Category Archives: lifestyles

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

William Wilberforce — The Power Of A Bold Believer

Posted on December 24, 2011 by Steve Simms

William Wilberforce (born in 1759) was a member of the British Parliament who stood up and spoke up courageously against the international slave trade and against slavery in the British Empire. His efforts and those of others ended slavery in … Continue reading →

Posted in abolitionists, alternative lifestyle, Amazing Grace, black history, British Empire, British Parliament, champions, Christ, Christian history, Christianity, church history, conscience, courage, evangelicals, grace, guidance, history, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, lifestyles, morality, nonviolence, Quotations, Quotes, race, reading, religion, repent, slavery, social justice, spiritual, spiritual disciplines, spiritual warfare, Uncategorized, values, Why be a Christian?, William Wilberforce, words | Tagged 1859, against slavery, against the international slave trade, always, Amazing Grace, believed, bold, book, born, bring forth the, British Empire, British Parliment, called, check out, Christian, cold copies, confirms, conveying nothing, courageously, dangerous, dull pencil, during, effforts, ended slavery, evil, fail, faint lines traced, faith, faith's force, false wisdom, feel, few, flourish, fruits of the Spirit, God's, good move, good will come, grace, greatest Americans, grows, hide, humility, Jesus Christ, lifetime, lives, living, member, more influenced by, no reason, nominal Christians, nothing like, others, quotes, read about, Real Christianity, reality, received, released, social justice, Spirit of Chirst, spoke up, stood up, the real things, the reality, the world's opinion, Top 10, truly great men and women, trun away from, unless, very tendency, we are not His, William Wilberforce, without it, wonderful book, world's view, wrote | 2 Comments

The Joy Of Christ*mas Stopping

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Steve Simms

Does Christmas shopping ever leave you empty? Do you ever feel like Christmas shopping is not enough? That there must be more to the Christmas season than just buying lots of stuff to give away on Christmas Day? Well, there … Continue reading →

Posted in ancient history, boundaries, casual sex, Christ, Christian history, Christianity, Christmas, Christmas carols, Christmas Eve, conscience, conversion, evangelicals, forgiveness, freedom, grace, guilt, history, holiday, holidays, Jesus, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, lifestyles, meaning, miracles, morality, morals, mysticism, new birth, non-material reality, peace, prayer, proof of God, Reason For The Season, recovery, religion, repent, revelation, salvation, saved, Savior, self-esteem, self-help, self-image, sex, sin, sobriety, soul, spiritual, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual skills, spiritual warfare, stuff, supernatural, support group, Uncategorized, values, Why be a Christian?, words, worship | Tagged a very important aspect, adultery, an angel, attitudes and actions, behaviors, brought to Christ, buying, celebrations, cheating on, Christmas, Christmas Day, Christmas shopping, Christmas stopping, Do you ever feel like, experiencing, fabulous freedom, for He shall save His people, from, from their sins, give away, Go and sin no more, God's great gift, great joy, Have you done your Christmas, It's not too late, Jesus, Jesus gave, Joseph, leave you empty, lots of stuff, met Christ, most ignored, not enough, nowadays, often left out, people's taxes, perhaps it is time, put it to, repent, self-destructive, sleeping around, stopped, stopping, take, teaching, than just, the Christmas season, The Cross, the first, the real Christmas tree, the tax collector, There must be more to, this way, thoughts, to do, well, woman caught in the act, words, wrongful, You shall call his name Jesus, Zacchaeus | 2 Comments

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

Are Sermons Effective?

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Steve Simms

Have you ever tested the effectiveness of sermons? I did. I was a brand new pastor in my first church — Mayfield Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Mayfield, Kentucky. After finishing three years of seminary, I had been preaching for about … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Christ, Christianity, church, Cumberland Presybterian Church, East Nashville, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, kingdom of God, lifestyles, movement, mystery, mysticism, Nashville, organic church, praise and worship, religion, sermons, simple church, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual skills, supernatural, The Salvation Army, Uncategorized, values, What is church?, worship | Tagged 225 Berry St., 37207, AA, afternoon, alcoholics, Alcoholics Anonymous, American, American Christianity, an oral test, Berry Street Worship Center, better caught than taught, brand new, called, captured by, Christianity, church meeting, church setting, congregation, considered, continued, creating, culture, Cumberland Presbyterian, decided, doctrines, effectiveness of sermons, evening, everyone has a, experience, exploded, facts, fads, first church, following, follows trends, functions, grow, help people change, hot to hold, house church, however, hymn, ineffective, influencing, interpretation, job description, Kentucky, lecture, less than, lifestyles, like, little happens, little power, Mayfield, meetings, membership, message, mind, much more, Nashville, noble, nobody, none, one simple and easy question, open participation, openly, organic church, overwhelming, passively, pastor, Paul of Tarsus, Paul's instructions, poems, preach, preaching, prepared in a, professional, questions, requires more than, response, revelation, right, shocked, simple church, simple questions, sit and listen, society, society's, something more than, sometimes, started, Sunday morning, test, the basic point, the main topic, The Salvation Army, three years of seminary, TN, to build, to reach people, tongue, treating, try, type, virtuous, visit, weekly, When you come together, word of instruction | 26 Comments

Christmas Chatter

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Steve Simms

Christmas chatter: ‘Tis the season to celebrate Jesus. Happy Christ Day! Merry Jesusmas! “When Christ entered our world, He didn’t come to brighten our Decembers, but to transform our lives.” –Rich Miller Have yourself a Holy Spirit Christmas. What we … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, Christ, Christianity, Christmas, Christmas carols, Christmas Eve, East Nashville, feelings, God, holidays, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, joy, lifestyles, Lord, meaning, miracles, Music City, mystery, mysticism, Nashville, popular culture, praise and worship, prayer, Quotations, Quotes, Reason For The Season, self-esteem, shopping, spiritual, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual skills, spiritual warfare, The Salvation Army, Uncategorized, values, worship | Tagged 'Tis the season, a great time, All hail the power of Jesus' name, Alpha, amazing, awesome, becomes more real, begins, Berry Street, Bible, birthday, brighten, celebrate Jesus, chatter, Christ Day, Christ entered our world, Christ will fill, Christmas, Dan Schaeffer, Decembers, diminish, enthusiastically, everlasting Father, every Sunday morning, fact, God's love, Grander, happy, Have yourself a, heard, His presence, holidays, Holy Spirit, imagined, is His, Jesusmas, keep silent, King of Kings, let angels prostrate fall, lives, Lord of Lords, love, love for God, Merry, mighty God, more important, mysterious, Nashville, of the season, old song, Omega, openly, pages of the, part of everyday life, people, power, powerful, Prince of Peace, real, reality, Rich Miller, says, surrender, talk about Jesus, testify, testimonies, the best deal, the best shopping deal, The Salvation Army, transform, turn away, What a friend we have in Jesus, What God is doing, what we talk about, when was the last time, will, wiser, Wonderful Counselor, worked up, Worship Center | 1 Comment

Why Is Christmas The Most Celebrated Day Of The Year?

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Steve Simms

Why all the fuss and effort to celebrate the Christmas season? You know. The most celebrated day of the year is about the arrival of Jesus Christ on planet Earth. Isn’t it amazing all the time, effort, and money that … Continue reading →

Posted in Americans, awe, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Christianity, Christmas, Christmas carols, Christmas Eve, East Nashville, freedom, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, life, lifestyles, meaning, miracles, mysticism, Nashville, non-material reality, Oh my God, popular culture, praise and worship, Reason For The Season, religion, revelation, Savior, spiritual, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual skills, spiritual warfare, The Salvation Army, Why be a Christian? | Tagged 10:45, 225 Berry St., 37207, alive, all the fuss, all the time, amazing, around the world, Berry Street, birth, calls us back, celebrate, Christmas celebrations, Christmas season, come, confined, eager, effort, empowered, Enhance, experience, faithfully serve, freedom, gives, history, hope, human life, hundreds of millions, in our time, individuals, inner passion, inner witness, inside the human heart, inspires, Jesus, Jesus Christ, know, live a life of love, loves us, meaningless existence, mere, money, morality, most celebrated day, moves, Nashville, of the year, people, personally encountered, planet Earth, presence, present reality, random, rebellious, religion, respond, return, ritual, runaway, self-destructive behaviors, self-sacrifice, set free, shows, spent, steps out, stirs, Sundays, testifies, the arrival, the depths of our being, the living Christ, The Salvation Army, there is a God, there is more to life, TN, to believe, tradition, transformation, truths, try to deny, Why, working, Worship Center, you know | 6 Comments

