Charles Stanley’s grandson is looking back on how his grandfather’s words saved him from suicide and how Dr. Stanley’s lifelong dedication to faith comforted him during his challenging life. Despite growing up in a family absorbed in ministry, Matt Broderson hasn’t had a leisurely walk in life. Becky, his mother, is Dr. Stanley’s only daughter, while Andy Stanley, the famed Atlanta pastor, is his uncle.

Broderson told The Christian Post, “A few years ago, while living in Los Angeles, I was struggling with drugs and alcohol and deep depression. I blew all of my inheritance money. I was suicidal. I called my mom and said, ‘I’m not doing well. I’ve failed. I was thinking about killing myself.’” In the pits of his depression, Broderson said he got a call from his granddad that changed his life.

Broderson recalled, “He said, ‘I don’t want to talk to you very long on the phone. I just want to ask you one question: Why don’t you give Jesus another try?’ I don’t remember exactly what happened after that, but it meant the world to me. I just started crying and crying after that phone call, and I decided I didn’t want to die.” To millions worldwide, Dr. Charles Stanley, who died last week at 90, was an influential pastor, author and broadcaster. Stanley founded In Touch Ministries and served as the senior pastor at First Baptist Church Atlanta. He was also the former president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

However, to Broderson, Stanley was “Gips,” his God-fearing, wise grandfather who was the same in the pulpit and behind closed doors. He said, “My grandfather was so genuine and authentic. Every conversation I had with him, every phone call, were like little snippets of his sermons, not because he was preaching at me, but because that’s who he was. He was the real deal. Always meditating on God’s word, always reading his Bible, always staying up to date on current news and thinking about it in relation to the Bible.”

Like that phone call from his granddad that saved his life that day, Broderson credits his granddad’s consistent wisdom in saving him during tough times. He said he always wanted to be a pastor like his uncle and granddad as a child. Broderson said, “I grew up as a Christian, genuinely loving Jesus. I always loved Jesus, always loved God. I went on mission trips. I loved hanging out at the church.”

Though Broderson no longer wants to lead a large-scale ministry or church, he still wants to spread the gospel and share Jesus’ love in every aspect of his life, whether he’s making YouTube videos or talking to the grocery store cashier. He said, “I’m going into the ministry in my own way.” He also wants his grandfather to be remembered for how practical and Christ-centered he was.

Broderson said, “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 challenged those who loved his grandfather to continue furthering the ministry of the gospel.

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