Less Stress

Stress is the leading cause of many of the major illnesses that exist today. In the life of a hard working and biblical pastor, there are a lot of areas that can cause stress.

Now Jefe isn’t you normal hard working pastor. He does an excellent job at pastoring the Vision Baptist Church, but he is also the president of the Baptist College for World Evangelism. Between those two jobs, stress is definitely on the rise. On top of that he also travels out of the country almost every month to aid one of our missionaries. Last month he was in South Africa with missionary Kevin Hall, the month before that he was in Peru with his son, Chris Gardner, and this coming January he will be in Burkina Faso with Missionary Keith Shumaker.

As you can imagine pastoring a church, running a training center, and traveling all over the world can definitely bring on some major wear and tear.

With all he has going on, I am constantly trying to make sure he stays comfortable. If he is traveling and has to stay overnight somewhere, I try make sure that some essentials things are taken care of. He has to have an air conditioned room if it’s hot and no matter what the climate he has to have a fan.

When in an airplane I try my hardest to make sure he has an exit row aisle seat. I would love to always make sure he goes to 1st class but our budget really doesn’t leave any room for that.

Last month I bought a special cushion for him to sit on because of his bad back.
When we got back from a trip one time, the other guys in the office put a small refrigerator in his office and filled it with Diet Mountain Dew. They also are always trying to see what they can do to make him a little more comfortable to take away any extra stress.

You should always be on the look out to see what extra things you can do to make sure your 1st man stays comfortable. A lot of the times it’s the little things that make a big difference. Give attention to details.

John the Baptist

A good friend and mentor of mine, Tony Howeth, gave me some great points for my post today.

It comes from the life of John the Baptist in the book of John and chapter three.
Verse 26- John’s disciples wanted to compete with Christ. A 2nd man does not compete but compliment.
Verse 28- John knew, respected and loved his place. He said, I am not the Christ. It was not a matter of dishonor but acknowledgement of his purpose in serving God.
Verse 30- John wanted to lift up Christ. He was humble and willing to decrease that Christ could be known.

John the Baptist definitely sets a strong example being a great 2nd man to Jesus. It’s not about us but about Him. As a 2nd man the ministry can’t be about my ministry. It has to be about serving the Lord and complimenting the 1st man’s ministry.

John the Baptist could have gotten prideful and desired to have the preeminence but he knew his rightful place. Make sure as a 2nd man you don’t take the preeminence. Do your job and take your correct place. Don’t try to advance yourself over what the 1st man wants you to be.

Trustworthy?

I was reading this morning in Genesis how Abraham sent his servant to get a wife for his son Isaac. In Genesis 24:10 it says that all the goods of Abraham were in the hands of his servant.

I was amazed to see the loyalty that Abraham had in his servant. First of all he trusted him to pick out a wife for his son and then he trusted him with all his goods.

I can remember when I was 21 years old and was living in Peru, Jefe and the whole family left for three months to attend his daughter Stephanie's wedding. During those three months I was put in charge of handling all the bills and finances of both Jefe and his son Chris.

I can remember as a 21 year old student how neat it was for two successful missionaries to trust me enough to handle the money for both of their ministries. I am not sure I deserved that kind of trust but it was definitely very honoring.

Are you a person that your 1st man can trust with everything he has? Could he give you a key to his house or all his credit cards and not have to worry about you spending one single dime that he wouldn’t approve of.

Make sure you keep a testimony where people can trust in you. Never do anything that will cause doubt. Be above reproach and take better care of the possessions of your 1st man than you would your own possessions.

In His Absence

Is there someone that you can count on to do anything you need done they way you need it done. It there someone that knows you well enough that can represent you the right way.

Philippians 2: 20-21- For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state.

Paul could count on Timothy to fill in for him and care about the people as much as he did.

Being a 2nd man means that you will learn the way the 1st man likes it to be done and do it that way.

If the 1st man goes out of town he shouldn’t have to worry about how people from your church that are in the hospital are going to be treated. He shouldn’t have to worry about if people that need visiting are going to be visited or not. He shouldn’t have to worry about something being said from the pulpit that wouldn’t be in accordance with the way he usually teaches and preaches.

I know a lot of pastors that are nervous to let visiting evangelist and missionaries preach in their pulpits because they are afraid of how they will treat their church people. They are afraid they will be too harsh or mean spirited. The pastor should never have to worry about his 2nd man being that way. The 2nd man should know what is acceptable and what is out of line.

Make sure you learn your 1st man so that you will be able to represent him correctly when he is absent.

Work Hard

For me it has always been a challenge to put in as many hours as Jefe does. If he is awake he is usually working. If he stays at home to rest he ends up working at home. If he goes on a getaway he only gets away where he can work some more. He has definitely raised the bar for our entire team when it comes to hard work.

A lot of times when a person isn’t in charge or doesn’t want a promotion he may not put as much effort into his job like he should. Whether you’re a 2nd man to gain experience or a 2nd man for life, this should never be your attitude

The 2nd man should work at least as hard as the 1st man if not harder. He should make sure that every job the 1st man gives out is taken care of, plus he should be working on his own to come up with ways to make sure the 1st man is more effective.

Colossians 3:22 Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God:
Colossians 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

We have to understand we work for the Lord and not for man. We should put in no less than 50 to 60 hours a week. Remember that should be our minimum not our maximum. With driving time and work time, the people in our congregation are easily putting in that many hours.

The ministry should never be considered a place where we can get away with doing less work. Make sure you work enough where God’s people don’t think you just took up a ministry job to have an easy life.

Don’t disagree with the 1st man in front of others

Occasionally the Jefe says something in front of all the students that at first I disagree with. There are some times in front of others he tells me what I am doing is wrong and what I need to do to fix it. There have been a couple of those times I didn't agree with them or when I was not wanting to be corrected, and I thundered my disapproval in front of everyone. After a short time I realized the terrible mistake of arguing with him in front of others.

As a 2nd man I have to show people my total loyalty to the Jefe at all times. When I step out of my place and argue with him in front of others I am not showing a lot of loyalty.

If you are going to be a 2nd man, the one thing you have to learn to do is keep you mouth shut. You don’t have to shut it forever, but you have to learn when to talk.
There isn’t anything I can’t talk to Jefe about. His door is open to me 24/7 for anything I need. If I disagree with him he has provided plenty of time for me to talk to him without doing it in front on others.

When I am in front of others I want them to know I am behind everything he says or does. We can argue behind closed doors but when the doors open I want them to know that I stand behind his decisions and ideas 100%.

I never want someone to think there is a possibility of me siding with them against the 1st man.

Make sure you have the same attitude or leave.

Figure out the areas you need to dedicate your time

Right now I am at one of my favor places in the world, Arequip, Peru. I had the opportunity to travel with Jefe and Ms. Betty and also John and Sandy Pearson for the Pastor’s Conference.

I like these times when we are able to get away and see how the Lord is working in the lives of our missionaries.

Trips like these are also good training times. Jefe has the opportunity to be around a few younger missionaries, and they are always asking him questions about how to do the ministry better.

I have worked with Jefe for around 12 years now so there isn’t much of his training I haven’t heard. But as I have the opportunity to hear him again teach on things I have heard before I am convicted by my lack of work to put some of his key ideas into action. I have really felt like a great waster of time this week seeing a lot of things we planned years ago never to be accomplished.

As a 2nd man you must keep on track with the important things. You can’t let time pass without carryout the priorities that have been set in the ministry.

Just to keep you up to date, starting now I will be making sure I help Jefe put together training material and books we have talked about producing. I am rearranging my schedule to make sure those things are taken care of.

We don’t have much time. Make sure you are using your time wisely.

Looking Past What They are Now

Jefe preached a great message last night about Mark, Barnabas’ nephew. You really need to get the cd. He went over how Mark, because of the excitement left with Paul and Barnabas to do great things for God but quickly fell away. Later on Barnabas wanted to restore Mark, but Paul didn’t want anything to do with it. Well in the long run we see that Mark did become useful and Paul was 100% behind him.

The lesson learned here is that we never need to give up on people.

I can remember when I just started turning my life over to the Lord there were a few critics. They didn’t have a lot of good things to say about me. Now, instead of trying to help me and bring me along, they only liked telling other people how I wasn’t a good candidate for the ministry. Instead of helping they just cast their ballots that I wouldn’t make it.

I am thankful that Jefe didn’t listen to them. I am thankful he saw past what I was and saw what I could become. Now some of those men or men like them look at me now and say, “Hey I wish I had a guy like that working for me.” But you know what, they never will because they are not willing to look past what someone is to what they can become. They only want the finished product. They will never have a band of men to follow after them because they were not willing to put their pharisee spirit aside to invest their life into someone.

If you’re looking to work with ready made Christians you really need to look for another profession. We need more men that will look past the insufficiencies of people and see what they can become. It is amazing what someone can become when they know they have someone that believes in them.

Jefe has a lot of guys that look to him for guidance and council because he at one time believed in them when no one else would. There are missionaries all over the world working now that others didn’t have a lot of confidence in.

We have students in our training center now that no one else believes in, but they came to the right man for second chances.

Might we have more 1st men that have the courage to invest time into people that love God and have a desire to become more than what they are now.

The 2nd man needs to strengthen the 1st man when he is in battle.

The following is taken from "The Second Man" by David Maynard.

Exodus 17:8-13 “Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod God in mine hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands [were] heavy; and they took a stone, and put [it] under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

When God’s Man is in the midst of the battles of life, God uses the Second Man to strengthen him. In this situation Aaron was used of God by holding up the hands of Moses. As a pastor, it seems that we sometimes fight our battles alone. I am glad for the men that God has used to strengthen me in the midst of my hardships. They overcame the enemy because they fought the battle together. They struggle did not cause Aaron to run. The battle would strengthen their relationship.

Keep Your Spiritual Life in Check

One of the greatest heart aches leaders have in the ministry is to see people they have worked with turn back to the world, to see them reject what they know is right for the lust of their flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (John 2:16).

There are several people that worked under Jefe that are not serving God any longer. He has invested much time and money into people that as of now could care less about what God wants for their lives.

We have to realize we are in a battle. The devil wants to take us down. Don’t expect to work with a man of vision and think that you’ll be safe from the devil’s attacks. A man of God that moves forward will always be under Satan’s attack.

Many times he isn’t able to take down the 1st man so he goes after the 2nd man. He knows that if he destroys someone as close to the 1st man as his 2nd man, he can cause a lot of damage to the 1st man’s ministry.

There are times in my life when I am discouraged, angry, bitter, and lustful. The devil wants to use each of those vices to take me down. If I am not relying on Him, I could fall into any of those traps at any given time.

Sometimes you may get the feeling you don’t have to study, pray, or read the Word as much because you’re not the main guy in charge, but you are so wrong. It is just as important if not more to do all of those things.

If I let down my guard for one minute I could lose everything. Satan wants nothing more than to destroy my ministry.

If you don’t think the job of a 2nd man is that important then don’t worry about your spiritual life. You also won’t have to worry about being a 2nd man for much longer either.

Be Loyal

Loyal is defined as giving or showing fixed and constant support or allegiance to a person or institution. My two favorite words in this definition are fixed and constant.

When an argument arises between you and your 1st man, do you show fixed and constant allegiance? When the majority is against him, do you show fixed and constant allegiance? When you disagree with his decisions, do you show fixed and constant allegiance?

