painful. Saul was out for justice. He was going to cleanse the world of the scourge of this new heresy, “the way of grace in Christ." But along the way, he encountered something he did not expect. He found grace. In the face of Stephen and in the words of Jesus, he found grace. My prayer for this weekend is that we see that as a church as well. See you Sunday as we look at Acts 9, and the power of grace. Randy

Acts 8:4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word…and there was joy in the city. How do people come to faith in Christ? Some would say it’s by God's calling. Some would say the Gospel is open to all and we can choose to believe or not. We could argue how it works for the rest of our lives, but this much scripture teaches us; the gospel is true, God reaches out to people, and God moves in the heart of his Church to go to the lost. In Acts chapter 8, we see persecution hit the church, but what results is not the death of the church. Like a dandelion flower, the seeds fly and the church grows. From persecution in Jerusalem at the hands of Saul (later to become Paul), the church goes out to Samaria. People believe and joy comes. Some go searching: Phillip to a place, a desert and an Ethiopian for a truth. Together, they produce a new life of faith by the power of the Word and the Spirit. You never know what a single seed will produce. From this one faithful witness and this one faithful seeker, the good news is taken to the court of an African queen. You never know how God can use just one faithful person. See ya Sunday, Randy

Adversity produces heroes! We have all seen it happen before: The starting quarterback goes down, and the backup QB leads you to the title. The youngest brother kills the giant. The kid no one expected to do much becomes President. Stephen was not one of the twelve; He was a servant. From that word in Greek, we get the word "Deacon." Scripture does not demean that role, but it was not as glamorous as being one of the 12. But Stephen not only filled his role well, he was more than up to the task of leadership. He spoke truth in the face of lies and showed confidence in the face of persecution. You don’t know what you will do when you get into a situation like Stephen did, until you are in it. But, there are some clues about his life that shows us that he was ready for the challenge. I am impressed with Stephen. I am moved by his courage and humbled by his compassion. I think we all have a lot to learn from him. I know I do.