Cecil Taylor Ministries teaches Christians to live a seven-day practical faith. One way is through the Practical Faith Academy podcast. Please see individual episode descriptions. For more information on Cecil Taylor Ministries, please visit CecilTaylorMinistries.com.
Episodes
Friday Apr 05, 2024
Friday Apr 05, 2024
Practical Faith Academy, Season 4 of Cecil Taylor Monthly Podcasts, presents guests who have important things to say about putting your faith into practice. Cecil interviews each guest to understand their life stories and ideas for living a seven-day practical faith.
In this episode, Lyvita Brooks joins the podcast. Brooks is the host of the Hanging Out with Jesus podcast, author of nine books, and the founder of The Me Project Academy. Brooks urges podcast listeners to act with intentionality, prepare a plan, and then implement that plan in order to live a seven-day practical faith.
Cecil asks Brooks questions about her faith development, her faith journey through a divorce, and how she has kept a solid faith through her life struggles.
You can learn more about Lyvita’s ministry at LyvitaBrooks.com.
You can learn more about Cecil at http://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com, at https://www.facebook.com/ceciltaylorministries , https://www.linkedin.com/in/ceciltaylor/ , and the Cecil Taylor Ministries YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHP_khu3r77ubl5jvHsf5-w .
By registering as a free subscriber on the Cecil Taylor Ministries home page, you’ll receive a free devotional guide, “30 Minutes Over 30 Days.” You’ll also receive his free monthly newsletter.
Cecil’s books and video studies are:
- “From Comfort Zone to Trust Zone: How Jesus Urges Us to Take Leaps of Faith for His Kingdom” (book available now; six-week video study and guides available in Apr. 2024).
- “The Next Thing: A Christian Model for Dealing with Crisis in Personal Life” (book, five-week video study, Leader Guide, and Participant’s Guide).
- “Live Like You’re Loved: Living in the Freedom and Immediacy of God’s Love” (book, five-week video study, Leader Guide, and Participant’s Guide).
- “Unison Parenting: The Comprehensive Guide to Navigating Christian Parenthood with One Voice” (book available now from Store.CecilTaylorMinistries.com; video studies and workbook available in Aug. 2024)
Tuesday Mar 12, 2024
Tuesday Mar 12, 2024
In his season 3 podcast series, Cecil Taylor identifies and explores the Top 11 themes of Jesus, derived from the number of his mentions in the Gospels. Each month, Cecil will count down the themes toward the #1 theme.
This month’s episode is the finale on the #1 theme, Prophecy. Nearly 100 times, Jesus speaks prophetically, either predicting the future or taking on the role of prophet warning Israel of wayward ways and the consequences.
In the first part of the podcast, Cecil walks through some of the verses related to prophecy, breaking them into four major categories. In the much shorter second part, Cecil recaps the series and shares further insights about the themes.
Scripture read in Cecil’s analysis during the podcast is found at: Luke 9:22; John 2:18-21; Mark 14:27-30; John 16:16-22; Mark 11:1-6; Luke 11:29-32; Luke 11:47-51; Matthew 23:27-28; Matthew 24:1-3; Matthew 24:27-31; Matthew 24:36-44; John 14:16-17; John 14:26; John 16:7-11; Luke 4:16-21; Matthew 13:13-15; Mark 14:48-49; Isaiah 53:7-12.
You can learn more about Cecil at http://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com, at https://www.facebook.com/ceciltaylorministries , https://www.linkedin.com/in/ceciltaylor/ , and the Cecil Taylor Ministries YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHP_khu3r77ubl5jvHsf5-w .
By registering as a free subscriber on the Cecil Taylor Ministries home page, you’ll receive a free devotional guide, “30 Minutes Over 30 Days.” You’ll also receive his free monthly newsletter.
Cecil’s books and video studies are:
- “From Comfort Zone to Trust Zone: How Jesus Urges Us to Take Leaps of Faith for His Kingdom” (book available now; six-week video study and guides available in Apr. 2024).
- “The Next Thing: A Christian Model for Dealing with Crisis in Personal Life” (book, five-week video study, Leader Guide, and Participant’s Guide).
- “Live Like You’re Loved: Living in the Freedom and Immediacy of God’s Love” (book, five-week video study, Leader Guide, and Participant’s Guide).
