Tag Archives: presence

The purpose of the church is not to present people information and songs about God but to visibly manifest the power and presence of the living, resurrected Jesus Christ.

Posted on February 26, 2012 by Steve Simms

Posted in Christianity, church, church history, church structure, house church, order of worship, organic church, simple church, spiritual, spiritual formation, What is church?, worship | Tagged God, Jesus Christ, power, presence, pruprose of the church, songs | 1 Comment

The Tim Tebow Denver/Pittsburg 3:16 Stats, Berry Street, & God

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Steve Simms

What do you do when you encounter incredible statistical improbabilities (wow, that’s 3 words with 14 syllables)? 1) Write them off as coincidence? Or 2) Seriously ponder the mystery and awe behind them? For example, have you read or heard … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized, history, God, Nashville, organic church, Jesus Christ, Quotations, Quotes, freedom, The Salvation Army, What is church?, prayer, prayer walking, mysticism, church history, NFL, Holy Spirit, Berry Street Worship Center, William Booth, spiritual, Jesus Movement, Berry Street, Music City, Jesus, East Nashville, church, movement, TV, evangelicals, supernatural, Why be a Christian?, conscience, guidance, impossible odds, spiritual growth, spiritual skills, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, spiritual warfare, Catherine Booth, miracles, mystery, hearing God, hearing Jesus, children of God, Tim Tebow, Denver Broncos, Playoffs, tebowing, tebowing.com, tebow, John Berry McFerrin, Parnassus Books | Tagged a legion of devils, agent, Area Commander, averaged 31.6 yards per pass, awe, behind, Berry St., Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, bigorty, bio, blood of Jesus, Board of Missions, burned in our hearts, camp meetings, cast the all out at once, changing lives, chapel, childrren of God, Christian Advocate, coincidence, consciences, denomination, Denver Broncos, East Nashville, ecumenical conference, edited, encounter, example, experience, eye black, fail to do the work, fire of the Holy Spirit, forms and ceremonies, free from bondage to drugs, glorious realization in our hearts, God confirming the vision, God is using Tebow, God's convicting, God's Spirit bears witness with our spirit, googled, hardness of heart, impossible, independent bookstore, it is a fearful thing, John 3:16, John Berry McFerrin, led by the holy Spirit, listen to God, livin my dream in nashville, London, lover of christ, many times every year, many turned to the lord, MCFerrin Park Neighborhood, Methodist Episcopal Church, Methodist leader, Middle Tennesse, mighty move of God, miraculously set, moved, multitudes, mystery, Nashville, nationally known, NFL, Nielson rating was 31.6, non-traditional church, obduracy, once in a lifetime, opposition, outward observances, Parnassus Books, periodicals, Pittsburg Steelers, ponser, post season game, pray, prejudice, prejudices, presence, quotation, quote, religious excitement, religious secular, resist the Spirit of God, secreatry, sensibilites stirred, seriously ponder, share, something beyond nature at work, statistical improbabilities, stats, Sudnay morning peetings, syllables, Tebow had thrown for 316 yeards, testify, the Christian religion, The History of Methodism in Tennessee, The Salvation Army Flag, Tim Tebow, to the depths, transforming a neighborhood, University of Florida quarterback, wake up the neighborhood, wicked, wide influence | 8 Comments

Why Is Christmas The Most Celebrated Day Of The Year?

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Steve Simms

Why all the fuss and effort to celebrate the Christmas season? You know. The most celebrated day of the year is about the arrival of Jesus Christ on planet Earth. Isn’t it amazing all the time, effort, and money that … Continue reading →

Posted in lifestyles, religion, Nashville, Jesus Christ, popular culture, freedom, The Salvation Army, Oh my God, mysticism, kingdom of God, life, Berry Street Worship Center, meaning, Christianity, revelation, spiritual, Berry Street, Jesus, praise and worship, East Nashville, Christmas, awe, Why be a Christian?, non-material reality, spiritual growth, spiritual skills, spiritual disciplines, Christmas Eve, spiritual formation, spiritual warfare, Americans, Reason For The Season, miracles, Christmas carols, Savior | Tagged morality, transformation, Jesus, freedom, money, Nashville, history, ritual, experience, birth, people, presence, 37207, Jesus Christ, religion, TN, The Salvation Army, tradition, around the world, working, set free, random, Sundays, hope, amazing, Berry Street, Worship Center, 10:45, 225 Berry St., Why, individuals, planet Earth, celebrate, truths, in our time, testifies, come, know, runaway, spent, effort, mere, empowered, return, respond, alive, moves, human life, self-sacrifice, inner witness, stirs, all the time, to believe, Christmas season, shows, all the fuss, you know, most celebrated day, of the year, the arrival, gives, hundreds of millions, there is more to life, meaningless existence, inspires, there is a God, loves us, eager, rebellious, self-destructive behaviors, live a life of love, inside the human heart, the depths of our being, inner passion, faithfully serve, try to deny, calls us back, confined, steps out, present reality, personally encountered, Enhance, Christmas celebrations, the living Christ | 6 Comments

A Forgotten American Folk Song’s Powerful Message

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Steve Simms

I live in Nashville, Music City; however, we don’t hear songs like this old American folk song in Nashville or on MTV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtlxoRAAHVU Our culture has changed and the message of this song is no longer heard (or even tolerated). … Continue reading →

Posted in addiction, boundaries, change, Christianity, criticism, discipling, drugs, education, forgiveness, freedom, God, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, life, lifestyles, meaning, mind, morality, morals, MTV, music, Music City, mysticism, Nashville, negro spirituals, Oh Sinner Man, popular culture, Quotations, Quotes, recovery, self-image, sin, soul, spiritual, thinking, thoughts, Uncategorized | Tagged 90%, a wretch like me, alcohol, America, American folk song, ancient, answer, aware, awareness, begins to see, believes, bit, brightness, C.S. Lewis, center, changed, chaplain, Christian, churches, clean, clotes, counselor, create, crime, culture, darkest night of the year, depravity, dirt, dirty, don't hear, drug, early days, fact, falsely, filthy, finally, first rays of light, God, God's glory, God's light, good people, good person, grow, hands, have mercy on me, hearts, hint, holier, holy, hymn, I am, I am a sinner, I'm a, increasing, interview, interviewed, Jesus Christ, Jesus prayer, John Newton, know, life, link, listening, live, living, looks, Lord, lost, managed, men, Michael McKinley, misery, monkx, more, more sensitive, nearer, new, noonday sun, notices, O, of the, Oh Sinner Man, old, Orthodox, over the horizon, perhaps, person, Peter K. Nelson, practice, presence, program, quite, rehab, rright, see ourselves, sees, self-destruction, self-judgment, simple question, sinfulness, sinner, son, spiritual darkness, story, sun comes up, surprises, tale, tell, think, Tim Chester, told, toward, ultra-conservative, used by, very far from God, watch, wee bit, what kind, Why, women, woods, word, work, wretched, writer, you, Youtube | 5 Comments

Jesus (And The Thoughts He Brings To My Mind)

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Steve Simms

I wrote down “Jesus.” Now I am going to write what comes from my heart. I love Jesus. He is more real to me than the air I breathe. He sustains me, strengthens me, comforts me, challenges me, inspires me, … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian history, Christianity, church history, college, college students, Easter, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Movement, Jesus Take The Wheel, meaning, mysticism, Oh my God, peace, praise and worship, prayer, religion, salvation, soul, spiritual, Uncategorized | Tagged 20 centuries, abandon, above every name under heaven, again, air I breathe, Alpha and Omega, authority, awesome, bringing hope, captivated, church-service, clothed, college freshman, comes from, completely, conviction, dances, dear, devoured, did, down, encountered Jesus, endurance, ever since the day, everlasting Father, first, first Christians, flows, generation, glorious, God with us, Gospel accounts, have your way, heart, heart cries, high and lifted up, historical, hungered, I want more, Immanuel, in my heart, in our time, itself, Jesus, joy, jumps off the pages, knowledge, life, lion of the tribe of Judah, liturgy, living, long, love, manifest, men and women, midst, mighty God, mighty miracles, more, more of Jesus, more stuff, move, name, open our eyes, passion, peace, person, poured over, power, presence, present, read, real, refreshing, religious figure, revelation, ritual, same, splendor, sweet, talks, thank you, the word, theology, theory, through being, to see, turn us around, washing, word, worked, write, wrote | Leave a comment

If The Chosen Are Frozen, How Can God’s Fire Rage Through Our World?