I have seen several men come and go in the ministry since I started working with Jefe. I have seen them make commitments to stand and work with him no matter what to get the gospel to the world.

I have also seen those men turn their back on him and act like they have never made those promises. When times got touch, or when the wrong decisions where made, instead of trying to improve the situation they threw in the towel. When he challenged them to have good work ethics and to be accountable to those that pay or support them, I have seen them run in the opposite direction.

One thing I had to learn in order to be Jefe’s 2nd man is that he is flesh and blood just like the rest of us. He makes mistakes, loses his temper, and at times says things he shouldn’t say. You know, the same mistakes you and I both make.

A good 2nd man won’t waiver when trouble comes. His loyalty will stand no matter what the circumstances.

I know there are times when a 1st man totally turns away from God and his word. The 2nd man may have to leave, but if you have a 1st man that desires nothing but to please God, like I have, you better learn what loyalty really means.

You better learn that you don’t talk bad behind his back or try to get others to back up your ideas and decisions against him. You stand with him even if the gates of hell come crashing down on his head.

Be the man he can rely on 100%!

Remember You are an Extension of the 1st Man

Everything you do as a 2nd man should further the ministry of the 1st man.

If I make a visit to a first time visitor, I need to make the visit in the name of my pastor. If I make a hospital visit, I need to tell the person that Pastor Gardner asked me to come and see how they are.

A lot of pastors are worried about their 2nd man being loyal. When he knows that everything you do complements and strengthens his ministry, he doesn't have to be worried about loyalty.

At the church we strive to represent the Jefe in everything we do. We want to make sure that what we do doesn't hinder but help his ministry.

The 1st man should get the credit for everything we do or say. Now that's a good thing when what we do is right, but it can be very devastating when we cause problems. We have a enormous responsibility to make sure we don't give him a bad name, which in turn gives the Lord a bad name.

Remember the importance of your position. Remember that everything you do is what the 1st man does. Make sure you're the right kind of representative.

Implement the 1st Man's Ideas

The following is from a guest blogger, Trent Cornwell. Trent is the youth director at our church and is also my brother-in-law. God has truly equipped Trent to be a great help to the Jefe.

“Inside every successful organization there is a musical score for
innovation. And every score has three key musicians: the composer (the
idea person), the conductor (the creative people and others who believe in
the idea and put their reputation on the line for it) and the orchestra
(the people who actually implement the idea and make it better).”
- Leonard Sweet, Summoned to Lead

Ideas are either “a dime a dozen” or worth millions. It all depends on the
steps taken after an idea is given. I believe the more people identify
their position on a team the smoother the transition will be from idea to
impact.

At our church, as all should be, our Pastor is the visionary leader. God
has given him the vision and direction the church should go in. So, it is
only natural that the majority of ideas that affect our ministry come from
his office. Many times he comes up with the idea and other times he
creates an environment and leads conversations that yield the ideas
needed.

I believe many great ideas are lost and diluted from the time the
“composer” gives the idea to the time the “orchestra” implements the
plans. It is the job as 2nd men to make sure the idea of
the pastor is protected and improved upon, but never taken in a different
direction then he meant for it to go in.

As 2nd men who conduct and lead in the church one of the best
investments we can make in the church is to better know the pastor. We
need to know his vision, dreams, and everything we can about him so that
we can best implement the ideas God will give him.

Good 2nd men are willing to work for free.

When being a 2nd man you have two options. Stay with your 1st man for life or learn as much as you possibly can from the 1st man so you will be an effective 1st man some day.
We have two students right now at the Our Generation Training Center that are planning on being full time missionaries. Philip Bassham is planning on going to Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia and Mark Tolson is planning on going to China.

Both of these guys are at the top of the list. They have sacrificed and worked in a way that is above and beyond many students. They are involved in several hours of classes every week; work 30 to 40 hours for the church, and on top of that work part time jobs. By the way, neither of them receives a salary, not one dime.

