Category Archives: religious ceremonies

The Next Time Someone Says “C.I.B.” Check This Out . . .

Posted on August 7, 2012 by Steve Simms

The next time someone says; “Church is boring,” bring them to 225 Berry Street in Nashville, 37207.  They will change their mind. *  There’s no sermon to fall asleep in . . . Instead people excitedly and spontaneously show and … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, bulletin, change, change management, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian community, Christian history, Christian organizations, Christian values, church meetings, church programs, church roles, church structure, disciples, discipling, East Nashville, faith, faith-based, free will, freedom, gifts of the Spirit, giving, guidance, hearing God, hearing Jesus, Holy Spirit, improvisation, Jesus, Jesus Christ, joy, lifestyle Christianity, move of God, movement, mystery, mysticism, non-church, normal Christianity, offering, organic church, participatory church, podium, praise and worship, prayer, presence of Christ, presence of God, priesthood of the believer, pulpit, religion, religious ceremonies, simple church, supernatural | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Olympics — Thoughts For Spiritual Athletes

Posted on July 29, 2012 by Steve Simms

Life’s not about achievement.  It’s not about how many medals you (or your country) win.  Life’s about aligning yourself to God and to His will. That’s what matters most in the long haul. “If Christians were putting into their spiritual … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 9:25, 1 Timothy 4:7, alternative lifestyle, ancient Olympics, asceticism, ascetics, athletes, attitude, belief, belief system, burning heart, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, courage, disciple making, discipline, discipling, glory, God, godliness, guilt, guts and glory, I Corinthians 9:25, I Timothy 4:7, idealism, inward change, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus is Lord, life, lifestyle Christianity, lifestyles, Lord, monastery, monastics, mystery, mysticism, Olympic athletes, Olympic medals, prayer, presence of Christ, Quotations, quote, Quotes, religious ceremonies, right conduct, sacrifice, saved, Savior, self-discipline, self-help, soul, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual combat, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual skills, spiritual walk, spiritual warfare, surrender to God, tebow, tebowing, training, Warren Wiersbe, Why be a Christian? | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Lifestyle (Real World) Christianity

Posted on July 20, 2012 by Steve Simms

Lifestyle Christianity is faithful faith — faith that lives faithfully according to its values and beliefs.  Its focus is to actually follow and obey the commands of Christ rather than to merely swallow a prepackaged belief system about Him. Lifestyle … Continue reading →

Posted in belief, belief system, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, challenges, change, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian community, Christian history, Christian organizations, Christian values, church, church history, church programs, church roles, church structure, commands, community, confession, creeds, deeds, disciples, discipling, faith, faith-based, faithfulness, forgiveness, gifts of the Spirit, guilt, inward change, life, lifestyle Christianity, lifestyles, Music City, Nashville, obedience, one anothers, organic church, peace, presence of God, real world, recovery, religious ceremonies, self-denial, simple church, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual disciplines, spiritual growth, supernatural, support group, team, values, witness | Tagged , , , , | 20 Comments

Top Of The Pole — Nation’s Flag Or Christian Flag?

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Steve Simms

Many Christian organizations, institutions, and churches fly both a Christian flag and their nation’s flag.  Which flag should be at the top of the flag pole? As a young Boy Scout I was taught that the national flag should be … Continue reading →

Posted in answer to God, atrocities, authority, Christian, Christian history, Christian organizations, church, church history, countries, ethics, flag, flag pole, God, God's authority, honor, idolatry, Jesus is Lord, justice, kingdom of God, lifestyles, Lord, national flags, nations, never-ending, political correctness, political issue, politics, politics and religion, religious ceremonies, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual formation | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

What Rube Goldberg Machines Can Teach Us About Church

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Steve Simms

Rube Goldberg machines are complex contraptions that produce a sequence of what appears to be random actions that lead to a final result.  They are fun to watch.  You can find many videos of Rube Goldberg machines on YouTube. Perhaps … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century, American church, Berry Street, Bible, Biblical concept, bored in church, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian community, Christian history, Christian values, church history, church programs, church roles, church structure, East Nashville, ekklesia, good sermon, having a form of godliness, Holy Spirit, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Movement, Kevin Brockmeier, Music City, non-traditional church, order of worship, organic church, participatory church, priesthood of the believer, relational church, religious ceremonies, Rube Goldberg, simple church, soul, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual formation, The Salvation Army, the way we do church, What is church? | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Brief (Alternative) History Of Western Christianity

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Steve Simms

An alternative history of Western Christianity . . . The early Christians were passionate and obedient followers of the living, resurrected Jesus Christ.  The government didn’t like them and put many of them to death. However, the love, lifestyle, and … Continue reading →

Posted in 95 theses, alternative lifestyle, Castle Church, church, Constantine, downline, early church, ekklesia, empire, Germany, heretic, house church, Jesus, Jesus Christ, life, lifestyles, love, Martin Luther, mullti-level, Muslims, mystery, mysticism, non-church, non-traditional church, open church, organic church, Orthodox, political issue, politics, Protestant Reformation, reformation, religious ceremonies, religious wars, Roman Catholic, simple church, true Christian life, turned the world upsidedown, values, Western religion, Western world, What is church?, Wittenburg Door | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Ideas to Tone Down the NBA, the NFL, and the Olympics

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Steve Simms

What if they made a new rule to tone down the Sochi Olympics by requiring all Olympic athletes to have one arm tied behind their back during competition?  Would you be okay with that? What if, in order to reduce … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century, Acts, American church, basketball, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, bold statements, burning heart, Christian community, Christianity, church history, church roles, church structure, current events, early church, East Nashville, England, faith-based, football, heart-felt love, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, lifestyles, London, Music City, mysticism, Nashville, non-church, non-church movement, non-traditional church, Olympics, open church, order of worship, participatory church, persecution, popular culture, post-Christianity, powerless, reality TV, relational church, religion, religious ceremonies, repentance, revelation, simple church, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual formation, sporting event, sports, television, the way we do church, true Christian life, TV, TV network, UK, Uncategorized, Western religion, Western world, What is church? | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Is the living current of Christ cruising within you, or do you have a dead battery under your hood?

Posted on June 22, 2012 by Steve Simms

Current events:  actions or words prompted by the flow of the Holy Spirit within you.  Don’t resist and/or quench the Spirit’s current, but go with His flow. Like electricity the Spirit of God flows through conductors.  Is the living current … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century, Bible, Christian, Christian history, Christianity, conductors, current events, dead battery, dunamis, dynamite, dynamo, electricity, faith, generator, gifts of the Spirit, Holy Spirit, inner rivers, inward change, lifestyles, mystery, mysticism, normal Christianity, prayer, proof of God, quench the Spirit, religion, religious ceremonies, salvation, Scriptures, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual combat, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual skills, spiritual warfare, testimonies | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Alternative Names For Organic Church

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Steve Simms

In the last few years, many books have been written about organic church by people like Neil Cole, Milt Rodriguez, Tony and Felicity Dale, Frank Viola, Wolfgang Simpson, Jon Zens, and many others.  I have read many of the books.  … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, American church, Berry Street, Bible, Biblical concept, Christian, Christian community, Christian history, Christianity, church, church history, church roles, church structure, faith, faith-based, flag, Frank Viola, history, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, improv, James H Rutz, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jon Zens, King James Version, Milt Rodriguez, Music City, Nashville, Neil Cole, non-church, non-church movement, non-traditional church, open church, order of worship, organic church, participatory church, prayer, prayer walking, Quakers, relational church, religion, religious ceremonies, sermon, sermons, show and tell, simple church, Spirit-led, spiritual awakening, support group, tag team, The Salvation Army, the way we do church, Tony and Felicity Dale, tradition, unprogrammed church, Western religion, What is church?, Wolfgang Simpson | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments

An Ancient Way To Change Your Life (Almost Unknown In The 21st Century)

Posted on June 15, 2012 by Steve Simms

There is an ancient way to change your life that was first developed and used in the Middle East in the early Fourth Century.  It produced amazing results and helped to start a movement in the Roman Empire and beyond. … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian history, Christianity, church history, early church, faith, faith-based, God, habit, hearing Jesus, His story, history, inner rivers, insight, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Movement, lifestyles, monastics, mysticism, non-church movement, non-material reality, Orthodox, Philokalia, prayer, prayer walking, prayer without ceasing, presence of Christ, presence of God, religion, religious ceremonies, self-control, self-denial, self-esteem, self-help, self-image, self-will, sin, sinner, spiritual awakening, spiritual combat, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual warfare, The Jesus Prayer, the way of the pilgrim | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments