Category Archives: change

3 Questions For The American Church

Posted on March 3, 2012 by Steve Simms

1: Which set of words bests describes a typical American church service: A) Lesson, lecture, liturgy, program, study about God, sermon, ritual, religion, boring, dull, routine, passive, solemn, humanly controlled; or B) Experience, encounter, presence of God, demonstration, manifestation, awe, … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, American church, change, Christianity, church, church structure, early church, East Nashville, freedom, hearing God, house church, joy, mystery, mysticism, non-traditional church, organic church, presence of God, religion, sermon, simple church, sin, Spirit-led, spiritual, tradition, Uncategorized, words | Tagged American church, book of Acts, Nashville, New Testament, particpatory, presence of God, sermon, The Salvation Army | 5 Comments

Show And Tell — A Powerful Tool For Improving Your Life

Posted on February 25, 2012 by Steve Simms

Show and tell — it’s not just for kindergarten and early elementary school. It is a powerful tool for improving your life that works wonders for people of all ages. For instance, when people are stressed out, caught up in … Continue reading →

Posted in AA, addiction, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, change, China, Chinese, Christian history, Christianity, church, church history, church structure, disciple making, early church, East Nashville, elementary school, freedom, guidance, harmful habit, hearing God, hearing Jesus, history, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, kindergarten, lifestyles, Methodist class meeting, Music City, Narcotics Anonymous, New Testament, organic church, Overeaters Anonymous, praise and worship, Quakers, religion, Scriptures, sermons, show and tell, simple church, spiritual formation, Supreme Court, the way we do church, Uncategorized, values, What is church? | Tagged AA, addiction, improving your life, Narcotics Anonymous, organic church, Overeaters Anonymous, show and tell, The Salvation Army | 21 Comments

Proof Found For The Existence Of God

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Steve Simms

Here are some ways that God actively intervenes in my life and daily gives me proof of His reality: * He frequently wakes me up around 5:30 am with a new blog post running through my mind even though I … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, Bible, blessings, blog, change, children of God, Christianity, church, courage, Creator, disciple making, God, habit, hearing God, hearing Jesus, Holy Spirit, joy, life, lifestyles, miracles, mystery, mysticism, Nashville, non-material reality, Oh my God, Oh Sinner Man, organic church, peace, proof of God, race, racism, religion, repent, revelation, salvation, simple church, sin, slavery, soul, spiritual, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual skills, spiritual warfare, support group, The Salvation Army, thinking, thoughts, Uncategorized, values, voice activated, voice of God, voices, Western religion, What is church?, words, worship | Tagged 5:30 am, a new blog post, a picture, a vision, about God, addresses the specifics, amazing, and/or, answered, apologize to anyone, around, ask, ask His forgiveness, at the moment, been in need, beyond any doubt, burn in my heart, Christian walk, church, come across a book, condemnation, could never count, couldn't stop on my own, daily, deeply touches, desperately wanted open, do something wrong, don't know, fellow humans, fills me with, forgives, frequently, get by with it, gives me, gives me strength, God, God actively intervenes, God comforts me, God convicts, God often, God puts a, has convinced, has shut doors, have to stop, helps someone, here are, His reality, His thoughts, I don't want to, I personally prefer, ideas flowing, in an odd way, in my life, intense awareness of God's Presence, joy in difficulty, kept me from accidents, languages, life, looks like defeat, love, mere coincidence, miraculously, most unusual ways, multi-racial, my body, Nashville, never thought of before, non-traditional, numerous, of my life, off my life, offended, others, overwhelmed, passion, peace in trouble, physically healed, power, pray, pray this way, pray with someone, prayers, praying, proof, proved, puts, puts thoughts in my mind, read the Bible, reading plan, reality, rearranges my circumstances every day, removes guilt, running through my mind, say, set me free, several times, several times a month, share it, some ways that God, starting and leading, strength has been exhausted, strong love, testify, that seem to come from out of nowhere, the courage to act, the frequence of such interventions, the results are amazing, The Salvation Army, the spiritual gift, think, this blog is an example, through out, to sleep later, tormenting thoughts, unexpected proviwsion, unusual opportunities, use very often, victory in what feels, wakes me up, way beyond the statistical posibility, way to often to be cvoincidence, ways that look like coincidence, when my own, words, words come alive, wrongful behaviors | 6 Comments

Quotes From Spiritual Athletes Between The 4th & 7th Centuries

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Steve Simms

Here are some quotations written between the Fourth and Seventh Centuries by some powerful spiritual athletes. They are from an amazing collection of writings — The Philokalia — Volume One. Enjoy the quotes: “When a man has an exact knowledge … Continue reading →

Posted in apologists, biography, boundaries, challenges, change, Christianity, church history, education, feelings, fire, freedom, fuel, history, impossible odds, kingdom of God, life, lifestyles, meaning, mind, mystery, mysticism, peace, Philokalia, positive thinking, Quotations, Quotes, religion, saints, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual skills, spiritual warfare, thinking, thoughts, Uncategorized, words | Tagged a blazing fire, Abba Moses, about to enter, accept, admonishing, against, against its will, amending, an amazing collection, Anthony the Great, athletes, attention, base thoughts, centuries, choice, coming, conduct, control, control our desires, correcting, defile, descends into the darkness, Diadochos of Photiki, distractions, drag, effort, enjoy, Evagrios the Solitary, evil thoughts, exact knowledge, exert, expel, expulsion, external sins, eyes, faster it dies down, feed, first, forcibly, fourth, free, free in their character, Give, grows, guard the heart, here are, Hesychios the Priest, his own enemy, impossible, impure thoughts, inflicts damage, intelligence, into, Isaiah the Solitary, John Cassian, John of Karpathos, Journey without direction, king, lazy, less fuel, like, making it, malicious words, man, Mark the Ascetic, mind, more it, Neilos the Ascetic, no longer, not those, on his own, outwardly free, passions, power, powerful, powerful words, quotes, recognize, recognizes, regard, regulating, remain, resentful, rules, ruling, service, Seventh, sin, skill, some, spiritual, spiritual athletes, state, status, struggle, subjects, take the utmost care, the intellect, the nature of thoughts, The Philokalia, then go, through struggle, troubled, troubled by thoughts, troubling, undistrubed, Volume One, wants to see clearly, wasted effort, we can reach, whoever becomes angry, wisdom, within, within the power, writings, written between | 2 Comments

News Flash: Planet Earth invaded by its Creator, not with the force of justice and judgment; but with mercy, love, humility. The Creator comes in human flesh, not in a royal palace, but in an animal stable — not with a demonstration of His power and authority, but subject to the circumstances of a Babe born under questionable conditions to a poor mother. Yet 20 centuries later, the world slows down, work stops, families gather on the day set aside to remember that God invasion. One Babe began a movement that continues to our time — a movement that has made millions of men and women better than they would have been without beholding the Christ. Transformed by Jesus, by God in the flesh — made new, set free, personally invaded by the Spirit, now rejoicing, not in stuff, and tinsel, and traditions both religious and secular; but rejoicing in relationship with the Babe, now the Lord, Savior, Master!

Posted on December 25, 2011 by Steve Simms

Posted in awe, blessings, change, Christ, Christianity, Christmas, Christmas carols, Christmas Eve, church history, Creator, glory, God, gratitude, history, holiday, holidays, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Jesus Movement, joy, lifestyles, Lord, meaning, miracles, movement, mystery, mysticism, non-material reality, Oh my God, organic church, praise and worship, proof of God, Reason For The Season, religion, revelation, salvation, saved, Savior, self-image, simple church, soul, spiritual, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual skills, spiritual warfare, stuff, supernatural, thanksgiving, thinking, thoughts, tradition, Uncategorized, values, virgin birth, Why be a Christian?, words, worship | Tagged 20 centuries, animal shelter, authority, babe, beholding, better than, born, by Jesus, circumstances, comes in human flesh, continues, Creator, day set aside, demonstration, families gather, force, God in the flesh, God invasion, humility, invaded, invaded by the Spirit, judgment, justice, later, Lord, love, made new, master, men and women, mercy, millions of, movement, news flalsh, not in stuff, now rejoicing, our time, personally, planet Earth, poor mother, questionable conditions, relationship with, religious, rember, royal palace, Savior, secular, set free, subject to, the Christ, tinsel, traditions, transformed, work stops, world slows down | 1 Comment

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

7 Names For 7 Days Around Thanksgiving (& 2 Oxymorons)

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Steve Simms

I don’t know who started naming the days around Thanksgiving Day. However, this new tradition doesn’t seem complete. Friday, Saturday, and Monday have names, but Sunday has been left out. Also, it seems to me like a week’s worth of … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Friday, blog, challenges, change, Cyber Monday, holidays, humor, life, meaning, modern myths, oxymorons, possessions, Reason For The Season, Small Business Saturday, stuff, thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Day, Thanksgiving Eve, thinking, thoughts, tradition, Uncategorized, values, words | Tagged 7, a week's worth of, an even, around, Black Friday, blog post, but two, complete, contains, Cyber Monday, days, did you notice, Friday, Giving Tuesday, has been left ut, I don't know, it seems to me, Monday, names, naming the days, new tradition, not one, oxymorons, Reason-For-The-Season, Saturday, Small Business Saturday, Sunday, Thanksgiving Day, Thanksgiving Eve, Thanksgiving Thursday, the intorduction, Tired-And-Worn-Out, Tuesday, who started, yep | 3 Comments

Christmas Is About Judgment

Posted on November 26, 2011 by Steve Simms

Here’s a surprise: Christmas is about dealing with judgment. Our sinful thoughts, choices, and behaviors have been judged and we are guilty and condemned men and women. If our condemnation is merely canceled, the result would be chaos and injustice. … Continue reading →

Posted in Amazing Grace, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, blessings, change, Christ, Christian history, Christmas, Christmas Eve, feelings, forgiveness, freedom, God, Hell, history, Jesus, Jesus Christ, juddgment, life, lifestyles, morality, mysticism, Nashville, religion, repent, salvation, saved, spiritual, spiritual growth, spiritual warfare, supernatural, The Salvation Army, tolerance, Uncategorized, words, worship | Tagged 21st Century, 225 Berry St., 37207, a beautiful package, accetp the greatest gift, actively, all, all humanity, amazed, at the cross, at what happens, authority, behaviors, Berry Street Worship Center, bondage to sin, came, canceled, chaos, choices, Christ, Christmas, Christmas is about, come see, condemnation, condemned men, dealing with judgment, debt, defeated death, Don't, forgiveness, freedom, gather, gathering, grew up, guilty, have been judged, hell, Here's a, his suffering, in His name, individual, injustice, invited, Jesus, judgment, just remember, leadership, man-made program, men and women, merely, Nashville, overlook it, owe a debt, paid, personally, repentance, sinful thoughts, sins, Sundays, surprise, take active control, the babe, the grave, the greatest gift of all, the result would be, The Salvation Army, to take the punishment for, tolerance, turn the meeting over, turning waya from our sins, under His direct, upon Himself, we are guilty, we can nevber pay, when we gather, wrongdoing | 5 Comments

I Grew Up In Church Without God

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Steve Simms

My parents tell me that when I was a toddler, I used to talk to them about God. They didn’t go to church or have much interest in spiritual things, so they were quite surprised by my interest in God and … Continue reading →

Posted in Amazing Grace, awe, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, Boy Scouts, change, Christianity, church, college, college students, East Nashville, feelings, fire, freedom, God, Hindu, Holy Holy Holy, I Corinthians 14:26, Jesus, Jesus freaks, Kumbaya, lifestyles, Nashville, non-material reality, organic church, Presbyterian, religion, revelation, self-image, simple church, spiritual, supernatural, The Salvation Army, Uncategorized, University of Tennessee Martin, What is church?, Why be a Christian?, worship | Tagged 10:45 am, 225 Berry St., 37207, 41 years ago, a Christian, a million miles away, a real believer in, about God, actual Presence of, agnostic, all-consuming, amazing, an official church member, another thought, Arkansas, attending church, Berry Street Worship Center, Boy Scout, burns in my heart, campfire, childhood years, Christ, Christianity, closer to God, come and see for yourself, Come by here, Communicant's Class, confusing doctrines, congregation, creatively. modeled, Cumberland Presbyterian Church, describes, do church, dynamic relationship, eerie, elementary school, entered, every few monts, experienced, experiencing God, faint sense, felt, focused on, freely, freshman, funny thing, given the freedom, go to church, God's absence, God's awesome presence, high schook, Hindu, Holy Holy Holy, how to connect, hymn, I Corinthians 14:26, If you were born, immeciately, interest in God, invited to start, Jackson, Jesus Freaks, Jonesboro, junior year, know God, knowing God, Kumbaya, listened, living, living God, make me happy, mind, modern, more present, more real, mother, my Lord, Nashville, non-traditional, odd thought, older, parents, participate, passively, people, physical surroundings, popped into my mind, preached, preacher, Presbyterian Church, realized, regularly attending, rejected, relating to God, remember, results, rituals, sensed, series of classes, shouldn't church, shows up, something stirring inside, spiritual condition, spiritual fire, spiritual things, spiritually empty, suddenly exposed, Sunday morning, Sunday sermon, Sundays, support group, surprised, sweet Presence, talk, Tennessee, the Bible, The Salvation Army, The University of Tennessee Martin, think back to, TN, toddler, usher in, verse, Why do you think you are, with Jesus, wonder, wondered, words, you will be blessed | 4 Comments

An Alter Call

Posted on October 13, 2011 by Steve Simms

Perhaps we need an alter call. Maybe it is time to change and make some alterations. * Alter the way you think. Most people never think much about their thought choices. They tend to just go with whatever thoughts come … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, change, change management, church, house church, life, lifestyles, meaning, organic church, popular culture, simple church, television, thinking, thoughts, What is church?, words | Tagged 10:45, 225 Berry St., 37207, Acts, alter, alterations, anxiety, ball of fire, behaviors, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, book of, call, called, change, choices, choose, church, come to, commercial, con visit, conversations, create, culture, day, depression, described, do, do church, emotions, fear, frustration, great impact, guilt, harmful, hear, how, how to have church, how you live, however, human, I Corinthians 14:26, important, improve, impulses, invited, it is, life, lifestyle, make, make an effort, make your life better, making, mind, most, Nashville, need some help, negative, New Testament, not good, not the best way, obey, Observer, pain, passive, people, perhaps, place, present, problem many, quality, quality of life, rather, responding, say, self-inflected, song lyrics, spectator, Sundays, tells, text messages, the opium of the people, the original, The Salvation Army, the way, think, thought, thoughts, time, turned the world upside down, TV show, verse, weak, whatever, whims, words, worry, worse | Leave a comment

Category Archives: change

3 Questions For The American Church

Show And Tell — A Powerful Tool For Improving Your Life

Quotes From Spiritual Athletes Between The 4th & 7th Centuries

Blind Belief? Or Spiritual Conversion

7 Names For 7 Days Around Thanksgiving (& 2 Oxymorons)

Christmas Is About Judgment

I Grew Up In Church Without God

An Alter Call

These elephants want to inspire you! Search Amazon for: Elephants INspiring The Room.

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

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