Category Archives: spiritual formation

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

On The First Day Of Summer, Life’s Not A Bummer . . .

Posted on June 20, 2012 by Steve Simms

Summer time is finally here.  Today is officially the first day of summer, 2012  . . . “People don’t notice whether it’s winter or summer when they’re happy.” ~Anton Chekhov (Are you happy?) “I finally learned that within me there … Continue reading →

Posted in beauty, bummer, Christ, Christianity, devotion, faith, faith-based, feelings, gift of God, happiness, happy, heart-felt love, hope, joy, popular culture, Quotations, quote, Quotes, religion, seasons, singing, Son-shine, spiritual, spiritual formation, spiritual growth | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Why Settle For Microsoft’s “Surface” When There’s A Tablet Deep In Your Heart?

Posted on June 20, 2012 by Steve Simms

Today Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s CEO, introduced “Surface” their new tablet computer.  But why settle for “Surface” when there’s a tablet computer deep in your own heart.  It comes as standard equipment with human beings. The Bible teaches that the Spirit … Continue reading →

Posted in apps, Bible, Biblical concept, CEO, Christian, Christianity, computer, depths, downloads, inward change, marvel, Microsoft, religion, revolution, Spirit-led, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, standard equipment, Steve Ballmer, supernatural, Surface, tablet, tablet computer, tablets of human hearts, Western religion, words | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

New Poll Shows More Millennials Doubt God

Posted on June 14, 2012 by Steve Simms

A new poll by the Pew Research Center has found that doubts about the existence of God have increased by 15 points during the past 5 years among Millennials, Americans 30 and under.  Here’s a link to the survey: http://www.pewforum.org/Age/Religion-Among-the-Millennials.aspx … Continue reading →

Posted in acts of God, American, American church, American media, announcements, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Christian, Christian community, Christian history, Christianity, church, church roles, church structure, doubts, faith, faith-based, gifts of the Spirit, Music City, mysticism, order of worship, organic church, participatory church, Pew Research, poll, popular culture, rejecting Christ, show and tell, Spirit-led, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, supernatural, testimonies, testimony, The Salvation Army, unprogrammed church | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Don’t Let The Myth Of The Material Make You Miss Life’s Most Meaningful Reality . . .

Posted on June 12, 2012 by Steve Simms

It would be a shame to go through life caught in the myth of the material and miss out on the most amazing reality on Earth.  Yet many people do. We think we have “permanent housing” but that is a … Continue reading →

Posted in belief, Bible, Biblical concept, Christian, Christianity, compassion, conscience, consciousness, facts and figures, faith, faith-based, faithfulness, God, having a form of godliness, heart-felt love, human body, human life, insight, kindness, life, lifestyles, love, materialism, materialistic evolution, meaning, meaninglessness, mystery, mysticism, natural laws, nature, non-material reality, Oh my God, origin of life, peace, permanent housing, religion, scholasticism, science, soul, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, still small voice, supernatural, testimony, The God Delusion, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

God Still Makes Change That Sets The Captives Free

Posted on June 11, 2012 by Steve Simms

Where did that strange question come from as I sat bored in church one morning?  “If you were born a Hindu, what would you be today?” Here’s my testimony.  God still makes change that sets the captives free.  Hearing God’s … Continue reading →

Posted in agnostic, belief, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, bored in church, change, change management, Christian, Christian community, Christianity, church, college, East Nashville, evidence for God, faith, faith-based, free spirit, freedom, gift of God, God, Hindu, history, interactive, lifestyles, makes change, miracles, mysticism, Nashville, new birth, non-traditional church, prayer, religion, revelation, salvation, Salvationists, saved, Savior, sets the captives free, simple church, soul, spiritual awakening, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, strange question, supernatural, surrender to God, testimonies, testimony, The Salvation Army, trust, Why be a Christian?, witness, YouTube | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Do You Know God?

Posted on June 9, 2012 by Steve Simms

Do you know God?  Not religion or church or the Bible or prayer or worship or doctrine or Footprints In The Sand; but is the Creator, Himself, real and alive in your heart? Are you captivated by God’s majesty and … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, beauty, belief, Bible, burning heart, Catholic mystics, Christian, Christianity, church, clear conscience, confession, contemplation, conversion, conviction of sin, Creator, dancing with God, devotion, evidence for God, faith, faith-based, gift of God, God, God-shaped vacuum, good question, good sermon, guidance, hearing God, hearing Jesus, inner rivers, insight, inward change, life, lifestyles, majesty, mystery, mysticism, Oh my God, peace, presence of Christ, presence of God, religion, religious ceremonies, repent, revelation, self-denial, sermon, sermons, sin, spiritual, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, still small voice, The Voice, words on fire | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Why Be Prejudice Against Prayer (Or Against Praying People)?

Posted on June 8, 2012 by Steve Simms

Even if you don’t believe in (and/or don’t like) prayer, there is no reason to be prejudice against prayer or against people who pray.  Why?  Because . . . 1)  The vast majority of people who tell you they are … Continue reading →

Posted in acts of God, adoration, alternative lifestyle, American, Americans, anthropologist, belief, Brandeis University, Christian, Christianity, church, faith, faith-based, feelings, interview, joy, lifestyles, love, mystery, non-material reality, Of Two Minds, popular culture, prayer, prayer walking, prayer without ceasing, presence of Christ, presence of God, psychology, religion, soul, spiritual, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, supernatural, surrender to God, T.M. Luhrmann, tension, The Jesus Prayer, The Voice, tolerance | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

2 Ways Of Having Church (One Widespread & The Other Very Rare)

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Steve Simms

There are thousands of brands of Christianity (called denominations).  However, if you look closer at all the denominational and non-denominational churches in the world, there are really only two ways of having church:  1) Spectative church & 2) Interactive church. … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, Biblical concept, brands, China, Chinese, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, Christianity, church, church history, church roles, church structure, denominations, East Nashville, Holy Spirit, Music City, Nashville, organic church, relational church, religion, religious ceremonies, simple church, spiritual formation, The Salvation Army | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments