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!

Life Rocks When Religion Becomes Real (Or, Night At The Theological Museum)

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Steve Simms

In the 2006 movie, Night at the Museum, a night watchman at New York City’s American Museum of Natural History is shocked when the exhibits in the museum come to life. His once boring job suddenly becomes exciting and challenging. It is amazing the … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian history, Christianity, church history, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, life, lifestyles, meaning, mysticism, new birth, Night at the Museum, Oh my God, organic church, popular culture, prayer, Quotations, Quotes, religion, resurrection, revelation, simple church, The Salvation Army, What is church?, William Booth | Tagged 2006 movie, accepting, accumulation, addictions, adherents, alive, amazing, America's, American Museum of Natural History, announced, argued, arguments, as the waters cover the sea, authority, awe, believe, Bible, blandly, blind faith, boring job, bright and morning star, brothers, bursts forth, by droves, celebration, challenging, church, churches, cofounder of, come to life, connects, cravings, crazy, crucifixion, data, demonstrated, demonstrating, don't rock the boat, driven, exciting, exhibits, experience, feel, fill the earth, flamed, foundations, from God, glory of the LORD, God's, having strouble, head, His, Holy Spirit, hope, ignores the heart, in my seat, incarnation, information, Jesus Christ, joyous, jumped off the pages, know so, knowledge, Letters, life, lifeless formes, living, Lord, losing, love letters, majestic, makes, man, mastered, mind, miracles, most of all, museum, need no, New Testament, New York City's, night, Night at the Museum, night watchman, oh, passionately, people, persuade, physical healing, power, presence, proof, proven, pulsating, quotation, rational, rationalized, real, reassure, relationships, religion, resurrection, ritual, said, salvation, secular society, seduction, see, send, sensational, set free, sexy, shaking, shocked, spiritual, spontaneous, spplendor, staying awake, Sunday school, surging, taught, teeming, the Apostles, the difference, the Good News, The Salvation Army, theological, theology, tired, trembling, true, vividly, William Booth, with life, work, writers, written to, yawn | 3 Comments

The Best (Non-Biblical) Quotation In The World

Posted on July 24, 2011 by Steve Simms

I love and collect quotations. I have more than 20,000 quotations from hundreds of books that I have read. So when I am asked what is my favorite quotation, I have never known what to say. All 20,000+ have been … Continue reading →

Posted in Holy Spirit, kingdom of God, life, lifestyles, mysticism, Oh my God, organic church, Quotations, Quotes, religion, revelation, scholasticism, simple church, Summa Theologica, Thomas Aquinas | Tagged academic, All I have written, alone, analysis, and, approach to life, approaches, asked, best, books, brilliant, but my Father in Heaven, Christianity, church, collect, compared to what has been, composition, Dominican, end, endorsed, enjoy, enjoying, exited, experience, explain everything, explained, favorite quotation, First Century, flavor, flesh and blood, generation, genuine, goal, God, great minds, hasn;'t revealed this to you, hundreds, I will build my, ice cream, identified, in comparison, inconsequencial, intellectualism, intellecutal, Jesus Christ, life, lifetime, lingt, logically, love, main work, many volumes, mere, Messiah, millions poeple, mind, molecular, monk, need, never wrote again, non-biblical, Peter, power, powerful, pray, pursuit, quotations, quote, read, revealed, rock, rocks, room, said, savor, savored, scholasticism, seems so much like dung, statement, strongly influenced, sum, Summa Theologica, supernatural, surpassed, tasting, theological perspective, theology, think, Thirteenth Century, Thomaqs Aquinas, to me, to me, total, upon this rock, weeks, Western thought, world, writer, You are Peter | 1 Comment

Is The Denial Of God A Delusion?

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Steve Simms

In a book by Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion, the author uses various arguments to strongly attack the idea of any non-material intelligence existing outside of nature as being just a myth. However, the belief in the existence some kind of intelligent … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheists, big bang, books, consciousness, creation, Creator, evolution, God, life, lifestyles, mysticism, Oh my God, religion, theory of evolution | Tagged 70, agnostic, all it contains, answer, anti-supernatural prejudice, arguments, ask for, atheism, atheistic, author, away, based, beyond all doubt, blindly believe, block, book, can never prove God, capacity, China, Christian, communicate, communication, communism, Communists, consciousness, constant companion, correcting, country, Creator, cruelly, delusion, depends on, directly, disprove, drive out, encouraging, enforced, existing outside of nature, exists, explain, exploded, faith, forcefully attack, God, hate speech, how can you, human history, humans, intelligence, intelligent, know for sure, leading, listen, mentioned, myath, natural world, neither, non-material, obvious, on the other hand, one way or the other, people, petition, physical world, presupposition. presume, proclaim, prove, question, rational proffe, reason, recently, refuse, Richard Dawkins, science, sincerely, some kind, some would say, Soviet Union, speaking, spiritual encounter, the belieff in the existence, The God Delusion, the idea, think, through out, to the point, took over, truth, universe, various, widespread, years, years later | 15 Comments

Christianity — Costly Calling? Or Creed, Chain-Of-Command, Culture, Corporation?

Posted on July 21, 2011 by Steve Simms

Some people nowadays are asking, What is Christianity? What is church? Good questions! If you seriously read the Book of Acts, the Biblical record of the early church’s experience and impact, it is obvious that our present day presentations of … Continue reading →

Posted in American, ancient history, change, Christian history, Christianity, church history, history, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, lifestyles, meaning, Oh my God, organic church, popular culture, religion, Uncategorized, What is church? | Tagged accumulate, against, Americans, appearance, book, book of Acts, business plans, calling, cash flow, celebrated, chan-of-command, change the world's culture, changed in the process, chapters, Christendom, Christianaity, church, church history, cohesive, conforming, corporation, correct, cost it all, costly, creed, crusades, culture, cultures, death, deed more than creed, described type, developed, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, divine right of kings, early believers, Europeans, far afield, focused, follow and obey, follow Christ, force, form, from there to here, generation, give their lives, good questions, grass-roots movement, Greeks, heart-felt, heavy-handed, hierachy, history, how-d, human structure, humility, illegal, impact, in this world, inquisitions, intellect, it's time, Jesus, like a product, live like, make Jesus our Lord, many countries, marketing religion, model for church, moeny, my take, nowadays, originated, paid the price, passed through, passion, paster as CEO, paupers, perhaps, persecution, philosophy, Pope, popular, positional authority, present day, presentations, promote, prosperty, protect, quick rin through, read, really, rejection, restricted, revelation, Romans, service, society set the rules, sought, Spirit led, spiritual life, spread, squeeze, statement of beliefs, strangers and pilgrims, systematized, the Biblical record, The Cost Of Discipleship, the original, thinking, thought, today, various, vital, Western Christianity, what is Christianity?, What is church?, whatever happens | 4 Comments

The Most Unique Church In Nashville

Posted on July 20, 2011 by Steve Simms

This isn’t documented with an official survey or anything, but I think McFerrin Park has Nashville’s most unique church. It is diverse economically, racially, and socially. It has no pulpit and no sermons. It has a different worship leader every … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, Holy Spirit, house church, life, lifestyles, Nashville, organic church, religion, simple church, Sunday school, The Salvation Army, What is church? | Tagged 225 Berry Street, 37207, a drummer, a need comes up, adults, anytime, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible study, box, brass band, chairs, changed, church, colored cloths, come and see, couch, couple, cross, curious, different, diverse, documented, during the week, each other, economically, every Sunday, every week, front yard, gathering, hanging on it, house church, intentionally, McFerrin Park, mix, most unique, Nashville, Nashville's, national magazines, nights, no pulpit, no sermons, non-traditional, offering, open discussion, open sharing, organic church, participation, pews, plate, play, pray for people, racially, really care about, Salvation Army, sanctuary, simple church, socially, somewhat, spend time together, Sunday, support group, takes the time, tambourines during worship, The Tennessean, Thursday, uniforms, visibly excited, wall, worship leader, written up | 5 Comments

Of Human Bondage — Judgment, Tolerance, Or Salvation?

Posted on July 19, 2011 by Steve Simms

We boast of freedom in a life of limits. As humans we live in the ever present bondage of boundaries. Nothing in our lives is unlimited. We can only climb so high, reach so far, run so fast, think so long, enjoy … Continue reading →

Posted in apologists, Berry Street Worship Center, boundaries, church history, history, Holy Spirit, house church, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, life, lifestyles, meaning, mysticism, Nashville, Oh my God, organic church, positive thinking, Quotes, religion, salvation, simple church, social justice, The Salvation Army, thinking, What is church?, William Booth | Tagged 000, 18802, 2, a third option, about, acceptance, accepting, accusing words, addictive, amazing, and/or, army, attempting to justify, attitudes, begin, behaviors, being rescued from, being set free, blame, blaming others, boldly, bondage, boundaries, Bramwell Booth, but in deed and in truth, cause and effect, climb so high, consequences, create, crossed out the word, culture, daily, decades, denial, destructive, devasting, discussing, disguise the pain, do, don't know when, dull, duration, East London, efforts, embraces, enjoy, ever preent, expiration date, fast, fatalism, father, flyer, forgotten concept, freedom, get free, guilt, harmful, held hostage, held in bondage, Here I am to save the day, how do we deal with, human thoughts, humans, I am a regular, I was born this way, in an effort, in the mean time, Jesus Christ, judgment, judgmental, jusdge us, life, life choices, life's limits, limits, live, lives, living, long, meet, mighty power, millions, movement, news media, not in words only, nothing at all, nowadays, opening, other parts of England, others, ourselves, pain producing, passively, pen, people, perhaps, perishable products, physical existence, pie-in-the-sky, practical, presence, pretend, price we pay, prison doors, proclaim, proclamation, raging fire, reach so far, read, real freedom, rediscover, religious platitudes, resurrected, run, said, salvation, say, so many ears, social work, spread around the world, surrender, talk, that's just the way I am, the end is coming, The Salvation Army, the things that, the way we live, think, though out, three ways, time, to promote a meeting, tolerance, unlimited, verbally, volunteer, We are a salvation army, We are a volunteer army, we boast, who can say, William, William Booth, working, world, written | 6 Comments

A Computer Is More Like A Potato Sorter Than A Human Mind

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Steve Simms

Many people believe that a computer is like a human mind. However, in reality it is much more like a potato sorter than a mind. A popular world view is that material reality is all that exists. If something cannot … Continue reading →

Posted in apologists, big bang, brain chemistry, brain research, consciousness, creation, evolution, life, meaning, mind, Oh my God, popular culture, thinking, thoughts | Tagged act, appears, assignment of meaning, brain, chance, claim, command, comprehends, computer, conscious thinking, difference, distinguish, electronically, encounter, evolution, examine, exchange, exists, flow, flow of electrons, function, God, human data processing, human mind, installed, intelligent, intelligent being, know, knowledge, Letters, many people believe, material reality, meaning, meaningful, meaningless, mechanically, mere, molecules, non-material, patterns, person, physical world, physiological process, popular, potato sorter, programmed, proven, randomly, read, realities, reality, receives, receiving a flow, receiving meaning, recording, set up, significant, source, stores patterns, symbolize, the very idea, time, turn the handle, water, water faucet, working, world view, written symbols, You are a winner | 1 Comment

Church — Lab or Lecture? Intellect or Votech? Academic or Epidemic?

Posted on July 16, 2011 by Steve Simms

Should church be academic or epidemic? Should it be based on the transfer of religious knowledge or on an ongoing contagion of spiritual life spreading like raging fire? Here is a quotation from Paul of Tarsus, the church planter who established … Continue reading →

Posted in apologists, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, change, God, Holy Spirit, house church, lifestyles, mysticism, organic church, Quotations, Quotes, religion, simple church, The Salvation Army, Uncategorized, What is church? | Tagged 225 Berry St., 37207, academic, academic study, accepting, agreeing to, area, based on, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, Biblical doctrines, book of Acts, called, Christian votech, Christians, church, church planter, contagion, contemporary church, creed, daily lives, Dear children, deed, demonstrative, disciples, disciplined, dry intelect, epidemic, established, experiential learning, first Christian churches, follow and obey, followers, formation within, gave, go and make disciples of all nations, godliness has value for all things, Great Commission, hands-on activity, hearts, holy, Holy Spirit, house church, ignored, inflaming, intellect, isn't it time, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John the Beloved, knowledge puffs up, lab, laid-back, lecture, lifestyle, like, listening, live, living love, love builds up, make this change, making disciples, mental adherents, merely, move beyond, Nashville, New Testament, not love with words, nowadays, ongoing, organic church, others, passion for God, passivity, Paul of Tarsus, Paul's words, physical training, practice, quotation, raging fire, read, religious, religious knowledge, reproduce, return, said, seeking, sermons, serve, simple church, some value, spiritual athletes, spiritual formation, spiritual life, spiritual lifestyle, spreading, Sundays, talk, Tennessee, the apostle, The Salvation Army, Thursdays, time of, tongue, train, train yourself to be godly, transfer of, transformation, turned, visit a church, votech, with actions and truth, wrote | 8 Comments

Quotes About How War Is Failure

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Steve Simms

Here are some quotations about how resorting to the violence of war is failure. Personally, I believer war to be humanity’s greatest failure. So why is war applauded and lauded, glorified and honored by our culture? Is failure something that we should encourage? Shouldn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in American, anti-war, freedom, human rights, nonviolence, peace, Quotations, Quotes, thinking, war | Tagged ability, admission of failure, affect, against, applauded, author, begetting, Benjamin Franklin, breakdown, civil rights, civilized, courageous, creativity, culture, descending spiral, desperately in need, destroying, destroys, devising ways of, diminishing, diplomacy, don't even think, encourge, enemies, every expernsive, evil, failure of diplomacy, faith, families, follies, former, freedom to, French President, glorified, governor, greatest plague, guns, here are some, honored, humanity's greatest, idolatrous, imagination, it's possible, Jacques chirac, Jesse Ventura, John Dingell, Jr., K.J. Parker, killing, lauded, leader, Living As An Ordinary Radical, loving, Lyndon B Johnson, Martin Luther, Martin Luther King, Minnesota, mischievious, much less practical, multiplies, not participate, ones, placed, plague, preferable, protect, public policy, quotations, quotes, Reformation, religion, resorting to, rockets, scourge, seeks to destroy, Shane Claiborne, some folks, speak out, spent, states, symbols, The Irresitible revolution, the very thing, to die, ultimate, US Congressman, US President, violence, war, war is failure, warships, weakness | 4 Comments

Organic Church = God On The Loose

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Steve Simms

There are sometimes awkward moments in unprogrammed, participatory church (also known as organic church or simple church). People sometimes say things and/or do things that are outside of my comfort zone. On a recent Sunday morning at The Salvation Army Berry Street … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street Worship Center, God, Holy Spirit, house church, life, mysticism, Nashville, Oh my God, organic church, simple church, The Salvation Army, Uncategorized, What is church? | Tagged are you ready, awkward, Berry Street Worship Center, bit, blow, but, came to, church, close, comfort zone, comfortable, comfy, courage, cut, danger, denying the power, disturb, farthest from God, freedom, fuffle our feathers, gather together, God, having a form of godliness, Him, His way, Holy Spirit, how true, information, Lord, meeting, midst, mind, moments, my, Nashville, on the loose, organic church, outside of my, participatory, power, predictability, rock, shake, sharing, simple church, situations, sometimes, spiritual life, startle, stretch, structure, Sunday morning, take the limits off of, The Salvation Army, thereof, things, throbbing, transformation, unbound, uncomfortable, unprogrammed, visit, where it will, wide open, wind, wondering, words, work, working | 4 Comments

Author Archives: Steve Simms

About Steve Simms

Life Rocks When Religion Becomes Real (Or, Night At The Theological Museum)

The Best (Non-Biblical) Quotation In The World

Is The Denial Of God A Delusion?

Christianity — Costly Calling? Or Creed, Chain-Of-Command, Culture, Corporation?

A Computer Is More Like A Potato Sorter Than A Human Mind

Church — Lab or Lecture? Intellect or Votech? Academic or Epidemic?

Quotes About How War Is Failure

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

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