From Ron Walters, Preaching Magazine (2026 Winter)
“Of all the talents bestowed upon men, none is as precious as the gift of oratory. He who enjoys it wields a power more durable than that of a great king.”
— Winston Churchill
The historical impact and quote-ability of Sir Winston Churchill is unquestioned. In his commanding style, his words gave the British Empire courage to fight on during WWII, even against overwhelming odds. While Nazi boots were goose-stepping their way through Poland, Belgium, France and much of Europe, it was Churchill’s impassioned speeches that buoyed England’s fragile confidence.
It’s been 85 years since Churchill authored these words, yet you’ll recognize them immediately…
During the first year of the war, after being commissioned as Prime Minister, Churchill stood before the House of Commons and listed his leadership qualifications: “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.” — 5/13/1940
With the threat of Nazi invasion hanging over England, Churchill left no doubt about the ultimate outcome: “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.” — 6/4/1940
After France fell to the Nazis, many expected England to be next. But Churchill assured his countrymen of the valiant and determined British forces: “If the British Commonwealth and Empire lasts for a thousand years, men will still say: ‘This was their finest hour.'” — 6/18/1940
After witnessing the Royal Air Force successfully defend the English coastline against continual waves of enemy aircraft, Churchill told the House of Commons: “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.” — 8/20/1940
To the students at Harrow School, Churchill’s alma mater: “This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never — in nothing, great or small, large or petty — never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” — 10/29/1941
That is goose-bump material! However, what made Churchill’s incomparable gift of communication all the more impressive was… he had a speech impediment. From early childhood, Winston suffered from a lateral lisp — a condition where air escapes over the sides of the tongue and into the cheeks, rather than through the middle of the mouth. This creates problems when pronouncing “s” or “z,” causing words to sound slushy or hissy.
It’s hard to imagine this larger-than-life figure being self-conscious about speaking. Yet, he was. When he spoke of the Nazis, the word came out sounding like “Na-chees.” All through life he worked hard to correct his hissy problem, but with little success. To compensate for it, Churchill trained himself to… pause… before using key words beginning with s and z. As a result, this noticeable pause became his stagecraft trademark, which added emphasis to his message. In pausing, he turned his liability into a useful tool.
Every pastor knows the inherent pitfalls of speaking. Even on our best Sunday, none of us are perfect communicators. And the enemy loves to remind us of our shortcomings — our age, our appearance, our credentials, our techniques, our failures, etc, etc, etc. Incidentally, while preaching at Corinth, even Paul had doubts about whether he was doing the job well enough. But God told him, “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you.” (Acts 18:9-10)
Using a… pause… is a great tool. But instead of using it to reinforce our weaknesses, let’s use it to remember our strength — that we speak with the power of the Living God. As we teach His word, it’s His voice the people hear. After all, when God is at work, our weaknesses aren’t.
Fun fact: After an inner-office memo from Churchill circulated throughout a government department, an impertinent worker scribbled a postscript on the memo, stating that the author ended his memo with a preposition. This caused Churchill to circulate a second memo saying, “This is the kind of tedious nonsense up with which I will not put!”
