Who is This Bruce Gerencser Guy?

51 Replies

who_are you

I thought I would move this up to the front page for the weekend. Have fun. :)

I have noticed a huge uptick in the search logs of people looking for info (more likely dirt) on Bruce Gerencser. They are entering search strings like Bruce Gerencser, Bruce Gerencser sermons, Bruce Gerencser bio, etc.

In order to facilitate their dirt search, I thought I would post a brief bio of myself.

First, there are no online sermons of me preaching. I am sure there are tapes of my sermons gathering dust in former parishioner’s closets somewhere. For many years, all of my sermons were taped.

I was born in Bryan, Ohio. I attended schools in San Diego California, Bryan Ohio, Harrod Ohio, Farmer Ohio, Deshler Ohio, Findlay Ohio, Tucson Arizona, and Mt. Blanchard Ohio. I dropped out of high school after eleventh grade. In 2004 I decided to tie up a loose end and I took the GED test. (without studying) I passed.

At the age of nineteen, I enrolled at Midwestern Baptist College in Pontiac, Michigan. I attended Midwestern for three years. I met my wife at Midwestern.

I was bus pastor at Montpelier Baptist Church, Montpelier, Ohio. (GARBC)

I was the assistant pastor for two years and helped start, Emmanuel Baptist Church, Buckeye Lake Ohio. (Independent Baptist)

I was pastor for eleven years at Somerset Baptist Church, Mt Perry, Ohio. (Independent Baptist)

I was co-pastor at Community Baptist Church, Elmendorf, Texas.(Independent Baptist)

I was pastor at Olive Branch Christian Union Church, Fayette, Ohio. (Christian Union)

I was pastor for seven years at Grace Baptist Church, later renamed Our Fathers House, West Unity Ohio. (Independent Baptist, non-denominational)

I was pastor of Victory Baptist Church, Clare, Michigan. (Southern Baptist)

I pastored my last church in 2003. All told, I pastored churches for almost 25 years. I began preaching at age 14 and I stopped preaching at age 46. I preached around 4,000 sermons.

I am married to my first wife. We have been married for 34 years. We have six children, one with Down Syndrome, and eight grandchildren.

I was diagnosed in 1997 with fibromyalgia and since 2007 I have suffered from what is best described as MS-like symptoms. I am obese, bald, redheaded, and left-handed. I am six foot tall, wear size 54×29 pants and 10EEE shoes.

I am permanently disabled, and must use a cane or wheelchair to get around. I see a counselor every two weeks and I have been doing so for the past two years.

I am a frail man who has made a lot of mistakes in his life. Above all, I love my beautiful wife, six wonderful children, three awesome daughter-in-laws, and eight, breath of fresh air, grandchildren. I also love Breigh, our cocker spaniel, and Salazar, Buckwheat, and Joe Meower, our cats.

I am an avid Major League Baseball, NFL, Ohio State basketball and football fan. I am a Jeff Gordon fan and I love going to dirt track races. I am a serious amateur photographer, a long-time computer enthusiast, and I love to write and read.

My all time favorite movies are: Mosquito Coast, Hell in the Pacific,Perfect Storm, and Mars Attack. My favorite TV shows are: True Blood, Homeland, Dexter, Game of Thrones,The Wire, Six-feet Under, Deadwood, Homicide-Life on the Street, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Boardwalk Empire, and a host of others.

I watch Jon Stewart, Around the Horn, and PTI, on a daily basis.  I watch Bil Maher every week. I am allergic to Fox News.

I love listening to music, every genre except rap and opera. I primarily listen to music through services like Pandora and MOG. I recently set up an Apple Airport Express so I could stream music from my iPad to our AV receiver. A-w-e-s-o-m-e. Right now, Eliza Gilkyson is playing on MOG.

My favorite music genre is 70’s and 80’s classic rock. My favorites artists are: Journey, Foreigner, Boston, Three Dog Night, Blessid Union of Souls, Lucinda Williams, Matt Nathanson, U2, Alison Krauss, Sugarland, Staind, Theory of A Deadman, Puddle of Mudd, Switchfoot, Third Day, and The Bishops. (to name a few)

I love to travel, especially off the beaten-path. If I could live anywhere, I would live on the shore of Lake Michigan or in a small fishing community on the Atlantic seaboard. Fiji would be great too, if I could get there without flying. I DON’T fly.

I managed restaurants for Arthur Treachers, Long John Silvers, and Charley’s Steakery. I was a grant manager and code enforcement officer for the Village of Buckeye Lake, Ohio. I pumped gas, flipped hamburgers, washed dishes, sold insurance, managed a Christian bookstore, delivered newspapers,worked in factories, cleaned offices, stocked grocery shelves, and was a dairy manager at a grocery store. (to name a few jobs I have had)

I am temperamental and I have suffered with depression, on and off, most of my adult life. I have a brother and a sister, who both live in Arizona. My parents and grandparents are dead.

I am circumcised and have a scar on my nose from skin cancer surgery. I have short arms, short legs (29 inch inseam), a long body, and no butt.

I played little league and city league baseball. I played city league basketball. I played competitive sports until I was in my early 30’s. As a 12 year old, I won third place in the local Punt, Pass and Kick contest. There were four kids in my age group. I was also on two city league championship baseball teams. I was a terrible hitter and a fast runner. I played right field or left field, depending on who was pitching. I throw and hit left-handed.

I was very short and lightweight until tenth grade. I grew six inches in one year. I weighed 160 pounds at age eighteen, 180 pounds on my wedding day, and I am now twice the man I was on my wedding day.

I used to write a column for the Zanesville Times-Recorder. I have written dozens of Letters to the Editor over the years, a skill I learned from my political junkie mother.

20 years ago, I almost died of complications from mononucleosis. This trashed my immune system and lowered my normal body temperature to 97.0 degrees. I have had measles, mumps, chicken pox, pleurisy, and pneumonia. I have had one broken bone in my life, a hairline fracture of my leg. I fell out of a haymow and cracked a few ribs. I was treated for gout in the 1970’s. As a fourteen/fifteen year old boy I suffered through a year of swollen joints. (at the time they called it “growing pains”) I am allergic to bee stings. I got allergy shots in the the mid-1970’s. I swam in polluted water that caused blisters on my skin. I have no idea what  I was exposed to.

My favorite color is blue.

My favorites restaurants are Mad Anthony’s in Auburn/Fort Wayne, Penn Station, Texas Roadhouse, Thirsty Perch in South Haven, and Red Lobster.

My closest friends are Polly, my wife,Dave and Newana Echler and Jim and Tammy Schoch.

I like the Whopper at Burger King, the fries at McDonalds, and the chocolate malt at Sonic. I like eating Taco Bell every once in awhile as long as I don’t think about what is in their tacos.

I love living in rural Ohio. I love living in Ney, Ohio. I hate driving in traffic.

I curse from time to time and I have been known to wave at people who pull out in front of me or cut me off in traffic. I have been to a strip club, read Hustler, and watched online porn.

My favorite ice creams are mint chocolate chip and Rocky Road. My favorite ice cream store is Dietsch Brothers in Findlay, Ohio. I also love their double-dipped chocolate malted milk balls. (6.99 lb)

I bought my first computer in 1991. I have built numerous computers over the years. I currently own a custom built desktop, a Sony Vaio laptop, and a first generation iPad.

I don’t like air-conditioning and I prefer the windows open when traveling. (my wife does not)

I have flown on a commercial plane one time. It was the first and last time I will ever fly.

I love riding on trains. As a teenager, I collected Lionel trains.I have a Lionel train set I keep adding cars too. I plan to give it to my grandson when I am dead.

My favorite states are West Virginia, Arizona,Ohio and anywhere there is no people and lots of water.

I have worn glasses since age 14 and according to the audiologist I need hearing aids.

I love gardening and working in the yard. I have plans to turn our yard into an arboretum.

I prefer Pepsi over Coke and my favorite pop is Suncrest White Cream soda. ( an ice old 12 oz. bottle on a hot summer day) My favorite candy: Goetz Carmel Creams, Pay Day, Milky Way, and Dietsch Double Dipped Chocolate Malted Milk Balls.

I have owned over 50 automobiles.

I used to shoplift so I could have Levi’s to wear to High School.

A friend of mine and I stole his father’s 1955 Chevrolet and turfed a bunch of lawns. We made the newspaper.

As a teenager I pelted cars with apples water balloons, and snowballs. I now threaten to beat the shit out of kids who do the same to me.

I am known for having a wry sense of humor and being a practical joker. My favorite joke? Putting brown shoe polish on toilet paper and them coming out of the bathroom screaming at my kids about who left the shitty toilet paper in the bathroom. Much to their horror, I proceeded to put the toilet paper in my mouth.

I have never smoked, been drunk, or used illegal drugs. I have high-blood pressure and I am diabetic. I have chronic low back pain and I have constant pain in my joints and muscles. I have osteoarthritis and have chronic pain in my knees and ankles from injuries during my basketball playing days.

I have never had an affair. I have filed for bankruptcy. I have an Obsessive Compulsive Personality. I am a perfectionist.

I love cheesecake and pumpkin pie.

I have considered suicide.

I am a tech addict and buy more books than I will ever read. Somebody h-e-l-p me.

I still have my baseball glove from forty years ago. I bought it at JC Penny’s.

The people I admire most? Gandhi. Thomas Merton. Wendell Berry. Dorothy Day. Christopher Hitchens.

Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame and so should Mark McGuire.

I am a Cincinnati Reds and Bengals fan. I am also a Detroit Tigers fan.

I don’t drink coffee and I love liver and onions, complete with mashed potatoes.

I love thunderstorms.

I love watching the snow fall on a crisp winter night.

I have had the same desk and file cabinet in my office for twenty-five years.

My first car was a 1960 Mercury Comet. My current car is a 2010 Ford Fusion. My favorite car I owned was a 1970 Chevrolet Nova SS. The most expensive car I bought was twenty-two thousand dollars. Least expensive? fifty dollars.

I have lived in Ney Ohio for almost six years.

My favorite magazines are: Mother Jones, National Geographic, Discovery, Wood, Family Handyman,Harpers, Orion, Maximum PC, and Vanity Fair. (to name a few)

I am kind to animals and wildlife. I am a political liberal, environmentalist, and an atheist.

I don’t kill spiders or snakes but I do kill flies or mosquitoes if they are bothering me.

I wear blue jeans and tee shirts 90% of the time. I have arch supports in my shoes. I have worn the same shoe style for seven years. I still have a tie I bought in 1976. I don’t wear shorts in public and I have not taken my shirt off in public in twenty-eight years.

I love sitting at Riverside Park in Findlay with my wife.

I hired someone to do some painting on our house two years ago.This was the first time I ever hired someone to do any type of home repair or remodeling. Until recently, I did all my own building, plumbing, and electrical work. For most of my life, I did most of the repair work on my automobiles.

I have taken lots of things apart. I have put back together less things.

I have little use for philosophical discussions or conspiracy theories and I have no interest in watching or listening to debates.

I do the finances at our house. The checkbooks are always in balance and I track every penny we spend. Quicken was made for perfectionists like me.

I sleep on my stomach and use three pillows. I can’t remember the last time I woke up feeling refreshed. These days, I am just glad I wake up.

By my bed is two magazines, three books, an old-fashioned alarm clock, a lamp, and three small crates containing my medicine, headphones/TV remote, and miscellaneous “stuff.”

I put the seat up when I pee and I don’t put it back down. I don’t care which way the toilet paper roll dispensed the paper.

I take Diovan, Hydralazine, Potassium, Amaryl, Zanaflex, Naproxen, Flexeril, Vicodin, and baby aspirin. I have taken many other drugs, more than I can possibly remember. I am allergic to Biaxin and Tramadol.

I have short term memory problems that scare the hell out of me. Dentists have a hard time numbing me and I had a colonoscopy six years ago.

I love writing for The Way Forward and I appreciate all the good people I have met through this blog.

Had enough yet? Here is my point in all this. First, most of this information can be gleaned by reading this blog. My life is pretty much an open book. I do reserve some “secrets” that I share with no one. Like, why does Pamela Anderson keep showing up in my dreams?

Second, you can read all these silly and not-so-silly things about me and still not know me. To really know someone requires physical investment over a long period of time, and even then, can we ever completely know someone? The people who really know me? I can count on two hands.

I hope you have had some fun with this post. I have no doubt this will not satisfy those looking to get some dirt on me or discover who the r-e-a-l Bruce Gerencser is. Who knows, maybe they will find out I am really a transvestite, vegan, University of Michigan Loving, man. After all, the lies told about a person always make for better news than the truth.

Bruce

51 thoughts on “Who is This Bruce Gerencser Guy?”

  2. Rand Valentine

    Disarmingly charming account, Bruce. But why so little detail? Who are your favorite musicians? Composers? All time favorite books? Web sites you visit the most? Ten living people you respect the most? Enquiring minds want to know.

    We all should do this, it’s a great exercise. And, you know, for me, the greatest puzzle of my spiritual life is reconciling my love of Thomas Merton with my views of Christianity. Maybe it’s an affliction of the left-handed.

    Reply ↓
    2. Bruce Gerencser Post author

      Questions for a future post. Thanks for asking them .

      Merton was the one who helped me develop an ecumenical view of Christianity. His writings on war and peace were instrumental in turn towards pacifism.

