About the Book

Book: From Comfort Zone to Trust Zone: How Jesus Urges Us to Take Leaps of Faith for His Kingdom Author: Cecil Taylor Genre: Christian Living Release date: March 6, 2024

The innate human longing for comfort is undeniable. However, Jesus challenges us to step beyond the boundaries of our comfort zones and venture into the profound realm of faith, aptly described as trust zones by Cecil Taylor. These are the spaces where we dare to take risks in service of Christ’s Kingdom. In this enlightening exploration of the Bible, Cecil Taylor delves into 12 narratives of Jesus encouraging individuals to forsake their comfort zones in favor of trust zones. Through insightful interpretation, he unveils the valuable lessons these stories impart for contemporary followers of Jesus.

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About the Author

With more than 30 years’ experience as an adult Sunday School teacher and as many in youth ministry, Cecil Taylor has impacted lives in local churches throughout his adult life. He founded Cecil Taylor Ministries to broaden that impact, teaching Christians to live a 7-day practical faith through books, video studies, and speaking engagements. His ministry is cross-denominational, focused on the common struggle Christians face in putting their faith into practice and applying scripture and faith principles to life situations. From Comfort Zone to Trust Zone has won the 2024 Living Water Award (nonfiction, third place) from the Blue Lake Christian Writer’s Conference. This is the fourth award that Cecil has been presented across his three books.

More from Cecil

Comfort zones can be positive. Not only do we feel good about ourselves, but we also can be effective and efficient. We can find a groove. We may even be able to mentor others and cause a ripple effect of good. But comfort zones can fool us. Our comfort zones can become invisible. They can limit us and tell us not to take risks. Comfort zones can keep us from going all-in on what Jesus has to offer us. As I read the Gospels, I see how Jesus frequently pushed people out of comfort zones and into his trust zones, where they would take leaps of faith for the sake of his kingdom. Similarly, Jesus calls us out of comfort zones today, inviting us to take risks while deepening our faith. A woman who read From Comfort Zone to Trust Zone said one of the most gripping moments in the book is when I shared my own story of going all-in for Jesus. I had grown up in the church as a preacher’s kid. Throughout decades of my adult life, I was a leader in my church, a highly committed volunteer, someone others might think was all-in for Christ. But I wasn’t all-in, though I fooled myself into thinking I was. In a time when I asked for more comfort zone, Jesus gave me a trust zone: to forget about volunteering so much and to focus on giving my heart to God. I was busted, as I foolishly thought I had hidden from God that I wasn’t fully yielding control of my life. I didn’t know what Jesus would ask of me, so I held him at arm’s length. My prayers zeroed in on what was comfortable for me rather than what the Holy Spirit was beckoning me to do. Since that moment, my life has changed. I believe your life needs to change, too, if you’re feeling comfortable. It’s time to get uncomfortable, to overcome your desire for certainty, and to inspect the ways in which you have limited the Spirit’s power to work through you. I invite you on a journey to identify subtle comfort zones that you never knew you had and to uncover trust zones that will take your faith to new levels while mightily serving Christ. I invite you to the experience that is From Comfort Zone to Trust Zone: How Jesus Urges Us to Take Leaps of Faith for His Kingdom.

Interview with the Author

Why do you think the topic of your book is important?

I’m so glad you asked this! I fervently believe that Jesus intends more for us, and from us, than we imagine. We get settled in our comfort zones. We get comfortable. But the Holy Spirit is restless. As I look at scripture, I can see how Jesus invited or even pushed people out of comfort zones to deepen their faith while serving him in more challenging ways.

That’s not to say that we leave a comfort zone every day. We might be efficient and effective in our comfort zone. But the Spirit should drive our inaction and our action. We need to be listening and responding to the Spirit’s call, in small ways and large.

This book will challenge you to revisit and even uncover your comfort zones. A trust zone isn’t always about going to Africa to be a missionary. It might be about releasing the need to silently judge others or to loudly proclaim your views that might not be fully aligned with Jesus’s kingdom. It might be that you simply don’t trust Jesus enough, no matter how many times he says, “Fear not.” It might be that you realize you’re not really all-in on Jesus and must evaluate how to give your heart to God.

What is your favorite verse and why?

My favorite has varied through the years, but the reigning champion is Philippians 4:6-7:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

I need constant reminding of God’s intention that we do not fear and do not worry, and we will receive peace if we release everything to God’s care. The Apostle Paul doesn’t promise us that our wishes will be granted, but he promises something even better: God’s peace and presence.

What is one thing readers would be surprised to learn about you?

A wide range of experiences have informed my ministry venture called Cecil Taylor Ministries. I was a small town preacher’s kid; in my first eighteen years, I lived sixteen years in towns that had no traffic light. I then attended the largest university in my state and eventually traveled to 23 countries, especially on business, something I would have never imagined in my little towns. Multi-gifted, I had careers in software development, high tech product management, and radio broadcasting, in news and especially sports. Most of my adult life has been spent teaching adult Sunday School and working with teens in my church. I’ve suffered personal mistakes and tragedies that come out in my books. God has used all of those experiences to prepare me for my ministry and to inform my material.

Outside of the Bible, what is the one book or author that has had the biggest influence on you?

I would say authors Henri Nouwen and William Barclay influenced me greatly, especially in my young adult years. But the book that influenced me most is one that, surprisingly, I don’t like very much, The Centered Skier by Denise McCluggage.

The book delves into the combination of skiing and Zen, neither of which I pursue. But it contained a wonderful nugget that I call “Ski the Trail.” McCluggage writes about skiers who choose a black slope and then either complain all the way down or find a way around actually skiing the trail.

I have found this concept to have significant implications for how you engage with life situations. People around me become accustomed to my phrase, “Ski the trail!” I could go on about it for a while, so instead I’ll refer your readers to a blog I wrote on the topic at https://www.ceciltaylorministries.com/post/seven-day-practical-faith-blog-ski-the-trail.

What is one question you would like readers to ask you? What would be your answer?

“Where can I buy your book?” Seriously, the question would be, “What’s your favorite part of being a Christian author?” I would say it’s being blessed when you hear about or read a review that shows that my book has made a difference in someone’s life.

Every Christian author I know wants to make a difference in as many lives as possible. Each of us reaches people differently; we are part of God’s mosaic of inspiring uniquely created humans. When someone is affected by our book, we know that we have served God; it’s an uplifting yet humbling feeling to be part of a larger divine process.