Author Archives: Steve Simms

About Steve Simms

I like to look and think outside the box. In college I encountered Jesus Christ and I have been passionate about trying to get to know Him better ever since. My wife and I long to see the power and passion of the first Christ-followers come to life in our time. I have written a book about our experiences in non-traditional church, called, "Beyond Church: An Invitation To Experience The Lost Word Of The Bible--Ekklesia." If you need encouragement, search for: Elephants Encouraging The Room and/or check out my Amazon author page. Thank you!

The Joy Of Christ*mas Stopping

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Steve Simms

Does Christmas shopping ever leave you empty? Do you ever feel like Christmas shopping is not enough? That there must be more to the Christmas season than just buying lots of stuff to give away on Christmas Day? Well, there … Continue reading →

Posted in ancient history, boundaries, casual sex, Christ, Christian history, Christianity, Christmas, Christmas carols, Christmas Eve, conscience, conversion, evangelicals, forgiveness, freedom, grace, guilt, history, holiday, holidays, Jesus, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, lifestyles, meaning, miracles, morality, morals, mysticism, new birth, non-material reality, peace, prayer, proof of God, Reason For The Season, recovery, religion, repent, revelation, salvation, saved, Savior, self-esteem, self-help, self-image, sex, sin, sobriety, soul, spiritual, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual skills, spiritual warfare, stuff, supernatural, support group, Uncategorized, values, Why be a Christian?, words, worship | Tagged a very important aspect, adultery, an angel, attitudes and actions, behaviors, brought to Christ, buying, celebrations, cheating on, Christmas, Christmas Day, Christmas shopping, Christmas stopping, Do you ever feel like, experiencing, fabulous freedom, for He shall save His people, from, from their sins, give away, Go and sin no more, God's great gift, great joy, Have you done your Christmas, It's not too late, Jesus, Jesus gave, Joseph, leave you empty, lots of stuff, met Christ, most ignored, not enough, nowadays, often left out, people's taxes, perhaps it is time, put it to, repent, self-destructive, sleeping around, stopped, stopping, take, teaching, than just, the Christmas season, The Cross, the first, the real Christmas tree, the tax collector, There must be more to, this way, thoughts, to do, well, woman caught in the act, words, wrongful, You shall call his name Jesus, Zacchaeus | 2 Comments

Blind Belief? Or Spiritual Conversion

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Steve Simms

In some Arab countries it is against the law for a person to convert to another religion than the religion of her/his birth and upbringing. However, having been raised in a particular religion is no indication of its truth or … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, American, change, change management, Christ, Christian history, Christianity, church, church history, conscience, conversion, disciple making, English, evangelicals, fire, forgiveness, freedom, glory, God, grace, history, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Movement, Jesus Take The Wheel, John Wesley, joy, kingdom of God, life, lifestyles, miracles, movement, mystery, mysticism, non-material reality, Oh my God, praise and worship, prayer, proof of God, recovery, religion, repent, revelation, salvation, saved, self-image, soul, spiritual, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual skills, spiritual warfare, supernatural, trust, Uncategorized, Why be a Christian?, worship | Tagged 1700s, 17th, 18th, a deep work, a heart work, accepting, adhering, adopts, against the law, American Colonies, another religion, Arab, based, been converted, being justified, believer, birth, blind belief, born again, called, centuries, change, childhood, Christ, convert, convinced, countries, deceptions, defined, direct, divine perfection, Dwight L. Moody, encountered, England, entire life, Exemine yourself to see, faith, few, follow, frustrated, goal, God's own likeness, goes thoughout, Gordon D. Fee, greatest human, has to give up, helped spark, His will, Holy Spirit, I came to America, I felt my heart strangely warmed, in the faith, Indians, indication, infect, infection, intorduced, invaded by, Jesus Christ, John wesley, Joseph Alleine, lack of success, Ledyard Cuyler, living, man, members, mighty, mind, multitudes, never, on fire, particular religion, passionate preaching, Paul of Tarsis, perhaps, person, personal, personal transformation, questioning, quotations, raised, realized, receive the Spirit, redeemed, relationship with God, returned home, rish his life, rote rituals, salvation, saved, set in, some, soul, spiritual awakening, spiritual conversion, spiritual illumination, spiritual movement, suggestion, teachings, the living God, the reality of, think, thoughts, truly, truth, trying to convert, upbringing, validity, ways, whether you are, who will convert me?, wish it otherwise, witnessing | 2 Comments

From Spiritual Cyber Space Into This Physical World

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Steve Simms

God came from spiritual cyber space into the physical world, not through being printed by a printer, but by being born as a Babe and laid in a manger. Christmas means that Jesus is living right here on planet Earth. … Continue reading →

Posted in awe, Christianity, Christmas, Christmas carols, Christmas Eve, cyber space, glory, God, history, Jesus, Jesus Christ, miracles, mystery, mysticism, Oh my God, Quotations, Quotes, Reason For The Season, religion, revelation, salvation, soul, spiritual, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual skills, spiritual warfare, supernatural, thoughts, tradition, Uncategorized, virgin birth, words, worship | Tagged 21st Century, a good birthday present, a matter of the heart, all you who are, always, ancient history, and, Are you looking, as a Babe, Behold, being born, being here, but we can only find, by our intellect, Christmas, compares, consistent obedience, Cotvos, cyber space, dear, directly, don't have to, figure, from, God came, God so loved the world, gone somewhere far away, hear about, heart, His only begotten Son, His will, human beings, I will give you, Immanuel, into, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus said, laid in a manger, letting, like, listen to, listening, living, means, not in the room, nothing, on planet Earth, personally interacting with, printed by a printer, quotation, rest, right here, sing about, sing right to, speak, spiritual, still with us, talk, talk about, talk right to Him, thank you, that He gave, that's cool, the physical world, to give, voice, WDJS, We may seek God, weary and heavy laden, What does Jesus say? Come unto Me, with our heart | Leave a comment

Merry Messiahmas?

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Steve Simms

Merry Messiahmas? Christmas is named for Jesus Christ. Jesus is His name. Christ is a Greek translation of the Hebrew title, Messiah, which means Anointed One. The folks who first translated the New Testament into English used the Greek term, … Continue reading →

Posted in Christ, Christian history, Christianity, Christmas, Christmas carols, Christmas Eve, English, Greek, Hebrew, Jesus, Jesus Christ, language, Messiah, mystery | Tagged anointed one, arrival of, be real, celebration, during, English, first translated, folks, followed suit, Greek, Greek term, Greek translation, Hebrew, Hebrew title, His name, if they had, instead, Jesus, Jesus Christ, later, long-awaited, may, means, Merry, Messiah, Messiahmas, named for, New Testament, season, translators, word, you | 4 Comments

Are Sermons Effective?

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Steve Simms

Have you ever tested the effectiveness of sermons? I did. I was a brand new pastor in my first church — Mayfield Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Mayfield, Kentucky. After finishing three years of seminary, I had been preaching for about … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Christ, Christianity, church, Cumberland Presybterian Church, East Nashville, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, kingdom of God, lifestyles, movement, mystery, mysticism, Nashville, organic church, praise and worship, religion, sermons, simple church, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual skills, supernatural, The Salvation Army, Uncategorized, values, What is church?, worship | Tagged 225 Berry St., 37207, AA, afternoon, alcoholics, Alcoholics Anonymous, American, American Christianity, an oral test, Berry Street Worship Center, better caught than taught, brand new, called, captured by, Christianity, church meeting, church setting, congregation, considered, continued, creating, culture, Cumberland Presbyterian, decided, doctrines, effectiveness of sermons, evening, everyone has a, experience, exploded, facts, fads, first church, following, follows trends, functions, grow, help people change, hot to hold, house church, however, hymn, ineffective, influencing, interpretation, job description, Kentucky, lecture, less than, lifestyles, like, little happens, little power, Mayfield, meetings, membership, message, mind, much more, Nashville, noble, nobody, none, one simple and easy question, open participation, openly, organic church, overwhelming, passively, pastor, Paul of Tarsus, Paul's instructions, poems, preach, preaching, prepared in a, professional, questions, requires more than, response, revelation, right, shocked, simple church, simple questions, sit and listen, society, society's, something more than, sometimes, started, Sunday morning, test, the basic point, the main topic, The Salvation Army, three years of seminary, TN, to build, to reach people, tongue, treating, try, type, virtuous, visit, weekly, When you come together, word of instruction | 26 Comments

