Category Archives: college

Open Church / Open Hearts

Posted on September 4, 2013 by Steve Simms

Traditionally church has been . . . –One special man weekly instructing a passive group of ordinary people. Biblically church seems to be . . . –A Spirit-led group of ordinary people actively teaching and ministering to one another in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, college, college experiences, college students, one another, one anothering, one anothers, open church, perfume on Jesus' feet, pulpit, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, Spirit-prompted, spiritual formation, tradition, traditional church, University of Tennessee Martin | Tagged Christianity, church, Nashville, organic church, Tennessee | 2 Comments

God Still Makes Change That Sets The Captives Free

Posted on June 11, 2012 by Steve Simms

Where did that strange question come from as I sat bored in church one morning? “If you were born a Hindu, what would you be today?” Here’s my testimony. God still makes change that sets the captives free. Hearing God’s … Continue reading →

Posted in agnostic, belief, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, bored in church, change, change management, Christian, Christian community, Christianity, church, college, East Nashville, evidence for God, faith, faith-based, free spirit, freedom, gift of God, God, Hindu, history, interactive, lifestyles, makes change, miracles, mysticism, Nashville, new birth, non-traditional church, prayer, religion, revelation, salvation, Salvationists, saved, Savior, sets the captives free, simple church, soul, spiritual awakening, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, strange question, supernatural, surrender to God, testimonies, testimony, The Salvation Army, trust, Why be a Christian?, witness, YouTube | Tagged agnostic, change, Christianity, church, freedom, Hindu, religion, salvation, testimony | 1 Comment

Sports reporters are asking lots of Final Four questions. Here’s mine: If a few college guys randomly throwing around a basketball won’t produce a trip to the Final Four; how in the world could a random Big Bang and a whole bunch of time have produced the incredible complexity and details of nature’s living organisms?

Posted on March 31, 2012 by Steve Simms

Perhaps the denial of God is the real anti-intellectualism — the real delusion. Has science discovered the spiritual world? Read about “spooky action.”

Posted in apologists, basketball, big bang, Christian, college, college basketball, college students, creationism, Creator, evolution, life, mystery, popular culture, Richard Dawkins, spiritual growth, spooky action, The God Delusion | Tagged big bang, Final Four, questions, sports reports | Leave a comment

What’s More Exciting Than March Madness?

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Steve Simms

If you think that the Kentucky & Louisville and the Ohio State & Kansas games in this year’s college basketball Final Four are going to be exciting tomorrow night, here’s some great news for you. Church can be even more … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, Christian history, Christianity, church, church history, church structure, college, college basketball, college students, congregational, conversion, disciple making, disciples, East Nashville, ekklesia, Final Four, gifts of the Spirit, hearing God, hearing Jesus, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, improv, In Jesus' Name I Play, Jeremy Lin, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, March Madness, National Football League, NBA, NCAA, NHL, Ohio State, Olympics, organic church, participatory church, presence of Christ, presence of God, religion, show and tell, simple church, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, sporting event, Taiwan Tebow, tebow, tebowing, tebowing.com, The Salvation Army, the way we do church, Tim Tebow, Uncategorized, What is church?, Why be a Christian? | Tagged Final Four, In Jesus' Name I Play, Jeremy Lin, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, March Madness, Ohio State, The Salvation Army, Tim Tebow | Leave a comment

How To Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day . . .

Posted on March 17, 2012 by Steve Simms

According to his own words, here’s the best way to celebrate Patrick, the mighty man of God who brought Christ to Ireland and transformed a nation: 1) See your sins in the Light, experience godly sorrow for them, then go … Continue reading →

Posted in Acts, Acts 5:29, acts of God, alternative lifestyle, Amazing Grace, ancient history, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, blessings, challenges, Christ, Christian, Christian community, Christian history, Christianity, church, church history, church structure, college, courage, East Nashville, hearing God, hearing Jesus, history, holy, Holy Spirit, Holy Trinity, house church, Ireland, lifestyles, miracles, multi-racial, Music City, mysticism, Nashville, non-traditional church, normal Christianity, organic church, participatory church, popular culture, prayer, proof of God, Quotations, quote, Quotes, religion, resurrection, salvation, Scriptures, shamrock, simple church, Spirit-led, St. Patrick's Day, tebow, tebowing, The Salvation Army, the way we do church, Tim Tebow, Uncategorized, voice of God, What is church? | Tagged get drunk, Holy Trinity, Ireland, John Berry McFerrin, Nashville, organic church, shamrock, St. Paddy's Day, St. Patrick's Day, The Salvation Army | 2 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

Chemistry Lab, Biology Lab, How ‘Bout Church Lab?

