We can make choices that tie us down or set us free

Posted on May 1, 2021 by Steve Simms

You can try to force life to fit your definition of happiness, or you can simply enjoy being alive. You can began to take control of your thoughts, emotions, and desires, instead of letting them control you.

A person isn’t what he observes inside. He is the being who is doing the observing and either accepting or rejecting the various things that he feels, thinks and desires. I’m not what I think, feel, want, say, or do. I am what I am–the human being either surrendering to or directing those things.

I’m not a desire
Or an emotion;
Not a pronoun
Or a notion
I’m a person.

Pay attention to the mental and emotional activity within you and you’ll notice things (both positive and negative) that conflict with your will. If you let negative thoughts and desires run in the background of your consciousness, they’ll eat away at your emotional well being

The journey to inner freedom begins with recognizing and admitting where you’re in bondage. Open your lies and you’ll see that they’re holding you in bondage to untruth, distortion, and deception.

There is more to people than what you observe. Getting to know them at a deeper level reveals that they’re more like you than you think.

If you haven’t closely examined (from many angles) what you’re talking about, there’s a good chance you’re not seeing it clearly. We humans are beings who can grow in our ability to make choices that set us free, rather than decisions that tie us down. Whoever you are, be free, not compelled by thoughts, feelings, or desires.

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Introspection–inner inspection to make life better

Posted on April 30, 2021 by Steve Simms

People who seldom search for wisdom inside themselves, leave much happiness on the shelf. If you never do an honest inner inspection, some introspection and self-examination, there’ll be much you don’t know about yourself.

Mindfulness is observant. Mindlessness isn’t. Just because you don’t notice something, doesn’t mean it’s not there.

Negativity is usually unproductive, seldom constructive, and often very destructive. When it is revealing what you’ve been concealing, truth isn’t an appealing feeling.

Negative feelings, desires, and thoughts, that you don’t want inside you are intruders that are trying to take over. Those invisible intruders that invade your mind and heart with negativity, can be resisted. It’s a battle requiring courage and persistence.

Many intrusive thoughts, feelings, and desires are untrue and abusive. They have no good uses. When the faucet of negativity begins to flow inside of you, you can let it run and overflow your sink, or you can shut it off.

Just because a thought, feeling, or desire rises up in you, doesn’t mean that you have to dance to its tune. Make wise selections. Your can let thoughts, feelings, and desires overpower you or you can control them and only accept the ones that empower you.

If you’ve been taught about something, but haven’t thought about it and pondered it for yourself, you’ve been brainwashed. When people are hurting it’s good to hear them out. Telling them that their troubles are imaginary doesn’t help. Preconceived notions cause much commotion, but if we’d compassionately listen to each other, we could calm things down.

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Church is like speed dating

Posted on April 30, 2021 by Steve Simms

Church is like speed dating: sit and hear a few generalities about Jesus and then quickly move on.

You can learn information about Jesus thru sermons,. You get to know Him by observing and interacting with Him through out each day.

Christianity needs to be more than a weekly hearing of Bible-based informational analysis.

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Self-improvement 6-pack

Posted on April 29, 2021 by Steve Simms

Observe, Experiment, & Learn

Observe, experiment and learn how your mind and emotions work. Then you will know how to make them work for you, not against you. Look within you. Alter your thoughts, feelings, and desires until they produce continual joy, not ongoing pain.

Let Your Conscience Be YourTeacher

Anything that you allow to stand between you and your conscience will block it from view and lead you askew. Call it mindfulness or mysticism, learning to listen to your conscience and to improve your thoughts and feelings is life-changing!

Practice Observation Skills Right Where You Are

You don’t have to travel to see things you haven’t seen before. Look closely and you can see them in your own back yard.

Don’t Let Complacency Tell You People Don’t Matter

Complacency trains us to avoid people. Compassion teaches us to reach out to them with kindness.

Discover Amazing Inspiration

Words inspired by the living Word (Jesus) burn in the heart. Methodical words written in a preacher’s study tend to muddy the mind. A sermon that isn’t followed up by pondering and experimenting is quickly forgotten.

Practice & Train 

Following Jesus 
Is like playing the piano. 
You can listen to lectures about it, 
But if you don't practice,  
You won't do it very well.
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Cruelty free is the best way to be

Posted on April 29, 2021 by Steve Simms

“Cruelty-free” shouldn’t just apply to animals, but to every stage of human life. Society tends to ignore intentional cruelty. In history it was slavery, Jim Crow, and genocide. Today it’s abortion.

To devalue human life because of skin color (racism) or location (abortion) is cruel. Devaluing any stage of human life or any color of humanity, devalues all human life.

The abortion distortion has twisted society’s thinking to proclaim and embrace the idea that one stage of human life has no value. Millions have been conceived and then relieved of life by those who were deceived to believe that prenatal human life is just tissue.

