By Joyce Pelletier
     Acts 9:1-6 "Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him. “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”  
     “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.”
     The men traveling with Saul were speechless; they heard a sound, but they did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground and opened his eyes but saw nothing. He was now blind. Sometimes the word blinded means we refuse to see the truth. Until this encounter, Jesus blinded Saul, so he would later see.
     This is not the end of the story, but what if we imagine ourselves on a road with a bunch of men going about murdering Christians, and probably many not understanding why. They were following Saul, thinking it was what they thought they must be doing.
Saul fell off his horse and immediately lost his sight. So bright was the light (of Jesus) that blinded Saul, to get his attention off his own plan and take on the new vision of Jesus Christ.
      Romans tells us that Saul’s sight was restored. He knew he had encountered the Living God. God was merciful to Saul. In his old life he thought he was doing good, now his new life was completely turned around.
In Romans, the new man that Saul became, was a completely different person. In his old life He was determined to destroy those who believed, and now, everything was different. He had to experience that he was blinded and lived by his own interpretation of correcting the believers. Now that he was now born again, He was humbled to see the truth. After he got up off the ground, Jesus told Paul what he was to do. He obeyed with uncertainty, and because he needed the help of others, he obeyed what Jesus told him to do.  
In this study of Romans, Paul came alive for me. I started to realize that Paul (after his name and identity were changed) traveled to many places preaching the Gospel of Jesus. Before he was judging the Christians, not realizing why. Now, he’s clear-headed and he knew and accepted the truth of God, that Jesus was the Savior and He let his presence be known to Saul. Even his  name to Paul. Paul became well known as he began his life as a true Christian.
     As I read the first chapter of Romans, I was discovering the man that Paul became. He went to Rome, not to judge them, but to reveal the truth of the salvation story. He guided the new believers back to where they needed to be, rather than continuing to be on the paths they had chosen after their experience on Pentecost. Saul had a new name and a new life. Our new life in Christ is being changed to love not judge.
     Paul went to Rome to help these new Christians see how their life should now be. He never judged them. He loved them as Jesus had taught him. I learned that instead of getting angry over negative experiences, I had a choice to move on and reevaluate the way I should handle life’s challenges instead of being frustrated. I’m learning that when I truly love someone, I see things considerably differently. It helps me to be more accepting of others and helps me to forgive myself of the wrongs I do.
For myself, those forty something years ago, as I sat with my best friend, admitting that I didn’t have it all together, I listened to her share the Gospel of Jesus. From that day, my name didn’t change, but my life did.  What I read in God’s Word, showed me how to appreciate that Paul wasn’t the only one to not judge, I’m included in that role. It is far more effective to love someone than to point fingers and tell them what they should or should not do. Paul showed them the way.
     Coming through this study helped me see the new man, Paul. He’s the one I wanted to know, not the murderous person he used to be. It also showed me how my life has changed, too. I’m sure that most people can relate to our lives changing. We all have unique stories of our conversions. The changes we have experienced shows us how powerful God is.   Romans 8:28 says that those who love God and are called in His plan, everything works together for good. There is no reason to fear when difficulties knock on our door.  

   By Rebecca Vickery

       Not every moment is a mountaintop moment.  Mountaintop moments, you feel the light of the Lord on your face, your faith is revived, renewed, restored, and you leave with a glow.  These are the high times, the times in which we soak in the rays of the Son.  Mountaintop moments matter.  They are important.  But maybe what happens in the Valley is more so. 
      I have seen more valleys than mountains in recent years.  The moments I have come to know His presence in the midst of my deepest hurt, I have found to be even more precious than mountaintop moments.  God is faithful in the valley.  His peace is so perfect and healing.  His presence is a balm to my soul when nothing else will remedy or satisfy.  He is a refuge, a safe harbor, a strong tower;  all the things He has promised to be. 
      We can lose sight of this when our lives are full of so many distractions.  Good distractions.  Bad distractions.  They all pull away our eyes from the One who loves so fully.  I have known people who walked away from the Lord in the times of hardship.  Life is hard enough, how could I do it without His presence?  How could I walk away from the One who will never walk away from me? 
      The last year has been on of the most physically challenging years of my life.  I’m not sure how much longer my frail flesh could have held on without a diagnosis, and finally treatment.  But treatment itself has stretched my threshold for pain and discomfort.  When I didn’t know there could be more pain, there it was surprising me with more. 
      Catching up with a close friend on the brokenness and sorrows contained within the year, we spoke of the faithfulness of God throughout it.  We connected over a verse that has ministered to both of our hearts over the years.  After the people around Jesus got upset with him for sharing some hard truths, some of them decided they weren’t going to follow Jesus anymore.  “Jesus turned to his disciples and asked them, “Do you want to leave me too?”  Peter responds, “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You alone have the words of eternal life.””  John 6:67-68
      My friend expressed that this has been his anchor verse for all these years.  It has been the same for me.  When times have been tough, as Jesus said that they would be, I have held firm to the Anchor of my soul.  Not the anchor of a boat that may or may not hold firm, but to Jesus.  And to my Daddy.  My Abba.  For he has not given us a spirit to be slave again to fear, but his Spirit, by which I may cry Abba (Daddy), Father.  (Romans 8:15) He is a Heavenly Father who is perfect beyond even the best that our earthly fathers could provide.  He wants to be in our presence, or more importantly, He wants us to be in His.
      This may be a stretch for some of us who have fathers who are less than perfect or even absent.  But imagine the most perfect father in the world.  Perhaps he is a composite of all the tv dads that you’ve seen and thought, that’s what a good dad looks like.  Our heavenly Father is better.  He is abounding in love.  He is patient.  He is slow to anger.  He is long suffering. And He quiets us with his singing. Sometimes I ponder this verse and I say, “Lord, I want to hear you.”  I want to have my heart so inclined to my Father’s love that I can hear him singing. 
      Even as I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I have pressed deeper into my relationship with the Lord.  My reliance on God has increased my trust.  Every time I choose to trust Him, he continues to show his faithfulness.  “Lord of Hosts, you’re with us, with us in the fire, with us as a shelter, with us in the storm, You will lead us through the fiercest battle.  Oh, where else would we go but with the Lord of hosts?”  (Shane and Shane, Lord of Hosts) Lord, where else would I go?  You alone have the words of eternal life.  We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.  Mountaintop or valley low, He is with us.  And He is good.