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  3. AzimuthAviation

    I loved getting to sit down with you for a few moments Bruce. Nice to catch those little things in people you consider a friend, yet haven’t shared a smile. I bet a Creme Soda from my back seat would sure beat a 1/2 plastic glass of ginger ale from one of my pretty Fly Girlz up in a deep blue sky and wispy clouds ;) Wonderful post!

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  4. E.

    Nice to meet you Bruce. But you missed the part about… oh no, you covered the circumcision! Forget it… ;-)

    How far away are you from Licking County?

    Hang in there! E.

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    1. Bruce Gerencser Post author

      My Wife’s parents live in Newark. We are about 3 hours from their home. I spent a LOT of time in Licking County. Polly’s uncle is a pastor in Newark. We were married at his church. We lived south of Licking County in Perry County for a number of years.

      Reply ↓
  5. mary

    thanks for the great post. my grandma lived in the dayton oh area when i was a kid. she was a diehard reds fan. thanks for bringing to mind some great memories.

    Reply ↓
      1. Bruce Gerencser Post author

        Yes, calves liver. Regular beef liver doesn’t sit well with me sometimes. Polly indulges my liver love every 4-6 weeks. Once or twice a year she will also cook chicken livers for me. I am the one who eats the turkey liver on Thanksgiving.

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  9. Ami

    I really enjoyed getting to know you a little more. Funny how we all look exactly alike behind our keyboards… just a meeting of minds. Something I really love about the internet, actually.

    You didn’t tell us though whether you prefer paper or plastic. And I was really wanting to know. Because that’s important.

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  10. dead tree reader

    That was fun, Bruce. You’d be surprised how many little things we have in common. I also take Diovan. Did you know it finally goes generic Sept. 21st? The last pharmacy tech I asked said at first it was only going to drop about $30 off the $469 cost of a 90 day supply. Hope they are wrong!

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    1. dead tree reader

      As for flying, I, also, have only flown once, in a small private plane as a teen. I have no plans to fly again. I’ve lived long enough to notice all that can happen and don’t need to go anywhere that fast, that bad.

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      1. Bruce Gerencser Post author

        My brother and sister live in Arizona. I told them, if you die before me, better have them put you on ice until I get there. :)

        I am sure my fear of flying is irrational but rational or not, I ain’t flying.

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    2. Bruce Gerencser Post author

      Fortunately, our insurance pays most of the Diovan cost. It was 50.00 a month and this year it dropped to 30.00. I hope when to goes generic that the price will drop dramatically. We only have to pay 10.00 for a generic prescription.

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      1. dead tree reader

        We just now finally got my husband on Medicare and a drug supplement. Me, I’m still on my own. It’s hard when things happen that let you fall through the cracks and become uninsured. What the tea party doesn’t get it that it can happen to almost anyone.

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  11. Renoliz

    I don’t like flying either and I have plenty of secrets that I am not going to tell the world although I am pretty sure that some people know some of my secrets:) No one person, and I mean no one person, knows all of my secrets. I only let some information out on a need to know basis.

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  12. Rob

    Great post. I wish I knew as much about my own self as you do about yours. Sorry they are gunning for you, whoever “they” are. Keep up the good work.

    Reply ↓
    1. Bruce Gerencser Post author

      “They” are likely fundamentalists who want to find something on me to discredit me. They shouldn’t look so hard. Just read my blog and they will find all the “ammo” they need…

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  13. 1 L Loyd

    Here I sit, wishing I could sleep, at 5 a. m., and I decide to see if you have anything to say. Now I have a smile plastered on my face. Thank you. :)

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  14. Anthony Harvey

    I enjoyed the post. But you’re wrong about the toilet paper thing. It does matter how you hang the rolls. It matters a LOT!

    Meh. Just funning with you.

    Reply ↓
    1. Bruce Gerencser Post author

      I would be happy if the person who uses the last bit of toilet paper would actually put a new roll o the dispenser. :) Seems that task is very hard to perform in our home.

      Reply ↓
  15. exrelayman

    Entertaining post, but was it necessary to mention, even in passing, those guys up North?

    So many excellent musicians never attain stardom. Give Caroline Dahl’s version of Swanee River a listen.

    Reply ↓
    1. Bruce Gerencser Post author

      Every time I watch a music reality show or go to a small club somewhere, I am reminded of how many wonderful musicians there are in the world who never get any exposure. They are often as good or better than those who have made it big.

      I am not a big Michigan hater. I don’t mind them winning every game except one. :)

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  17. Judy Lynn

    Fun post Bruce. I enjoy reading your blog and now realize we have more than a few things in common. I’m from Berlin, Ohio.

