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The baby was born just inside the doors of the hospital, weighing only 3 pounds 2 ounces. Due to oxygen deprivation during birth the baby also had cerebral palsy. The doctors said that the baby would be a ‘vegetable’—that he would never sit up, walk or talk. Their recommendation was either to withhold nourishment and let him die, or to put him away in an institution. But the LORD’s thoughts were toward that infant. God knew that the baby would live, and thrive.

The child endured numerous surgeries, countless hours of physical therapy, and falls were a daily occurrence. But he did, indeed, walk—at first using tripod canes which had been made for him by his grandfather. The child also talked: the cerebral palsy had not affected his vocal cords one bit. However, the child’s first attempt at public speaking—an oral report on honeybees in first grade—nearly ended in disaster. Fear gripped his heart, and his little hands gripped the chalk tray under the blackboard so hard that it nearly broke. But the LORD’s thoughts toward that child were of peace and not of evil. God knew that the child would one day speak for Him without fear.

The teen had stopped going to church. Yet there had been the periodic witness by others during those years. There was contact with Christian nurses, physical therapists and even Christian classmates. Then, in his senior year of high school, the teen boarded bus #56. Bus #56 was unique. It was the only school bus in the county with steps low enough for him to step up on. Bus #56 was also the only school bus in the district whose driver was a Christian. At first the teen turned down invitations to church, but those invitations kept coming. Finally, to shut the driver up, he agreed to go to church with her and her husband. The teen was sure that he did not need God. But the LORD’s thoughts toward that teen were to give him an expected end. God knew that lost soul belonged to Him.

I was that baby, child and teen. I was saved months after accepting my bus driver’s invitation to church. I was baptized June 26, 1977, the same day that I graduated from high school. The LORD’s thoughts toward me—His Purposes, Plans and Provisions—have been better than I ever expected.

- God’s Purposes have included a bachelor’s degree from a secular college and then a call to preach. I graduated from Bible school with a diploma in Bible and Theology.

- God’s Plans have included my wonderful wife, who I met in Bible school. She was the school’s secretary. We have 3 children and a grandson.

- God’s Provisions have included teaching Sunday school, working in youth club ministries, teaching and administering a Christian school, the pastorate, home missions/church planting, and many opportunities to preach and teach His Word from Maine to Florida and in the Midwest.

The way has not been easy. Every day has its frustrations. It takes me longer to do the simplest things—walking, getting in and out of vehicles, going up and down stairs, etc. Every day brings some pain, due to muscle rigidity and other factors, such as changes in temperature, humidity and barometric pressure. But my God knows all these things and reminds me, as He did the Apostle Paul: “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Because of that I can truly say that the joy of the LORD is my strength.

Still standing, serving and rejoicing, by His grace!

Blessings to you,
Pastor Daniel E. Benton

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