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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I received a complimentary copy of this book and all opinions given are my own and not an endorsement of all author’s opinions.

Author Interview

1. Why did you want to become an author?

Interestingly, I didn’t set out to be an author. When I started Cecil Taylor Ministries, I was focused on videos. I thought that people didn’t read books anymore. OK, don’t get harsh with me!

I finally realized the error in my thinking and turned to authorship. I also felt like as I developed videos for church small groups, it would be best to offer something more permanent a student could take away. So I also became an author out of thatnecessity.

However, I had a journalism background as both a teen and as an adult, so writing came fairly easily.

2. What did your research process look like for this book?

The origin of From Comfort Zone to Trust Zone was a couple of pages from my prior book, Live Like You’re Loved, in which I discussed risk-taking for Jesus’s kingdom. I thought about this idea more and more, finally starting a book with the working title of Kingdom Risktakers.

I studied the Gospels and Acts for examples of Jesus challenging people to take a risk for his sake while deepening their trust in him. Along the way, I developed this notion of comfort zones and trust zones, becoming very interested in what each looked like for the scriptural character and what they look like for us today.

A long, solo car ride to and from a high school reunion for listening to the Gospels and Acts being read, as I considered which stories to use. I finally selected a final group of twelve.

From there, the research became digging into the topics and thecharacters that emerged. For example, I learned about the construction of Cologne Cathedral during a European vacation and devoted much of one chapter to that church’s history and how it related to risk-taking and admirable devotion to God.

Another example was learning more about the disciple Thaddeus (who went by several names), his transition from political rebel to Christian martyr, and how he is now known as St. Jude, the patron saint of lost causes. Yes, the famous hospital is named after him.

3. How did you balance keeping your book informative yet engaging as a non-fiction?

That’s where personal experiences and vulnerability are so important. I feel like it’s not enough to supply information to people, because it comes off as lecturing. I share my own mistakes, my own vulnerabilities, my own learning, and that approach keeps the reader engaged. I’m a big believer in being vulnerable in order to build personal connections, whether in a book or in daily life.

4. Did you have to step out of your comfort zone to write this book? If so, how?

Ah, I see what you did there, and I love it! Yes, this book was a risk, so I had to exercise my own “risk muscle” to write it. I fully expected that the book would not be well-received, because people cherish their comfort zones and don’t want to change. I had to release my fears of rejection in order to do what I knew was right. I had to accept potential persecution of a literary sortand trust that the Holy Spirit would connect the people that needed my message.

I am pleasantly surprised at how well the book has been received. To this point, it has attained the most consistently positive Amazon reviews of any book I’ve written. I feel like my risk acceptance was rewarded.

5. What message do you hope readers take away from your book?

I hope they feel a new urgency to listen to and follow the Holy Spirit. We should allow the Spirit to guide our inaction and our action, when we stay and where we go. In my life, the Spirit has changed my calling multiple times, finally leading me to create Cecil Taylor Ministries (which you can learn more about at CecilTaylorMinistries.com). I believe the Spirit loves riding with us each day, helping us deepen our faith and our trust in the Lord. This is the kind of spiritual adventure I wish for my readers, and I pray this book is a part of the process.

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.