Tag Archives: quotes

Preaching’s not enough says a $1.00 book . . .

Posted on May 21, 2016 by Steve Simms

We must go beyond preaching! Wow! Such power, conformation, and fireworks from a book I found for $1.00 at at Book Warehouse in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. It doesn’t look too impressive, but I’m so glad I bought Discovering Who We Are … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative to preaching, body of Christ, Christian community, Christian leadership, church community, church leadership, communication, community building, Holy Spirit, how the body of Christ functions, how to create community, lay testimonies, leadership training, media, personal testimony, preaching, Salvation Army, salvation testimonies, servant leadership, simple church, spiritual gifts, testimonies, testimony, Uncategorized, word of their testimony | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Your cheatin’ heart will tell on you (don’t follow your heart)

Posted on May 17, 2016 by Steve Simms

  We humans continually hustle to hide the hurt and hideousness of our cheatin’ heart behind religion, self-righteousness (self-justification), and/or rebellion. We deny the scathing seriousness of our sin and the evil nature of our heart, even though the Bible … Continue reading →

Posted in Amazing Grace, broken heart, brokenhearted, burning heart, cheap grace, country music, Create in me a clean heart, from the heart, grace, hard-hearted, heart is deceitful, heart is desperately wicked, heart-felt, heartbreak, heartfelt, human heart, Jeremiah, Jeremiah 17:9, love God with all your heart, next heart beat, sinful heart, speaking from the heart, the door of your heart, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Are we the walking brain-dead — mindless media zombies?

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Steve Simms

Could our media be polluting our minds and turning us into the walking brain-dead, who mindlessly mimic media messages. Advertisers seem to think so. Advertisers have made TV networks, cable companies, Netflix, YouTube, Google, and Facebook some of the wealthiest … Continue reading →

Posted in abc, American media, Bramwell Booth, cable companies, CBS, choice, electronic media, facebook, garbage in garbage out, influence of words, media circus, moral choices, morality, netflix, PBS, persuasion of media, positive thinking, power of choice, prochoice, right and worng, TV, TV network, TV series, Uncategorized, YouTube | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Thoughts from the Bible & the General . . .

Posted on May 8, 2016 by Steve Simms

I read some statements that General André Cox made at The Salvation Army National Advisory Organizations Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, April 21-24, 2016. The theme of the conference was “Expect Change.” The General’s comments reminded me of these biblical concepts: Christ-followers … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, change, change agent, change in church, change management, changes in worship, each one has a psalm, evangelism, makes change, Phoenix, preach the gospel, Quench not the Spirit, Uncategorized, witnesses, witnessing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Should we go all the way with “born that way?”

Posted on May 2, 2016 by Steve Simms

I believe that human beings are born with a deep longing for God and that we never outgrow it (even though we sometimes redirect it).  Wherever you find people you find religion and ritual — some form of attempting to … Continue reading →

Posted in agnosticism, Alexander Maclaren, atheism, Augustine, books, born again, dissatisfaction, Ecclesiastes, God seeker, hate, longing for God, Pascal, Rick Warren, ritual, Tiffanie DeBartolo, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Are Christians playing with a full deck — ekklesia?

Posted on April 30, 2016 by Steve Simms

Is the traditional concept of church short of God’s full deck — the Greek New testament idea of ekklesia? Is ekklesia God’s trump card that empowers Christ-followers to dynamically connect with the living, resurrected Jesus and with one another? A … Continue reading →

Posted in Beyond Church, Bible quotes, Bible verses, called out ones, decrees, demonstrations of the Spirit, Dones, ekklesia, Greek, Greek city state, Greek New Testament, Heaven, house church, nones, on earth as it is in heaven, organic chruch, simple church, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

How many sermons does it take to make a person pure?

Posted on April 23, 2016 by Steve Simms

Christ-followers are called to be pure and holy! That’s not easy to do when seductive media is so readily accessible and overflowing with negativity, disrespect, vulgarity, adultery, nudity, profanity, and worse. Have all the sermons that we have heard (and … Continue reading →

Posted in church, church fathers, church government, city council meeting, early church, ekklesia, evangelism, God's government, government, on earth as it is in heaven, Origen, religion, spiritual formation, spiritual transformation, testimonies, Thom Schultz, transformation, Uncategorized, Walk by the Spirit | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Take a sorry safari . . .

Posted on April 20, 2016 by Steve Simms

Let the Holy Spirit guide you on a sorry safari and show you the shame, error, offense, and other wickedness lurking in the natural habitat of your heart. Discover the treacherous primeval forest that you carry inside yourself. (It’s a jungle … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Bridle my Heart, Colleen Doran, hard-hearted, heart care, heart is deceitful, heart is desperately wicked, heart monitor, human heart, Jeremiah, King David, Maya Angelou, Rona Barrett, Sara Sheridan, sinful heart, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Meeting “to do the 2” — the ekklesia 2-step

Posted on April 19, 2016 by Steve Simms

Ekklesia meets to do the two — to give people hands on practice, training, and experience in living out Jesus’ two greatest commandments. This is the dance of the body of Christ — the ekklesia two-step. Step one: “Love the Lord your … Continue reading →

Posted in body of Christ, church, dancing, ekklesia, family of God, heart, heart care, heart of worship, love the Lord your God, Matthew 22, organic church, two or three in My name, Uncategorized, worship dancing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Coloring beyond the church-in-a-program box

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Steve Simms

Color outside the “church program” lines. Think beyond the “church as usual” box. Let’s break out of the church-in-a-program box! “A need for precision and perfection has always been an enemy of art, which is about coloring outside the lines. … Continue reading →

Posted in Albert Einstein, art, Beyond Church, breaking the rules, ekklesia, fresh expressions, How to be creative, how to be more creative, ideas, Jesus, Jesus Christ, messy church, novel ideas, organic chruch, Ray Schneider, Steve Stockman, T.D. Jakes, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment