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!

Modern Myth # 1 — Life Produced Itself

Posted on October 2, 2011 by Steve Simms

As ancient and tribal societies have had their myths and their gods, even so, our modern society has its myths and its gods. Our contemporary gods my not be thought of in human form like the Greek and Roman gods, … Continue reading →

Posted in apologists, creation, evolution, gods, life, modern myths, myths, origin of life, proof of God, science, theory of evolution | Tagged #!, agree, allowed, American, ancient, as fact, baptized, believe, blogs, cannot, come into existence, considered, contemporary, create, created, culture, difficult to imagine, Don't, evolved, far fetched, forbidden, God's, Greek, highly, human beings, human form, idea, impact, in reality, intelligent society, itself, lab, matter, modern society, moderns, most favorable conditions, myths, non-living, official faith, one-celled life form, only, origin of life, other, possible, post, powerfully, presented, public schools, Roman, science, scientific proof, self-produced, series, societies, supposed, theory, thought, tribal, unintelligent, unscientific, where is the proof? none, widely accepted, without proof | 7 Comments

It’s Time For A God-ward Gaze

Posted on October 1, 2011 by Steve Simms

Some people stare at problems and are defeated by despair. Other people set their eyes on pleasure and are overcome by destructive desires. I want to gaze at God and glimpse His glory. Moses did. “To quote the writer of Hebrews; “By … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Christianity, consciousness, God, house church, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Movement, kingdom of God, life, lifestyles, meaning, mysticism, Nashville, new birth, Oh my God, organic church, proof of God, Quotations, Quotes, recovery, religion, salvation, simple church, soul, spiritual, The Salvation Army, thinking, thoughts, Uncategorized, What is church?, worship | Tagged 10:45, 21st Century, 225 Berry Street, 37207, allowed, amazing, anger, area, Baptist, because, Behold the Lamb of God, Berry Street Worship Center, by faith, change, church, defeated, despair, destructive desires, develop, doing, don't see, during, excitement, fantasies, fearing, fix our eyes on Jesus, gaze, get closer, glimpse, glory, God, God-ward, greatest Light of all, heads are filled, Hebrews, help, Him who is invisible, hungry for God, in the light of His glory and grace, in their eyes, invisible, invititation, Jesus, Jesus Movement, John the Baptist, king's, left Egypt, let us, live, lived, lives, living, look full in His wonderful face, many, Moses, multitudes, Nashville, of our faith, openly, overcome, passionately, people, perfector, persevered, pleasure, problems, proclaimed, quote, reading, right in front of your eyes, rings out, sang, saw, set their eyes on, share, some, song, sparks, spiritual vision, spiritually storng, spread, stare at, Sundays, supposed, Tennessee, testify, the author and, The Salvation Army, the things of eart, the way, thing to see, too bright, Turn your eyes upon Jesus, visit, was, will grow strangely dim, with, writer | 3 Comments

Top 10 Ways God Demonstrates His Reality

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Steve Simms

God is not a theory but a demonstrable reality. This is not just my thinking. Paul of Tarsus said; “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so … Continue reading →

Posted in God winks, I Corinthians 2:4, miracles, prayer | Tagged experiencing God, God's Not Dead, Is God dead, proof of God, Time magazine | 4 Comments

Nashville’s Flood, Fire, & Ferocious Winds

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Steve Simms

Nashville has had a flood and it brought out the best in people. It was so exciting to see so many people volunteer their time and give their money to help their friends, neighbors, and even strangers. After the Nashville … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, change, disasters, East Nashville, fire, fuel, Holy Spirit, kingdom of God, meaning, mysticism, Nashville, Oh my God, organic church, prayer, prayer walking, spiritual, The Salvation Army, Uncategorized, What is church? | Tagged 10:45, 225 Berry St., 37207, after that, amazing, began, Berry Street Worship Center, blood of Jesus, brought out, came to, city, come see, damaged, day of, destroyed, East Nashville, encourage, exciting, experience, ferocious, fire of, first, First Street, flag, flood, Friends, gather, Give, God's, group, harmful, help, historical marker, Holy Spirit, homes, I Corinthians, impacted, knocked down, Lord, mighty rushing wind, mind, minister, money, moving, Nashville, Nashville flood, natural, neighbors, one day, out, outporuing, Pentecost, positive, pray, prayer walk, proclaim, Scripture, sounded, spirit, spiritual, spread, stands for, storms, strangers, Sundays, testify, the best in people, The Salvation Army, time, trees, volunteer, way, weekly, winds | Leave a comment

A Forgotten American Folk Song’s Powerful Message

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Steve Simms

I live in Nashville, Music City; however, we don’t hear songs like this old American folk song in Nashville or on MTV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtlxoRAAHVU Our culture has changed and the message of this song is no longer heard (or even tolerated). … Continue reading →

Posted in addiction, boundaries, change, Christianity, criticism, discipling, drugs, education, forgiveness, freedom, God, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, life, lifestyles, meaning, mind, morality, morals, MTV, music, Music City, mysticism, Nashville, negro spirituals, Oh Sinner Man, popular culture, Quotations, Quotes, recovery, self-image, sin, soul, spiritual, thinking, thoughts, Uncategorized | Tagged 90%, a wretch like me, alcohol, America, American folk song, ancient, answer, aware, awareness, begins to see, believes, bit, brightness, C.S. Lewis, center, changed, chaplain, Christian, churches, clean, clotes, counselor, create, crime, culture, darkest night of the year, depravity, dirt, dirty, don't hear, drug, early days, fact, falsely, filthy, finally, first rays of light, God, God's glory, God's light, good people, good person, grow, hands, have mercy on me, hearts, hint, holier, holy, hymn, I am, I am a sinner, I'm a, increasing, interview, interviewed, Jesus Christ, Jesus prayer, John Newton, know, life, link, listening, live, living, looks, Lord, lost, managed, men, Michael McKinley, misery, monkx, more, more sensitive, nearer, new, noonday sun, notices, O, of the, Oh Sinner Man, old, Orthodox, over the horizon, perhaps, person, Peter K. Nelson, practice, presence, program, quite, rehab, rright, see ourselves, sees, self-destruction, self-judgment, simple question, sinfulness, sinner, son, spiritual darkness, story, sun comes up, surprises, tale, tell, think, Tim Chester, told, toward, ultra-conservative, used by, very far from God, watch, wee bit, what kind, Why, women, woods, word, work, wretched, writer, you, Youtube | 5 Comments

Is The Denial Of God Anti-Intellectual?

Posted on September 24, 2011 by Steve Simms

Here is my definition of anti-intellectual: opposing or indifferent to an intellectual approach; basing an opinion on personal presuppositions and/or emotion, rather than on reason. The rejection of the idea of God is based on an unproven, irrational presupposition — the view … Continue reading →

Posted in anti-intellectual, apologists, Aristotle, Atheists, big bang, consciousness, Creator, God, history, morality, morals, popular culture, religion, scholasticism, thinking, thoughts | Tagged 20th Century, act like, an effect, ancient, anti-intellectual, approach, arguments, atheism, atheistic, attacks, author, based on, basing, behavior, behaviors, belie, belief, belief in God, best of all possible words, beyond, blatantly, book, breaking out, Bryant, cause, choice, Cleverly, definition, demand, demand human rights, deny God, disapproval, dishonestly, embrace, embraces, emotion, encounters, energy, ethics, exclamation, existence, existence of God, exists, express, fact, fanatical, feel the need, filled, for example, free will, God, governments, greek philosophers, has nothing to do with, hell, history, honest, idea, ideas, important, in other words, in the name of religion, inconsistent, indifferent, innocent human beings, intellectual, irrational, irrational concept, John Adams, justice, late, leads, letter, live, lives, logic, love, man, material, material world, matter, misquotes, morality, much, necessary, non-material, not fit to be mentioned, nothing, opinions, opposing, organizations supported, parenthesis, personal, personal opinion, polite company, present day, presupposed, presuppositions, primarily, produced, quote, rationality, read, reading, reads, realities, reason, reasoning, recognized, rejecting God, rejection, religious, religious people, Richard Dawkins, scientific, scientist, seek, self-proclaimed, shocked, show, some kind, something, speak up for, The God Delusion, the killing of, think, Thomas Jefferson, throughout, unproven, view, writes | 30 Comments

The Most Dangerous Spiritual Condition

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Steve Simms

Perhaps the most dangerous spiritual condition is to sincerely believe that you are saved (right with God) when you are not. Let me give you an example. Suppose I ship you all the tickets you need to a great event … Continue reading →