Let’s Be Fair & Name Every Holiday “Holiday”

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Steve Simms

There continues to be much effort made attempting to change the name and focus of Christmas. For example, this Christmas season, the governor of Rhode Island, Lincoln Chafee, decided to change the name of the Christmas tree in the rotunda … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas, Christmas carols, Christmas Eve, Halloween, holiday, holidays, Independence Day, Labor Day, meaning, Memorial Day, New Years' Eve, political correctness, Trick or Treating | Tagged a lot easier, attempting to change, be fair, bland, celebrations, change the name, Christmas, Christmas season, Christmas tree, continues, decided, equally, fireworks, fireworks shows, focus, for example, govenor of Rhode Island, gut, Halloween, holiday season, Holiday tree, holidays, Independence Day, Labor Day picnics, Lincoln Chafee, meaning, Memorial Day, much effort, name, New Years' Eve parties, offended, other, political correctness, renamed, state house, Trick or Treating | Leave a comment

Christmas Chatter

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Steve Simms

Christmas chatter: ‘Tis the season to celebrate Jesus. Happy Christ Day! Merry Jesusmas! “When Christ entered our world, He didn’t come to brighten our Decembers, but to transform our lives.” –Rich Miller Have yourself a Holy Spirit Christmas. What we … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, Christ, Christianity, Christmas, Christmas carols, Christmas Eve, East Nashville, feelings, God, holidays, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, joy, lifestyles, Lord, meaning, miracles, Music City, mystery, mysticism, Nashville, popular culture, praise and worship, prayer, Quotations, Quotes, Reason For The Season, self-esteem, shopping, spiritual, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual skills, spiritual warfare, The Salvation Army, Uncategorized, values, worship | Tagged 'Tis the season, a great time, All hail the power of Jesus' name, Alpha, amazing, awesome, becomes more real, begins, Berry Street, Bible, birthday, brighten, celebrate Jesus, chatter, Christ Day, Christ entered our world, Christ will fill, Christmas, Dan Schaeffer, Decembers, diminish, enthusiastically, everlasting Father, every Sunday morning, fact, God's love, Grander, happy, Have yourself a, heard, His presence, holidays, Holy Spirit, imagined, is His, Jesusmas, keep silent, King of Kings, let angels prostrate fall, lives, Lord of Lords, love, love for God, Merry, mighty God, more important, mysterious, Nashville, of the season, old song, Omega, openly, pages of the, part of everyday life, people, power, powerful, Prince of Peace, real, reality, Rich Miller, says, surrender, talk about Jesus, testify, testimonies, the best deal, the best shopping deal, The Salvation Army, transform, turn away, What a friend we have in Jesus, What God is doing, what we talk about, when was the last time, will, wiser, Wonderful Counselor, worked up, Worship Center | 1 Comment

Christmas Is Full Of Mystery — So Is Life

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Steve Simms

Christmas is full of mystery. Mystery is difficult for some people to accept. It is human nature to want to know how things happen. We want to understand — to figure things out. This innate human trait has been good … Continue reading →

Posted in big bang, biology, challenges, Christianity, Christmas, Christmas carols, Christmas Eve, consciousness, creation, Creator, education, evolution, holidays, impossible odds, materialism, mind, miracles, mystery, mysticism, non-material reality, Oh my God, origin of life, proof of God, Reason For The Season, religion, self-image, soul, spiritual, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual skills, stuff, thinking, thoughts, Uncategorized, virgin birth, Why be a Christian? | Tagged admit, agriculture, analytical, attempt to answer, Avenue, believe, beyond the wildest, blob of condensed matter, blow up, blow-out, blows a circuit, by faith, categorize, category, charted, choose, Christmas, comfort, communication, compartmentalized, completely unexplainable, complexity, confronts, crafted, creation, dead end, delcares a Creator, denied, difficult for some people to accept, distant past, Does a person survive death, don't matter, energy, experimentation, explain, explain the origin, exploded, fallacy, figure things out, for example, full of mystery, good for the human race, great advancement in health, has to offer, His mystery, how, How can we improve?, How dose that work, how things happen, human imagination, human knowledge, human nature, human reasoning, human trait, in the real world, inate, increased knowledge, left-brained, life, living, logic, loose ends, made of nothing, mankind, matter, meaning, mysterious Creator, mystery, observation, order, personality, philosophy, physical world, presume, pridefully, purely natural process, question, randomly produced, rational beings, rationality, reality, reasoning, religion, removed, riddle of life's mistery, right back, science, shove, shrouded, solid, somehow, speculation, speed of light, started, stuck with, survives, systematized, technology, the best that, The Big Bang, thinik, thrives, tricked, two choices, unanswerable, understanding, unimaginable complexity, vast body, want to know, want to understand, we don't know, Western world, What does lofe mean, Where did we come from | 6 Comments

You Can’t Buy Christmas

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Steve Simms

So many people are motivated by a myth — trying desperately to purchase a Merry Christmas. Unfortunately, this is a major misconception that we are taught by our popular culture. Truth is — you can’t buy Christmas. You can buy … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Friday, Christmas, Christmas carols, Christmas Eve, Cyber Monday, greed, joy, lies, life, materialism, meaning, motivation, myths, popular culture, repent, sales, selling, shopping, Small Business Saturday, stuff, thoughts, tradition, Uncategorized, words | Tagged 'em, a major lie, beyond, buy, car, cash or credit, Christmas decorations, Christmas ffeast, clients, decorate, dollars, ebay, every, exciting, expensive gifts, family, find the most, for all to see, Friends, Give, go on, joy, lod, lots of, loved one, many people, members, Merry Christmas, mighty special, misconception, motivated, myth, order, parth, plastic cards, plastic trees, popular culture, pretty packages, purchase piles, spend, still, strings of lights, take, taught, tens of thousands, the best, throw, tidings of great joy, to purchase, to the limit, truth is, trying desperately, unfortunately, unusual, you can't buy Christmas | 2 Comments

Why Is Christmas The Most Celebrated Day Of The Year?

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Steve Simms

Why all the fuss and effort to celebrate the Christmas season? You know. The most celebrated day of the year is about the arrival of Jesus Christ on planet Earth. Isn’t it amazing all the time, effort, and money that … Continue reading →

Posted in Americans, awe, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Christianity, Christmas, Christmas carols, Christmas Eve, East Nashville, freedom, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, life, lifestyles, meaning, miracles, mysticism, Nashville, non-material reality, Oh my God, popular culture, praise and worship, Reason For The Season, religion, revelation, Savior, spiritual, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual skills, spiritual warfare, The Salvation Army, Why be a Christian? | Tagged 10:45, 225 Berry St., 37207, alive, all the fuss, all the time, amazing, around the world, Berry Street, birth, calls us back, celebrate, Christmas celebrations, Christmas season, come, confined, eager, effort, empowered, Enhance, experience, faithfully serve, freedom, gives, history, hope, human life, hundreds of millions, in our time, individuals, inner passion, inner witness, inside the human heart, inspires, Jesus, Jesus Christ, know, live a life of love, loves us, meaningless existence, mere, money, morality, most celebrated day, moves, Nashville, of the year, people, personally encountered, planet Earth, presence, present reality, random, rebellious, religion, respond, return, ritual, runaway, self-destructive behaviors, self-sacrifice, set free, shows, spent, steps out, stirs, Sundays, testifies, the arrival, the depths of our being, the living Christ, The Salvation Army, there is a God, there is more to life, TN, to believe, tradition, transformation, truths, try to deny, Why, working, Worship Center, you know | 6 Comments

Author Archives: Steve Simms

About Steve Simms

The Joy Of Christ*mas Stopping

Blind Belief? Or Spiritual Conversion

From Spiritual Cyber Space Into This Physical World

Merry Messiahmas?

Are Sermons Effective?

Let’s Be Fair & Name Every Holiday “Holiday”

Christmas Chatter

Christmas Is Full Of Mystery — So Is Life

You Can’t Buy Christmas

Why Is Christmas The Most Celebrated Day Of The Year?

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