THE BIBLE CHANGES LIVES

Continue with HOW THE BIBLE CHANGED MY LIFE

Even after I was baptized, however, i had to keep working on my temper.  For example, on one occasion while going from house to house in the Christian ministry, I chased after a thief who had just stolen a radio from my car. As I got closer to him, he dropped the radio and ran away. when I related to the others with me how I got my radio back, an elder in the group asked me, "Stephen, what would you have done if you had caught up with him?" That question  made me think and motivated me to keep working at being peaceable.

In October 1974, I began serving as a full-time minister, spending a 100 hours each  month teaching the Bible to others.  Later, I had the privilege of volunteering at the world headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses in  Brooklyn, New York.  In 1978, I returned to Los Angeles to car for my ill mother. Two years later, I married my dear wife, Aarhonda.  She was a great support to me as we cared  for my mother until Mother's death. In time, Aarhonda and I attended the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead and were assigned  to Panama, where we continued to serve as missionaries.

Since baptism, I have faced a number of potentially explosive situations. I've learned either to walk away from people who are trying to provoke me or to defuse the situation in other ways. Many people, including my wife, have commended me on how I have handled  these situations. I've even surprised myself!  I do not take credit for these changes in my personality. Rather, I believe that they are testimony to the transforming power of the Bible. -Hebrews 4:12.

Next time: THE BIBLE CHANGES LIVES - HOW I HAVE BENEFITED

From the Watchtower magazine, 2015