They have committed working and training under Jefe so they will learn what they have to learn to be the right kind of leader.

If you don’t have 2nd men around you that are willing to work for you for free, you don’t need them as 2nd men. Don’t spend money on those that aren’t willing to learn, serve, and kill themselves when money isn’t involved.

Few students have paid the prices these young men have. I count it a privilege to be able to work beside them every day.

I truly believe we are working with men whose hearts God has touched.

Make sure you make a big deal out of the 1st man’s big days

I will have to admit here that I have not been very good at all in this area. When I worked with the Jefe in Peru this was never a problem. The Peru team always made sure he was honored for every possible occasion. Now that we are here in the states and everything falls on me to make sure things are planned out right to honor him it is a little more difficult. I have to make sure he isn’t overlooked.

Hopefully, you have people in the ministry that will help you in this area. I know I do. If I forget something I usually have four to five other people coming to me asking what we have planned for the Jefe’s birthday, anniversary, or for pastor’s appreciation month. Last week was both the Jefe’s birthday and anniversary so that is why this is so fresh on my mind.

You need to make sure that for the special occasions things are planned long in advance. If you have a 1st man that has the right kind of heart, you know he doesn’t care about how much money you spend on him. He may even get upset if he knows that you did spend a lot, but that doesn’t matter. Your heart is where your treasure is. Make sure you plan long enough in advance so that people can be saving to spend a good amount of money on him.

If you wait to the last week or even month, it is difficult to really go all out. With our church just starting out here in Alpharetta, and our finances as tight as they are, we have to plan long in advance. Or at least we should.

Now my brother-in-law is in a hard position that I know many 2nd man are in. He is 2nd man to his dad. It is more difficult for him to tell all the church people to spend a lot of money on his dad. With that situation make sure you get the other church leaders behind you. Start conversations where the idea will arise, and you can turn it into their idea and get them to push the agenda. That’s a little trick that will work in a lot of areas in the ministry, not just gifts. You just have to make sure you don’t abuse your position when it comes to that.

But not matter what relationship you have to the 1st man make sure his is remembered. Remember his birthday, his anniversary, the day he started or came to the church, his wife’s birthday, etc, etc, etc. If you have a 1st man as good as the one we have here at Vision, make sure he is honored. People are more likely to stay around longer if they know they are appreciated.

Don't Let the 1st Man's Ideas and Visions Fall to the Ground

Yesterday, we had a meeting with the World Evangelism Committee in our church. This meeting is centered on teaching our church people the right way to think about missions and what we all need to do to get more involved. It is definitely on the top-three list of exciting meetings in our church.

During the meeting, Jefe presented a few of his ideas he wants our church people to follow through with. A few of the ideas he talked about were how he wants to have an exciting mission’s conference in September, how he wants us to start a yokefellow team ministry, and how we need to stay in better contact with our missionaries.

This is where I come in. If I want to be a good 2nd man I have to take note of all the ideas the 1st man has. I can’t let the things the Lord lays on his heart go unnoticed. Remember my job is take make the 1st man more successful. If I allow his ideas to be presented without being followed through with, I failed at my job.

I have to take all of those ideas and break them down into small pieces, and delegate those pieces out to the church people so his vision will become a reality. If they are not broken down then the idea will never seem realistic enough to accomplish. When things don’t seem realistic then people become discouraged and the job never gets completed.

The job of the 2nd man is to make sure the ideas and visions of the 1st man are carried out. Don’t drop the ball and let things go unnoticed or allow things to be done second rate. Plan and work long in advance to make sure your 1st man looks first class in everything he does.

Don’t forget to listen and pay attention to what he says. Always take notes and be aware so that none of his ideas are lost.

Work Because You Have a Desire to Please, Not Because You're Ordered

Today, Jefe was teaching the students at our training center the difference between serving the Lord by the law or by grace. He discussed a little bit about how Paul taught both in Galatians and Colossians how we are no longer bound by the law.

