Tag Archives: Sunday morning

Unprogrammed Church

Posted on November 3, 2012 by Steve Simms

When a Christian meeting is controlled by Christ, without human programming and agendas, the Holy Spirit takes over and the glory of God is on display for all to see. However, when a meeting is directed and run by a … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Christ, Christ followers, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, Christian organizations, church meetings, church program, church programs, church roles, church structure, comfort zone, Holy Spirit, spirit, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual growth | Tagged Christianity, organic church, religion, Sunday morning, The Salvation Army, unprogrammed church, worship | 8 Comments

Are Sermons Effective?

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Steve Simms

Have you ever tested the effectiveness of sermons? I did. I was a brand new pastor in my first church — Mayfield Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Mayfield, Kentucky. After finishing three years of seminary, I had been preaching for about … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Christ, Christianity, church, Cumberland Presybterian Church, East Nashville, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, kingdom of God, lifestyles, movement, mystery, mysticism, Nashville, organic church, praise and worship, religion, sermons, simple church, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual skills, supernatural, The Salvation Army, Uncategorized, values, What is church?, worship | Tagged 225 Berry St., 37207, AA, afternoon, alcoholics, Alcoholics Anonymous, American, American Christianity, an oral test, Berry Street Worship Center, better caught than taught, brand new, called, captured by, Christianity, church meeting, church setting, congregation, considered, continued, creating, culture, Cumberland Presbyterian, decided, doctrines, effectiveness of sermons, evening, everyone has a, experience, exploded, facts, fads, first church, following, follows trends, functions, grow, help people change, hot to hold, house church, however, hymn, ineffective, influencing, interpretation, job description, Kentucky, lecture, less than, lifestyles, like, little happens, little power, Mayfield, meetings, membership, message, mind, much more, Nashville, noble, nobody, none, one simple and easy question, open participation, openly, organic church, overwhelming, passively, pastor, Paul of Tarsus, Paul's instructions, poems, preach, preaching, prepared in a, professional, questions, requires more than, response, revelation, right, shocked, simple church, simple questions, sit and listen, society, society's, something more than, sometimes, started, Sunday morning, test, the basic point, the main topic, The Salvation Army, three years of seminary, TN, to build, to reach people, tongue, treating, try, type, virtuous, visit, weekly, When you come together, word of instruction | 20 Comments

I Grew Up In Church Without God

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Steve Simms

My parents tell me that when I was a toddler, I used to talk to them about God. They didn’t go to church or have much interest in spiritual things, so they were quite surprised by my interest in God and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized, lifestyles, God, religion, Nashville, organic church, Bible, freedom, The Salvation Army, What is church?, self-image, change, simple church, Berry Street Worship Center, Christianity, revelation, spiritual, fire, college, college students, worship, Berry Street, Jesus, East Nashville, feelings, I Corinthians 14:26, church, Hindu, awe, Amazing Grace, Jesus freaks, supernatural, Why be a Christian?, non-material reality, Presbyterian, Kumbaya, Holy Holy Holy, University of Tennessee Martin, Boy Scouts | Tagged parents, modern, Christ, living, rituals, mind, Nashville, participate, people, 37207, Tennessee, Christianity, words, TN, The Salvation Army, Berry Street Worship Center, surprised, listened, preacher, Sunday morning, rejected, burns in my heart, congregation, 10:45 am, Arkansas, Sundays, amazing, living God, 225 Berry St., I Corinthians 14:26, remember, preached, talk, support group, non-traditional, describes, Hindu, felt, experienced, Jackson, wonder, mother, realized, freshman, results, passively, verse, freely, entered, Jonesboro, Presbyterian Church, hymn, agnostic, Jesus Freaks, spiritual condition, spiritual fire, do church, toddler, about God, go to church, spiritual things, interest in God, wondered, older, elementary school, regularly attending, make me happy, funny thing, closer to God, a million miles away, God's absence, eerie, series of classes, Communicant's Class, an official church member, confusing doctrines, knowing God, relating to God, experiencing God, spiritually empty, Cumberland Presbyterian Church, every few monts, Holy Holy Holy, something stirring inside, faint sense, God's awesome presence, how to connect, Boy Scout, campfire, Kumbaya, sweet Presence, Come by here, my Lord, junior year, high schook, odd thought, popped into my mind, Sunday sermon, If you were born, immeciately, another thought, Why do you think you are, a Christian, suddenly exposed, a real believer in, the Bible, attending church, know God, The University of Tennessee Martin, dynamic relationship, with Jesus, sensed, more real, more present, physical surroundings, 41 years ago, all-consuming, think back to, childhood years, shouldn't church, usher in, actual Presence of, focused on, invited to start, given the freedom, creatively. modeled, come and see for yourself, you will be blessed, shows up | 4 Comments

Passion For The Christ — Spiritual Fire & Desire

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Steve Simms

Human history is sprinkled with lights — men, women, and children whose hearts were ablaze with passion for the Christ. Many are called “saints” and are remembered in our day. Untold millions of others, however, were unheralded in their day … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, books, Christianity, church, church history, East Nashville, house church, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus freaks, Nashville, National Football League, NFL, organic church, pentecostals, popular culture, Quakers, Quotations, Quotes, religion, saints, simple church, sports, Super Bowl, support group, The Salvation Army, TV ministers | Tagged 100, 10:45, 225 Berry St., 37207, ablaze, all over the world, Anabaptists, as fast as they can, banging their chest together, Baptist, based, being done, Berry Street Worship Center, best friends, best selling books, books, burning desire, Catholic, challenge, children, Christ, Christians, church, churches, come, concerts, conference, conferences, consistent, contain, dance, dart out of the door, determined not to show, doctrines, East Nashville, emotionless people, event, every Sunday morning, excitable churches, excitable. dutifully attend, excitedly, experience, expression, extremely bored, faces, filled, flaming, follow, forgotten by history, freaks, freeflowing, frozen in church, good ole American, grown men, had in common, heart-felt, hearts, heretics, high-fives, history, human, I Corinthians 14:26, in our day, in our heart, inspire, interest, Jesus, Jesus Christ, know, leave, lecture about God, light shines brightly, lights, line, listen to, living rooms, meeting, men, Methodist, millions, move, names, Nashville, nod off, obey, on and on, one thing, one way, Orthodox, our day, passion, passionate, passionless, passively, pastors, Pentecostal, people, playing a boys' game, prosperity, pumps them up, Quaker, quench the Spirit, quotation, quotations, regularly, religious fads, religious trinkets, remembered, right-wing politics, rush away, saints, see, seek out, shelves, singers, sitting like a statue, soulds like, spiritual, sprinkled, stadium, stir up the gift, stoic, Sunday morning, Super Bowl.every year, support group, T-shirts, talk to me, Tennessee, the Christ, The Quotable Saints, The Salvation Army, the thing, The Voice of the Saints, through, TN, TV ministers, type, unheralded, very hard to find, watch a ball game, watching, were, what about, when it comes to, women, words, writings, written word, yawn | 7 Comments

Chemistry Lab, Biology Lab, How ‘Bout Church Lab?

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Steve Simms

If you have ever taken a high school or college science class you have been to a lab class. For chemistry and biology, lecture is not enough. Students need to dissect an animal for themselves to really understand its anatomy. They … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, biology, change, chemistry, college, disciple making, East Nashville, freedom, God, high school, Holy Spirit, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, lab, Nashville, Oh my God, organic church, religion, science, simple church, Uncategorized, What is church? | Tagged 10:45, 225 Berry Street, 37207, actually, allow, anatomy, animal, ask, attenders, been to, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, biology, chemicals, chemistry, church, class, college, come, compounds, concerns, congregation, crazy. Bible's, directions, dissect, do it, faith, fellow, freedom, Give, God, God's power, good, hearts, high school, Holy Spirit, how to do church, I Corinthians 14:26, if you have ever, in the land, lab, lab partners, learning, lecture, like, listen, lives, lots of ways, Mary's, master, meeting, mere, mike, mix, most ignored, most unique, Nashville, Nashville's, needs, not enough, not good enough, one another, opportunity, people, personally, pray, produce, read, really, satisfied, science, Scripture, sermon, share, silenty, son, spiritual, students, Sunday morning, Sundays, take the time, taken, tell, The Salvation Army, together, told, understand, verse, vision, visit, Whatever He says to you, word, work, working, worship, worshippers | 1 Comment

If God Died Would It Make Any Difference In Your Church Service Next Sunday?

Posted on September 11, 2011 by Steve Simms

I once heard someone ask: “If God died would it make any difference in your church service next Sunday morning?” That’s a good question. I had to answer “no.” The church I attended would have carried on as usual whether God … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged about, Acts, actual, amazing, analogy, any difference, as usual, ask, attended, Biblical, Body of Christ, book of Acts, carried on, church-service, conducted, control, courage, dependent on, direct, events, fall apart, fine, function, gather, gathering, Give, God died, God is alive, good question, group of people, head, human, I will build My church, implemented, in His name, institution, Jesus, let God, living, living Christ, members, moves, New Testament, organism, organization, pastor, pictures, planned, practical, programmed, ran, read, reality, said, self-sufficient, set up, show up, speaks, structure, structured, Sunday morning, theology, theory, wait, ways, whatever, worship | 2 Comments

