Pastor Dan’s Story

My story is one of many twists and turns. It is a story of God trying to get me to go one direction and I kept forcing my life in the opposite direction.

I grew up in Strongsville and graduated from Strongsville High School in 1988. Yep, that makes me 37 years old. When I was a kid I wanted to be a UFO investigator, live in Strongsville, and drive a corvette. That was my dream. I grew up in the Strongsville United Methodist Church. I gave my life to Christ while at that church but that did not necessarily mean that I was going to follow everywhere he led me. Those are the twists and turns.

God called me into the ministry in 1988. I was sitting in church and God spoke to me during a sermon. God said, “You’re only going to give me an hour a week? That’s it?” I knew what he wanted from me and I was not willing to give it to him at that time in my life. I was worried about what that would mean for me. Who would want to marry a minister? How could I make any money? How could I party at college?

I ran to the University of Toledo majoring in Economics. My real major should have been women and beer. That is what I focused on the most. I left before UT kicked me out. That is when I realized I could no longer fight God’s will for my life. I angrily said “Yes” to God’s call because I was still worried about not being able to “live my life”. I graduated from Cleveland State University in 1994 and then went right on to Seminary in Columbus for my Masters of Divinity Degree.

I served my first church in rural Huron County. We experienced some incredible growth. When I first went there I was engaged to a girl that I was dating for 9 years. At that time that was 1/3 of my life. She started to see what it meant to be married to a pastor. At Christmas 1999 she told me she loved me but she could not be married to a minister. Remember I said earlier that I did not want to be a pastor because no one would want to marry me. SEE GOD, I told you so! I was angry with God, but I trusted him with my whole life. I then rushed into a marriage only a year after that. I left God out of that whole process because I was angry and it ended in a divorce in 2002. I was mad at God again, but I trusted him. I did not date anyone for over a year and then my beautiful wife Jeanne walking in to my life.

Jeanne and I met in July of 2003 and were married January 31, 2004. It has been incredible and now God is saying to me, “See, I told you so”. I trusted and God was amazing. Jeanne and I then came to Cleveland Heights in July of 2006. We have been blessed to have a 6 month old son named Benjamin Lincoln Bogre. It was not easy for us to get pregnant but again we trusted in the Lord.

Both Jeanne and Benjamin were at the Centrum last night for the official launch of GPS. So, there is a little but of my story. I cannot wait to hear yours. Let’s keep this GPS thing going like gangbusters. I have trusted God all of my life and now I am trusting him for GPS. I know it will be incredible.

His,
Daniel Bogre, Pastor