Creatively Changing Christmas Songs To Celebrate Christ More

Posted on December 3, 2011 by Steve Simms

Have you ever noticed that a great many Christmas songs have little or nothing to do with Jesus Christ. Since Christmas is when we celebrate His birthday, I thought it might be good to tweak some Christmas songs and Christmas … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, awe, challenges, Christ, Christianity, Christmas, Christmas carols, church, country music, feelings, freedom, glory, God, gratitude, holidays, humor, Jesus, Jesus Christ, joy, lifestyles, Lord, miracles, Music City, mysticism, Nashville, non-material reality, Oh my God, poem, popular culture, praise and worship, religion, revelation, salvation, saved, Savior, spiritual, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual skills, spiritual warfare, thanksgiving, values, virgin birth, Why be a Christian?, words, worship | Tagged a great many, all the way, awesome, Bethelehem, carol, celebrate, celebrate His birthday, changing, Christ, Christmas carols, Christmas songs, Chrsitmas, creatively, cross of Christ, dear, everyday, everywhere I go, forgiving, grandma, Happy Birthday, have you ever noticed, Have yourself a, here are, holy, I saw Mommy, identify, in the rain, is coming to town, it might be good, Jesus Christ, joy, joy to the world, king, knees, last night, little or nothing, Lord, Lord at Your birth, love, love you more, loving Jesus, mercy, mighty one, more about, Music City, oh what fun it is to, receive, rock, some, straight from, tears, the original song, thought, tweak, worship | 3 Comments

Christmas Claim — Angels

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Steve Simms

The popular, traditional Christmas carol, Angels We Have Heard On High, points out one the astounding claims made by Christmas — that supernatural beings from God were communicating to humans and celebrating Christ’s birth with them. The New Testament does … Continue reading →

Posted in Acts, ancient history, angels, Angels We Have Heard On High, awe, Bible, blessings, Christian history, Christianity, Christmas, Christmas carols, Christmas Eve, Egypt, glory, God, history, holidays, Holy Spirit, impossible odds, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lifestyles, meaning, miracles, non-material reality, popular culture, religion, supernatural, Uncategorized | Tagged 9 months later, a multitude of the heavenly hosts, actually happened, alone, angels can appea, Angels We Have Heard On High, announcing, anytime, appeared, As A, astounding, beyond, Bible, birth of Jesus, book of Acts, book of Hebrews, break the engagement, celebrating, childless, Christ's birth, Christmas, Christmas carol, Christmas season, claims, communicating, confirmed, didn't believe, dream, drive, early christians, Egypt, Elizabeth, emergency room, encountered, events, fact, factual, flee to Egypt, God, have a son, have welcomed angles, health emergency, heard, Holy Spirit, human being, humans, interacting with, involving angels, John, John the Baptist, Joseph, just think, logically, made by, Mary, Mary's, menopause, myths, nam, Nazareth, neglect, New Testament, news, no middle ground, nurse, of course, offered, outlandish, personally, points out, popular, possible, pregnancy, pregnant, priest, return, rfiance, saw, Shepherds, show hospitality, shows, someone, stranger, supernatural, supernatural beings, tall tales, the lowest people in society, the real world, traditional, virgin, wife, without knowing, working of the, Zachariah | 5 Comments

A Name For The Sunday After Thanksgiving (And Words In The Night)

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Steve Simms

Someone is naming all the days after the day set aside to give thanks to God. Let’s see, there’s Black Friday, and Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. But what about the Sunday after Thanksgiving Day? I have a name … Continue reading →

Posted in awe, Bible, Black Friday, blog, Catherine Booth, Christ, Christianity, Christmas, Christmas Eve, Cyber Monday, glory, God, gratitude, lifestyles, popular culture, Quotations, Quotes, Reason For The Season, religion, Small Business Saturday, soul, The Salvation Army, Uncategorized, words | Tagged act like, afrfected, anger, awe, bear it, Bible, Black Friday, body, book, capacity, Catherine booth, Christmas carol, co-founder, computer, Cyber Monday, day, enlarges, eyes, facebook, first thing, found, glory, God, great emotions, green cover, grief, had to be, happen, Holy Night, Holy Spirit, how'd that, human soul, immediately, influence, joy, last night, middle of the night, mind, naming, off the shelf, opened, opens, people fall, perceptions, popped into my mind, post, prostrated, quickens, quotation, quote, read about, Reason For The Season Sunday, remembered, set aside, Shepherds, Shepherds quake at the sight, Silent Night, Small Business Saturday, someone, Sunday, swells, thanksgiving, the days, the newborn Christ, The Salvation Army, thick book, this morning, thought, to give thanks to God, woke up, words | 1 Comment

Category Archives: lifestyles

The Joy Of Christ*mas Stopping

Blind Belief? Or Spiritual Conversion

Are Sermons Effective?

Christmas Chatter

Why Is Christmas The Most Celebrated Day Of The Year?

Creatively Changing Christmas Songs To Celebrate Christ More

Christmas Claim — Angels

A Name For The Sunday After Thanksgiving (And Words In The Night)

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

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