What The Church Can Learn From Smartphones

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Steve Simms

Smartphones are everywhere! People love them.! What if the church could learn from smartphones how to create that kind of market saturation and love for Jesus? Here are some things the church can learn from smartphones. * People appreciate and … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, apps, Berry Street Worship Center, change, change management, Christianity, disciple making, discipling, Great Commission, Holy Spirit, house church, kingdom of God, life, lifestyles, Nashville, organic church, popular culture, religion, simple church, smartphone apps, smartphones, Uncategorized, What is church? | Tagged 225 Berry St., 37207, about, all over the world, allow, amazing, answers, app, appreciate, approach, ask questions, asked, assistance, Berry Street, Biblical, billions, brief, church, come, comfort, communicate, complicated, concpets, connect, create, depend on, direct access, encouragement, everywhere, express, facts, fast changing, feel alive, forgiveness, freedom, get out of the box, gifts of the Spirit, Give, help, Holy Spirit, how to, information, interested in, introduce, Jesus, kind, learn from, learned, love, market saturation, meetings, members, ministry, Nashville, need to, needs, never seen before, new apps, new ways, obtain, obtain, one another, opportunities, participatory, people, person-to-person, personal expression, popular, prayer requests, presented, question, really works, requires, rise to the challenge, saw, Scriptures, search, share, sit and listen, smartphones, something new, spontaneously, suggestions, Sunday morning, teaching, ten, testimonies, The Salvation Army, themselves, TN, tradition, use, visit, willing, with, woman, words of, Worship Center | 1 Comment

GVAOS — God’s-Voice Activated Operating System (For Church Meetings)

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Steve Simms

Jesus commanded His disciples to “Go and make disciples of all nations . . .” So what can activate the nation-changing power of God? Are there any discipled nations in the 21st Century? How can a nation be discipled? Can the traditional … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, Christian history, Christianity, church history, disciple making, discipling, Great Commission, house church, morality, morals, Nashville, operationg system, organic church, prayer, religion, revelation, salvation, simple church, spiritual, voice activated, What is church? | Tagged 21st Century, 225 Berry St., 37207, activate, adopted, adopted, aimed, all nations, allow, anti-biblical, Biblical, breaks forth, building, change, church attendance, church services, church-service, command, commanded, contemporary church, controlled, declining, direct, director, discipled, disciples, early christians, embracing, England, everyone has, examples, give up, Go and make, God, God-s-voice, group, His, historical, how, human voice, humanly, hymn, I Corinthians 14:26, inability, ineffectiveness, influence, interpretation, isn't working, Jesus, John 2:5, life-transforming, locations, Mary's, media, methods, mind, modern-day, Nashville, nation-changing, nations, openairs, operating system, ordaining, organized, outdoor, perhaps, position, power, preaching, programmed, programming, promoted, put aside, revelation, rightful, sanctioning, says, society, spiritual movement, start, strengthening, Sunday, Sunday morning, Sunday mornings, syste, talk, Tennessee, the world upsidedown, tongue, traditional, turning, used, views, Wesley, When you come together, Whitefield, word of instruction, working, world | 5 Comments

Attention: Nashville College Students (& Other Young Adults)

Posted on August 23, 2011 by Steve Simms

Would you like to experience something really out of the box — something non-traditional, creative, innovative, free, spontaneous, exciting, and surprising? Then you need to check out Nashville’s most unique church. This place is different! Power packed! Spirit-led! Multi-racial. A church where people … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street Worship Center, Christianity, college students, freedom, Holy Spirit, house church, multi-racial, Oh my God, organic church, salvation, simple church, spiritual, The Salvation Army, What is church? | Tagged 225 Berry St., actively, Berry Street Worship Center, change, chapel, check out, church, clock, creative, different, doesn't get any better, doing, enthusiastically, exciting, experience, feel, free, God, in front, innovative, led, lives, meeting, most unique, multi-racial, Nashville, Nashville's, need, non-traditional, of their eyes, one another, open, out of the box, particpate, passionate, people, place, power packed, praise, pray, really, refreshing, see, share, something, Spirit led, spontaneous, Sunday morning, surprising, than, The Salvation Army, this, transform, typical, watches, week, winds down, worship, Would you like | 1 Comment

Organic Church = God On The Loose

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Steve Simms

There are sometimes awkward moments in unprogrammed, participatory church (also known as organic church or simple church). People sometimes say things and/or do things that are outside of my comfort zone. On a recent Sunday morning at The Salvation Army Berry Street … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street Worship Center, God, Holy Spirit, house church, life, mysticism, Nashville, Oh my God, organic church, simple church, The Salvation Army, Uncategorized, What is church? | Tagged are you ready, awkward, Berry Street Worship Center, bit, blow, but, came to, church, close, comfort zone, comfortable, comfy, courage, cut, danger, denying the power, disturb, farthest from God, freedom, fuffle our feathers, gather together, God, having a form of godliness, Him, His way, Holy Spirit, how true, information, Lord, meeting, midst, mind, moments, my, Nashville, on the loose, organic church, outside of my, participatory, power, predictability, rock, shake, sharing, simple church, situations, sometimes, spiritual life, startle, stretch, structure, Sunday morning, take the limits off of, The Salvation Army, thereof, things, throbbing, transformation, unbound, uncomfortable, unprogrammed, visit, where it will, wide open, wind, wondering, words, work, working | 4 Comments

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Unprogrammed Church

Are Sermons Effective?

I Grew Up In Church Without God

Passion For The Christ — Spiritual Fire & Desire

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