The Expertise Crisis of American Christianity
Ed Cyzewski
by Ed Cyzewski
3w ago
While I was working as a freelance editor primarily for Christian clients, a pastor set up a meeting to discuss his book project idea. He arranged a video call with several other people from his team, which was a first for me. I could see he meant business. Most pastors, especially the male ones, come to me about publishing a book that’s based on a sermon series. The combined power of a few people patting them on the back, saying it was great, and the romanticism of publishing a book propelled them to reach out. With that in mind, I was surprised when this pastor said he wanted to write a boo ..read more
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Have We Counted the Cost of Making Churches Safe Spaces?
Ed Cyzewski
by Ed Cyzewski
2M ago
Author Rachel Held Evans rightly received standing ovations when she said, “What if the church was a place where everyone was safe but no one was comfortable?” Heaven help you, though, if you have the nerve to do the very things that will make the church a safe, uncomfortable space. Perhaps some have been too quick to applaud the desire for safety without realizing that oftentimes uncomfortable actions are required to make the church a safe space. Do we want safety? Yes! Do we want to be uncomfortable in the church? Absolutely not! Do we want to make the church a safe place at the expense of ..read more
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Announcing My New Book: The Divine Endorsement
Ed Cyzewski
by Ed Cyzewski
1y ago
The Divine Endorsement: How to Seek and Find the Only Influencer That Matters My new book shares simple steps any Christian author can use to gain the influence of the only one who truly matters. There is a crisis of influence in American Christian book publishing. Pastors and Christian authors routinely rely on the influence of fellow, fallible leaders who rarely even read their books to provide a blessed assurance that a book is worth a reader’s time. How can we know for sure if a pastor’s book on the principles of Christian marriage is trustworthy? He may not have any training in marria ..read more
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We Know Less Than We Think, So Why Not Emphasize Love?
Ed Cyzewski
by Ed Cyzewski
1y ago
How often have I changed my mind about a religious belief I once considered essential? I doubt that I could count that high. My shift from a regimented theology with an all-controlling God to a free-will-based world with a loving yet powerful God has been enough to make my head spin. Don’t even get me started on leaving behind the rapture or how reading Jewish Apocalyptic literature changed how I read the book of Revelation. It’s not that I’ve entirely changed religions here. I’ve always been a “Christian.” Yet, the type of Christian I am and the things I believe and prioritize have shifted e ..read more
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Jesus Heals What We Ignore
Ed Cyzewski
by Ed Cyzewski
1y ago
The following sermon was shared on June 19, 2022 at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Murray, KY on Luke 8:26-39. I have a confession to make to you. It’s not scandalous, but it’s the sort of thing that some may be ashamed to admit. I assure you, I’m not ashamed in the least, even if some certainly would be. Here it is: I’m a sucker for catch-phrase comedy. I can’t get enough of those predictable one-liners in comedy shows. There are Arrested Development’s gold standards: “I’ve made a teeny, tiny HUGE mistake.” And “There’s always money in the banana stand!” There’s the catch-phrase parody from ..read more
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I Had Doubts about Drawing My Book Cover
Ed Cyzewski
by Ed Cyzewski
2y ago
The book cover and the original oil pastel on the desk I made. My new book, Creative Renewal: An Invitation to Start Making Stuff and to Stop Clicking Stuff, is now available as a Kindle eBook ($.99 during its release this week) and paperback. To celebrate its release, I’m sharing part of a chapter about my high-stakes aim to design my own cover. I wanted to walk the talk of this book by creating my cover, ideally using oil pastels. It felt like a high-risk, high reward way to introduce readers to this book and embody what creative renewal could be in practice. I’ve invested a good bit of time ..read more
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How Can We Get Better at Resting?
Ed Cyzewski
by Ed Cyzewski
2y ago
If you had asked me what I did for breaks about six or seven years ago, I likely would have mentioned using my smartphone or tablet to check social media or to read articles. I even used phrases like, “I’m taking a break on social media” for many years. That is, I wasn’t taking a break from social media on those occasions. I was taking a break from working on my computer and switching to social media for all of my break. I swapped one screen for another. Then, fear, anger, anxiety, or despair rushed through my mind as I scrolled down further and further or clicked through one article and then ..read more
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Simple Prayers That Anyone Can Learn
Ed Cyzewski
by Ed Cyzewski
2y ago
Are you good at being quiet? Are you unsure of what to say when you pray to God? Can you remember one sentence at most? Then I have good news for you: You’re going to be really at learning some simple prayers. The Christian prayer tradition covers a lot of ground, including intercessions for others, prayers of thanksgiving and praise, and prayers for healing or restoration. There are simple prayers that Jesus himself taught us like the Our Father and longer prayers like Mary’s Magnificat. Yet, there are plenty of simple prayers that any Christian can learn to do right now with very little trai ..read more
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Everyone Doubts, but Everyone Is Also Forgiven and Loved
Ed Cyzewski
by Ed Cyzewski
2y ago
A sermon at St. John’s Episcopal Church on April 24, 2022. John 20:19-31 I’m not an expert in church planting, but I’ve gone to seminary, sat through a few church leadership classes, and helped at a few churches over the years. I know two informal rules of church planting that should be common sense for all of us. Now, let’s get our terms straight first. There’s a lead pastor or senior pastor who is in charge of the church plant. Then there’s a core group of committed volunteers known as a launch team who do a lot of the heavy lifting to help the lead pastor get the church started. So, there ..read more
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What Does It Look Like to Pray More Effectively?
Ed Cyzewski
by Ed Cyzewski
2y ago
I think we all want to figure out how to pray more effectively, but what exactly are we wishing for? We want our prayers to connect us with God, and we want to see positive outcomes when we pray for peace, strength, courage, safety, or healing. Yet, does praying effectively mean seeing a direct correlation between praying for specific outcomes and then seeing God deliver them? I spent a lot of time worrying that my prayers weren’t effective. I feared that God wasn’t real or that my faith was flawed because I didn’t see enough outcomes from my prayers. Looking back, I got swept up in my expect ..read more
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