Category Archives: gift of God

Playfully Enjoying the Wonder of Being Alive

Posted on January 1, 2025 by Steve Simms

Like a little child, I love to playfully enjoy and appreciate the gift and wonder of being alive. I didn’t ask to be on planet earth, but I’m so grateful that I get to spend some time here in this … Continue reading →

Posted in creation, gift of God, gratitude, playfulness | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Thanking God On Thanksgiving Day — 2012

Posted on November 22, 2012 by Steve Simms

Happy Thanksgiving 2102, everybody! (Let’s get started.) *Thank You, Lord for creating me and giving me life. Thank You for this beautiful world you have placed me in. (Sorry we humans have messed it up so much.) Thank You for … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, celebrations, church, comfort, community, compassion, confession of sin, conviction of sin, corps, creation, devotion, freedom, gift of God, God, God calling, God's protection, godly sorrow, guidance, happiness, hearing God, hearing Jesus, heart care, human life, human nature, humility, inner peace, intellect, invisible, inward change, joy, kindness, life, Lord, love, meaning, mind, miracles, move of God, movement, mysticism, Nashville, non-traditional church, opportunity, organic church, participatory church, prayer, prayer without ceasing, presence of Christ, presence of God, purpose, recovery, relevation, religion, religious ceremonies, repent, repentance, revival, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Salvationists, sin, spirit, Spirit-filled, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual disciplines, spiritual warfare, surrender, surrender to God, thanksgiving, thinking, thoughts, truth, voice of God | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Imagine If Church Had More And Less

Posted on November 5, 2012 by Steve Simms

What if would happen if church had . . . More of the Spiritual Guide speaking inside of everybody present and less of the one man sage on the stage?  (1 John 2:27) More prayer, less pride?  (2 Chronicles 7:14) … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, 1 John 1:9, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, brokenness, Christian, Christian community, Christian organizations, Christian values, Chronicles, church meetings, church programs, church roles, church structure, confession of sin, East Nashville, gift of God, gifts of the Spirit, God's authority, God's government, Holy Spirit, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, improv, improvisation, inward change, Isaiah, John, keeping it together, lifestyle Christianity, Matthew, moral failures, Music City, non-church, non-traditional church, participatory church, prayer, pride, religion, religious ceremonies, repentance, sage on the stage, self-focus, simple church, societal, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual interaction, Tennessee, The Salvation Army | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The “Forgive Yourself” Myth

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Steve Simms

“Love yourself–accept yourself–forgive yourself–and be good to yourself.”  –a quote from popular American speaker and writer, Leo Buscaglia.  However, Jesus said:  “Deny yourself.”  Here’s why the popular idea of “forgiving yourself” is a myth: *  You are not the judge.  … Continue reading →

Posted in accept yourself, Against You only have I sinned, American, belief, Bible, boundaries, brokenhearted, brokenness, change, Christ, Christ followers, Christ-centered, Christian, comfort, compassion, condemnation, confession, conscience, conversion, conviction of sin, corrupt culture, courtroom, deception, denial, deny yourself, devotion, disciple making, evil, false assurance, gift of God, God, God calling, God-shaped vacuum, godly sorrow, harmful habit, harmful thinking, hearing God, hearing Jesus, How do you plead?, Jesus, Jesus Christ, judge, judgment, justice, Les Brown, lifestyle Christianity, lifestyles, love yourself, moral principles, morality, morals, motivational speaker, myths, natural laws, pull of evil, Quotations, quote, Quotes, recovery, repent, repentance, right and wrong, right conduct, right living, self-esteem, self-focus, self-forgiveness, self-image, self-will, shame, sin, spiritual formation, surrender, surrender to God, wages of sin | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Am I A Victim Of Discrimination & Hate Speech For Being A Tongue-Talker?

Posted on July 27, 2012 by Steve Simms

I have been a tongue-talker for forty-one years.  (Speaking in tongues is a gift of the Holy Spirit that enables a person to speak in languages he/she doesn’t know.  It is a powerful spiritual experience that fills a person with … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, attitude, belief, belief system, business, Christian, Christian values, Christianity, clear conscience, coffee, compliance, compromise, conscience, contemporary, conviction of sin, corrupt culture, criticism, cruel, cultural taboos, deciision making, deny yourself, disapproval, ethics, faith-based, fast food, gift of God, gifts of the Spirit, guidance, hate, hate speech, human rights, life, lifestyle Christianity, lifestyles, message, moral principles, moral restraints, morality, morals, natural laws, preference, prejudice, restaurant, right and wrong, right conduct, self-denial, sex, sex in marriage, sin, Starbucks, victims, Western world | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Was Matthias A Mistake? — The Human Need To Institutionalize Spirituality

Posted on July 22, 2012 by Steve Simms

Was replacing Judas (who had betrayed Jesus) with Matthias a mistake?  Was it a very early example of the human desire to institutionalize church?  Perhaps. The Book of Acts begins with the resurrected Jesus spending 40 days with the apostles … Continue reading →

Posted in 120 in upper room, Acts, acts of God, Bible, choice, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, Christian history, Christian values, Christianity, church, church history, church meetings, church programs, church roles, church structure, disciples, ekklesia, empty tomb, faith, fire, gift of God, gifts of the Spirit, God's authority, God's government, Gospel, Gospels, Greek word, guidance, hearing God, hearing Jesus, heirarchy, His story, history, Holy Spirit, house church, insight, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus' mother Mary, Judas, kingdom of God, life, lifestyle Christianity, Luke, Matthias, missional, move of God, movement, mysticism, non-church, organic church, Pentecost, pentecostals, presence of Christ, presence of God, quench the Spirit, Quotations, quote, Quotes, religion, revelation, revival, rivers of living water, Scriptures, speaking in tongues, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual formation, spiritual warfare, supernatural, The Voice, tongues of fire, tradition, unprogrammed church, voice of God, voices, What is church?, words on fire | Tagged , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Good people don’t need Jesus. Sinful people desperately need Him.

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Steve Simms

To fall short of the glory of God is to sin. (“All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” –Paul of Tarsus) Here’s another quote from Paul of Tarsus:  “The wages of sin is death . . … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, Apostle Paul, Christianity, corrupt culture, gift of God, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Pharisee, prayer, Quotations, quote, Quotes, religion, repentance, resurrection, Romans 3:23, salvation, sin, sinner, soul, spiritual awakening, The Jesus Prayer, wages of sin | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

I am what I AM says I am. (And so are you.)

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Steve Simms

I am not what others say I am. I am not what I feel like I am. I am not what I believe I am. I am not what I accomplish or fail to accomplish. I am not what I … Continue reading →

Posted in awe, belief, Bible, Biblical concept, Christian, Christianity, conversion, conviction of sin, Egypt, fear, gift of God, glory, God, God's government, godly sorrow, hearing God, holy, Holy Holy Holy, Judaism, kingdom of God, listening, majesty, meaning, morality, mystery, mysticism, new birth, Oh my God, Oh Sinner Man, Old Testament, presence of God, purpose, quote, religion, self-denial, sinner, spiritual, spiritual awakening, support group, surrender to God, The Voice, voice activated, voice of God, voices, wake-up call, words on fire | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

When God talks and you don’t listen, does that mean that God’s not talking to you?

Posted on June 27, 2012 by Steve Simms

When God talks And you don’t listen, Does that mean that God’s not talking to you?

Posted in belief, Biblical concept, Christianity, deny God, evidence for God, faith, faith-based, gift of God, gifts of the Spirit, God, God-shaped vacuum, godly sorrow, having a form of godliness, hearing God, hearing Jesus, mystery, Oh my God, poem, praise and worship, prayer, prayer without ceasing, presence of Christ, presence of God, proof of God, spiritual, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, still small voice, The Voice, voice of God, words | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

On The First Day Of Summer, Life’s Not A Bummer . . .

Posted on June 20, 2012 by Steve Simms

Summer time is finally here.  Today is officially the first day of summer, 2012  . . . “People don’t notice whether it’s winter or summer when they’re happy.” ~Anton Chekhov (Are you happy?) “I finally learned that within me there … Continue reading →

Posted in beauty, bummer, Christ, Christianity, devotion, faith, faith-based, feelings, gift of God, happiness, happy, heart-felt love, hope, joy, popular culture, Quotations, quote, Quotes, religion, seasons, singing, Son-shine, spiritual, spiritual formation, spiritual growth | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment