Category Archives: Christ

A New (Emergent and/or Organic) Name For Christianity: Christimacy

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Steve Simms

These ideas came to my mind during the praise and worship meeting at The Salvation Army Berry Street this morning.  I shared them with the believers gathered there. The one word that most describes the difference between the Old and … Continue reading →

Posted in atonement, Christ, Christ followers, Christ in you, Christ in you the hope of glory, Christian, Christian values, emergent Christianity, emergent movement, God with us, having a form of godliness, He broke down the wall of hostility, house church, intimacy, Jesus Christ, lost and restored, Love one another, move of God, movement, new birth, new creation, New Testament, Old Testament, racial reconciliation, reconciliation, salvation, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, simple church, spirit, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual formation, spiritual healing, spiritual innovation, spiritual interaction, spiritual kinship, spiritual transformation, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

Church? Prevading Presence or Prearranged Program?

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Steve Simms

Church is the powerful and permeating Presence of the living, resurrected Jesus Christ; not just the mere presentation of a prearranged religious program. Church is a group of people actively engaging God; not a group passively listening to a talk … Continue reading →

Posted in Christ, Christian community, church meetings, church program, church roles, church services, church structure, conformed, contemporary, contemporary society, corrupt culture, countercultural, do church, Do not conform, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, kingdom values, lecture, lifestyle Christianity, lifestyles, meaning, non-church, non-church movement, non-traditional church, power, religious innovation, resurrection, sermon, sermons, Spirit-led, spiritual innovation, spiritual interaction, spiritual power, the way we do church, values | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

2013 — A New Year? Or The Same Ole Same Ole?

Posted on January 1, 2013 by Steve Simms

Will 2013 be a new year for you or the same ole same ole of years gone by?   Does this new year mark the mere movement of time; or the development of character, the growth of love, and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Christ, Christ followers, Christ in you, Christian, Christianity, conversion, conviction, conviction of sin, forgiveness, God, honesty, hope, if anyone is in Christ, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lyrics, new birth, new creation, New Testament, obedience, prayer, presence of Christ, presence of God, recovery, reformation, relevation, religion, repent, repentance, revelation, revival, revolution, sin, sins, soul, spirit, spiritual, spiritual formation, spiritual healing, spiritual training, spiritual transformation, spiritual warfare, supernatural, surrender to God | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Is America Violent & Alienated From God Like Jean Valjean In Les Misérables?

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Steve Simms

Les Misérables, the new movie musical staring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, and Amanda Seyfried, beautifully brings Victor Hugo’s 1862 French novel to life.  However, it made me wonder:  Is America violent and alienated from God like the main … Continue reading →

Posted in 20th Century, 21st Century, alternative lifestyle, Augustine, brainwashed, brainwashing, C.S. Lewis, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, Christian values, Christianity, conscience, conversion, convert, conviction, conviction of sin, cruel, devotion, discouragement, evangelism, faith, faith-based, faithfulness, fear, feelings, freedom, French novels, God, harmful thinking, hearing God, history, human nature, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John Wesley, life, lifestyle Christianity, lifestyles, meaning, message, misery, moral failure, moral principles, morality, morals, movie, movie review, movies, musicals, mysticism, new birth, obedience, persecution, popular culture, prayer, relevation, religion, repentance, salvation, search for significance, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual formation, spiritual healing, spiritual themes, spiritual transformation, values, Victor Hugo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

21 Creative Blogs About Christmas

Posted on December 25, 2012 by Steve Simms

Happy birthday, Jesus!  Here are some blogs I wrote about You and and Your birth: The World’s Most Unusual Christmas Greeting Christmas Eve Eve — The Night Before The Day Before The Fiscal Cliff The Christmas Drug — The High Hopes … Continue reading →

Posted in 'Twas the night before Christmas, angels, angels watching over you, Angels We Have Heard On High, belief, belief system, Biblical concept, blog readers, Christ, Christian values, Christmas gifts, Christmas shopping, Christmas shopping season, Christmas traditions, culture, customs, cute story, devotion, entertainment, faith, His story, inspiration, Jesus, Jesus Christ, majesty, mystery, mysticism, prayer, reading, Reason For The Season, religion, religious ceremonies, religious innovation, religious tradition, Spirit-filled, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual healing, spiritual transformation, tradition, Uncategorized, virgin Mary, worship | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

The World’s Most Unusual Christmas Greeting

Posted on December 24, 2012 by Steve Simms

For me, Merry Christmas won’t do.  The day celebrating the world’s most unusual event needs a very special greeting.  So here’s my attempt at the world’s most unusual Christmas greeting: May you have a joyous celebration of Jesus’ birthday and … Continue reading →

Posted in Christ, Christ followers, Christian, Christianity, Christmas, culture, current events, happiness, Happy Holidays, holiday, holiday hype, holidays | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Christmas Eve Eve — The Night Before The Day Before The Fiscal Cliff

Posted on December 23, 2012 by Steve Simms

“‘Twas the night before Christmas . . .”  — those are famous words, but what about the night before the day before Christmas?  Christmas Eve eve is seldom mentioned or thought about.  It’s just another holiday shopping day. However, on … Continue reading →

Posted in 'Twas the night before Christmas, Christ, Christ in you, Christian history, Christianity, Christmas Eve, Christmas gifts, Christmas shopping, Christmas shopping season, Christmas traditions, Christmas travel, church history, contemplation, God with us, holiday, holidays, little town of Bethlehem, Nazareth, new birth, Paul of Tarsus, presence of Christ, presence of God, Quotations, quote, Quotes, religion, self-denial, self-destruction, shopping, spiritual formation, submission, surrender, surrender to God, tradition, travel, virgin birth, virgin Mary | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Christmas Drug — The High Hopes Of Holiday Hype

Posted on December 22, 2012 by Steve Simms

Year after year humans have high hopes for the Christmas holidays, but their humongous hopes are often hijacked and held hostage by holiday hype.  The Christmas drug of hyped up holidays just doesn’t seem to be able to live up … Continue reading →

Posted in 24/7/365, Christ, Christianity, Christmas gifts, Christmas shopping, Christmas shopping season, Christmas traditions, contentment, culture, customs, Emmanuel, family gathering, family togetherness, glory days, God, God on the loose, God with us, high hopes, His story, holiday hype, holidays, hope, human psyche, humility, hype, peace, peace of mind, reason, Reason For The Season, seasonal, tradition | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

A Christ*mas Thought (Should’ Christ’s Views Be In Christmas?)

Posted on December 21, 2012 by Steve Simms

A Christ*mas Observation . . . *Jesus commanded: “Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me.” *Our culture demands: “Gratify yourself, medicate your cross, and follow your feelings, cravings, and compulsions.” –Which will produce a healthy society? fulfillment *Jesus … Continue reading →

Posted in belief, celebration, celebrations, Christ, Christmas shopping, Christmas shopping season, Christmas traditions, cultural taboos, culture, current condition, current events, customs, deny yourself, depravity, drugs, Happy Holidays, holiday, holidays, Jesus, Jesus Christ, materialism, popular culture, religion, self-focus, selfish desires, sex, thoughts, tradition | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

A Steve Jobs Of Religion? — Come On Church, Innovate!

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Steve Simms

An Eric Weiner quotation from the Op-Ed page of The New York Times, December, 2011: “We need a Steve Jobs of religion. Someone (or ones) who can invent not a new religion but, rather, a new way of being religious. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, Apple Computer, being religious, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, biblical, Biblical concept, Catherine Booth, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, Christian organizations, church, church meetings, church programs, church roles, church services, church structure, creativity, East Nashville, environment, freedom, Holy Spirit, humility, improv, improvisation, insight, interactive, intuitive, Mr. Job's, Music City, non-church, open church, operating system, organic church, participatory church, questions, Quotations, quote, Quotes, religious innovation, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Salvationists, simple church, speak the truth in love, spiritual innovation, straight forward, support group, unencumbered, William Booth | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments