CBS describes the show:

Each week a different executive will leave the comfort of their corner office for an undercover mission to examine the inner workings of their company. While working alongside their employees, they [...]]]> The new CBS reality series undercover boss follows high-level chief executives as they go undercover within their companies.

CBS describes the show:

Each week a different executive will leave the comfort of their corner office for an undercover mission to examine the inner workings of their company. While working alongside their employees, they will see the effects their decisions have on others, where the problems lie within their organization and get an up-close look at both the good and the bad while discovering the unsung heroes who make their company run.
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I thought it would be interesting if Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Mark Hanson went undercover in a church.

What if he shaved off his ever so famous beard (or dyed it)?  Would anyone recognize him if he wore a shirt and tie to church one Sunday instead of his clerics?  What if he kept going to the church for a month or two and listened to how the preacher preached over a period of time?  What if he experienced personally how the church welcomed visitors and new members?

What would he find at your church?  Would he be challenged and comforted by the sermon?   Would he feel welcomed?

Imagine this…..

George A. Trusty (AKA Mark Hanson) walks into St. Peter;s Lutheran Church in Springfield, South Carolina.  He attends the 8:30am worship service.  He is greeted by the ushers standing in front of the sanctuary, he is welcomed and handed a bulletin for the service.

It is their contemporary service led by a praise band, and he enjoys worship.  He liked the preaching, and he liked was that the minister was directly interacting with the congregation.  He felt he was in a dialogue with the preacher instead of being preached at.

During the announcements specific individuals who were going through hardships were mentioned and the congregation was asked to pray for them.

The congregation sang hymns with the band, it was one of those experiences that really lifted “George” up, it made him feel happy, it lifted him in his faith experience.

The padded pews were comfortable and it enabled families to sit close to one another.  Overall, the church felt comfortable,  bright and vibrant.  There were Bibles and hymnals available at all the seats.

The sermon was about “the cross.”   The pastor talked about how the disciples didn’t want to accept that Jesus needed to go through suffering and pain which led him to the cross to die. That they, like people today, had an attitude of, “no I’d rather you not have to do that. Don’t go to all that trouble; I’ll take care of it myself.”  The point of the sermon was that Jesus died on the cross so there is nothing we need to do in order to earn salvation.  It was something that was good to hear.

Communion was meaningful, “George” felt connected to the communion aspect service.

After the service there was a time for fellowship.  “George” thought that he would sick around and see if he could get to know some of the regulars of the church.  There were some people who gave him a polite hello, but there were not many people who talked with him at length.  He turned around to find the pastor, but the pastor was gone.

“George” decided to go back a few weeks, and things got better — he did talk with the pastor and got to know more about the church and the people of the church.  Worship seemed pretty consistent week after week.

Then after about a month at the church “George” decided to let the pastor know that he was really Mark Hanson.

Imagine the pastor’s reaction — would he be excited? Would he be upset?  Would he second guessed everything he did the past few months?

From my experiences watching the Undercover Boss, most people are surprised that the head of the corporation would come and experience the organization from the bottom, up.

Bishop Mark Hanson might not have made an appearance on Undercover Boss…..yet…..

But thinking about the possibility, what difference would it make in the way we went about things, if he did come and worship with us.

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I made it through my “second” Christmas.  I have to say it felt more like my first [...]]]> In about eleven hours 2009 will be no more. I have finished my first calendar year as a pastor and I can honestly say that I am in a completely different place now than I was this time last year.

I made it through my “second” Christmas.  I have to say it felt more like my first Christmas since last year (2008) I had MAJOR back pain and I barely made it through the early Christmas Eve service I can hardly remember anything that happened and I never made it to the late service.

I would be lying if I did not say that 2009 was an adventure.  But there were many great things that happened this past year and some not so great things.  So listed below are my top ten highlights from the past year:

10.  Two Virginia weddings: I presided over my first wedding as a pastor in April.   It was the wedding of a friend from childhood – he was also the best man at my wedding.  It is hard to believe that we have been friends for more than 24 years! It was a blessing and honor to preside over his wedding.

This past weekend I was a part of another Virginia wedding.   Two friends from seminary got married on December 28th and I was a groomsman.  It was a wonderful service and reception.  It was great to celebrate with them and to watch two people who are hopelessly in love join together as one.

9.  37,000 Teenagers – I was able to join 37,000 Lutheran teenagers in New Orleans this past summer.  We gathered together for worship, fellowship and service.  I was amazed by the multitude of of people and the high level of energy.  I heard amazing stories from that trip and I was blessed to be a part of it.

8.  Moving to Church Road – For the last five years we have been basically nomads.  We lived  in Reading, PA- on seminary campus in Mt. Airy, PA –  in Ambler, PA –  in Souderton, PA –  in Rutland, VT (with my parents for about a month), on Vallingby Circle in Baldwinsville, NY and now our current home on Church road in Baldwinsville, NY.  I love our house and I look forward to finally feel settled.

7.  Watching my son start school – My son started kindergarten this year.  To our surprise he has been doing very good.  His teachers love him, he is making friends and he is starting to become his own little man.  I love watching him grow and develop.  He is also VERY smart.

6.  Change in music directors - One of the harder things in my professional life (and hardest thing as a pastor) was losing my music director at the church in May.  However, out of it we have hired a wonderful director who is taking our music program to a new level.  One of the fruits of this transition was a service of Lessons and Carols on December 20th.  It was an amazing service and great for our church and our community.

5.  SLIC Group- (Pronounced Slick  — Syracuse Lutherans In Conversation) Actually this group doesn’t really have a name but I have to call it something!  I have been meeting with a group of clergy on a monthly basis.  We talk about the characteristics of God that we see in ourselves.  This group is headed up by a wonderful, talented man who has been very helpful in the development of my ministry.  He is helping me see all the things that God has blessed me with and he is helping me in the development of ministry at the church that I serve.

4.  My wife staying at home with the kids - When we first moved to New York my wife wanted to stay at home with our five-year-old and two-year-old.  Eventually she needed to get a job outside of the house…..she stayed at that job for about five months.  This summer we started to reevaluate our situation because our son was starting school and our babysitter was starting school as well (so she was not taking any full time kids anymore).  So we checked things out and she found some kids that she is watching at our house, which makes things perfect!

3.  Road to health - I am not where I thought I would be health wise, or where I want to be.  But I have taken some major strides in overcoming some health obstacles.  I am looking forward to continuing my journey of health and wellness in 2010.

2.  Vacation at Calumet – My family spent a week at Camp Calumet in Freedom, NH this past summer with some friends.  It looks like will be an annual tradition.  It was something that I really needed in my life.  It was a time to reflect, reclaim and reconnect with people that I love.

1.  Milestones – 2009 I celebrated five years of marriage with my wife.  I also celebrated year one of ordination and my time at St. Mark’s.  It marked important milestones in my life.  I look forward to many more years at St. Mark’s and many, many more years of marriage with my wife.

Needless to say, 2009 has been a busy, eventful and wonderful year.  In the next few days I hope to post some hopes and dreams that may/may not take place in 2010.

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Let’s see how many people can do this. Every day this month until Thanksgiving, think of one thing that you are thankful for and post it as [...]]]> For the last month I have been reading about all the thankful things in my friends lives through status messages on facebook.  Many of my friends began by posting this:

Let’s see how many people can do this. Every day this month until Thanksgiving, think of one thing that you are thankful for and post it as your status. “Today I am thankful for…” The longer you do it, the harder it gets! Now if you think you can do it then repost this message as your status to invite others to take the challenge, then post what YOU are thankful for today.

I commend them for attempting to do this.  I chose not to participate on facebook.  But I would like to now post 27 things that I am thankful for here to make up for my lack of participation on facebook.

Here goes nothing:

1.  For my wife and my best friend.  She stands beside me in all aspects of my life, she pushes me to do my best no matter what the obstacles are, she seems to love me more and more each day, evenn the parts that I may not love…

2.  For my son, who is one of the most important people in my life.  He is bright, active and he is always ready to have fun.  He is smart and fun to be around and he always surprises me.   I love coming home to him and hearing about his day.