Posted in disciple making, kingdom of God, National Football League, NFL, organic church, positive thinking, Quotations, Quotes, religion, revelation, salvation, saved, simple church, soul, spiritual, thinking, thoughts, Uncategorized, What is church? | Tagged after righteousness, all things, angry, asks, attend, because, become new, been had, being saved, believe, Bible, burning, Christ formed, Christ Jesus, commands, condition, convicted, counterfeit, dangerous, deeply, die, dying to self, emal, enthusiastically, Examine yourself, example, expremely dangers=ous, faith, fall, favorite, Forgetting what is behind, game, gate, getting into, Give, given a gift, great event, Have you believed in vain?, hear, heaven, high calling, hungering, I press toward the mark, I'm sorry, in your, in your heart, lest he fall, let him who thinks he stands, let's say, lifetime process, machine, mind, more of God, most dangerous, most exciting, new creature, NFL team, no desire, no more need, not real, now, obtained, old things, opponent, overconfident, passed away, Paul, perhaps, plays, prize, qill, question, quickly, relationship with God, right with God, run your tickets, sad, safe place, salvation, satisfied, saved, say, seeking, seeking God, ship, shocked, show up, sincerely believe, spiritual, spiritual condition, spiritual fire, spiritually, stadium, suppose, take heed, thank, think, thirsting, ticket-taker, tickets, too late, too little, trying, turn away, unconcerned, unconditional, want, whether you be in the faith, won't go out, wrongful things | 5 Comments

When Somebody’s Done You Wrong — 3 Responses

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Steve Simms

Have you ever found yourself singing “A Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song”? If so, you have three options: 1. You can choose to get her/him back and even the score — retaliate! The problem with that choice is, like Gandhi … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, anti-war, forgiveness, freedom, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, life, lifestyles, meaning, morality, music, nonviolence, prayer, recovery, religion, resentment, revelation, self-help, spiritual, thinking, What is church? | Tagged ago, Amen, An eye for an eye, ask, back, bad feelings, batch, before, begin, bitterness, bless, bruning down, choice, choose, concept, cycle, dear, did you wrong, effective, even the score, experiment, family, feel like, feels, few, financial needs, forgive, forgotten, found yourself, freed, Gandhi, get, get rid, go ahead, God, good health, good things, gt him back, hate, hatred, heart, hold on, house, individual prayer of blessing, Jesus, just do it. say, merry way, method, misery, name, need, obey, options, person, Pray for those, prayed, putting yourself, rat, really works, religious, resent, resentment, retaliate, revenge, say, see what happens, singing, Somebody Done Somebody Wrong, something, song, taught, the whole world, three, try, try it, unaware, unforgiveness, very, want, what do you have to lose? move on, who persecute you, will be blind, wonderful, wonders, works, years | 15 Comments

Jesus (And The Thoughts He Brings To My Mind)

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Steve Simms

I wrote down “Jesus.” Now I am going to write what comes from my heart. I love Jesus. He is more real to me than the air I breathe. He sustains me, strengthens me, comforts me, challenges me, inspires me, … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian history, Christianity, church history, college, college students, Easter, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Movement, Jesus Take The Wheel, meaning, mysticism, Oh my God, peace, praise and worship, prayer, religion, salvation, soul, spiritual, Uncategorized | Tagged 20 centuries, abandon, above every name under heaven, again, air I breathe, Alpha and Omega, authority, awesome, bringing hope, captivated, church-service, clothed, college freshman, comes from, completely, conviction, dances, dear, devoured, did, down, encountered Jesus, endurance, ever since the day, everlasting Father, first, first Christians, flows, generation, glorious, God with us, Gospel accounts, have your way, heart, heart cries, high and lifted up, historical, hungered, I want more, Immanuel, in my heart, in our time, itself, Jesus, joy, jumps off the pages, knowledge, life, lion of the tribe of Judah, liturgy, living, long, love, manifest, men and women, midst, mighty God, mighty miracles, more, more of Jesus, more stuff, move, name, open our eyes, passion, peace, person, poured over, power, presence, present, read, real, refreshing, religious figure, revelation, ritual, same, splendor, sweet, talks, thank you, the word, theology, theory, through being, to see, turn us around, washing, word, worked, write, wrote | Leave a comment

What The Church Can Learn From Country Music, Yall

Posted on September 17, 2011 by Steve Simms

I’m from Nashville, Music City — home of the Grand Ole Opry, the Mother Church of Country Music and home of the CMA Awards. Here are some things that the church can learn from Country Music: * Let people tell their … Continue reading →

Posted in BNA, church, CMA, CMA Awards, Country Music Association, Jesus Take The Wheel, Music City | Tagged Carrie Underwood, CMA Awards, CMA Festival, Country Music, Funny country songs, Nashville | 8 Comments

Author Archives: Steve Simms

About Steve Simms

Modern Myth # 1 — Life Produced Itself

Top 10 Ways God Demonstrates His Reality

A Forgotten American Folk Song’s Powerful Message

Is The Denial Of God Anti-Intellectual?

The Most Dangerous Spiritual Condition

When Somebody’s Done You Wrong — 3 Responses

Jesus (And The Thoughts He Brings To My Mind)

What The Church Can Learn From Country Music, Yall

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Beyond Church: An Invitation To Experience The Lost Word Of The Bible

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