Chris Lange, FISM News

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As Christians continue to mourn the death of Charles Stanley, a grandson of the late Baptist preacher and televangelist shared a video tribute crediting his grandfather with saving his life with a phone call. 

“I should be dead right now,” Matt Brodersen said in a video he posted on YouTube. Brodersen is the youngest child of Stanley’s daughter, Becky, and her husband, John. 

The 27-year-old shared a deeply personal story in the video about a difficult chapter in his life during which he contemplated suicide.

Broderson described his young life as one marred by “drug addiction and alcoholism, depression, and loneliness.” Still, he said that his grandfather, whom he calls “Gips,” never gave up on him. 

In a narrative likely to draw comparisons to the Parable of the Prodigal Son found in the Gospel of Luke, Broderson shared details about a series of poor decisions and squandered opportunities that led him down a path of hopelessness and despair and, eventually, to one of grace and redemption.

“One time, I actually ran away to California to try to make it big as a YouTuber, and I had completely wasted all of my money and resources on smoking pot and getting distracted by things that don’t really matter. So I didn’t even make it,” Brodersen said. To make matters worse, the young man was unable to find work as a result of his additions, contributing to his downward spiral.

‘WHY DON’T YOU GIVE JESUS ONE MORE TRY?’

“I was super depressed. For the first time in my life, I was actually suicidal,” he said.

It was during one of Brodersen’s darkest moments that Stanley offered him a lifeline in the form of a simple question.

“So my grandpa called me, and he told me, ‘Matt, your mom told me you’re not doing too well and that you’re thinking about killing yourself…I just wanted to tell you, why don’t you just give Jesus one more try?’” Brodersen recalled. That is exactly what he did.

“For some reason, that phone call really inspired me. I had given up on Christianity. I had given up on my faith at that point. I decided, okay, I’m not going to kill myself. I’m just going to give Jesus one more try,” Brodersen said. “So I drove home from California to Dallas, Texas, and I decided to give Jesus one more try. That phone call was basically life-saving.”

Brodersen credits that call from “Gips” with saving his life.

“He never stopped rooting for me, and he never stopped cheering for me,” he said.

Brodersen said that, throughout his life, Stanley often told him: “Obey God and leave all the consequences to him.”

Though he has no plans to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps as a preacher, Brodersen said: “I’m going into the ministry in my own way.” He explained that he wants to reflect the grace and mercy found in Christ in every aspect of his life, from daily interactions with others to making YouTube videos.

Brodersen said that he hopes that his grandfather will be remembered for his Christ-centered life and the “practical” sermons that resonated with so many.

“I’ve been to a lot of churches where you go, and they’re preaching about stuff that is biblical, but it’s not so much practical. My grandpa was really firm on preaching about practical things from a biblical point of view,” he said. 

He also challenged those whose lives have been touched by his grandfather to continue Stanley’s legacy of furthering the ministry and message of the Gospel.

“My grandpa did incredible things to get this movement of Christianity going and to spread the word across the whole world,” Brodersen said.