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Steve Simms

If you have ever taken a high school or college science class you have been to a lab class. For chemistry and biology, lecture is not enough. Students need to dissect an animal for themselves to really understand its anatomy. They … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, biology, change, chemistry, college, disciple making, East Nashville, freedom, God, high school, Holy Spirit, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, lab, Nashville, Oh my God, organic church, religion, science, simple church, Uncategorized, What is church? | Tagged 10:45, 225 Berry Street, 37207, actually, allow, anatomy, animal, ask, attenders, been to, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, biology, chemicals, chemistry, church, class, college, come, compounds, concerns, congregation, crazy. Bible's, directions, dissect, do it, faith, fellow, freedom, Give, God, God's power, good, hearts, high school, Holy Spirit, how to do church, I Corinthians 14:26, if you have ever, in the land, lab, lab partners, learning, lecture, like, listen, lives, lots of ways, Mary's, master, meeting, mere, mike, mix, most ignored, most unique, Nashville, Nashville's, needs, not enough, not good enough, one another, opportunity, people, personally, pray, produce, read, really, satisfied, science, Scripture, sermon, share, silenty, son, spiritual, students, Sunday morning, Sundays, take the time, taken, tell, The Salvation Army, together, told, understand, verse, vision, visit, Whatever He says to you, word, work, working, worship, worshippers | 2 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 Sports Tailgating

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Steve Simms

Millions of people love to gather in stadium parking lots for pre-game tailgating parties. According to the American Tailgaters Association (more than 300,000 members), between 20 – 50 million Americans tailgated in a stadium parking lot in 2006. Here is a quotation I found … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, college, house church, life, lifestyles, Nashville, National Football League, NFL, organic church, popular culture, Quotations, Quotes, religion, simple church, sports, Super Bowl, tailgate party, tailgating, Uncategorized, What is church? | Tagged 2006, 37207, agenda, amazed, American Tailgters Association, Americans, anticipation, arrive, awesome, ballgames, befor, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, Bible study, breakfast, church, church meeting, come, company, create, decided, draw, each other's, eating, embrace strangers, enjoy, enjoying, enthusiasm, excitement, experience, flow, food, freely, friendliness, from, games, gather, gathering, get together, God, group, heart-felt, interact, into, it hit me, last, laughed, learn, let, level, love, meet, members, millions, minister, morning, Nashville, one another, open discussion, openly shared, passers-by, passion, people, people waiting, planned, pre-church, pre-game, programs, quotation, said, same, see, seldom, share, shared, sililar, snaks, stadium parking lots, start, suddenly, Sunday, tailgate party, tailgated, tailgating, tailgating parties, The Salvation Army, the way to go, thing, thrilling, uninhibited, unknown, What if, wife | 5 Comments

My God! I Want To See That Again! “Reborn To Be Wild”

Posted on September 10, 2011 by Steve Simms

When I went to my favorite Borders book store for their going out of business sale, God, as He often does, led me to a book that stirred my heart (Reborn To Be Wild). I left the tracks of my … Continue reading →

Posted in church history, college, college students, crying, fire, God, Holy Spirit, house church, Jesus Christ, Jesus Movement, mysticism, Nashville, new birth, Oh my God, organic church, popular culture, religion, salvation, simple church, spiritual, tears, What is church? | Tagged 10:34, 37207, across, again, alive, amazing, assembling, Berry Street, book, borders, can't, chapter, Christ, closest, come, Dear Lord, die, directly, Ed Underwood, encounters, favorite, fire, first, follow Jesus, following, form, fresh, gatherings, generation, generations, God, God's glory, going out of business, group, heart, hearts, human, hungry, Jesus Movement, last night, lead, leader, leadership, leave, led, living, Lord, love, meeting Jesus, meetings, midst, mightily, mind, move, My God, Nashville, need, now, O God, obey, one more time, passionately, power, powerful, program, programs, pursue, reblazing, Reborn To Be Wild, rekindle, religion, results, ritual, rolled, sale, see, sell the farm, spontaneous, stir up the gift, stirring, structured, Sundays, take, tears, The Salvation Army, time, tracts of my tears, tragedy, Wake us up, weep, when, wife, within you, witness, write | 1 Comment

Category Archives: college

Open Church / Open Hearts

God Still Makes Change That Sets The Captives Free

What’s More Exciting Than March Madness?

How To Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day . . .

I Grew Up In Church Without God

Jesus (And The Thoughts He Brings To My Mind)

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

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