I heard a quote last week that I’ve been wrestling with ever since.
Dr. Al Mohler was speaking at the Care Net Conference and referenced a biography on Winston Churchill by William Manchester. In it, Manchester reflects on Churchill’s role in the darkest moments of World War II and writes these five haunting, powerful words:
“In London, there was such a man.”
There’s weight in that line.
Not just admiration. Not just respect. But legacy.
What Will Be Said of Us?
That quote started working on me…deep down in the places that ask harder questions.
Would anyone say that about me?
In Tennessee, there was such a man...
In the Wood house, there was such a man...
In the heat of cultural confusion and spiritual drift...there was such a man who stood his ground, who loved his people, and who pointed to Jesus.
We don’t live for the applause of man, but we do live in such a way that we leave a mark.
And that mark should cause others to remember, not for our greatness, but for our faithfulness.
The Gospel and Grit
It’s easy to coast. To shrink back. To stay quiet. To look at the battles around us and say, someone else will handle it. But that’s not the call.
The call is to show up. To stand firm. To work for the Gospel and for life, not in theory, but in practice. To live and lead in such a way that someone might one day say:
“There was such a man.”
Not because we had Churchill’s charisma. Not because we were the loudest voice in the room. But because we were faithful in our homes, in our churches, in our neighborhoods, and in the mundane.
The Church Needs Such Men and Women
Our kids need such parents.
Our churches need such elders.
Our communities need such neighbors.
Our culture needs such conviction.
And they don’t need perfection. They need presence. They need people who show up.
Who don’t flinch when it’s hard. Who say “yes” to God’s call before counting the cost.
They need people who live like Jesus changes everything, because He does.
I want to live in such a way that my grandkids won’t need to wonder what I stood for.
I want them to know. I want them to see it in the stories, in the prayers, in the legacy.
And I want them to be able to say:
“In our family, there was such a man.”
“He didn’t always get it right...but he stood for truth, he loved well, and he followed Jesus to the end.”
That’s the goal.
And that kind of life starts today.
I want to love that kind of life. Thank you for always challenging me.