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Steve Simms

We live in a world that is fastly fleeing from traditional social and moral constraints. People nowadays uninhibitedly express their feelings and views without regard for what is decent, right, or wholesome, even when they are sober. There is no longer a need to … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Christian history, Christianity, church history, discipling, drunk, Holy Spirit, house church, Jesus Movement, morality, morals, Nashville, organic church, prayer, religion, simple church, spiritual, What is church? | Tagged 120, 225, 37207, about, agenda, allow, amazing, as ever, attitude, Berry Street, Bible, break, burn, but denying the power thereof, cast aside, celebrating, check, chosen, Christian, church, church age, church attenders, church is in decline, church-service, command, contrary, crucifixion, decent, described, die to self, disciples, drunk, dry, encourage, entertaining, enthusiasm, events, every member, experience, express feelings, expression, fastly, filled, fire, flames, fleeing, flow, follow, formal, formalism, foundation, frozen, function, gathered, God's fire, God's light, group, having a form of godliness, hidden, hiding, history, Holy Spirit, house church, inhibited, Jesus, languages, living, loudly, love, mighty, moral constraints, morally, move of God, movement, Nashville, now, obey, one reason, openly, organic church, organized, original, passion, Paul's, Pentecost, perhaps, power, praising God, praying, presence, publicly, reclaim priesthood of the believer, Reformation, rejoicing, remove, restrained, restraints, right, run, scholars, see, share, show up, simple church, sit, sober, social, society, speak, speaking, spiritual inhbitions, spirituall, spontaneous, start, street, structured, suddenly, Sundays, tear down the wall, theatrical, theory, this out, time, traditional, turn away, turn the world upside down, under a bushel, uninhibited, uninhibitedly, views, wait, we live, wholesome, willing, without regard for, wonders, works, world, years | 1 Comment

The College That Changed My Life

Posted on August 22, 2011 by Steve Simms

There is a popular book called Colleges That Change Lives. Somehow the college that changed my life — The University of Tennessee Martin — is not in the book. UTM was 50 miles away from my home and the only … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, change, Christian history, Christianity, church history, college, God, house church, kingdom of God, life, meaning, mysticism, Nashville, new birth, Oh my God, organic church, peace, religion, self-image, simple church, spiritual, What is church? | Tagged 225, Alabama, altar, amazing, Arkansas, around, asking, Baptist, Berry Street, best, Bible, book, called, changed, Christ, Christian, Christianity, church, churches, college, Colleges That Change Lives, community, corny, country, cried, daily, debate, denomination, devotion, difficult, discover, doctrine, Dorm, dozens, Ellington, encouraged, enjoyed, enthusiastic, environment, experience, family, fellow, focused, forever, Friends, full, God, Gospel, graduated, hall, hang out, heart, hooked, human beings, Illinois, Indiana, Jesus, Jesus Freaks, Kentucky, laughed, Lay Witness, leader, leaving, less, level, life, life-long, listened, llking, lobby, longing, loving, manifesting, Martin, meetings, Methodist, Missions, Missiour, Mississippi, morning, most, moved, name, Nashville, Nashville's, normal, official, one another, passion, passionate, pastored, people, popular, power, powerful, praises, prayed, Presbyterian, presence, reading, recapture, reconnect, repenting, satisfied, seminary, shared, sharing, shocked, singing, somehow, spring, stopped, strange, Sunday, Sundays, supported, take turns, Tennessee, testimonies, the, The Salvation Army, things, together, transformed, type, Union City, unique, University of Tennessee, UTM, vibrant, weekend, working, Worship Center, year | 13 Comments

Dietrich Bonhoeffer — Words From Prision

Posted on August 13, 2011 by Steve Simms

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was imprisoned and later executed (in 1944) by Nazi Germany. While in prison, he wrote many letters that were smuggled out. Here are some quotations from those letters: “It is only when one submits to God’s law that one … Continue reading →

Posted in apologists, Christian history, Christianity, church history, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, freedom, God, history, human rights, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, meaning, mysticism, new birth, Quotations, Quotes, reading, religion, revelation, social justice, spiritual, thinking | Tagged 1944, a dash, above all things, absolute, all things are possible, alone, always, at hand, away from the pat, based on, being, being satisfied, beyond, certain, certanity, Christ, church, claims, danger, destruction, develop, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, distress, eludes, entirely, executed, existence, exixts, experience, falsehood, fear, feel, follow, formula, freedom, Germany, God, God's law, govern, grace, great, hope, hostility, human, human life, humor, important, impossible, imprisoned, infinitely, invincible, invisible, Jesus, kingdom of God, leade, learn, Letters, life, light, live close to God, lives, living, longings, make up, man, manifestations, mediocrity, mind, must, Nazi, nearest, never, new life, nothing, others, part of, participation, passions, Pauline, people, plan, power, presence, prison, purpose, pursue, quotations, reality, relation, remote, seek, senses, seriousness, shape, share, smooth, smuggled, soul, spolit, strength, submits, things, times, todday, with God, words, world, wrote | 3 Comments

Is This Guy A Modern Day Prophet Or What?

Posted on August 4, 2011 by Steve Simms

Browsing through McKay Used Bookstore in Nashville recently, I found a book full of powerful prophetic statements by a present day United Methodist minister, Carlyle Fielding Stewart III. The book was published by Abingdon Press in 2001. It is called: … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian history, Christianity, church history, God, history, house church, organic church, popular culture, Quotations, Quotes, religion, revelation, salvation, simple church, spiritual, Uncategorized, What is church? | Tagged Abingdon, absent, accomodate, affairs, approach, back, basic, believe it or not, Biblical, Body of Christ, book, bring, browsing, business, business-as-usual, bwegin, called, Carlyle Fielding Stewart, case, change, Christ, Christianity, church, churches, claiming, climate, congregations, constitute, continue, converted, cult, cultivate, culture, daily, decline, denominations, die, diligent, discouraged, distinction, doing, ecclesiology, Empowerment Church, evangelical, exercise, failed, faith, favor, flexing, flourishes, forms, forsaken, found, foundation, frequently, from, full of, general, God, God's authority, Gospel, government, great, guy, heritage, ho-hum, holiness, Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit, humbly, impede, insecure, instances, institution, institutional, inviting, invoke, Jesus, lapsed, leaders, leading, lethargy, life, little, mainline, matter-of-fact, McKay, mind of Christ, minister, ministry, mission, modern, modern times, movement, much, muscles, name of, Nashville, needs, not, numperous, occur, Old Testament, open air, opinion, organized, ostensibly, outlook, participating, particular, pastors, people, perilous, potential, power politics, powerful, preacher, presence, present day, press, presuppose, principlles, progress, prophet, prophetic, prosper, Protestant, published, qualified, quotations, reality, reference, relationship, religion, result, retain, rot, run, saving, scandal, secular, selfish, serving, soulds, spirit, spirit-filled, spirituality, statements, steady, stifle, stopped, submi9tting, teach, teachings, think, today, tragedy, true, unafraid, unapologetically, underlying, United Methodism, United Methodist, used bookstore, vitality, way, will, win souls, witness | 10 Comments

Life Rocks When Religion Becomes Real (Or, Night At The Theological Museum)

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Steve Simms

In the 2006 movie, Night at the Museum, a night watchman at New York City’s American Museum of Natural History is shocked when the exhibits in the museum come to life. His once boring job suddenly becomes exciting and challenging. It is amazing the … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian history, Christianity, church history, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, life, lifestyles, meaning, mysticism, new birth, Night at the Museum, Oh my God, organic church, popular culture, prayer, Quotations, Quotes, religion, resurrection, revelation, simple church, The Salvation Army, What is church?, William Booth | Tagged 2006 movie, accepting, accumulation, addictions, adherents, alive, amazing, America's, American Museum of Natural History, announced, argued, arguments, as the waters cover the sea, authority, awe, believe, Bible, blandly, blind faith, boring job, bright and morning star, brothers, bursts forth, by droves, celebration, challenging, church, churches, cofounder of, come to life, connects, cravings, crazy, crucifixion, data, demonstrated, demonstrating, don't rock the boat, driven, exciting, exhibits, experience, feel, fill the earth, flamed, foundations, from God, glory of the LORD, God's, having strouble, head, His, Holy Spirit, hope, ignores the heart, in my seat, incarnation, information, Jesus Christ, joyous, jumped off the pages, know so, knowledge, Letters, life, lifeless formes, living, Lord, losing, love letters, majestic, makes, man, mastered, mind, miracles, most of all, museum, need no, New Testament, New York City's, night, Night at the Museum, night watchman, oh, passionately, people, persuade, physical healing, power, presence, proof, proven, pulsating, quotation, rational, rationalized, real, reassure, relationships, religion, resurrection, ritual, said, salvation, secular society, seduction, see, send, sensational, set free, sexy, shaking, shocked, spiritual, spontaneous, spplendor, staying awake, Sunday school, surging, taught, teeming, the Apostles, the difference, the Good News, The Salvation Army, theological, theology, tired, trembling, true, vividly, William Booth, with life, work, writers, written to, yawn | 3 Comments

Tag Archives: presence

The purpose of the church is not to present people information and songs about God but to visibly manifest the power and presence of the living, resurrected Jesus Christ.

Why Is Christmas The Most Celebrated Day Of The Year?

A Forgotten American Folk Song’s Powerful Message

Jesus (And The Thoughts He Brings To My Mind)

Is This Guy A Modern Day Prophet Or What?

Life Rocks When Religion Becomes Real (Or, Night At The Theological Museum)

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