"Our Daily Bread" Brings People Together and to Jesus

The odds of Ernest meeting both Jesus and his wife weren’t in his favor, but it’s in the most unlikely circumstances where God does His best work.?

Ernest grew up with a very religious background—seldomly reading the Bible, but consistently attending mass thanks to his mother. He went to religious classes and was even confirmed

However, like many who must discover the difference between “religion” and “relationship”, he still had not experienced knowing Jesus on a personal level. At age 17, Ernest enlisted in the National Guard, and at 19, he went into full-time active duty.?

Meanwhile, his future wife, Beth, was growing up in a Christian household in Manchester, Connecticut, where her family read Our Daily Bread every morning at breakfast.

While in basic training, everyone received a Bible—provided by the Gideons—which Ernest started reading during downtimes. As he went through the Bible for the first time, he kept stumbling upon passages that made him question certain beliefs from his upbringing.?

“At the back of the Bible was an invitation to accept Christ as my Savior, and Romans 10:9 was written underneath,” he shared.?

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

On September 6, 1992, Ernest accepted Jesus as his Savior, but it was only the beginning. While enlisted, he attended church services and spoke respectfully about his faith to others.?

After returning home from Germany, he was thrilled to learn that one of his sisters had also accepted Christ while he was serving active duty. During a visit to her church, he noticed some printed copies of Our Daily Bread laying on a table and decided to pick one up. Having just started a new assignment as a recruiter in Manchester, with 14-hour work days, he “always liked that Our Daily Bread took no time at all to read.”

He reflects now, “The story and Scripture . . . that’s what I needed. There was no way I could handle a traditional Bible study at the time.”

With the long hours, Ernest believed his chances of meeting someone, let alone a Christian, were nearly impossible. He also wanted everyone to know about the faith he had in Jesus, but the Army had strict rules about what could be displayed on their desks. The only personal items allowed were a family photo or something related to their experience in the Army, but Ernest left a copy of Our Daily Bread out on his desk.

Beth worked two jobs at the time, one of which handled medical records at the local hospital, which occasionally brought her to the office where Ernest worked. After noticing his copy of Our Daily Bread laying on his desk, she came back another time to ask if he wanted to play a game of pool after work—and the rest is history.?

Today, Ernest still carries the Bible he was given that led him to Christ, as well as the current Our Daily Bread. Every morning, he reads or listens to Our Daily Bread and when asked about his favorite verse, he said, “I am studying Proverbs . . . and chapter 3 verses 5 and 6 really inspired me.”?

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5–6)