Category Archives: new birth

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

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

Every Generation Has A Few Who Flew The Pew To Go And Do

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Steve Simms

What turns a person from a Sunday bench warmer into a spiritual reformer? That’s a good question. Fortunately there are a few individuals in most every generation who are inspired to take the Gospel from the pew to the do. … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, apologists, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, Christianity, church history, Holy Spirit, house church, kingdom of God, life, lifestyles, mysticism, Nashville, new birth, Oh my God, organic church, recovery, religion, revelation, simple church, spiritual, The Salvation Army, thoughts, What is church? | Tagged 10:45, 225 Berry Street, a lot, actually do, application, basic, believers, bench warmer, Berry Street Worship Center, better life, Bible, Bless those who curse you, book, challenging, coach, come place, consider others better than yourself, crew, designed, details, directs, dispensing, do, dynamic, empower, engage, everybody, experience, facts, flow, follow, fortunately, from, generation, get up, gift of the Spirit, Give, Go and sin no more, good question, Gospel, guide, hands-on, heard, help, Holy Spirit, individuals, inside, insight, inspired, instruction manual, instructions, knowledge, learn, lecture, mentor, merely, Nashville, new-lifestyle, not just a hearer, of course, off-duty, part, person, pew, practical, present, quite, rather, read, reformer, say a prayer, Scripture, share, simple, sitting, sitting in the pew, spiritual, steps, Sunday, Sundays, testimony, The Salvation Army, things, TN, train, turns, uncomfortable, very difficult, watching, we have, welcome a doer of the word, Why | 1 Comment

The College That Changed My Life

Posted on August 22, 2011 by Steve Simms

There is a popular book called Colleges That Change Lives. Somehow the college that changed my life — The University of Tennessee Martin — is not in the book. UTM was 50 miles away from my home and the only … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, change, Christian history, Christianity, church history, college, God, house church, kingdom of God, life, meaning, mysticism, Nashville, new birth, Oh my God, organic church, peace, religion, self-image, simple church, spiritual, What is church? | Tagged 225, Alabama, altar, amazing, Arkansas, around, asking, Baptist, Berry Street, best, Bible, book, called, changed, Christ, Christian, Christianity, church, churches, college, Colleges That Change Lives, community, corny, country, cried, daily, debate, denomination, devotion, difficult, discover, doctrine, Dorm, dozens, Ellington, encouraged, enjoyed, enthusiastic, environment, experience, family, fellow, focused, forever, Friends, full, God, Gospel, graduated, hall, hang out, heart, hooked, human beings, Illinois, Indiana, Jesus, Jesus Freaks, Kentucky, laughed, Lay Witness, leader, leaving, less, level, life, life-long, listened, llking, lobby, longing, loving, manifesting, Martin, meetings, Methodist, Missions, Missiour, Mississippi, morning, most, moved, name, Nashville, Nashville's, normal, official, one another, passion, passionate, pastored, people, popular, power, powerful, praises, prayed, Presbyterian, presence, reading, recapture, reconnect, repenting, satisfied, seminary, shared, sharing, shocked, singing, somehow, spring, stopped, strange, Sunday, Sundays, supported, take turns, Tennessee, testimonies, the, The Salvation Army, things, together, transformed, type, Union City, unique, University of Tennessee, UTM, vibrant, weekend, working, Worship Center, year | 31 Comments

Dietrich Bonhoeffer — Words From Prision

Posted on August 13, 2011 by Steve Simms

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was imprisoned and later executed (in 1944) by Nazi Germany. While in prison, he wrote many letters that were smuggled out. Here are some quotations from those letters: “It is only when one submits to God’s law that one … Continue reading →

Posted in apologists, Christian history, Christianity, church history, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, freedom, God, history, human rights, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, meaning, mysticism, new birth, Quotations, Quotes, reading, religion, revelation, social justice, spiritual, thinking | Tagged 1944, a dash, above all things, absolute, all things are possible, alone, always, at hand, away from the pat, based on, being, being satisfied, beyond, certain, certanity, Christ, church, claims, danger, destruction, develop, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, distress, eludes, entirely, executed, existence, exixts, experience, falsehood, fear, feel, follow, formula, freedom, Germany, God, God's law, govern, grace, great, hope, hostility, human, human life, humor, important, impossible, imprisoned, infinitely, invincible, invisible, Jesus, kingdom of God, leade, learn, Letters, life, light, live close to God, lives, living, longings, make up, man, manifestations, mediocrity, mind, must, Nazi, nearest, never, new life, nothing, others, part of, participation, passions, Pauline, people, plan, power, presence, prison, purpose, pursue, quotations, reality, relation, remote, seek, senses, seriousness, shape, share, smooth, smuggled, soul, spolit, strength, submits, things, times, todday, with God, words, world, wrote | 3 Comments

A Spot In Nashville Where You Can Feel God

Posted on July 30, 2011 by Steve Simms

‎””What do you think of God,” the teacher asked. After a pause, the young pupil replied, ‘He’s not a think, he’s a feel.’” ~Paul Frost A God you can powerfully feel will fill your faith with holy fire and excitement … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street Worship Center, Christianity, God, Holy Spirit, house church, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, life, lifestyles, mysticism, Nashville, new birth, Oh my God, organic church, popular culture, Quotations, Quotes, religion, revelation, simple church, The Salvation Army, Uncategorized, What is church? | Tagged 225 Berry Street, 37207, a place, allow, amazing, Berry Street Worship Center, beyond my ability, blind eyes see, broken, changed, church, depression, describe, direct, each, East Nashville, experience, feel God, folks, freely, gather, group of people, guide, hearts, Holy Spirit, humble, in front of your eyes, let God work, lives, mightily, morning, move, Nashville, opened, oppression, really, room full, service, should, spiritually, Sunday, Sundays, The Salvation Army, there, truly, visit, What happens, you | 5 Comments

