Category Archives: mysticism

Christmas Is About Judgment

Posted on November 26, 2011 by Steve Simms

Here’s a surprise: Christmas is about dealing with judgment. Our sinful thoughts, choices, and behaviors have been judged and we are guilty and condemned men and women. If our condemnation is merely canceled, the result would be chaos and injustice. … Continue reading →

Posted in Amazing Grace, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, blessings, change, Christ, Christian history, Christmas, Christmas Eve, feelings, forgiveness, freedom, God, Hell, history, Jesus, Jesus Christ, juddgment, life, lifestyles, morality, mysticism, Nashville, religion, repent, salvation, saved, spiritual, spiritual growth, spiritual warfare, supernatural, The Salvation Army, tolerance, Uncategorized, words, worship | Tagged 21st Century, 225 Berry St., 37207, a beautiful package, accetp the greatest gift, actively, all, all humanity, amazed, at the cross, at what happens, authority, behaviors, Berry Street Worship Center, bondage to sin, came, canceled, chaos, choices, Christ, Christmas, Christmas is about, come see, condemnation, condemned men, dealing with judgment, debt, defeated death, Don't, forgiveness, freedom, gather, gathering, grew up, guilty, have been judged, hell, Here's a, his suffering, in His name, individual, injustice, invited, Jesus, judgment, just remember, leadership, man-made program, men and women, merely, Nashville, overlook it, owe a debt, paid, personally, repentance, sinful thoughts, sins, Sundays, surprise, take active control, the babe, the grave, the greatest gift of all, the result would be, The Salvation Army, to take the punishment for, tolerance, turn the meeting over, turning waya from our sins, under His direct, upon Himself, we are guilty, we can nevber pay, when we gather, wrongdoing | 5 Comments

Thinking Through A Tutu Thought About Conscience

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Steve Simms

Here’s a quotation from Desmond Tutu: “For every act of evil there are a dozen acts of goodness in our world. It is only because we believe that people should be good that we despair when they are not.” Do … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, boundaries, conscience, Desmond Tutu, education, evil, evolution, feelings, guidance, life, lifestyles, materialism, mind, morality, morals, motivation, mysticism, non-material reality, Quotations, Quotes, recovery, self-esteem, self-help, self-image, soul, spiritual, supernatural, thinking, thoughts, Uncategorized, values | Tagged abnoral, acts of evil, acts of goodness, attitudes, back away, bad, behaviors, believe, beyond, character, choose, choosing, compass, conscience, conviction, day to day lives, Desmond Tutu, despair, device, die, direct, directing, do you ever, dozen, evil, evil choices, expect, fitted, For every act of evil, go against, goodness, guidance system, Here's, human beings, idealistic, ignore, influences, intangible, interior, materialistic, materialists, mere physical result, misery, moral principle, morally right, natural selection, non-material, non-material reality, norm, override, people shoud be good, place, points out, preservationist, preserve, principle, programming, prompting, quotation, report, right and wrong, sacrifice, seeks, self, self-destruction, selfish, sensationalize, sense, shocking, societal interests, society, species, suffer, surprised, survival, survivalistic, the media, the survival of the fittest, thoughts, usual, violence, warns, wonder, world | 1 Comment

RAG — Religion, Atheism, Or God?

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Steve Simms

The idea of a Creator causes people to embrace one of three positions: RAG. That is, religion, atheism, or living God? Religion can be defined as acknowledging the existence of God and attempting to placate Him by formal human activity such … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheists, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Christianity, church, church history, Creator, East Nashville, freedom, God, history, Holy Spirit, house church, life, lifestyles, meaning, mysticism, organic church, popular culture, religion, simple church, spiritual, The Salvation Army, thinking, Uncategorized, values, What is church?, worship | Tagged 10:45, 225 Berry Street, 37207, a place, acknowledging, activity, actual Creator, amazing, and have your being, anyone, atheism, attempting to placate, Berry Street, but denying the power thereof, but hate your brother, can be found in libraries, check it out, close connection, come, couple, Creator, daily live, defined, denial of God, doing in their lives, East Nashville, formal, free, full of, Give, God, God's, good picture, hates his brother, having a form of godliness, he loves God, held, heretics, Him, human, human history, if a man says, if you have never, if you say you love God, In Him you live, kill, led by, liturgy, lived, lives as if, lives beyond, living God, lovers of the living God, met, millions of people, move, Nashville, near, New Testament, nowadays, of all that is, on the internet, one of three, openly, persecute, political power, positions RAG, power, practical atheism, proclaimed atheism, relationship stories, religion, rituals, sermon free church, share stories, show and tell, sincere, society, strongly influenced, Sundays, supernatural presence, the existence of God, the ground of all being, The Salvation Army, the truth is not in you, there is no God, through out, Twentieth Century, Twientieth Century, two kinds, until, used, verball, verses, weekly, what, what God has done, where, Worship Center, you're a hypocrite | 1 Comment