- “Unison Parenting: The Comprehensive Guide to Navigating Christian Parenthood with One Voice” (book available late Mar. 2024)
Saturday Feb 17, 2024
Saturday Feb 17, 2024
In his season 3 podcast series, Cecil Taylor identifies and explores the Top 11 themes of Jesus, derived from the number of his mentions in the Gospels. Each month, Cecil will count down the themes toward the #1 theme.
This month’s episode is on the #2 theme, Jesus’s Identity. More than 60 times, Jesus identified or proclaimed who he is, either by direct statements, indirect statements, or by acknowledging what others said about him. It’s a question that is asked throughout the Gospels and is integral to our faith: who is Jesus?
In the first half of the podcast, Cecil walks through the vaguest references Jesus makes, through indirect and direct statements, up to proclamations that drew the ire of the religious authorities of the day. In the second half, Cecil shares portions of a longer interview with a Rabbi expert in Judaism and familiar with Christian scripture.
Rabbi Joseph Kolakowski is an Orthodox Hasidic Rabbi, affectionately known in his community as the Koblentzer Rebbe. He previously served synagogues in Virginia and upstate New York, and currently serves as an associate Rabbi in a synagogue in upstate New York. His main ministry work is multifaith chaplaincy. He is the first Jewish chaplain to serve full-time in the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, serving as Chaplaincy Program Director in a state prison in Pennsylvania. He also works as a Jewish chaplain in a state mental hospital in upstate New York and has a traveling wedding ministry and is available as a public speaker. He resides in upstate New York with his wife and 7 children. His wife is also a chaplain and motivational speaker.
Scripture read in Cecil’s analysis in the first half of the podcast is found at: John 4: 25-26; Matthew 16:13-17; John 6:46; John 5:39-40; John 3:34-36; Daniel 7:13-14; Matthew 19:28-29; Matthew 25:31; Matthew 16:27; Matthew 24:30; Luke 18:8; Matthew 8:20; Mark 10:45; Luke 19:9-10; John 5:19-23; John 6:40; John 8:51-59; Mark 14:60-64.
You can learn more about Cecil at http://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com, at https://www.facebook.com/ceciltaylorministries , https://www.linkedin.com/in/ceciltaylor/ , and the Cecil Taylor Ministries YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHP_khu3r77ubl5jvHsf5-w .
By registering as a free subscriber on the Cecil Taylor Ministries home page, you’ll receive a free devotional guide, “30 Minutes Over 30 Days.” You’ll also receive his free monthly newsletter.
Cecil’s books and video studies are:
- “The Next Thing: A Christian Model for Dealing with Crisis in Personal Life” (book, five-week video study, Leader Guide, and Participant’s Guide).
- “Live Like You’re Loved: Living in the Freedom and Immediacy of God’s Love” (book, five-week video study, Leader Guide, and Participant’s Guide).
- “From Comfort Zone to Trust Zone: How Jesus Urges Us to Take Leaps of Faith for His Kingdom” (available Jan. 2024)
Upcoming books and video studies now in progress:
- “Unison Parenting: The Comprehensive Guide to Navigating Christian Parenthood with One Voice” (available Mar. 2024; now available for pre-sale)
Saturday Jan 06, 2024
Saturday Jan 06, 2024
In his season 3 podcast series, Cecil Taylor identifies and explores the Top 11 themes of Jesus, derived from the number of his mentions in the Gospels. Each month, Cecil will count down the themes toward the #1 theme.
This month’s episode is on the #3 theme, Trust and Obey God through Jesus Christ. More than 60 times, Jesus described the atmosphere of love and trust that can be established between God and humans, and urged us to find the faith to be obedient to God’s will and God’s commands.
On this podcast, Cecil explores samples of what Jesus said about trust and obedience, breaking it down into the four sub-topics: To love and trust God through Jesus Christ; to obey God’s will; Jesus bemoans humans’ lack of faith; Jesus assures his followers that in obeying, they will lose their fear and achieve peace of mind.
Lynn Austin is the interview guest in the second half of the podcast. Austin has written 32 books. Eight have won Christy awards for Christian fiction, and Austin was inducted into the Christy Hall of Fame in 2013. Her new novel, All My Secrets, becomes available on Feb. 6, 2024. You can learn more about Lynn and her work at LynnAustin.org.
Scripture read in Cecil’s analysis in the first half of the podcast is found at: Matthew 22: 36-40; John 15: 4-7; Matthew 7: 7-11; Matthew 11: 28-30; Matthew 12: 46-50; Matthew 7: 24-27; Luke 9: 57-62; Matthew 17: 14-20; Matthew 14: 25-31; Mark 8: 14-21; Matthew 6: 25-34; Luke 12: 32-34; Matthew 8: 23-27.
You can learn more about Cecil at http://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com, at https://www.facebook.com/ceciltaylorministries , https://www.linkedin.com/in/ceciltaylor/ , and the Cecil Taylor Ministries YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHP_khu3r77ubl5jvHsf5-w .
By registering as a free subscriber on the Cecil Taylor Ministries home page, you’ll receive a free devotional guide, “30 Minutes Over 30 Days.” You’ll also receive his free monthly newsletter.
Cecil’s books and video studies are:
- “The Next Thing: A Christian Model for Dealing with Crisis in Personal Life” (book, five-week video study, Leader Guide, and Participant’s Guide).
- “Live Like You’re Loved: Living in the Freedom and Immediacy of God’s Love” (book, five-week video study, Leader Guide, and Participant’s Guide).
Upcoming books and video studies now in progress:
- “From Comfort Zone to Trust Zone: How Jesus Urges Us to Take Leaps of Faith for His Kingdom” (available Jan. 2024)
- “Unison Parenting: The Comprehensive Guide to Navigating Christian Parenthood with One Voice” (available Mar. 2024)
Friday Dec 08, 2023
Friday Dec 08, 2023
In his season 3 podcast series, Cecil Taylor identifies and explores the Top 11 themes of Jesus, derived from the number of his mentions in the Gospels. Each month, Cecil will count down the themes toward the #1 theme.
This month’s episode is on the #4 theme, The New Creation. More than 60 times, Jesus described The New Creation that he brought to earth, usually known as the kingdom of God. But Jesus is partly the “new thing,” as well.
On this podcast, Cecil explores samples of what Jesus said about The New Creation, breaking it down into the four sub-topics: proclamations that The New has come; explanations of The New Creation; statements indicating that Jesus himself is the path to The New Creation; and conviction of the Pharisees and any Jewish traditions that stray from the kingdom.
Dr. Len Wilson is the interview guest in the second half of the podcast. His latest book, Telos: The Hope of Heaven, co-authored with Leonard Sweet, articulates the false narratives we have about the kingdom and defines what the kingdom truly is and how we can participate in it. Cecil and Len also refer to his prior book, Greater Things: The Work of the New Creation.
To learn more about Len and to follow his work, please visit https://www.inviteresources.com/ and https://lenwilson.substack.com/ .
Scripture read in Cecil’s analysis in the first half of the podcast is found at: Luke 5: 36-39; Luke 17: 20-21; Matthew 5: 3-12; Matthew 18: 1-5; Mark 4: 26-32; Matthew 13: 44-50; John 8: 12; John 15: 5; John 6: 48-50; John 8: 23-24; Matthew 23: 13, 23-26.
You can learn more about Cecil at http://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com, at https://www.facebook.com/ceciltaylorministries , https://www.linkedin.com/in/ceciltaylor/ , and the Cecil Taylor Ministries YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHP_khu3r77ubl5jvHsf5-w .
By registering as a free subscriber on the Cecil Taylor Ministries home page, you’ll receive a free devotional guide, “30 Minutes Over 30 Days.” You’ll also receive his free monthly newsletter.
Cecil’s books and video studies are:
- “The Next Thing: A Christian Model for Dealing with Crisis in Personal Life” (book, five-week video study, Leader Guide, and Participant’s Guide).
- “Live Like You’re Loved: Living in the Freedom and Immediacy of God’s Love” (book, five-week video study, Leader Guide, and Participant’s Guide).
Upcoming books and video studies now in progress:
- “From Comfort Zone to Trust Zone: How Jesus Urges Us to Take Leaps of Faith for His Kingdom” (available Jan. 2024)
- “Unison Parenting: The Comprehensive Guide to Navigating Christian Parenthood with One Voice” (available Apr. 2024)
Wednesday Nov 08, 2023
Wednesday Nov 08, 2023
In his season 3 podcast series, Cecil Taylor identifies and explores the Top 11 themes of Jesus, derived from the number of His mentions in the Gospels. Each month, Cecil will count down the themes toward the #1 theme.
