Street witnessing can sometimes be heavy, but humor often opens doors for meaningful conversations. During LDS General Conference in Salt Lake City, Bob used one of his lighthearted tools — a cup of his “Stop Smoking Tea.” While the joke caught attention and made people laugh, it also created opportunities to turn small talk into serious discussion about eternal truth.
The Book of Proverbs reminds us: “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones” (Proverbs 17:22, KJV). Humor, when used wisely, can soften hearts and help overcome barriers. But Bob never left conversations at the level of a joke. His purpose was always to point people to Christ, the only source of lasting freedom.
Mormonism emphasizes rules and outward behaviors, such as the Word of Wisdom’s prohibition against smoking and drinking tea or coffee. While healthy living has value, the Bible makes it clear that righteousness does not come through dietary laws or man-made regulations: “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Romans 14:17, KJV).
Paul also warned against those who place salvation in outward observances: “Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?” (Colossians 2:20–22, KJV). True holiness is not about quitting tea or coffee — it is about being born again through faith in Jesus Christ.
When Bob offered his “Stop Smoking Tea,” it was a humorous way to highlight this truth: you don’t get saved by keeping rules, but by trusting in Christ alone. As Paul wrote: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9, KJV).
Bob’s funny prop may have drawn a crowd, but his ultimate goal was always to point people to the cross. “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2, KJV).
