“Bad Bob” and the Bible

My watch was finally over. I was tired, but not ready to sleep. I rolled into my bunk on the submarine and opened the Bible. Someone had given it to me years before, but I’d never looked inside. I wasn’t the Bible-reading type. People called me “Bad Bob,” a name earned through heavy drinking, causing scenes, and getting thrown in jail.

I treated the Bible like any other book and started at Genesis 1, planning to read it from cover to cover. My progress was slow. I just read it off and on while I was on patrol. During shore leave, partying was my priority, and I never gave the Bible a thought.

Then, my life took an unexpected turn. I was arrested and charged with DUI and possession of drugs. Just being arrested on a drug charge was enough for me to be disqualified from the program I was in. I would lose everything!

While I was in police custody, I prayed in desperation, “God, if You get me out of this, I’ll become a preacher!” Surprisingly, my submarine crew collected bail for me, and I was allowed to go straight out on patrol again. This was unheard of for my situation.

After patrol, I faced a court date. Although I had no defense lawyer and pleaded guilty, the judge himself advised me to plead Georgia’s “First Offender Act,” and I found myself released, still a petty officer, and given the best shore job available for my rate—an instructor. I was astounded! I wondered if reading the Bible had anything to do with this miracle, and I decided to read it more seriously.

Finding a New Life

By the end of my last patrol, I had finished the Old Testament and started into the Gospels. Suddenly the “lights went on,” and even the simplest sayings of Jesus just blew my mind! I became so excited about what the Bible was saying that I couldn’t put it down. I only slept about two hours a night!

“Do you know any Christians here?” I asked my friends (who thought I’d gone crazy). They named an older man who was always reading his Bible, and I asked him to take me to church. After attending church a few times, I gave my life to the Lord and immediately wanted to tell people about Him at every opportunity. I was amazed that Jesus loved me and would go to the cross for me. He gave me a peace and joy I’d never experienced before.

I had been in several bad accidents and could never understand why I’d survived almost unscathed. One time I was driving home drunk, feeling angry at myself. I came over a rise at more than 120 mph and lost control of the car. It rolled many times and finally slammed into a telephone pole. When I regained consciousness, the car was resting right side up in the ditch. I opened the crushed door by some miracle, got out, and looked at my mangled car. I remember yelling, “God, why am I still alive?” But after I found Jesus, it all made sense, and I felt I was here for a reason.

My joy was to share about Jesus. Whenever I picked up hitchhikers, I’d tell them my experience and offer them a Bible. I also went door to door with a church friend, explaining to people about salvation. I didn’t formally become a preacher, but I’ve never stopped sharing the life-changing truths I found in my once-neglected Bible.