Tag Archives: mind

Quotes From Spiritual Athletes Between The 4th & 7th Centuries

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Steve Simms

Here are some quotations written between the Fourth and Seventh Centuries by some powerful spiritual athletes. They are from an amazing collection of writings — The Philokalia — Volume One. Enjoy the quotes: “When a man has an exact knowledge … Continue reading →

Posted in apologists, biography, boundaries, challenges, change, Christianity, church history, education, feelings, fire, freedom, fuel, history, impossible odds, kingdom of God, life, lifestyles, meaning, mind, mystery, mysticism, peace, Philokalia, positive thinking, Quotations, Quotes, religion, saints, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual skills, spiritual warfare, thinking, thoughts, Uncategorized, words | Tagged a blazing fire, Abba Moses, about to enter, accept, admonishing, against, against its will, amending, an amazing collection, Anthony the Great, athletes, attention, base thoughts, centuries, choice, coming, conduct, control, control our desires, correcting, defile, descends into the darkness, Diadochos of Photiki, distractions, drag, effort, enjoy, Evagrios the Solitary, evil thoughts, exact knowledge, exert, expel, expulsion, external sins, eyes, faster it dies down, feed, first, forcibly, fourth, free, free in their character, Give, grows, guard the heart, here are, Hesychios the Priest, his own enemy, impossible, impure thoughts, inflicts damage, intelligence, into, Isaiah the Solitary, John Cassian, John of Karpathos, Journey without direction, king, lazy, less fuel, like, making it, malicious words, man, Mark the Ascetic, mind, more it, Neilos the Ascetic, no longer, not those, on his own, outwardly free, passions, power, powerful, powerful words, quotes, recognize, recognizes, regard, regulating, remain, resentful, rules, ruling, service, Seventh, sin, skill, some, spiritual, spiritual athletes, state, status, struggle, subjects, take the utmost care, the intellect, the nature of thoughts, The Philokalia, then go, through struggle, troubled, troubled by thoughts, troubling, undistrubed, Volume One, wants to see clearly, wasted effort, we can reach, whoever becomes angry, wisdom, within, within the power, writings, written between | 2 Comments

The Last Thought Principle

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Steve Simms

You park your car at night; turn off the ignition; lock the door. And your car just sits there –idle–doing absolutely nothing until you’re ready to crank it up and drive it again the next day! Not so with your … Continue reading →

Posted in brain chemistry, brain research, challenges, consciousness, joy, mind, positive thinking, Quakers, Quotations, self-esteem, self-help, self-image, The Brain That Changes Itself, thinking, thoughts, Uncategorized, words | Tagged amplified, angry, at night, before falling asleep, churning, climbing the walls, depressed, determine, doing absolutely nothing, drive, even more happy, get up, gleam in your eye, gloom, glum, going to sleep, good news, grouchy, happiness, heart, idle, in the morning, joy, just sits there, keeps on working, last conscious thought, last thought, lock the door, mind, negative thoughts, not so, over and over, park your car, park your mind, peace, people, positive thought, principle, ready to crank it up, several factors, simple but difficult, simply, states, strongly influence, stuff, success, take control of your mind, the content, the mind's activity, the most important, the next day, the rest is up to you, the secret, the wrong side of the bed, thinking, thoughts, through out the night, tossing and turning, turn off the ignition, wake up, wake up feeling good, what does, what does it mean, when you are asleep, where dreams come from, why plant, with gusto, work on, worried, wrong state of mind | 4 Comments

Blind Belief? Or Spiritual Conversion

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Steve Simms

In some Arab countries it is against the law for a person to convert to another religion than the religion of her/his birth and upbringing. However, having been raised in a particular religion is no indication of its truth or … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, American, change, change management, Christ, Christian history, Christianity, church, church history, conscience, conversion, disciple making, English, evangelicals, fire, forgiveness, freedom, glory, God, grace, history, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Movement, Jesus Take The Wheel, John Wesley, joy, kingdom of God, life, lifestyles, miracles, movement, mystery, mysticism, non-material reality, Oh my God, praise and worship, prayer, proof of God, recovery, religion, repent, revelation, salvation, saved, self-image, soul, spiritual, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual skills, spiritual warfare, supernatural, trust, Uncategorized, Why be a Christian?, worship | Tagged 1700s, 17th, 18th, a deep work, a heart work, accepting, adhering, adopts, against the law, American Colonies, another religion, Arab, based, been converted, being justified, believer, birth, blind belief, born again, called, centuries, change, childhood, Christ, convert, convinced, countries, deceptions, defined, direct, divine perfection, Dwight L. Moody, encountered, England, entire life, Exemine yourself to see, faith, few, follow, frustrated, goal, God's own likeness, goes thoughout, Gordon D. Fee, greatest human, has to give up, helped spark, His will, Holy Spirit, I came to America, I felt my heart strangely warmed, in the faith, Indians, indication, infect, infection, intorduced, invaded by, Jesus Christ, John wesley, Joseph Alleine, lack of success, Ledyard Cuyler, living, man, members, mighty, mind, multitudes, never, on fire, particular religion, passionate preaching, Paul of Tarsis, perhaps, person, personal, personal transformation, questioning, quotations, raised, realized, receive the Spirit, redeemed, relationship with God, returned home, rish his life, rote rituals, salvation, saved, set in, some, soul, spiritual awakening, spiritual conversion, spiritual illumination, spiritual movement, suggestion, teachings, the living God, the reality of, think, thoughts, truly, truth, trying to convert, upbringing, validity, ways, whether you are, who will convert me?, wish it otherwise, witnessing | 2 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 | 22 Comments

A Name For The Sunday After Thanksgiving (And Words In The Night)

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Steve Simms

Someone is naming all the days after the day set aside to give thanks to God. Let’s see, there’s Black Friday, and Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. But what about the Sunday after Thanksgiving Day? I have a name … Continue reading →

Posted in awe, Bible, Black Friday, blog, Catherine Booth, Christ, Christianity, Christmas, Christmas Eve, Cyber Monday, glory, God, gratitude, lifestyles, popular culture, Quotations, Quotes, Reason For The Season, religion, Small Business Saturday, soul, The Salvation Army, Uncategorized, words | Tagged act like, afrfected, anger, awe, bear it, Bible, Black Friday, body, book, capacity, Catherine booth, Christmas carol, co-founder, computer, Cyber Monday, day, enlarges, eyes, facebook, first thing, found, glory, God, great emotions, green cover, grief, had to be, happen, Holy Night, Holy Spirit, how'd that, human soul, immediately, influence, joy, last night, middle of the night, mind, naming, off the shelf, opened, opens, people fall, perceptions, popped into my mind, post, prostrated, quickens, quotation, quote, read about, Reason For The Season Sunday, remembered, set aside, Shepherds, Shepherds quake at the sight, Silent Night, Small Business Saturday, someone, Sunday, swells, thanksgiving, the days, the newborn Christ, The Salvation Army, thick book, this morning, thought, to give thanks to God, woke up, words | 1 Comment

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

No Intent To Repent

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Steve Simms

As I was driving recently, four words came through my mind that I had never thought in that order before. The words were: no intent to repent. Those words got me started thinking. If you look about our society, you … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, church, God, life, lifestyles, morality, morals, popular culture, repent, revelation, sin, thinking, thoughts, Uncategorized, values, words | Tagged accomodate the culture, acquired, all sorts of behaviors, any kind, around us, before, Bible, bland, calls, church, comes from, completely, dandy, do not need a thing, driving, engage in, entertainment, environment, every intent, evil, falsely assume, feel, fine, four words, fulfillment, God's character, God's conviction, good, hard, holiness, humans, I am rich, idea, in fact, in our time, just the opposite, justified, leaves, lifestyles, look about, lost, media, mind, naked, never thought, no intent, noble, order, pitiful, poor, publicly justify, push, realize, recently, remorse, repent, Revelation 3:17, sin, sinful behaviors, sinners, society, sorrow, thinking, thousands, through, turning away, waya, wealth, Why, wickedness, within, words, world, wretched, years | 6 Comments