3.  For my daughter, who at 2 years old already has me wrapped around her little finger.  She gets so excited every time I come home from work.  She makes me laugh and cry in a matter of seconds.  She is going to grow up and be a beautiful, intelligent, independent woman.

4.  For a church that has been patient with a first call pastor.   They  work with me as I learn what it means to be a pastor and they allow me to work with them as a congregation in the community that we live in.

5.  For our house.  Even though we may not own it yet, we are happy to be settled in a house that we can almost call our own, and we can feel completely settled for the first time in our life together as a family.

6.  For me extended family.  I love my parents and my brothers who bring so much to our lives.  I may not say it enough but there is no measure of gratitude I can express for the positive presence they have been and continue to be in my life.

7.  For my friends who are like family.  I have the best friends a person could ask for….I have been inspired, awed, humbled, and wowed over and over again in my life by these people.  I am thankful for any time that I get to spend with them (because it is not much these days).  I miss them but I am thankful for the quality of time that I do spend with them and I look forward to that more than getting presents at Christmas.

8.  For all of those who have died this past year.  So many people walk into our lives and make lasting impressions on our hearts….I give thanks for them.

9.  For music — so many times I don’t have the right words for a certain situation and so many times music steps in and gives the words and/or the sound to complete my thoughts.

10.  For celebrations, this year I celebrated my 5 year anniversary with my wife, my first anniversary of being at the church I serve and the first anniversary of my ordination…..I look forward to celebrate more in the years to come.

11.  For the opportunity to work with the youth of my church.  I love youth ministry and I am thankful for being able to have a congregation that sees my passion and ability to work with the young people of the church and I am thankful for the opportunity to do so on a daily basis.

12.  For vacation….do I need to say more?

13.  For the opportunity to serve, especially during our trip to New Orleans this past summer.

14.  For my heath.  Even though I continue to struggle with some health issues, I am thankful for the health that I do have an the opportunity to continue to live a healthier lifestyle.

15.  For colleagues that have been so important to my ministry this past year.  For my colleagues who check in with me and who offer advice as to how to improve my ministry.   For my colleagues who just lend a listening ear.

16.  For new beginnings………

17.  For opportunities to walk with people in the best and worst times of their lives.

18.  For the ELCA who struggles with its identity as a denomination.   For people who are able to have a constructive conversation about their beliefs and interpretation of the Bible.  For those who may disagree with decisions by the ELCA but choose to work from within rather than leave or withhold money.

19.  For the leadership of bishops, especially Bishop Hanson and Bishop Jerge.

20.  For my pets,  I am thankful for our dog and two cats.  I love them and I can’t imagine my life without them.

21.  For my ability to self criticize.  For my ability to see my mistakes and not to get frustrated with myself but to grow and blossom as an individual as a leader.

22.  For things that make my life easier (ie technology) my iphone, my laptop, wireless Internet, Google, spanning sync, MoblieMe, ect

23.  For the things that I take for granted — being a white male, living in America, freedom, an education, a job, a family, my health, my cars, electricity, running water ect

24.  For all those who fight to serve our country.  May God bless them in the work that they do.

25.  For DVR (can this count as two?)

26.  For the stress releases in my life:  music, working out, television.  I will need them more and more the closer we get to Christmas.

That is my list, I am sure that I am not including everything — because it was not hard to come up with the many blessings in my life.  I feel blessed!

I hope that everyone who reads this had a blessed Thanksgiving.

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Confirmation has become the “rite of passage” for Lutheran fourteen year-olds.  For many is is the most important moment of their young faith [...]]]> Confirmation in the Lutheran Church is a two or three-year process where seventh, eight and/or ninth graders spend time in conversation about their beliefs of the Old Testament, New Testament and Luther’s Small Catechism.

Confirmation has become the “rite of passage” for Lutheran fourteen year-olds.  For many is is the most important moment of their young faith life with the emphasis placed on their confirmation vow.  However, at this peak of their faith life many junior high youth consider confirmation their “graduation” from church and many newly confirmed members drift away soon after their vows because they believed they had “completed” their instruction. As a result, Lutheran churches most recently have been trying new and varied approaches to better teach children about Jesus.

In the Confirmation Ministry Task Force Report of the ELCA, Confirmation is defined at

Confirmation ministry is a pastoral and education ministry of the church that helps the baptized through Word and Sacrament to identify more deeply with the Christian community and participate more fully in its mission.

With this  in mind the church on 370 had evaluated and reevaluated our confirmation ministry program.  We first started our discussion about Confirmation Ministry with scripture we see confirmation as “equipping the saints for the works of ministry…” (Ephesians 4:11) We invite families to engage in a two-year program that enables youth to grow in faith, to ask probing questions and to become active members in the life of the church. In addition to addressing the question of content, “What do we (I) believe?”, we also seek to answer such questions as “What do Christians do?”, “How do Christians live?”, “What does it mean to be called a Christian?”, and “What difference does Jesus Christ make in my (our) life?”

There are five major components in our confirmation ministry

1.  The Crucial Role of Parents

Because parents are learning partners with their children, and play a critical role in their child’s faith journey, we therefore:

• Strongly encourage each parent to participate in the faith life of the church
• Encourage parents to discuss daily high’s and low’s with their children
• Invite parents to pray at mealtime and bedtime with their children
• Seek their participation in learner sheets given to the confirmands during the year which are designed for parents and confirmands
• Request that parents attend a mid-year evaluation with their child’s guides
• Ask parents to oversee completion of a sermon outlines each week
• Expect parents to insure that their children arrive on time and prepared for classes with their Bible, folder, small Catechism and pen.

The rest of the confirmation requirements are for the confirmands themselves

2.   Worship

• Regularly attend worship
• Complete sermon outlines as they worship
• Involvement in the worship leadership of the church (usher, lector, acolyte, choir member,  altar guild)
• Visit different faith communities with the class during the year

3.          Devoted to Learning

• Attend Confirmation Preparation time with Pastor (9^th grade)
• Participation in confirmation camp during the summer following 7^th or 8^th grade.
• Study of Luther’s Small Catechism
• Study of key Biblical themes, books and verses, including the following work due on May 1^st of each year:
• 7^th Grade: Outline the Gospel of Luke (Chapters 1-9)
• 8^th Grade: Outline the Gospel of Luke (Chapters 10-24)
• 9^th Grade: Develop personal faith project

4. Fellowship

Events will be planned to help assimilate confirmands into the life of the congregation. These will include such elements as lock-ins, key congregational events, and getting to know other youth through fun, fellowship, and food. The Christian community plays an important role in the formation of its members. For this reason we seek to involve peers, parents, mentors, and guides, as well as the pastor, in the process of confirmation.

4. Mission

Jesus invited his followers to respond to the needs of others in a way that modeled his own behavior. As He said in the Gospel, “In as much as you have done it to the least of these, so you have done it to me.” One basic element of Christian life is that of servanthood. We have been called to mission. Each year we participate in servant events that are designed to help us learn about Christian mission and to participate in that ministry. These events will allow our confirmands to meet people active in Christian mission and support their outreach endeavors with hands-on experience.

• Participate in a minimum of four of the following eight annual servant events:                                          CROP Walk, Volleyball Marathon, Bowl-a-Thon, Vanderkamp Clean-up, Community Dinner, Block Party, Youth Garage Sale, or one that you propose

• Develop a “Pay it forward” activity with members of their 9^th grade confirmation class in conjunction with the Pastor.

As far as curriculum we are using Augsburg Fortress Here We Stand curriculum.  I have used it for the past three years and really enjoy how well it is laid out and how flexible it is to use.

Since we use three years of material and only have two years of program we have established a “pre-confimation” program.  I have been really excited about this program.  We have a large number of 5th and 6th graders who are eager to learn about the Bible and learn about their faith in God.  So we are using the 5th and 6th grade years to introduce the Old Testament to the group, to have opportunities to learn about the lighter side of church and to have opportunities to ask questions.  So far this has been very successful.

As we move forward in our confirmation ministry at the church on 370 we hope to create disciples, to build relationships in and among the group and to enable the youth to see their confirmation not as the end of their time in church but the beginning.

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This Wednesday I will be leaving with two other adults and 5 kids from St Mark’s to New Orleans!  I’m pretty excited about it! We’re going [...]]]> July has been a whirlwind in many respects.  I can’t believe it is half over.  But one would not think summer has even come given the weather in CNY this year.

This Wednesday I will be leaving with two other adults and 5 kids from St Mark’s to New Orleans!  I’m pretty excited about it! We’re going to be flying Wednesday Morning around noon. This trip is the ELCA National Youth Gathering which takes place in a different city every three years. This will be my first time attending in a Youth Gathering.

In 2003 I helped send a youth group to the National Youth Gathering in Atlanta, GA just before I left for seminary. In 2006 I helped a youth group get to the National Youth Gathering in San Antonio, TX just before I went on internship for seminary.  So I am excited to be going as a chaperone for our group this year! The Gathering is pretty much a huge youth event. Somewhere around 38,000 high school youth and adults will be participating this year! We’ll be sleeping in hotels throughout the city and will have activities in a convention center as well as our large group events in the Super dome!

Here will be some sites that you might want to check out this week:

The ELCA National Youth Gathering Site -  Click Here

My Twitter Feed where I will be giving LIVE updates -  Click Here (or check out the sidebar on my blog)

My Blog where I will share some experiences -  (you made it here already – but hit and RSS feed to get my posts delievered directly to you!)

I will be uploading pictures as we go along - Click Here

I have also added a feed of all those twittering about the gathering in my sidebar.  That way you can know all that is happening at the gathering.

Please be praying for our youth and adults and all who are at the gathering this year.  Please look out for emails and annoucements to times and places where we will be sharing our experiences sometime later this summer.

**  There has been alot going on this summer– after I come back from New Orleans I will be gearing up for our block party then I will be taking some time and reflecting on all that I have done and accomplished.  So stay tuned!! **

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Here is the topic for this week:

Topic: Oprah has popularized the phrase, “Best Life” with a series of shows centered around so-called “experts” talking about how to have, “the best life”.    What is your definition of a “best life” and how do you think [...]]]> Please take the time to read through this post and make comments below.  

Here is the topic for this week:

Topic: Oprah has popularized the phrase, “Best Life” with a series of shows centered around so-called “experts” talking about how to have, “the best life”.    What is your definition of a “best life” and how do you think you are — or are not— fulfilling your conception of it?

I honestly don’t think I have ever seen the “Best Life” series with Oprah.  Maybe being one of only two men in this blog-off (and the other one came up with this topic) that might put me at a disadvantage…I don’t know.  But I do think about what an “ideal” life would be, so I will go off of that.  

I hate to admit it but the ELCA does have a model of wellness that I would like to achieve one day.  It is called a “Wholeness Wheel.”  There are six areas of wholeness that I believe anyone can achieve and if they do; I believe that they will be living a better life if not the “Best Life.”  

Everyone wants to be healthy.  People get healthy physically not only to look good but to feel good and live longer.  As we get older we start to see that bright light at the end of the tunnel and we want that tunnel to continually get longer not shorter.  

I would give myself a low grade on my Physical well-being at this point.  But I am making strides to get healthier and healthier everyday.  As I mentioned on this blog earlier I have lost over 30 pounds in the last year and I am working hard everyday to staying on track and lose more.  I hope to participate in a triathlon this September with the goal of at least finishing.  I hope by this time next year  I will be able to say that I am in much better physical condition.  

From the ELCA website

“Being emotionally well means feeling the full range of emotions and expressing those emotions appropriately.”

I think there are four ways that I maintain emotional well-being

1. Spend time with my family – I love my family more than anything else in the world.  When I come home from a good or bad day at work my kids come up to me and give me hugs and kisses and it makes even the worst day seem bright.  I love my wife and the more time I get to spend with her the better I feel.  She understands me like no-one else can.  I feel lucky to have a great family.
2. Working out-  I love the feeling after a good work out.  I find that when I am starting to feel stressed and overwhelmed I need to hit the gym and spend a little extra time working out.  It helps me relieve all the built-up stress inside of me.
3. Music -  I am a musician at heart.  I love to turn the radio up in my car and sing along.  I also love to play my guitar for hours on end.  Music gives me that creative release that nothing else can.
4. Friends — I have the greatest friends in the world.  When something is wrong in my life they are there for me and I can’t ever thank them enough.  One of the reasons why I love facebook so much is because I am able to connect with my friends even more.  I believe that my friends are the smartest people I know and I always seek advice from them.

From the ELCA website

Whether we are introverted or extroverted, regular social contact is essential for health. 

This is one area that I feel like my wife and I need to improve on.  I am very extroverted and she is very introverted so the way we view our social contacts is different.  Like I mentioned above I love facebook because I am able to relate to my friends on a daily basis.  One thing that is hard for my wife and myself is that most of our friends do not live in the same area as us – so facebook, email and phone calls are our best form of contact.  My wife and I are also new to the area (we have lived here only a year).  We came to CNY not knowing very many people at all and it is taking more time than I would like on meeting people our age that we are able to hang out with on a regular basis.  We continue to work on this and I know that things will turn around sooner or later.

Intellectual well-being

 I can say that I have never been the smartest person in my academic career.  I have never qualified myself as a scholar.  But I do hold a bachelors degree and a Master of Divinity degree.  I am very proud of my accomplishments because I have worked hard for them.  I do like to keep up with my reading and studying, I think it is very important to keep your mind working, otherwise I believe it will start to shut down.  I will always be a student and seek to learn more and more not only professionally but in other ways as well.

Vocational well-being

I never really understood why people are in jobs that they hate.  I have had only one job that I really hated in my life.  I worked there for about 14 days and quit and found something else that I enjoyed much more.  I need to be challenged where I work otherwise I am not satisfied.  I realize that jobs are sometimes hard to come by — however do what you love or you will never be happy.

I do love the job that I have right now. I believe my calling in life is to be a pastor.  I love hearing faith stories from people, I love being there for people during their celebrations and during their more difficult times in life.   I can’t imagine doing anything else in life and being this happy.

I believe that we need to be spiritually healthy as well.  I have friends and family members that do not have a realigous base in their life and I do actually question that decision.  I do not understand what happens when difficulties happen in their life who do they put their trust in that things will turn out okay?  I put my trust in the one who I believe created me and who loves me and who promises me that things will be okay.  When I am having a crappy day I know I can turn to God and pray.  

I will never forget when I was at Luther College, I was having a tough time personally.  I prayed with a friend, we prayed for my family we prayed that God would take all my problems and place them on His shoulders and I believe God did.  That night I cried for 45 min.  It was all the pain, hurt, anger and sadness coming out of me. I felt as though that burdens that I had been carrying for so long were lifted off of me and I felt free once again.  It was a good feeling.

I think of that time in my life when I believe that I am not as spiritually well off as I would like to be.  Right now I think I am at a good place because the last few months have been tough in some ways.  It is when times are tough that I start to fall away from my spiritual disciplines and it is then that I realize that I need them the most and I am able to turn back and pick things up again.

Financial well-being

I can honestly say that money is one of the biggest stresses in my life and the lives of the people I come across everyday.  90% of the debt that I carry is in student loans.  I can honestly say that I am disappointed in the way that seminaries are structured in that regard.  Pastors are generally in the top 25% in education but in the bottom 25% in pay (or something like that).  But that is another blog post for another day.  

We work hard at becoming more and more financially secure. I know it takes time and that is the hard part.  We are at a point right now in our lives where we want to feel secure financially.  It is important — and I know I have lots to learn when it comes to financial success.  I read blog posts daily and I use the YNAB system to help keep finances straight and I abide by the philosophies of YNAB to help us think differently about our money.  

Overall I believe that things are going okay right now in my “Best Life” – I believe that overall I have a pretty good wholeness wheel.  I don’t think it will ever be perfect but I believe that it is a good way to think about your life and how you can have a “Best Life.”

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