Category Archives: moral failure

The Worst Religious Advice I Was Ever Given

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Steve Simms

The worst religious advice I was ever given came when I was a student at Memphis Theological Seminary.  A professor in a preaching class said:  “You need to spend one hour of study for every minute you preach.” Since then … Continue reading →

Posted in academics, Bible study, burning heart, change, change agent, Christ followers, Christian, epidemic, expect change commercial, fire, fire of the Holy Spirit, glory days, God, how you catch the flu, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Movement, kingdom of God, kingdom values, Memphis Theological Seminary, moral failure, moral foundations, morality, Music City, religious academics, religious innovation, religious tradition, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Salvationists, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual formation, study one hour for every minute you preach | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Are You Asking “Why?”

Posted on January 11, 2013 by Steve Simms

Asleep to the Spirit, Deaf to our conscience, Liberated from moral standards, Under the influence of violent and decadent media, We ask “Why?” Why all the mass shootings? Why so much frustration, depression, and drug abuse? Why so much child … Continue reading →

Posted in anger, angst, anxiety, anxious thoughts, attack ads, depression, drug abuse, drug dealers, drugs, fatherless children, fear, fraud, lying, moral failure, moral failures, moral principles, moral restraints, morality, morality-phobic, morals, political dysfunction, real world, right and wrong, right conduct, right from wrong, right living, righteousness, shop lifting, spirit, spiritual, stealing, unwanted children | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a 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

Is Soicety Reaping The Violence It’s Been Showing?

Posted on December 16, 2012 by Steve Simms

Is society reaping the graphic violence it’s been showing for decades in movies, on TV, and in video games?  Can that be a factor in the evil acts of random mass murder being frequently committed in America? Does showing scenes … Continue reading →

Posted in agenda, censorship, cheating, choice, commercials, compliance, compromise, conscience, controversy, criticism, current events, cyber space, cyberworld, depravity, destruction of the family, destructive actions, dishonesty, disrespect, epidemic, evil spirits, feelings, graphic violence, guilt, heart-felt love, honesty, hope, injustice, lies, lifestyles, Maria Weston Chapman, media, media circus, mind, modeling, modern myths, moral failure, moral failures, moral principles, moral restraints, morality, morals, movie, movies, MTV, nonviolence, peacemaking, popular culture, prayer, pull of evil, Quotations, quote, Quotes, real world, reality TV, recovery, reformation, repentance, right and wrong, right conduct, right living, self-destruction, self-inflicted, selfish desires, service, sex, sexual problems, sexually transmitted diseases, smoking, social media, societal, society, suffering, thoughts, TV, TV network, unhappiness, unkindness, video, video games, viewer discretion advised, wake-up call | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

12/12/12 — 12 Out Of The Box Thoughts About Church

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Steve Simms

Here are 12 out-of-the-box thoughts about church on 12/12/12. 1)  Church is not God in a noose, but God on the loose! 2)  Church is not spectators sitting, but believers battling the forces of darkness! 3)  Church is not a … Continue reading →

Posted in agenda, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Christian community, church meetings, church program, church programs, creeds, denominations, do church, early church, followers of Christ, freedom, furnace, gifts of the Spirit, God on the loose, godly sorrow, guide, hype, ice maker, idealism, improv, improvisation, inner coach, lecture, message, miracles, moral failure, move of God, movement, non-church, people of God, power, powerhouse, preaching, Protestant, repent, repentance, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Salvationists, seduction, sermon, sermons, service, shocking statements, sin, soul food, speaking out, spectators, Spirit-led, spiritual fire, spiritual training, spiritual transformation, spiritual warfare, still small voice, submission, supernatural, surrender, surrender to God, testimonies, testimony, The Salvation Army, theology, thoughts, tradition, two or more, Western religion | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment