Steve Simms's Blog, page 212

Alphabetical matters

Attitude matters. Behavior matters. Conscience matters. Decisions matter. Ethics matter. Faces matter. Goodness matters. Honesty matters. Inspiration matters. Justice matters. Kindness matters. Lifestyle matters. Mercy matters. Niceness matters. Outlook matters. People matter. Quality matters. Repentance matters. Service matters. Tears matter. Unity matters. Virtue matters. Words matter. Xenodochy matters. You matter. Zest matters.

Being white doesn’t make you a racist. Something else does.

Being white doesn’t make you a racist. Disrespecting someone’s color does.

Some whites say they’re tired of being called racist. I’m white and have interacted with thousands of blacks and I can’t recall ever being called racist.

If you’re being called racist, maybe there’s a little bit of truth to it. Perhaps it’s possible that you’re saying or doing something that’s provoking it.

When people become aware of their likenesses, their hearts connect. When they focus on their differences they squabble. Sorting humanity into an ever increasing number of categories isn’t wise. Let’s just be people.

High-impact, self-denying Christianity, speaking truth in love, is the cure for racial unrest. Search for: Off the RACE Track book.

A brain outside the box can be an improvement on normal

Just because something is normal, doesn’t make it right, ethical, correct, or moral. Like blurry eyes or smudged up glasses, our perception of life is skewed. Kindness and humility help clear it up.

When we overthink and under-ponder, we open up to confusion and close our door to wonder. Be full of wonder.

Some of our thoughts are facts; some are lies; and many are a combination. It’s important to be able to tell them apart. Pursue and embrace thoughts and ideas that inspire you. Resist and avoid thoughts and ideas that torment you. Filter the pollutants & impurities out of your stream of thoughts. Only let helpful thoughts flow into your consciousness.

When thoughts and feelings contradict reality, don’t allow them to deceive you. Make them align with truth.

You will see what you’re attentive to. Focus on hate and you’ll see hate. Look for kindness and you will find it. How you see life depends on the lenses that you look through. Choose your lenses well.

The brain may work like a computer, but it need an operator who directs and controls it (that’s you). Use your mind for serenity not chaos. You have the right to resist inner torment and to delight in insight. Dump the demons that disturb you and refuse to let them disrupt your peace.

Your mind is like a mirror. What you see depends on how you adjust it. Align your mind so it beholds the beauty life offers. Birds singing and flowers call us to delight.

Neither frenzy or apathy make life better. Wise choices, persistently implemented, do.

Overcome unkindness. Use persistent kindness and compassion to turn adversaries into well-wishers.

Arise from your systemic rut today. Refresh your awareness. Notice more beauty. Discover new things to appreciate. Habit is a great way for dealing with routine chores, but not so good for discovering the purpose and meaning of your life.

Following Jesus isn’t a normal lifestyle

“Normal living” can interfere with following Jesus. It’s hard to get out of the boat when all you want to do is float and gloat. Christians aren’t supposed to fit in and be like everyone else in society; we’re supposed to be like Jesus!

There’s no normal in following the risen Jesus. You never know what exciting thing He’s going to lead you into. I love being mindful of the living Jesus through out the day.

The simplicity of full-impact Christianity: Listen to the living Jesus and do what He says. Full-impact Christianity isn’t “normal.” It’s the “narrow way,” an ongoing supernatural connection with the living Jesus.

It’s hard to follow the living Jesus when you want to be normal. The Bible says, “We are fools for Christ.” When Christians try to be normal, they quench the Holy Spirit who wants to lead them to be in the world, but not of the world.

A guidebook isn’t designed to be analyzed. Its purpose is to lead you thru the real world. The Bible’s a guidebook.

When Christians are trained to be sermons of God’s love everyday, instead of just hearing sermons on Sunday, we’ll set captives free. Christianity needs self-denying leaders who follow the Bible mandate to “. . . in humility value others above yourselves.”

How was early Christianity different than contemporary? Search: The Joy Of Early Christianity book.

If this tree didn’t fall all by itself, then there’s got to be a God

If I told you that the tree in the picture in this blog post fell all by itself, would you believe me? Then why do you believe people when they say that the universe formed all by itself?

I saw this tree today and it made me realize that a person and a saw were involved in its fall. I saw much nature today and it made me realize that a Creator was involved in its existence.

No one denies that an app had a programmer; a symphony, a composer; a skyscraper, an architect. Why deny that a person had a Creator? After all, the incredible intricacies of earth’s myriad of life forms cry out that they were formed by a Creator, not accidentally.

Ancient ruins aren’t considered to be the result of nature (even when their creator is unknown). Why should humans be?

People see the existence of ancient ruins as proof that they were created, not made by nature. My existence says the same thing.

The world is far too complex to ever be fully explained by science. To be hopeful in this mystery of existence, we need faith. I don’t need a logical explanation for my consciousness or for the living Jesus. I simply experience them both thru out the day.

Nothing matters to matter. It has no consciousness. For any life to matter, there has to be something beyond matter. Life inhabits matter, but it isn’t a part of the material world. When life leaves, the physical body loses function, not material.

That we humans are capable of being astonished at the beauty and grandeur of the universe, is itself an astonishment! Everyday I see the risen Jesus do several things that astonish me. The awe in my heart encourages me to believe more and more in Him!

When life seems bad and we give up hope, life comes apart at the “seems.” Keep your hope high; don’t let it die.

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Make all lives matter in America

Make America a place where all lives matter. (People always matter. Unfortunately it’s easy to live as if they don’t.)

You can’t leave the human race (or blackball anybody from it). No human life is of less value than any other. Racial profiling is people sorting.

What’s the heart of the matter? History has repeatedly said that some lives don’t matter all that lie needs to be boldly corrected. Farmers say that weeds don’t matter and ever work to get them out of their way. Too many people have been treated like weeds. Make America grateful for all lives!

If all human lives don’t matter (including prenatal ones), none do. For human lives to really matter, they must be more than mere matter. Human lives matter because they’re from out of this world.

God invented skin-color. People contorted it into the concept of race. If God actually exists and humans are made in His image, then all lives really do matter (including yours)! Let’s act like all lives matter by showing everybody kindness, compassion, and the willingness to listen to their struggles.

I don’t like checking boxes about “my race.” I wish there was an “all of the above” box, or simply a “human” box.

Human nature is what all people share in common. Compared to our minimal differences, human nature is huge. My fellow human beings, enjoy the life you’ve been given today and find a way to spread kindness, hope, and encouragement.

True unity and diversity consists of peaceful, compassionate disagreement. To embrace true diversity, I have to believe that people have the right to believe that my opinions and/or behaviors are wrong.

Enough fighting — let’s try uniting. We need politicians who will boldly look at the camera and proclaim, “I’ll unite for you!” A disagreement can be an obstacle or an opportunity. It all depends on how we react to it. If you take time to be pensive about other people’s opinions (instead of angry), you might discover that some of them make sense.

Reckless and disrespectful freedom leads to chaos, both in individuals and in societies. However, kindness and respect are healing.

My feelings, desires, and opinions are often wrong (and seldom completely right). I need God’s discernment and correction. All feelings are not equal; some are helpful & some are bullying. The Bible shows us which to follow & which to resist inside us.

Jesus makes me pensive

When the Christian is ready to obey Christ, thoughts about the pastor will disappear, and focus will be on the living Jesus. Wow! The intoxication of astonishment is the best way to get high.

The living Jesus is knowable. Knowing and following Him daily is thrilling and glorious. When I contemplate and ponder, I begin to be filled with His astonishment and wonder. Life is mystical and amazing!

My my ongoing, inner experiences of the living Jesus (that match the experiences of millions of other people) show me that He’s real! An astonished heart celebrates daily life. Let the living Jesus fill you with astonishment.

Those who are never pensive stay stuck in their own feelings, desires, and opinions. True joy comes from pensive gratitude, not hyped-up pleasure. I love to be pensive — to leisurely fish in my stream of consciousness for encouraging, wise, and God-inspired thoughts.

The kingdom (government) of God produces the fruit of the Spirit, not the works of the flesh. Church, without the active presence of the living Jesus, is just a meeting conducted by the works of the flesh.

The living Jesus will cleanse and forgive you of everything that you wish you’d never done. Simply ask Him.

Full-impact Christianity

Low-impact Christianity can be boring. Full-impact never is! Full-impact Christianity is more exciting and absorbing than any sport, music, addiction, or entertainment venue. Go Jesus!

Early Christianity was full-impact. It changed people (not thru politics) but by demonstrating the presence of the risen Jesus. Christianity as a weekly event has far less impact than Christianity as people daily allowing the risen Jesus to control and direct them.

Full-impact Christianity doesn’t dilly-dally with self-focus. It wholeheartedly follows and obeys the risen Jesus. Only when surrender and obedience to the presence of the living Jesus is the focus, will Christianity have its full impact.

Full-impact Christianity creates disciplined, obedient, and humble, yet joyful, Christ-followers, not just Sunday church attendees. It proclaims and demonstrates the ability of the living Jesus to transform human lives into love and holiness.

Full-impact Christianity doesn’t just honor Jesus the religious figure. It follows and obeys the inner Jesus, “Christ in you.”

The New Testament describes full-impact Christianity. Why should we settle for anything less? (If you don’t believe Christianity can be tremendously more life-changing than it is in Western countries, read the book of Acts.)

For full-impact Christianity, we must allow the risen Jesus to live in us and to align our opinions, desires, and feelings with His. The world needs to see full-impact Christianity–the kind that changes hearts, sets the captives free, and overflows with love.

Full-impact Christianity begins to manifest when Christians meet to all listen to the living Jesus and then let everyone present say and/or do what Jesus tells them to. Then people begin to realize that the living Jesus, who is present when we meet in His name, can run a church service all by Himself, if we would only let Him.

People loving their enemies and blessing those who curse them, is a powerful display of full-impact Christianity. We need more of it.

To follow Christ, you must focus on the inner Jesus, Christ in you in the now. You can’t follow Jesus in the past. Now’s the time. Jesus can organize and run your inner life to produce peace and joy. But He won’t take inner control of you, unless you surrender.

People like to use the “nationalistic we” when referring to what they consider the “good” parts of their country’s history, but not for the bad parts.

Get beyond the “nationalistic we.” Search for: Off the RACE Track–From Color-Blind to Color-Kind.

Lucky breaks or blessings?

There is good luck and bad luck, but there are no bad blessings! Wishing for luck often causes anxiety, but appreciating your blessings is de-stressing. Even when your luck feels low, you can still let God’s blessings flow!

Lucky breaks come by chance. They don’t follow a code, but blessings are divinely bestowed. When you attribute your blessings to luck, you mistake them for thankless, random events, and miss out on the joy of gratitude.

Your present blessings aren’t just lucky breaks (or the results of your hard work). They are presents from the living God. Blessings aren’t deserved. They aren’t earned. They are much better than we deserve.

My joys far outweigh my struggles, but I’m not lucky. I’m blessed. Rather than “taking my chances” in life, I prefer to appreciate and “count my blessings.” Some folks see life as a collage of coincidences; I’d rather see it as a bouquet of blessings.

You’re alive and you’re surrounded by blessings, ready to be appreciated. There’s no need to put your life on hold and wait for luck. Blessings aren’t likeable, random occurrences (lucky breaks). Blessings are favors that are given to you by the living God.

You can’t count all your blessings. You’ve received way too many to even be vaguely aware of a tiny percentage of them. Blessings don’t just show up or happen by mere luck. They’re sent by the living God. God’s blessings can be rejected, sometimes without even realizing we are doing it.

If you call good events luck or accomplishments, you’ll be proud. If you call them blessings, you’ll be humble and grateful.

Who can you thank for lucky breaks? Nobody. Who can you thank for blessings? The living God. Luck is happenstance, but blessings are God’s stance on your behalf. Luck is coincidence; blessing is God-incidence.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus presented a list of blessings. He didn’t give us a list of lucky breaks.

For more blessings, let the risen Jesus shine your soul with sanity and His spiritual light. Read the Bible while you listen to His voice. You can’t align with luck because it randomly occurs, but you can align with God’s blessing by hearing and obeying the living Jesus. God’s greatest blessing, which He offers to “whosoever will,” is a personal relationship with Him thru the living Jesus Christ.

The incredible complexity of earth’s diverse lifeforms, declares that they are finely tuned blessings, not accidental occurrences. People who daily recognize and appreciate life’s graphic demonstrations of God’s love, are part of earth’s most blessed demographic.

People say, “Life’s a marathon, not a sprint.” The truth is: We’ve turned life into a telethon for spectators to binge watch. Perhaps it’s time to get off the couch and use your blessings.

God.can — it’s not a website, but reality. (To experience God.can, search: The Joy Of Early Christianity book.)