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This week our ADDO team returned from London after celebrating an incredible year together. We experienced so much of what makes London such a remarkable city. We walked through Covent Garden, stood in the shadow of Big Ben, rode the Underground, and enjoyed the energy of one of the world's great cities.
After the team headed home, I stayed a little longer and my parents flew over to meet me. On Friday morning we visited Churchill's War Rooms, the underground headquarters where Winston Churchill and his leadership team directed Britain through the darkest days of World War II.
While bombs fell across London, Winston Churchill and his team gathered there to study maps, coordinate military strategy, and make decisions that would shape the course of history.
Churchill’s leadership during the war was defined by courage, conviction, and an unwillingness to surrender when surrender seemed almost inevitable.
But for someone who accomplished so much, one of his observations caught my attention:
“Words are the only things which last forever.”
Think about that.
Buildings eventually crumble. Organizations change. Even accomplishments that feel monumental in the moment can fade with time.
But words have a way of staying with us.
You probably remember something a teacher said years ago that made you believe you were capable of more.
You may also remember a careless comment that left a wound long after the person who said it forgot the conversation.
Words can steady us in a crisis. They can give us courage when we want to quit. They can help us see possibilities we would have otherwise missed.
Or they can do the opposite.
The Bible puts it plainly: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”
One of the most powerful books I’ve read is called Give Your Speech, Change the World. Its premise is simple:
Every time we communicate, we have an opportunity to change the world.
Not just when we’re standing on a stage.
Not just when we’re addressing a crowd.
Every time.
Maybe you need that reminder today.
As you prepare a huddle for your restaurant team.
As you spend a few minutes in the car with your kids on the way to school or practice.
As you prepare to teach a lesson at church.
As you get ready for a big presentation.
You may not be leading a nation through a war, but someone in your world may be fighting a battle you know nothing about. And your words could be the encouragement they need to keep going.
Every day, you are communicating. Every day, your words are shaping someone’s perspective, confidence, or sense of possibility.
Choose them carefully.