The conception deception boldly declares that prenatal human life doesn’t matter. No human life should be disposable! Be cruelty free to all humanity, as well as to animals.

On the right hand side of my blog there is a search bar, just below the Twitter information. For more post like this, type in abortion.

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What makes a great American?

Posted on April 28, 2021 by Steve Simms 
If greatness in American history
Was measured by 
How well a person lived by
"Liberty and justice for all," 
A lot of "great" Americans 
Would be demoted. 

Check out my Top 10 Greatest Americans by the standard of "liberty and justice for all."
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Optimistic observations about observation

Posted on April 28, 2021 by Steve Simms

Inaccurate observation creates many physical, social, relational, mental, and emotional problems. Seeing things more clearly can help us avoid problems.

Observation is the courage to see what’s really there, not just what you want to see. Inaccurate observation leads to faulty reasoning. Our human tendency to prematurely evaluate hinders our ability to clearly observe the what’s going on. Before you begin to reason, make sure you have correct information.

Most of us have been taught how to memorize and repeat, more than how to observe and ponder. It’s easy to memorize other people’s thinking, but It takes hard work to make your own observations.

If you seldom observe and ponder, you’ll wander thru life with little wonder in your heart. Jokes aren’t the only thing that’s funny. Everyday life is full of healthy humor if you’ll stop evaluating everything and begin to enjoy life moment by moment.

You can’t improve yourself if you won’t accurately observe the details of how you think, emote, and act. Self-improvement involves thinking and living better than you have been.

There’s always something going on inside your mind and heart. Observe those inner actions. Decide which to embrace and which to erase. If you seldom clean out your heart and manage the workings of your mind, you might look good on the outside, but you’ll be a mess inside

Your attitude is determined by how you use your mind and by your inner responses to outer and inner stimuli By watching your thoughts, feelings, and desires, as an interested observer, you can learn to manage them for greater happiness. If you learn to monitor the self-talk in your mind, you can begin to select the helpful and reject the detrimental.

If you pray with an honest, humble heart, you will begin to observe positive changes occurring within you. You can get to know the living Jesus more by observation than by reasoning. Talk to Him and then notice what happens in your heart.

Testimony is powerful. It lets people see how you’ve changed, instead of you trying to persuade them to change.

You’re in God’s image.
He’s creative!
So are you.
Observe and innovate!
Why just rotate
Thru life?

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What’s a wish worth?

Posted on April 28, 2021 by Steve Simms

You can wish
For a fish
But you’re more likely
To catch a fish
If you go
Fishing.

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The Sunday morning church plot

Posted on April 27, 2021 by Steve Simms

Every Sunday
The plot’s the same.
We’ve made church so tame.

Church teaches Christians to listen to a preacher. Perhaps it would be more effective if it taught us to listen to our conscience. If a church isn’t empowering people to daily experience the presence of the living Jesus, it’s in decline.

Christianity isn’t about church growth. It’s about spiritual growth–people growing closer to and more obedient to the risen Jesus.

Christianity is about spiritual life. The more church tries to organize and control spiritual life, the more the Holy Spirit is quenched. Maybe church should proclaim the Gospel to people who haven’t believed, instead of claiming authority to control the spiritual life the ones who have.

Christians are capable of so much more than being a Sunday audience. Perhaps God is saying: “Let My people grow!”

Church is a distorted view of Christianity. The most accurate view comes thru reading the New Testament with an open heart (and without a commentary) and listening to God as you read.

The body of Christ needs no chain of command. Each member can be led directly by Jesus, the Head.

Church too often lets the program and the preacher distract people’s attention away from the presence of the living Jesus. But Christ is essential!

Step into the future of church. The living Jesus can restructure the Sunday morning church plot and fill it with power and life! Take a look at Beyond Church–An Invitation To Experience The Lost Word Of The Bible–Ekklesia.

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How to gain from your pain

Posted on April 27, 2021 by Steve Simms

If you allow pain to close your heart, you’ll never get what you were supposed to gain from your pain. Even when you can’t change your circumstances, you can choose whether to let them irritate you or polish you.

Excuses will never help you heal. But admitting where you’re wrong and asking for forgiveness, will. All people are mixtures of good and bad (to varying degrees). That’s the nature of our human race.

Personal growth requires truth. Falsehood hinders it. Our feelings aren’t facts. In fact, our feelings often contradict the facts. When you detach yourself from your desires, feelings, and pride, you can see truth more clearly.

Your comfort zone and your growth zone seldom overlap. If you are willing to be uncomfortable enough to notice, you might find a great thought drifting thru your mind.

The most important thing to filter isn’t your air or your water. It’s your thoughts! Involuntary thoughts don’t take away your freedom of choice. You can choose to retain them or to resist them.

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