MINISTRIES OF MEN

by Crystal Banks Tait(Bankie)

CRYSTAL BANKS TAIT

2 Timothy 2:4 "No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs--he wants to please his commanding officer."

That verse came to me when I saw a new ministry within a local church.  Do not involve yourself in ministries of men.  Stay with the ministries of God which please HIM.  That is how I knew I shouldn't be involved in that ministry.  It got me to thinking though.

I have quite a few things on the go.  My first blog is this blog, Love4AMAZED.  I meant for it to be a parenting and family oriented blog because I have a  big passion for families, including my own :)  If what we go through can encourage and help others I really want to be able to do that. I started blogging on MSN Live Spaces and carried the blog over when Spaces closed down.  Love4AMAZED is likely the only thing I do that wasn't "Inspired".... directly anyhow.

I then started God's Word for 365 in the summer to blog about and read God's Word Daily and be held accountable via blog.  I just started blogging that on my Love4AMAZED blog to keep things simple.  But I found that intertwining the two was difficult because I had family and child revelations that I wanted to share that didn't really fit in with my GW4365 that day or what have you.

Most recently I have started Eating4God, a record of my journey in eating as a way for honouring and worshipping God, feeding our spirit instead of feeding our flesh.  A vision started this blog as well... my first vision in a dream.

BUT.  My FIRST BIG passion is ACTION..  :)  I didn't know it at the time but ACTION. was my first vision.  That explains why it all seemed to real... it's kind of funny to me know that I know what it is that I jumped so quickly on it.  ACTION 2.5 years after the vision isn't even really on the table.  But I still have a phone line, fax line and web domain for ACTION.! lol  The vision was so real to me that I know it's going to come to pass, I'm just waiting for God's timing :)

That is alot of things on the go isn't it?  Some people might think it's too much on the go if you add in our 6+1 children to the mix :)  I would agree with those people likely... but since I am the one that have started all of them and now I sit wondering how to juggle all of them, I have to disagree :)

I have tried with all of these mini ministries to gain "friend" support or family support to no avail.  I mean obviously I have a few family members that support me but when I have over 100 family members on facebook and the ones that have spend the most time with me don't support my mini ministries it's difficult.  I have tried to get my church peeps support or church support to no avail.  There is really nothing that I have tried to start that has gone any where... and yet here I sit continuing to "start" things.  Some people would wonder why I bother since clearly nobody I know is intending on supporting me in my efforts.  And THIS blog is the answer.

Every single thing that I have started, every facebook fan page, blog, flyer, handout, plan that I have started was given to me by way of a vision from God.  Do you know what that means?  It means that I didn't really start it at all.... it means that God did.  Now the revelation to this is that since all of these things are NOT mine and I am simply doing what I have been asked to do with them, I am not as disheartened when people reject them.  I see it for what it is, people rejecting God.  Which makes me sad on some other levels and yes I have to fight the devil about not getting any personal support but at the end of the day, ACTION., GW4365, Eating4God is all God's.

In the spring of 2011 I had a vision for a children's ministry outline.  Wow was I on fire for that.  I thought maybe God gave it to me to write curriculum or maybe God's intention was to send me down that path!  I was so excited for it!  I was laying in my bed trying to sleep and these thoughts and word flooded my brain and I knew what it was right away!  A vision for the kids ministry program!  I was so thankful I couldn't stop thanking God for the gift!  I can't remember the name that came to me for it now ... I still have the notes but I won't bother to go search them out now. 

I had SUCH a fire and an excitement and I was SO excited to share this vision with my church's kids ministry to implement!  I knew that THIS was God's vision for this church.  I shared my vision and my passion for this vision, I had a meeting and poured out all my ideas, inspirations, experience from Home & School volunteer time and at the end of the day I was politely told that after sharing this vision given to me and after the ministry was going to implement almost all of my ideas, that I was to longer have part in it.  Obviously the story is bigger than that but that is the condensed version.  Not that any of those details mattered then or now.  God showed me so much through that situation and it took me a long time.. okay like almost a year to see this for what it was.

The kids ministry program and outlines and ideas were a vision that God GAVE to me.  Most of it was implemented and I see the fruits of that vision today.  I'm not involved in it but God's will is being done.  At the end of the day that's all that matters.  I am very very happy that I was able to be used by God to help bring about some change that He wanted to show us.  It just took me awhile to appreciate the situation for what it was.  God using me. WOW :)  I like it :)  None of it was of me, it was ALL of Christ.  I was just the messenger being taught some lessons along the way.

ACTION. or GW4365 or Eating4God... are all visions that God GAVE ME.  As long as I am faithful in doing what he has shown me and asked me to do, THAT is all that matters.  I don't know how these visions will be used but I MUST be faithful in what God has asked me to do with them.  And I know it's going to be awesome!  Tomorrow I'm going to delve into some plans I have been inspired by for GW4365.  The reason I love GW4365 so much is because it has honestly changed my life.  

Reading the Bible now for almost six months everyday has completely and utterly changed my life.  I know why God lead me to this... it's His heart for US to be close to Him!  Everything becomes clearer, I know who I am in Christ ten-fold what I did before I started on my GW4365 journey.  Now I'm going to ramp it up!  & hopefully I'm going to share that with you tomorrow!

Until then God Bless you!  Be BOLD in the things that God has given you!  Even if you do it alone, DO IT.  If God is for you who can be against you?  

2 Timothy 2:4 "No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs--he wants to please his commanding officer."

THAT is my main goal.  & THAT is why I do what I do and why I create blogs and record different journeys.... and throw ideas out to who I am told to throw ideas out to...  I want to please MY Commanding Officer :) The love of my life, Jesus Christ.

If you haven't had the pleasure of knowing Jesus Christ in an intimate relationship I urge you to Accept Jesus as your Saviour now, say that you believe He died on the cross for your sins and confess that you are a sinner in need of the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ :)  & start your journey in being a disciple of Christ :)

As always if you would like me to pray for you just let me know.  I don't need to know details.  God is a BIG God and the Holy Spirit will guide me in prayer.  :)  Just say "Yes! Crystal please pray for me!" :) & I will :)

All My Love in Christ!

DON'T GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS! :)

Remain faithful :) He remains faithful to YOU!

Crystal

GLORY TO GOD OR GLORY TO YOU?

VISION

by

Crystal  Banks Tait

We hear this word A LOT. I have taken business in college so of course I have heard about vision with respect to business planning.

 

We all hear this word in churches with respect to the vision that God has planted in the heart of the pastor for a church.However, how often do we, or are we, directed to apply this word as a road map for our own lives?

Crystal Banks Tait

In watching a ministry leadership conference, my thoughts about vision that many pastors were speaking of directed me to the things that I "do" for God and why I do what I do. When I hear the pastors speak of things in relation to leading their churches I apply it to my family, my children, my position as a follower within my own church, as well as learning and developing skills for the plans that God has for me in the future.

What was MY vision for the things that I am doing in my life? 

I had never asked this question before. 

What IS my motivating force? 

This all seems so simple yet it is likely something that most of us are not doing I would venture to say. Have YOU asked yourself why you do what you do in your life? 

The first thing that came to my mind when I thought of the things “I do” for God was my blog. What is the motivating force behind my blog? What is my vision through this blog? Is it for myself or is it really for God?

I reflected on other things that I have been attempting to be involved in and get started for “God”. Things in which I am attempting to find my "place" in at our local church and really my "place" on the planet in God's grand scheme of things.

 

I have never assessed what my vision was for my life. Why do I do, what I do, and what do I hope to get accomplished by doing a, b, c, or d? 

Those should be the first questions we ask ourselves PRIOR to taking the action step! Vision and mission SHOULD always be developed IN PRAYER! 

The first thing I thought of after reflecting on my past year or two of activities was my blog. 

Why do I blog? What is my vision for my blog and what do I hope to accomplish through blogging. So I thought about it and my vision for my blog is that I want to share my life experiences in hopes that it will help others to continue in or change their lives in a way that will allow them to live in an intimate, real relationship with Jesus Christ. I want Christians to have God as a close friend and confidant and not only live as surface Christians and I want to share what that looks like so that they can have it for themselves.

God used that leadership conference to show me that what it all comes down to is vision. 

Your vision will set your path.

The vision for my life in general is to live my life in the most God honoring way that I possibly can. Making myself available however God wants me to be available to accomplish whatever He wants me to accomplish. I know God has a plan and a vision for my life. 

God has given me gifts and talents and I intend on developing them for His glory. When I get to heaven and God asks me what I did with the gifts, talent & treasures He gave me, I am hoping that my answer will be, “I used them to bring Glory to You.” The answer I hope to hear is "Well done!”

My blog is using my life story to inspire others to trust God. To inspire others to get to know God and to read His word every single day. God longs to know YOU. God yearns to know you and speak to you just as a mother or father longs to speak and hold their child. Or a child longs to speak and hold their mother or father.

Next time I want to get involved in something, instead of just throwing up a prayer and saying God, do you want me to do ___________. Or alternatively, should I?

I will PAUSE, look for the vision behind the action in PRAYER. 

I think we need to set a vision for all things we do in life.

I want to have a VISION for my family, a VISION for my marriage and a VISION as a parent to name a few. 

If the vision does not line up with the Word of God, and God is not behind what I do, even the small things that I involve myself in daily, it is time to do something different.

The vision sets the path for your footsteps and mine.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” Psalm119:105

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