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  19. Clare45

    Hey, we drive the same car. 2010 Ford Fusion. We are very happy with it. I wouldn’t mind about the toilet seat if I was in your house, but I get mildly annoyed when male guests leave it up.
    If I was writing your biography, I would add that you are a very brave man, and a wonderful, insightful and entertaining writer.

    Reply ↓
    1. Bruce Gerencser Post author

      Thanks Clare.

      BTW, we love our Fusion. Best car we have owned. Comfortable to ride in and great gas mileage. I am coveting and lusting over the new 2013 Fusion. Real nice styling with a lot of great upgrades We drive about 18,000 a year, so we expect to get a lot of good use out of our Ford Fusion and it will be awhile before I can act of my lust. :)

      Reply ↓
  20. Doc37172

    It may be elsewhere on the Blog, but it would interesting to hear how your journey out of the IFB and ultimately all of Christianity began and progressed, and whether your wife and children readily accompanied you.

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  21. FormerChristianAtheist

    Some of this is funny as hell!

    Your honesty and openess about yourself is both refreshing and admirable. I think that is what makes your blog so readable and interesting…you are a very real person!

    Reply ↓
    1. Bruce Gerencser Post author

      Thanks! Even as a Christian, I tended to be open about my life. Some members didn’t like my openness. They wanted a successful pastor without blemishes or faults and my willingness to embrace my frailties and talk about them didn’t go over well with some people. I remember saying one time I understood “lust” and several people were offended by fleshly admission.

      I am glad to be free from this kind of thinking. I am who I am. Love me, hate me. :)

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  22. SteveS

    Bruce, it’s always a pleasure reading your posts.

    You have such a such a refreshing take on things, Your writing is divine. XP

    I look forward to another year of reading your blog!

    I’m especially looking forward to hearing more about politics from you.

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  23. Ken Reamy

    I appreciate the candor. One of the most difficult things for a Christian is to be honest about themselves, lest others get the “ammo” and “dirt” on them. In my exposure to IFB churches (both as pew-dweller and pastor) I have encountered folks who wouldn’t know honesty if it slapped their teeth downt heir throat. The most aggravating thing are those who put themselves forward as the epitome of virtue and honor, and live as though they were not dug out of a horrible pit. They are the gold standard of behavior and Christian example (even as they re-define Christianity on their own terms). I was a reprobate sinner before I got saved, and I was a good candidate for salvation. I’m really not a whole lot better now, except that I know God loves me, and states my worth based upon the price He was willing to pay for my redemption. I did not attempt to re-invent myself as a pastor to gloss over my sinning past to make myself more palatable to “refined Christian people.” I was not a Christian before I became a Christian. I think only the judgment itself will reveal just how dishonest the people of God really are. I lost track of the time I wasted listening to the lies of the redeemed, and how very little I really got to know anyone else because of the facade most folks put up. Thanks for the post and the refreshing honesty.

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  24. John Arthur

    Hi Ken,

    Thanks for your honesty. I am a former Evangelical and was a member of a Baptist church but, unlike you, I have given up Evangelicalism and have become a Liberal Christian on my way towards agnosticism.

    I find the hypocrisy of much of Evangelicalism hard to bear and have left church altogether. I am now at the John Shelby Spong end of the Christian spectrum and have found relief in this. I have ceased trying to reconclie irreconcilable contradictions in the bible.

    Give me a God of compassion, healing mercy and loving-kindness, even if he doesn’t exist, compared to the god of wrath and judgment so often proclaimed by some of my former Fundamentalist pastors. At least I can now find some healing and peace in my own life compared to my life under Fundamentalism.

    I find Bruce’s writing very refreshing and he is openly honest about his position. This is what attracts me to his blog.

    Shalom,
    John Arthur

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    1. Ken Reamy

      Same here. When someone is willing to lay their soul bare in frank and earnest ways, you gotta respect them. I wish I found such candor and honesty among my fellow professing believers.

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  26. Ted

    I think this is the first time I read this (you would know Bruce), nevertheless its quite a list. My only recommendation is try some exercise that is not too hard on the joints (swimming?). I assume you eat balanced meals.

    Reply ↓
    1. Bruce Gerencser Post author

      I can’t afford a Y membership. I do try to exercise but, I must admit,there are days, and sometimes weeks, where I simply don’t feel well enough to do it.

      Eating-wise, we eat well most of the time. I can be a junk eater when I am feeling really bad. (my, who gives a shit, I am going to die, times) :)

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