This month’s episode is on the #5 theme, Repentance and Forgiveness. It’s a serendipitous follow-up to last month’s #6 theme of Love, Mercy and Service to Others, as there is a connection between forgiveness and mercy.
On this podcast, Cecil reviews some of what Jesus said about repentance and forgiveness, breaking it down into the four sub-topics: description of sin to reject, God forgives, call to repentance, and God provides freedom from sin.
David Inman joins Cecil on the podcast. As an amateur Bible scholar, David has been studying the role of forgiveness in salvation, including connections between the Old Testament and the New Testament on this topic. David and Cecil discuss what David calls “The Forgiveness Imperative.”
Scripture read in Cecil’s analysis in the first half of the podcast is found at: Matthew 7: 21-23, Matthew 5: 27-30, Mark 3: 28-29, John 16: 8-9, Luke 15: 1-7, Luke 15: 20-24, Luke 7: 36-50, Luke 23: 32-34, Matthew 4: 17, Luke 5: 30-32, Luke 13: 1-4, Matthew 11: 20-22, John 8: 34-36, Matthew 6: 12, 14-15.
You can learn more about Cecil at http://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com, at https://www.facebook.com/ceciltaylorministries , https://www.linkedin.com/in/ceciltaylor/ , and the Cecil Taylor Ministries YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHP_khu3r77ubl5jvHsf5-w .
By registering as a free subscriber on the Cecil Taylor Ministries home page, you’ll receive a free devotional guide, “30 Minutes Over 30 Days.” You’ll also receive his free monthly newsletter.
Cecil’s books and video studies are:
- “The Next Thing: A Christian Model for Dealing with Crisis in Personal Life” (book, five-week video study, Leader Guide, and Participant’s Guide).
- “Live Like You’re Loved: Living in the Freedom and Immediacy of God’s Love” (book, five-week video study, Leader Guide, and Participant’s Guide).
Upcoming books and video studies now in progress:
- “From Comfort Zone to Trust Zone: How Jesus Urges Us to Take Leaps of Faith for His Kingdom” (available Dec. 2023)
- “Unison Parenting: Navigating Christian Parenthood with One Voice” (available Apr. 2024)
Monday Oct 09, 2023
Monday Oct 09, 2023
In his season 3 podcast series, Cecil Taylor identifies and explores the Top 11 themes of Jesus, derived from the number of His mentions in the Gospels. Each month, Cecil will count down the themes toward the #1 theme.
This month’s episode is on the #6 theme, Love, Mercy, and Service to Others. You might think this is the #1 theme, but by volume, it’s only #6. However, few themes are as impactful as the things Jesus said on these topics.
For example, his analysis of the greatest commandments and the Golden Rule are part of this episode.
Kay Hall joins Cecil on this podcast to discuss the mercy and redemption she received, and how she passes this mercy along in her service through KayHallMinistries.com. You can access her video and purchase her book through her web site. The book is entitled, Beyond the Hidden Veil of Shame: One Woman’s Postabortion Journey to a Settled and Peaceful Heart. The movie, based on the book, is entitled Casting Stones, and is available on YouTube.
Scripture read in this podcast is found at: Mark 12: 28-34; Matthew 12: 7; Matthew 7: 9-12; Luke 6: 27-36.
You can learn more about Cecil at http://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com, at https://www.facebook.com/ceciltaylorministries , https://www.linkedin.com/in/ceciltaylor/ , and the Cecil Taylor Ministries YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHP_khu3r77ubl5jvHsf5-w .
By registering as a free subscriber on the Cecil Taylor Ministries home page, you’ll receive a free devotional guide, “30 Minutes Over 30 Days.” You’ll also receive his free monthly newsletter.
Cecil’s books and video studies are:
- “The Next Thing: A Christian Model for Dealing with Crisis in Personal Life” (book, five-week video study, Leader Guide, and Participant’s Guide).
- “Live Like You’re Loved: Living in the Freedom and Immediacy of God’s Love” (book, five-week video study, Leader Guide, and Participant’s Guide).
Upcoming books and video studies now in progress:
- “Unison Parenting: 9 Ways to Navigate Christian Parenthood with One Voice”.
- “From Comfort Zone to Trust Zone: How Jesus Urges Us to Take Leaps of Faith for His Kingdom”
Wednesday Sep 06, 2023
Wednesday Sep 06, 2023
In his season 3 podcast series, Cecil Taylor identifies and explores the Top 11 themes of Jesus, derived from the number of His mentions in the Gospels. Each month, Cecil will count down the themes toward the #1 theme.
This month’s episode is a two-parter on the #7 theme, Miracles. In the first part, Cecil is joined by guest Ammie Bouwman of For His Glory Ministry to discuss physical or medical healing. In the second part, the topic turns to spiritual healing, with Ammie again joining Cecil as a guest.
In the first section of both podcasts, Cecil discusses the theme and shares samples of Jesus' sayings from scripture that are related to his miracles. In the second half of both podcasts, Cecil interviews reverend, author and speaker Ammie Bouwman, herself a recipient of a verified miracle.
On the podcast, Cecil mentions a free one-week video lesson you can download or stream. It’s located at https://www.ceciltaylorministries.com/resources-live-the-life-given .
Scripture read in this podcast is found at: Matthew 8: 30-32, Mark 1: 23-26 Mark 7: 32-35, Luke 5: 12-13, John 5: 5-9, Mark 3: 1-5, John 2: 6-8, John 9: 6-7, Luke 13: 10-13, John 6: 11-13.
To receive Cecil’s free one-week video lesson that you can download or stream, please visit https://www.ceciltaylorministries.com/resources-live-the-life-given .
You can learn more about Ammie at https://www.facebook.com/ammiebouwman and at https://ammiebouwmman.com .
You can learn more about Cecil at http://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com , at
https://www.facebook.com/ceciltaylorministries, https://www.linkedin.com/in/ceciltaylor , and the Cecil Taylor Ministries YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHP_khu3r77ubl5jvHsf5-w .
By registering as a free subscriber on the Cecil Taylor Ministries home page, you’ll receive a free devotional guide, “30 Minutes Over 30 Days.” You’ll also receive his free monthly newsletter.
Cecil’s books and video studies are:
- “The Next Thing: A Christian Model for Dealing with Crisis in Personal Life” (book, five-week video study, Leader Guide, and Participant’s Guide).
- “Live Like You’re Loved: Living in the Freedom and Immediacy of God’s Love” (book, five-week video study, Leader Guide, and Participant’s Guide).
Cecil's upcoming books and video studies now in progress:
- “Unison Parenting: 9 Ways to Navigate Christian Parenthood with One Voice”.
- “From Comfort Zone to Trust Zone: How Jesus Urges Us to Take Leaps of Faith for His Kingdom”
Teaching Christians to Live a 7-Day Practical Faith
As the son of a preacher, Cecil Taylor understands the complexity of the word "call".
A lifetime's worth of "calls" has led Cecil to successful careers in software development, broadcast radio, and product management at the forefront of the telecom industry. And yet, despite the unique journey God has led him on, the struggle he has faced his entire life is one that is shared by most Christians:
How do you reconcile your call to ministry and call to Christ with the other directions God is leading you? How do you continue to grow closer to God in love and service when you're dedicated to so many other pursuits, whether it's a career or family or just the constant grind necessary in life?
Forty years of teaching adults and youth in church has allowed God to give some answers to Cecil and move his call to sharing it further. That's what Cecil Taylor Ministries is all about: humbly passing on wisdom that God has used already to change one life, in the hopes that it changes the lives of many.
The foundation of Cecil's experience is that every day of the week can be Sunday.
The feeling of intimacy, connection, growth, and love that we find in church and in communion with Christ isn't limited to one day a week. In fact, the start of understanding your call to ministry as a Christian is learning that God is present in every direction he has called you. Your career, your family, the constant highs and lows of life, all of them hold meaning to God.
Cecil's call and the main point of Cecil Taylor Ministries is to help you and others learn about a 7-day practical faith by applying scripture to life situations. Cecil Taylor Ministries offers video lessons, books, study materials, podcasts, devotionals and more to help churches, small groups and individual learners understand how to live a 7-day practical faith.