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¹ Agrippa turned to Paul and said, "Tell me your side of the story, cowboy. Tell it plain and true."

Paul began his story, ² "King Agrippa, I'm glad I am still alive to tell you my story and defend my good name against these baseless accusations. ³ You, as well as anyone, can understand the Jewish ways and customs, even our controversies. Please sit back and listen as I tell you my tale.

⁴ "It is no secret the way I have lived my life. From the time I was just a speck of a boy in my own country until the time I became a man in Jerusalem. ⁵ I am no stranger to anyone. They all know I followed the Code to a T. I am a Pharisee through and through. ⁶ And I am standing here today for one simple fact, I believe God will keep his promise he made to our ancestors. ⁷ It's why all of us worship God day and night. We all have the same hope in God. And this hope is why I am on trial. Nothing else. ⁸ Why is so hard to believe God can bring someone dead back to life?

⁹ "Listen, I once led the fight against Jesus of Nazareth. ¹⁰ That was my job in Jerusalem. With authority given to me by the church, I arrested every believer I could find and threw them in prison. When it came time to sentence them to death for their belief, I cast my vote to have them killed. ¹¹ I went so far as to torture them in the churches just to get them to curse his name. I chased them down like the dogs I thought they were, even to foreign cities!

¹² "I was headed to Damascus on one of these missions. I was armed with the authority and commission of the church. ¹³ It was about noon and we were riding down the road. All of a sudden, there was a light around me brighter than the sun. ¹⁴ My companions and I all fell to the ground. I raised my head and heard a voice speak to me in Aramaic, 'Saul, Saul, why are you hell-bent on destroying me?'

¹⁵ "'Who are you?' I asked.

"And the voice replied, 'It's me. Jesus. The one you are out to get. ¹⁶ Get up! I'm making you switch sides. You're gonna ride for me now. You will tell people about me and tell them the truths I will reveal to you in the future. ¹⁷ I'm going to keep you safe from your own people and the mavericks. Yep, I'm sending you to save the mavericks, too. ¹⁸ You will help them see with open eyes so they will no longer walk in darkness, but the light. You will help them turn from Satan and ride for God. Then they will be forgiven for their sorry ways and have a spot on God's outfit. And the only way you get there is through me.'

¹⁹ "King Agrippa, I have obeyed everything I was told to do when heaven opened up and talked to me. ²⁰ I preached first to those in the Damascus area. Then I preached in Jerusalem and all of Judea. Then I went to the mavericks, or Gentiles, so all would turn from their sorry ways and ride for God. And the proof of this change was the good things they did. ²¹ All these problems we are gathered here for is a result of me telling this story to everyone. Some Jews arrested me in the main church for telling my tale. And they did all they could to kill me, ²² but God has protected me. He protected me so all might hear the truth. Folks from the greatest to the least have heard it. And the crazy thing is I only preach what Moses and the other great prophets said would happen. ²³ They all said the Top Hand would suffer greatly and then be the first one raised from the dead. And this resurrection was God's way of showing Jews and mavericks his love."

²⁴ Festus then hollered out, "Give us a break, Paul. You've had your nose in a book so long you will believe anything. You've driven yourself mad, sir!"

²⁵ Paul shook his head and said, "No sir, I ain't been in the locoweed. Everything I've said is true. ²⁶ King Agrippa is familiar with everything I've said. Why would I be so bold as to risk my life for a fable? These things didn't take place in a dark alley, but right out in the open for everyone to see. ²⁷ King Agrippa, do you believe what the Good Book and prophets said? I know you believe, Sir!"

²⁸ Agrippa shot back angrily, "Do you think I'm some tavern girl who can be persuaded with a nice tale of adventure? Do you think I will just become a Christian in the blink of an eye?"

²⁹ Paul shrugged his shoulders and said, "I care not if it is today or tomorrow. I just pray to God you and everyone else here might become like me . . . except for the chains that lay heavy upon me."

³⁰ Agrippa, Bernice, and Festus left, followed by everyone else. ³¹ They talked on the way out and agreed Paul had not done anything to deserve the death penalty.

³² Then Agrippa shook his head and said to Festus, "He'd be a free man right now if he hadn't insisted on taking his case before Caesar."