My daughter-in-law Julia is a pastor. I'm honored to say that she shared one of my major life philosophies in her recent New Year's Eve sermon.
Julia said in her sermon, "My father-in-law Cecil has this phrase he says all the time: Ski the trail! If you do something, especially something fun or indulgent, you should do it all the way, go ahead and ski the whole trail, finish it out." Julia used this in a sermon on approaching the New Year with an attitude of abundance, excessiveness, and joy.
I picked up the phrase decades ago from a book called "The Centered Skier" by Denise McCluggage. Comparing Zen and skiing, it wasn't my favorite book I've ever read, but a section on skiing the trail stuck with me. McCluggage wrote (if memory serves) that if you choose to ski the black slope, then ski the black slope. Don't complain about how hard it is. Don't back out or wiggle out of it, like sitting down and inching your way down the slope. Actually go ahead and do it. I find, in some ways, the philosophy is similar to Yoda's admonition, "Do or do not. There is no try."
I have applied this philosophy in many ways in my life, most recently in my faith life in a critical trust zone with which I've struggled. But I want to start with Julia's examples from our time together as we have built a new, fun, and loving relationship over her eight years (I think) as my son Austin's girlfriend and wife.
Julia talked about our whole-family vacation to Orlando last January. A big fan of "Frozen", "Harry Potter", and more, she was so thrilled to go but felt silly and embarrassed that a late-20's woman would be acting like a little girl as she lined up for photos with Anna and Elsa. In her sermon, Julia said that I would say, or she would sometimes hear a voice in her head say, "Ski the trail." That meant, buy the Mickey ears! Dive fully into the experience. You wanted this, now do it!
Julia didn't realize that I had a ski-the-trail moment alongside her at Universal Studios. I don't like roller coasters, but I had agreed to ride Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure. As Julia, Austin, and I stood in line and could see the motorcycle-like cars whizzing past, I realized I was in for an adventure right at the limits of my tolerance. I wanted to back out, but my own inner voice said, "Ski the trail." I felt like I might never have this kind of experience again with Julia and Austin, and I chose to fully experience the moment. Well, indeed, that ride is the max I can stand, but I got through it, had a smile on my face, and was ready to do it again!
In her sermon, Julia mentioned how "Ski the Trail" often applied to dessert, one of my favorite things in life. Back in 2022, she and Austin and I had an all-time "Ski the Trail" adventure at her favorite home cooking cafe and pie pantry from her days growing up. We had a nice lunch but really had our eyes on dessert. Julia and I couldn't decide which desserts to get. I'm not sure which of us had the idea (it wasn't Austin, as he was paying and objected at first to blowing his budget), but Julia and I decided that it was rare to be at this cafe, the pies were available, and we should all ski the trail with two pie slices each - plus two more for my wife Sara, who was resting that day. We strategized how we could taste each other's slices and experience more of what the cafe offered.
We ordered eight total pie slices in to-go boxes; we would eat what we could and save the rest for later. As pictured with the stacks of to-go boxes in the cafe kitchen, the waitress started shoveling pie into containers. I was so happy, I was grinning from ear to ear, and I urged Julia to immediately take my picture while I kept the happy look on my face. Yes, we did ski the trail that day!
But "Ski the Trail" isn't just about extravagance or fun challenge. It's also about determination. It's about faith. It applies when you make the decision to do hard things and find them even harder than you thought. It is skiing the black slopes of life.
This is the place I found myself in recently regarding Cecil Taylor Ministries. It's a ministry, it's a commercial venture, it's a family endeavor, and it's an expression of my faith. To use the language from my latest book, "From Comfort Zone to Trust Zone: How Jesus Urges Us to Take Leaps of Faith for His Kingdom," it's a trust zone. I don't really know where God wants the ministry to go or exactly how to get there. I just keep plugging away faithfully as the Spirit leads me.
But then I entered a dark, frustrating place. The ministry has achieved some great milestones, but it also isn't where it could be. I was looking negatively at the ministry. I felt like I was letting God down. I didn't know where I should go next. I felt myself even panicking a little.
Sara said, "Just spend some time with God," and I did. I did a lot of talking. I stopped to listen. Then I felt this message in my soul: "Ski the Trail."
I sensed other messages as well. "You're on the black slope. You're doing something really hard. You want to do this. You know I am holding your hand. You know Sara is holding your hand. Just ski the trail. Go forward. Don't stop. And enjoy the experience more."
Life is hard. What Jesus asks us to do, entering his trust zones and taking risks to serve him, can be hard. But we are not alone as we ski the trail. Thanks be to God!
Is Jesus calling you to ski the trail? Are you listening to him but shutting him down because he wants you to leave a comfort zone for a trust zone? It may be something small, or it may be something large. One of the feedbacks I get regarding "From Comfort Zone to Trust Zone" is that I identify comfort zones that readers didn't even know they had. They see how they've become too comfortable, how Jesus is wanting more from them, and how they need to take a risk. How about you? Please find my book at CecilTaylorMinistries.com, as well as through online booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Walmart, Thriftbooks, and others. It'll make a difference in your life as you learn better how to ski the trail.
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