A lot of times as Christian leaders, we teach people a set of rules that they have to obey in order to please the Lord. Instead, what we should be teaching them is to truly love the Lord and do His will because they want to please Him not because we have to obey a list of rules.

For an example Jefe shared how he and his wife Betty don't have a set of rules that each have to follow every day. They do things for each other because they love each other, and not because they have to.

A marriage will never work if the wife and husband have a list that each have to comply with in order to please the other. Any couple that lives by a list of rules and demands has missed the point of what marriage really is. Rules in marriage will only cause resentment and rebellion.

It's the same way when we teach people how to have a relationship with the Lord. We should not teach people a bunch of rules. We should teach them to have a love relationship with Jesus Christ. Doing what God wants them to do will come after they have the right relationship.

Now to apply that to the 2nd man, you shouldn't work for the 1st man because he commands you to do certain things. You should do it because you love him and desire to please him. Most of all you should do it because the work you do for Him is the work you do for the Lord. You should find out what he likes and what pleases him, and do those things because you have a desire to please him.

If he has to order you to do things then you have missed the idea of what a 2nd man is supposed to be. You should have your day full of things you can do without him every saying a word. You should find out for yourself what pleases him and make sure those things get done.

Make the 1st Man's Family Part of Your Own

One of the most important things that has enable me to work well with Austin Gardner, is the relationship I have with the rest of his family. I have been close friends with Chris since before I ever started working with Jefe. When all his children lived at home, I fought with his daughters just as if they were my own sisters, and David, his youngest son, is definitely like the little brother I never had. And let’s not forget his wife, Ms. Betty, she definitely corrects me enough to where I think she's my mom.

If you are going to have a good working relationship with your 1st man, you have to have a good family relationship with his family. It would be difficult for Jefe to spend time with me if his family didn’t feel comfortable around me.

This isn’t something that comes along easily. Just like all good relationships you have to work at them to make them stronger. Sometimes you have to be forgiving, sometimes you have to be understanding, and sometimes you have to be loving and caring. You can't carry your feelings around on your shoulders, and you definitely can't hoard up bitterness or anger in your heart.

It's easy to get a bad attitude against they pastor’s kids sometimes. I know because I am married to one. You have to accept people for who they are and do everything that is possible to build a strong relationship with them. They get the bad rap of being able to get away with everything just because their dad is the pastor, but you have no idea what goes on behind closed doors. Don't stereotype their kids. Love them as your own family.

You should always be considerate of your 1st man’s wife especially. You should treat her as good or better than you do your own mom. You should respect her, talk good about her, defend her when someone is being critical, and make sure you are just as loyal to her as you are to the 1st man.

His children should not be threatened by your presence. They should know that you aren’t going to do anything to hurt their family and that they can trust you 100%. You should be someone they can confide in and trust to be there when they need someone.

I don't care how talented and helpful you are. If you aren't like by the 1st man's family, your job is short lived.

Be Supportive of What Your 1st Man Believes In

Today, Jefe was talking to Trent and me about the importance of church blogs and email rings. He wanted us to make sure we understand that getting our message out to our church people is a major priority.

Jefe believes in communication. He sends about two articles a day to his staff and church people via emails or blogs.

I would verbally agree with the importance of communicating, but I was never the one to send out a lot of emails, and I was set against starting a blog. I finally realized though, that if I am going to be a good 2nd man I have to be 100% behind what he believes in. That’s one of the reasons I started this blog. I am not doing it because I am trying to impress him, I am doing it because I actually believe that it is as important as he says. I just finally stopped being lazy about it.

If he is excited about an upcoming conference, then I need to be excited about it. If he believes knocking on a 100 doors a week is important, then I need to think that knocking on a 100 doors a week is important. If he thinks reading a book a week is important than I need to think reading a book a week is important and make sure I read a book a week.

I hope I am getting across my point. I am not saying to be a fake. I am saying that you genuinely need to be behind and excited about what your 1st man believes in.

If you have a close relationship with someone, you are going to like what they like. My 3-year-old son loves motorcycles because I love motorcycles.

If you don’t like a lot of the same things that your 1st man likes, you probably don’t have a close relationship with him. If you don’t like a lot of the ideas your 1st man has, then you're probably not a good 2nd man for him.

Be excited and behind your 1st man in everything he does or get out of his way, and let him hire someone that believes in him.

Take Steps to Improve the 1st Man’s Ministry

Now this may sound a little presumptuous at first, but hold on and see what I am talking about.

When I first started working for Austin Gardner I produced a lot of video and audio files of his teaching. I wanted to take what he taught and mass produce it to where he would be able to influence more people with less effort.

A good friend of mine, Jacob Taube, who is a missionary to China, loved a series of messages that Jefe taught, so he helped him write a book from the messages that were preached. We now have a book on the family we can give out to visiting families. Other churches have even used the book as Sunday school material for their couple’s class. He caused him to improve his teaching ministry.

We have several guys that work with us here at the church and training center that are always trying to come up with more ideas on how to get what Jefe is teaching out to more people. We have started web pages and blogs to where anyone can get messages or outlines that he preached. We also have several of his training classes for missionaries on file that we can send to missionaries who want to learn how to be more effective. For every extra person we reach through these avenues it causes us to improve the pastor’s ministry.

With the Internet it is now easy to expand his ministry internationally with very little cost. Make sure you take advantage of that.

You need to be thinking about how you can make your 1st man more effective. Take steps now to do what you can to see him grow.

Work in a way so that someone will want you to be their 2nd man.

Long before I accepted the position of being Jefe’s 2nd man, I worked as if I already had the job. When I told him I would change the direction I was going to be his helper, he didn’t have to ask about my work ethic or my loyalty. He knew where I stood because I had proven myself with him long before that time.

Many people think that just because they get a degree or say they are called to preach they deserve a position.

If you want to be a 2nd man then go ahead and act like you have the position and someday you may actually get chosen and paid for it. Luke 10:7 says for the laborer is worthy of his hire.

A few of the students we have in the Our Generation Training Center really act like they want to be paid staff. They work tireless hours without any pay at all. They are here to train for the ministry, but they don’t just work so they will be prepared for the future. They work because they have a heart and desire to please the Lord today. I would hire any one of them in a heartbeat if we had the available funds.

Don’t expect someone to want you to be their 2nd man just because you volunteered for the position.

Make sure you work in a way that people will seek you out to work for them.

Be Committed!

In I Kings 19:21 Elisha made a commitment to be Elijah’s 2nd man. (1Ki 19:21) And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.

He literally burned his bridges. If you know the Lord has called you to be the 2nd man, make a commitment. Don’t turn back on the decision.

During the hard times the only thing that will keep you from throwing in the towel will be the commitment you made. There will be times of discouragement, times of frustration, and times of second guessing. Things always look and sound better in that other place of ministry.

I can remember being in Peru thinking that I missed the United States and then I would visit the United States and say I really miss being in Peru. Now I live in the states and I sometimes think it would be better in Peru. I can't go by my feelings. I have to go by what God has called me to and how I committed to that.

Elisha was a faithful 2nd man. He followed Elijah every where, even when it seemed like Elijah was trying to get rid of him. Just imagine if Elijah would have been able to run Elisha off, Elisha would never have received the double portion.

Jefe and I have a good relationship but there are times when he is frustrated at me, mad at me, fussing at me, and tired of me. I could carry my feelings on my shoulders and say, "I don’t deserve that. I’m going to work somewhere else." Yes I could do that and miss my double portion. I don’t know if I will ever become the 1st man like Elisha became, but I definitely don’t want to miss what God has waiting for me.

You can change your life every time it gets tough but success will never be a part of your life.

I know it makes Jefe's job a little easier knowing that no matter what, he has someone in his corner. Imagine the strength of our churches if every pastor knew there was a person along side of him that he could count on. There is security knowing that your 2nd man isn't going to leave no matter how offended, how mad, how hurt, or how unappreciated he is.

Many double portions have been passed over because of the lack of commitment.

Make sure the 2nd man knows he is highly valued!

Today's blog is for the 1st men or the want-to-be 1st men.

At the end of 2005, God moved “Jefe” and me to the states to start the Vision Baptist Church and the Our Generation Training Center. So the ministry in Peru fell on the arms of Jefe’s son, Chris Gardner. With the mass exodus of some of the key missionaries, Chris definitely felt the pressure. All the responsibilities that Jefe and I had were now Chris’ responsibility.

Chris shortly after that recruited Julio Soncco to be his 2nd man. Julio soon took over a lot of the same responsibilities I had.

I usually am able to talk to Chris on a weekly basis, and every time I talk to him he tells me how valuable and how helpful his 2nd man is to him. He talks about how unbelievable he is and how well he works and how he couldn’t do what he is doing if it wasn’t for Julio.

Here’s the point. Make sure your 2nd man knows he’s appreciated. It makes our job a lot easier when we know what we do is very important and vital to the 1st man.

Many times I hear pastors belittle their help. I see when they don’t allow them to be in certain meetings because he’s just a staff person and not the “Pastor”. I see when the pastor gets uncomfortable because some of the people may look up to the 2nd man more than they do him. The pastor alot of times starts making negative comments when their 2nd man seems to be loved more than him. Instead of the 2nd man being treated like a 2nd man, he's treated like the last man.

It’s easy to see why men don’t feel the Lord is leading them to be an assistant pastor for very long. They want to hurry and be in the first man position so they can treat their 2nd man the same way they were treated.

1st men, please let your 2nd man know how much you appreciate him. Tell him to his face, tell it to the congregation, tell it to visiting preachers, tell it to the world. We would have a lot stronger churches if we weren't changing out our staff every couple of years. I can guarantee that if the person knows he's valued, he will stay around a lot longer.

One thing I can tell you about working with Jefe, almost nothing he decides or does goes on without him going through me first. He doesn't have to do that. He is a stinking genius without me, but it sure does make me want to stay around.

Die to Self!

1Co 15:31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. This is a principle for all to learn if they want to be used by God, but it is impossible to be a 2nd man if you don’t die to your fleshly desires on a daily basis.

I can remember playing soccer in high school. It was the only sport that I felt comfortable enough in to try out for. It worked out that I made the first string my senior year, and I wasn't the best player in the world but I was okay. I can remember asking this girl I like to come and watch me play so I could show off my skills. I would have to say that was the worst I played all year. I focused on impressing instead of playing for the team.

I have found that in the ministry if I focus on me, and not the team, things go wrong. If we are going to build the kingdom we have to stop thinking about what is going to make us look good, but what is the best for the team.

I first went to Peru, South America planning on being the main church planter, but realized that what we needed was someone to stand beside "Jefe" and help him to accomplish more. I set aside my goals and said I am willing to be in the background. Die to wanting to be number one.

See if God may have you stand behind another man of God. Don't worry about getting the glory, fame, recognition, or credit. Work to help someone else get all those things and work to glorify the Lord.

Starting

Today I finally bit the bullet and decided to start a blog. My pastor Austin Gardner, who is also my boss, has been trying to get me to start this thing for a while now.

The purpose of this blog is to give ideas on how to be a better 2nd man, or assistant, or chief of staff. I can't say that I am always the best 2nd man but I definitely want to be.

I have learned a few things while working with Pastor Austin Gardner that I think will be of some help. I am also on the look for ideas that will make me more successful at what I do. With this blog I will attempt to get this information out to you on a regular basis.

Here to serve!