Finding Nashville’s Most Unique Church With Your GPS

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Steve Simms

–Get out your GPS (God’s Positioning System)– Enter that you are looking for a church where: * People are more important than programs; * Encouragement is more important than entertainment * Love is more important than liturgy: * Faith is … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, church, God, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lifestyles, meaning, movement, Music City, mysticism, Nashville, organic church, popular culture, religion, simple church, support group, The Salvation Army, values, What is church? | Tagged 10:45, 225 Berry Street, 37207, about, always, amazing, Berry Street, called, church, come, concepts, contagion, creating, encouragement, enter, entertainment, excitement, experience, faith, for yourself, fund raising, get out your, God's Positioning System, GPS, house church, however, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lead, lecture series, liturgy, lives, looking for, love, meetings, meets, more important than, more like, mornings, most unique, names, Nashville, Nashville's, organic church, participation, passivity, people, programs, several, show and tell, simple church, Sunday, support group, The Salvation Army, theology, TN, type, very well, what God has done, words can't describe, Worship Center | 6 Comments

It’s Time For A God-ward Gaze

Posted on October 1, 2011 by Steve Simms

Some people stare at problems and are defeated by despair. Other people set their eyes on pleasure and are overcome by destructive desires. I want to gaze at God and glimpse His glory. Moses did. “To quote the writer of Hebrews; “By … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Christianity, consciousness, God, house church, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Movement, kingdom of God, life, lifestyles, meaning, mysticism, Nashville, new birth, Oh my God, organic church, proof of God, Quotations, Quotes, recovery, religion, salvation, simple church, soul, spiritual, The Salvation Army, thinking, thoughts, Uncategorized, What is church?, worship | Tagged 10:45, 21st Century, 225 Berry Street, 37207, allowed, amazing, anger, area, Baptist, because, Behold the Lamb of God, Berry Street Worship Center, by faith, change, church, defeated, despair, destructive desires, develop, doing, don't see, during, excitement, fantasies, fearing, fix our eyes on Jesus, gaze, get closer, glimpse, glory, God, God-ward, greatest Light of all, heads are filled, Hebrews, help, Him who is invisible, hungry for God, in the light of His glory and grace, in their eyes, invisible, invititation, Jesus, Jesus Movement, John the Baptist, king's, left Egypt, let us, live, lived, lives, living, look full in His wonderful face, many, Moses, multitudes, Nashville, of our faith, openly, overcome, passionately, people, perfector, persevered, pleasure, problems, proclaimed, quote, reading, right in front of your eyes, rings out, sang, saw, set their eyes on, share, some, song, sparks, spiritual vision, spiritually storng, spread, stare at, Sundays, supposed, Tennessee, testify, the author and, The Salvation Army, the things of eart, the way, thing to see, too bright, Turn your eyes upon Jesus, visit, was, will grow strangely dim, with, writer | 3 Comments

Nashville’s Flood, Fire, & Ferocious Winds

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Steve Simms

Nashville has had a flood and it brought out the best in people. It was so exciting to see so many people volunteer their time and give their money to help their friends, neighbors, and even strangers. After the Nashville … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, change, disasters, East Nashville, fire, fuel, Holy Spirit, kingdom of God, meaning, mysticism, Nashville, Oh my God, organic church, prayer, prayer walking, spiritual, The Salvation Army, Uncategorized, What is church? | Tagged 10:45, 225 Berry St., 37207, after that, amazing, began, Berry Street Worship Center, blood of Jesus, brought out, came to, city, come see, damaged, day of, destroyed, East Nashville, encourage, exciting, experience, ferocious, fire of, first, First Street, flag, flood, Friends, gather, Give, God's, group, harmful, help, historical marker, Holy Spirit, homes, I Corinthians, impacted, knocked down, Lord, mighty rushing wind, mind, minister, money, moving, Nashville, Nashville flood, natural, neighbors, one day, out, outporuing, Pentecost, positive, pray, prayer walk, proclaim, Scripture, sounded, spirit, spiritual, spread, stands for, storms, strangers, Sundays, testify, the best in people, The Salvation Army, time, trees, volunteer, way, weekly, winds | Leave a comment

A Forgotten American Folk Song’s Powerful Message

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Steve Simms

I live in Nashville, Music City; however, we don’t hear songs like this old American folk song in Nashville or on MTV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtlxoRAAHVU Our culture has changed and the message of this song is no longer heard (or even tolerated). … Continue reading →

Posted in addiction, boundaries, change, Christianity, criticism, discipling, drugs, education, forgiveness, freedom, God, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, life, lifestyles, meaning, mind, morality, morals, MTV, music, Music City, mysticism, Nashville, negro spirituals, Oh Sinner Man, popular culture, Quotations, Quotes, recovery, self-image, sin, soul, spiritual, thinking, thoughts, Uncategorized | Tagged 90%, a wretch like me, alcohol, America, American folk song, ancient, answer, aware, awareness, begins to see, believes, bit, brightness, C.S. Lewis, center, changed, chaplain, Christian, churches, clean, clotes, counselor, create, crime, culture, darkest night of the year, depravity, dirt, dirty, don't hear, drug, early days, fact, falsely, filthy, finally, first rays of light, God, God's glory, God's light, good people, good person, grow, hands, have mercy on me, hearts, hint, holier, holy, hymn, I am, I am a sinner, I'm a, increasing, interview, interviewed, Jesus Christ, Jesus prayer, John Newton, know, life, link, listening, live, living, looks, Lord, lost, managed, men, Michael McKinley, misery, monkx, more, more sensitive, nearer, new, noonday sun, notices, O, of the, Oh Sinner Man, old, Orthodox, over the horizon, perhaps, person, Peter K. Nelson, practice, presence, program, quite, rehab, rright, see ourselves, sees, self-destruction, self-judgment, simple question, sinfulness, sinner, son, spiritual darkness, story, sun comes up, surprises, tale, tell, think, Tim Chester, told, toward, ultra-conservative, used by, very far from God, watch, wee bit, what kind, Why, women, woods, word, work, wretched, writer, you, Youtube | 5 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

How To Regularly Experience The Inner Flow Of The Holy Spirit

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Steve Simms

Jesus promised His followers an inner flow of the Holy Spirit. He said: “Out of your inner most being shall flow rivers of living water.” This is not just theology, theory, or doctrine, but an actual, ongoing experience. Believers have amazing spiritual … Continue reading →

Posted in Anabaptists, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, books, Christian history, Christianity, church history, English literature, Holy Spirit, house church, Jesus Christ, Jesus Movement, John Wesley, morality, morals, mysticism, Nashville, organic church, pentecostals, Philokalia, prayer, Quakers, reading, religion, revelation, salvation, simple church, spiritual, Uncategorized | Tagged 225, 37207, acts like Jesus, actual, amazing, Anabaptists, behaviors, believers, Berry Street, Bible, books, Catholic, characer, church, church fathers, come, command, consequences, daily lives, desires, devotionally, do it, doctrine, dutifully, early, encouragement, experience, feared, floow, flow, flow in the Spirit, flow-ers, focusing, follow, followers, free, fruit, gifts, Give, hang out, hearts, Holy Spirit, how, humbly, inner, Jesus, Jesus' mother, keys, lay down, little, live in, llife, love letter, Mary, Methodists, ministry, missionaries, monks, moral, more caught than taught, mystics, Nashville, New Testament, nudging, obey, of the Spirit, one-on-one, ongoing, opinions, Orthocox, out of the box, Out of your inner most being, participatory, Paul, Pentecostals, people, Philokalia, potential, power, practical, prayer, problems, promised, prompted, promptly, Protestant, Quakers, Quench not the Spirit, quit, read, realize, regardless, regularly, releasing, requests, right away, rivers of living water, Scriptures, sense, shall flow, share, show, sin, spend time, Spirit led, Spirit of God, spiritual, spiritual potential, steps, stir, stir up the gift, stirrings, stop, suggestions, Sundays, surrender, tells, testimonies, textbook, that is within you, The Salvation Army, theology, theory, things, thoughts, unaware of, way, Whatever He says to you, words, Worship Center, writings, wrongdoing, wrongful | 18 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: mysticism

Christmas Is About Judgment

Thinking Through A Tutu Thought About Conscience

Finding Nashville’s Most Unique Church With Your GPS

A Forgotten American Folk Song’s Powerful Message

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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