Talk (or TV Commercials) About Pain Medication Won’t Ease Your Pain

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Steve Simms

There is so much talk about medication nowadays, especially in TV commercials. Paid actors and spokespersons boast of the results of the pill they’re promoting. (Then the voice over announcer quietly sneaks in the side-effects, but that’s another story.) However, … Continue reading →

Posted in drug commercials, drugs, God, Holy Spirit, house church, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, life, lifestyles, mysticism, new birth, Oh my God, organic church, peace, prayer, Quotations, reading, recovery, religion, revelation, salvation, self-help, What is church? | Tagged 24/7/365, actors, all you who are, another story, best pain reliever, boast, body, Come unto Me, deep down, ease your pain, hearing, heart, help, high on, hurting, I will give you rest, instead, J-E-S-U-S, Jesus, known to main, medication, merely, New Testament, no need, not on earthly, nowadays, obey, on things above, open up, paid, Paul of Tarsus, pill, pop, popping, promoting, puff, put it, quitely, reading, receive, results, sermons, Set your minds, shoot up, side-effects, singing, smoke, sneaks, snort, soul, spell relief, spokespersons, studying, surrender, take in, talk, through your whole system, to be effective, TV commericals, voice over announcer, weary and heavy laden | 4 Comments

Life Rocks When Religion Becomes Real (Or, Night At The Theological Museum)

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Steve Simms

In the 2006 movie, Night at the Museum, a night watchman at New York City’s American Museum of Natural History is shocked when the exhibits in the museum come to life. His once boring job suddenly becomes exciting and challenging. It is amazing the … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian history, Christianity, church history, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, life, lifestyles, meaning, mysticism, new birth, Night at the Museum, Oh my God, organic church, popular culture, prayer, Quotations, Quotes, religion, resurrection, revelation, simple church, The Salvation Army, What is church?, William Booth | Tagged 2006 movie, accepting, accumulation, addictions, adherents, alive, amazing, America's, American Museum of Natural History, announced, argued, arguments, as the waters cover the sea, authority, awe, believe, Bible, blandly, blind faith, boring job, bright and morning star, brothers, bursts forth, by droves, celebration, challenging, church, churches, cofounder of, come to life, connects, cravings, crazy, crucifixion, data, demonstrated, demonstrating, don't rock the boat, driven, exciting, exhibits, experience, feel, fill the earth, flamed, foundations, from God, glory of the LORD, God's, having strouble, head, His, Holy Spirit, hope, ignores the heart, in my seat, incarnation, information, Jesus Christ, joyous, jumped off the pages, know so, knowledge, Letters, life, lifeless formes, living, Lord, losing, love letters, majestic, makes, man, mastered, mind, miracles, most of all, museum, need no, New Testament, New York City's, night, Night at the Museum, night watchman, oh, passionately, people, persuade, physical healing, power, presence, proof, proven, pulsating, quotation, rational, rationalized, real, reassure, relationships, religion, resurrection, ritual, said, salvation, secular society, seduction, see, send, sensational, set free, sexy, shaking, shocked, spiritual, spontaneous, spplendor, staying awake, Sunday school, surging, taught, teeming, the Apostles, the difference, the Good News, The Salvation Army, theological, theology, tired, trembling, true, vividly, William Booth, with life, work, writers, written to, yawn | 3 Comments

Happy Birthday, King James Version

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Steve Simms

In 1611, the Bible was translated into the king’s speech (the king’s English). The King James Version was first published on May 5, 1611. It is a masterpiece of English literature and the best selling book in history. In the … Continue reading →

Posted in American Literature, ancient history, Bible, books, church history, English, English literature, God, history, Jesus Christ, King James Version, new birth, reading | Tagged 1611, 400th, another, archaic, beautiful, believer, best selling book, Bible, birthday, born again, burned in my heart, convinced, daily, day, devoured, editiion, encounter, English Literature, eventually, experience, first, happy, hast, holy, hours, in history, including, indeed, inspired, Jesus Christ, King James Version, KJV, language, life, literally, masterpiece, months, people, personal, preacher, published, reading, red letter, rejected, Scriptures, slow me down, special place, the king's English, the king's speech, Thee, Thou, touched, transforming, translated, translation, translations, Word orf God, years | Leave a comment

Respond To The Spirit Like A Windmill

Posted on June 29, 2011 by Steve Simms

The wind of the Spirit is blowing, but the church is stripped and locked down like the blades of a windmill. It refuses to move in response to the Holy Spirit, preferring the rigidity of religion instead of the roaring … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, freedom, God, Holy Spirit, house church, kingdom of God, life, lifestyles, Michigan, mysticism, new birth, organic church, pentecostals, prayer, windmill | Tagged about us, apply, attentive, bird, blades, born of the Spirit, break, city park, clothe, clothed with humility, covered, direct, disobeying, Dutch, face the wind, fear, focus on, frame, graceful, Holland, Holy Spirit, impict, intentionally, Jesus, like the wind, listen to, live, Michigan, move, name De Zwaan, neglect, New Testament, obey, out of the box, powerful, presence, principles, Quench not the Spirit, refuse, reminded, resisting the Spirit, respond, rotated, sales, Scripture, seek, soaring, speak to me, teaching, the Netherlands, the Spirit, The wind blows, tradition, turn, unlocked, walking through the park, what people will think, windmill, Windmill Island, yesterday, yield, you hear its sound | 2 Comments

Category Archives: new birth

Talk (or TV Commercials) About Pain Medication Won’t Ease Your Pain

Life Rocks When Religion Becomes Real (Or, Night At The Theological Museum)

Happy Birthday, King James Version

Respond To The Spirit Like A Windmill

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