"TRADITION, TRADITION" 57powerful.
Finally, in November 1974 I couldn't avoid the subject
any longer. I said to the Lord, "I will preach the gospel on
one condition: that you will be with me in every service."
And then I reminded Him, "Lord, you know that I can't
talk." I worried continually about my speech problem and
the fact that I was going to embarrass myself.
It was impossible, however, to erase from my mind the
picture of a burning man and the sound of the Lord saying,
"If you do not preach, everyone who falls will be your
responsibility."
I thought, "I must begin to preach." But wouldn't
passing out little tracts be good enough? Then one
afternoon, the first week of December, I was sitting in the
home of Stan and Shirley Phillips in Oshawa, about thirty
miles east of Toronto.
"Can I tell you something?" I asked. Never before had I
felt led to tell anyone the full story about my experiences,
dreams, and visions. For nearly three hours, I poured out
my heart about things only the Lord and I knew about.
Before I had finished, Stanley stopped me and said,
"Benny, tonight you must come to our church and share
this." They had a fellowship called Shilo—about a hundred
people at the Trinity Assembly of God in Oshawa.
I wish you could have seen me. My hair was down to
my shoulders, and I hadn't dressed for church because the
invitation had been totally unexpected.
But on December 7, 1974, Stan introduced me to the
group, and for the first time in my life I stood behind a
pulpit to preach.
The instant I opened my mouth, I felt something touch