Category Archives: spiritual formation

Church is a gathering of people who are captured by and caught up in the current flowing of the Holy Spirit, not a group of people who are passively watching a religious program.

Posted on February 8, 2013 by Steve Simms

Church is a gathering of people who are captured by and caught up in the current flowing of the Holy Spirit, not a group of people who are passively watching a religious program.

Posted in captured by the Spirit, caught up with God, church program, church services, current flowing, flow, flow of the Spirit, flowing of the Holy Spirit, followers of Christ, gifts of the Spirit, God, simple church, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, Spirit-prompted, spiritual, spiritual fire, spiritual flow, spiritual formation | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

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

Learning Bible Info vs. Releasing God’s Inner Flow

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Steve Simms

The contemporary church wants people to know Bible info. God wants people to grow by releasing His inner flow. Spiritual maturity will grow only from God’s inner flow.  It’s not produced by the Bible lessons you know. People aren’t changed … Continue reading →

Posted in contemporary church, go with the flow, inner coach, inner rivers, innere flow, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual flow, spiritual formation, spiritual healing, spiritual innovation, spiritual leaders, spiritual movement, spiritual power, spiritual transformation | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Spiritual Conductivity/Resistivity

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Steve Simms

Spirituality is like an electric current.  It is a flow of power from within human beings as the Holy Spirit comes forth in rivers of living water.  Christ-followers are those who allow the Spirit to freely flow through them.  They … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Bible reading, Christ, Christ followers, Christ in you, Christ in you the hope of glory, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian experience, Christianity, electricity, forgiveness, Holy Spirit, inward change, Jesus, Jesus Christ, pride, puffed up mind, repent, repentance, sin, spiritual experience, spiritual flow, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, The Voice, voice of God | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Inside Addition — The Key To A Beautiful Life

Posted on January 18, 2013 by Steve Simms

Inside addition (not Inside Edition) is the key to a beautiful life.  However, it’s not automatic.  It all depends on which mathematical formula you follow: Self + pride = hypocrisy Self + fear or worry = torment Self + anger … Continue reading →

Posted in alienated, alienation, anger, angst, belief, belief system, bitterness, Christ, Christian, Christian values, Christianity, crucify yourself, cynicism, depression, false security, fear, freedom, guilt, hypocrisy, if any man is in Christ, misery, negativity, new creature, peace, pride, self-denial, self-discipline, self-esteem, self-focus, self-forgiveness, self-will, selfish desires, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual transformation, torment, tormenting thoughts, transformation, truth, vulgarity, worry | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Cat In The Hat Shares The Rap On His Cap

Posted on January 8, 2013 by Steve Simms

Yo! Let’s go, We gotta show A better way to pray Than sittin’ in pews Hearin’ preacha views. We got da great news! Let everybody share A prayer or a care. Take da flag Out of da bag; Blood & … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative church, alternative lifestyle, belief, blood of Jesus, burning heart, celebration, change, change agent, Christ, Christ followers, Christian flag, Christian rap, Christian values, contagion, countercultural, creativity, culture, environment, evangelism, faith-based, filled with the Spirit, fire, fire of the Holy Spirit, flag, floods, free spirit, holiness, holy, improv, insight, inspiration, Jesus, Jesus Christ, joy, move of God, music, organic church, popular culture, prayer, praying, preaching, rapping, revival, sermons, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual fire, spiritual formation, spiritual innovation, testimonies | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A New (Emergent and/or Organic) Name For Christianity: Christimacy

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Steve Simms

These ideas came to my mind during the praise and worship meeting at The Salvation Army Berry Street this morning.  I shared them with the believers gathered there. The one word that most describes the difference between the Old and … Continue reading →

Posted in atonement, Christ, Christ followers, Christ in you, Christ in you the hope of glory, Christian, Christian values, emergent Christianity, emergent movement, God with us, having a form of godliness, He broke down the wall of hostility, house church, intimacy, Jesus Christ, lost and restored, Love one another, move of God, movement, new birth, new creation, New Testament, Old Testament, racial reconciliation, reconciliation, salvation, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, simple church, spirit, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual formation, spiritual healing, spiritual innovation, spiritual interaction, spiritual kinship, spiritual transformation, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

2013 — A New Year? Or The Same Ole Same Ole?

Posted on January 1, 2013 by Steve Simms

Will 2013 be a new year for you or the same ole same ole of years gone by?   Does this new year mark the mere movement of time; or the development of character, the growth of love, and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Christ, Christ followers, Christ in you, Christian, Christianity, conversion, conviction, conviction of sin, forgiveness, God, honesty, hope, if anyone is in Christ, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lyrics, new birth, new creation, New Testament, obedience, prayer, presence of Christ, presence of God, recovery, reformation, relevation, religion, repent, repentance, revelation, revival, revolution, sin, sins, soul, spirit, spiritual, spiritual formation, spiritual healing, spiritual training, spiritual transformation, spiritual warfare, supernatural, surrender to God | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 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