As I am at a retreat this week, working through Leadership Fom Within, I haven't been blogging too much...

but here's a nugget.

This morning we had to break up into small groups (some of you are shivering already) and talk about what each other has meant to us this week.

Now, while I waver between introvert and extrovert, this week has been pretty much all introvert, all the time. Not too sure why. Being very introspective this week, just not about that.

Anyway, there was a guy in my group that I hadn't really even had a conversation with, so as everyone else was saying their thing, I'm wracking my brain for what I can say for and to this guy.

Every once in awhile God shows up in your conversation.

He's from Ukraine. Earlier, in our big group, he had talked about what's been happening in his country and the way God has been working, bringing freedom without violence... very cool story.

So here's what I said to him, pulling it out of... uh... thin air...

"Leonid... I just wanted to tell you that you have a great story. I don't know if you have ever heard of Dan Allender, but he says that 'There's not a part of your story that God cannot use to bless other people.' The story of your people and what God has been doing in your country is really amazing. It's not that when others have spoken I wasn't paying attention, but when you talked about your family and your grandfather and father and what God has done in that region, I really sit up and take notice. So just know that God can use your story and the story of your people in other people's lives."

At that point he started crying a bit.

He said: "Just yesterday I was asking someone 'Does my story matter? Does what I have to say even matter to people in the West, or should I just talk about Scripture and leave it at that?' Thank you for saying that to me. You don't know how much it means to hear those words."

Thank you God for bringing the right words at the right time. I'm amazed that You would use me that way...