An Alter Call

Posted on October 13, 2011 by Steve Simms

Perhaps we need an alter call. Maybe it is time to change and make some alterations. * Alter the way you think. Most people never think much about their thought choices. They tend to just go with whatever thoughts come … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, change, change management, church, house church, life, lifestyles, meaning, organic church, popular culture, simple church, television, thinking, thoughts, What is church?, words | Tagged 10:45, 225 Berry St., 37207, Acts, alter, alterations, anxiety, ball of fire, behaviors, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, book of, call, called, change, choices, choose, church, come to, commercial, con visit, conversations, create, culture, day, depression, described, do, do church, emotions, fear, frustration, great impact, guilt, harmful, hear, how, how to have church, how you live, however, human, I Corinthians 14:26, important, improve, impulses, invited, it is, life, lifestyle, make, make an effort, make your life better, making, mind, most, Nashville, need some help, negative, New Testament, not good, not the best way, obey, Observer, pain, passive, people, perhaps, place, present, problem many, quality, quality of life, rather, responding, say, self-inflected, song lyrics, spectator, Sundays, tells, text messages, the opium of the people, the original, The Salvation Army, the way, think, thought, thoughts, time, turned the world upside down, TV show, verse, weak, whatever, whims, words, worry, worse | Leave a comment

Nashville’s Flood, Fire, & Ferocious Winds

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Steve Simms

Nashville has had a flood and it brought out the best in people. It was so exciting to see so many people volunteer their time and give their money to help their friends, neighbors, and even strangers. After the Nashville … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, change, disasters, East Nashville, fire, fuel, Holy Spirit, kingdom of God, meaning, mysticism, Nashville, Oh my God, organic church, prayer, prayer walking, spiritual, The Salvation Army, Uncategorized, What is church? | Tagged 10:45, 225 Berry St., 37207, after that, amazing, began, Berry Street Worship Center, blood of Jesus, brought out, came to, city, come see, damaged, day of, destroyed, East Nashville, encourage, exciting, experience, ferocious, fire of, first, First Street, flag, flood, Friends, gather, Give, God's, group, harmful, help, historical marker, Holy Spirit, homes, I Corinthians, impacted, knocked down, Lord, mighty rushing wind, mind, minister, money, moving, Nashville, Nashville flood, natural, neighbors, one day, out, outporuing, Pentecost, positive, pray, prayer walk, proclaim, Scripture, sounded, spirit, spiritual, spread, stands for, storms, strangers, Sundays, testify, the best in people, The Salvation Army, time, trees, volunteer, way, weekly, winds | Leave a comment

The Most Dangerous Spiritual Condition

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Steve Simms

Perhaps the most dangerous spiritual condition is to sincerely believe that you are saved (right with God) when you are not. Let me give you an example. Suppose I ship you all the tickets you need to a great event … Continue reading →

Posted in disciple making, kingdom of God, National Football League, NFL, organic church, positive thinking, Quotations, Quotes, religion, revelation, salvation, saved, simple church, soul, spiritual, thinking, thoughts, Uncategorized, What is church? | Tagged after righteousness, all things, angry, asks, attend, because, become new, been had, being saved, believe, Bible, burning, Christ formed, Christ Jesus, commands, condition, convicted, counterfeit, dangerous, deeply, die, dying to self, emal, enthusiastically, Examine yourself, example, expremely dangers=ous, faith, fall, favorite, Forgetting what is behind, game, gate, getting into, Give, given a gift, great event, Have you believed in vain?, hear, heaven, high calling, hungering, I press toward the mark, I'm sorry, in your, in your heart, lest he fall, let him who thinks he stands, let's say, lifetime process, machine, mind, more of God, most dangerous, most exciting, new creature, NFL team, no desire, no more need, not real, now, obtained, old things, opponent, overconfident, passed away, Paul, perhaps, plays, prize, qill, question, quickly, relationship with God, right with God, run your tickets, sad, safe place, salvation, satisfied, saved, say, seeking, seeking God, ship, shocked, show up, sincerely believe, spiritual, spiritual condition, spiritual fire, spiritually, stadium, suppose, take heed, thank, think, thirsting, ticket-taker, tickets, too late, too little, trying, turn away, unconcerned, unconditional, want, whether you be in the faith, won't go out, wrongful things | 5 Comments

Tag Archives: mind

Quotes From Spiritual Athletes Between The 4th & 7th Centuries

The Last Thought Principle

Blind Belief? Or Spiritual Conversion

Are Sermons Effective?

A Name For The Sunday After Thanksgiving (And Words In The Night)

I Grew Up In Church Without God

No Intent To Repent

An Alter Call

The Most Dangerous Spiritual Condition

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