Since I helped created StorySpot.com, I can’t help but comment on this:

Ashley Smith shared her story with Brian Nichols. God used it. He surrendered.

The whole scenario was quite amazing, but what I find most interesting is that God directed Nichols to a woman with a story – precisely the story he needed to hear. Nichols went to a seemingly random apartment complex, confronted and held hostage a seemingly random woman.

Ashley said, “Most of my time was spent talking to this man about my life and experiences in my life, things that had happened to me.”

Four years prior, Ashley’s husband had been murdered. She was at his side when he died.

Recalling the painful details of that day must have moved Nichols. Beyond that, Smith went on to connect the dots for Nichols – showing him that God could redeem his horrible crimes and involve him in a much grander purpose:
“And I just talked with him a little more, just about — about — we pretty much talked about God … what his reason was, why he made it out of there.
I said, “Do you believe in miracles? Because if you don’t believe in miracles — you are here for a reason. You’re here in my apartment for some reason. You got out of that courthouse with police everywhere, and you don’t think that’s a miracle? You don’t think you’re supposed to be sitting here right in front of me listening to me tell you, you know, your reason here?”
I said, “You know, your miracle could be that you need to — you need to be caught for this. You need to go to prison and you need to share the word of God with them, with all the prisoners there.”

Wow. The power of story. Ashley shared how God changed her life. And then invited Nichols to enter into The Story by allowing God to change him too.