MSI Press Blog

    Recently, An Afternoon's Dictation (Greenebaum), reached #296 on the Amazon bestseller list of books in ecumenism Christian theology. The book has been on bestseller lists many times.  Book Description:  In 1999 Steven Greenebaum felt he'd hit the wall. Fifty years old, he could not make sense of his life or the world around him. For several months he angrily demanded answers from God, if God were there. One afternoon, an inner voice told him to get a pen and paper and write. Steven then took dictation - three pages, not of commandments but guidance for leading a meaningful life.   An Afternoon's Dictation grapples with, organizes, and deeply explores the revelations Steven received and then studied for over ten years. His sharing is NOT offered as the only possible way to understand it the dictation. It is offered, rather, as a start. The book's sections include deep explorations into "The Call to Interfaith," "The Call to Love One Another," ...

  People who leave the Church because of hypocrisy rarely lose faith in God outright. What they lose is trust in the human vessel that carries that faith. They step away not from belief, but from betrayal — from the dissonance between what is preached and what is practiced. For many, the journey back begins quietly, almost imperceptibly. 1. The Faith Never Fully Departs Even when they say, “I’m done,” something remains — a memory of grace, a rhythm of prayer, a moral compass shaped by the sacraments. It’s like an ember under ash. They may stop attending Mass, but they still whisper prayers in crisis. They still feel the tug of conscience. That’s not departure; that’s dormancy. 2. The Return Often Begins with Encounter People come back not because doctrine changes, but because someone embodies mercy . A priest who listens without judgment. A friend who lives the Gospel without quoting it. A stranger whose kindness feels sacramental. The hypocrisy that drove them away is answered by...

  Morning prayer gives us a line that sounds simple but is anything but: “I will lift up in glory the man who humbles himself.” Humility is one of those virtues everyone praises but few define. It’s often mistaken for self‑erasure, self‑doubt, or shrinking so others can shine. But real humility is not smallness. It is clarity — about who we are, who we are not, and how we stand in right relationship with others and with God. Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It is thinking truthfully, without distortion, without inflation, without fear. And that truth looks different depending on where you stand. At Work: Humility as Steadiness, Not Self‑Diminishment Humbling yourself at work does not mean letting people walk over you or pretending you have no competence. It means: Doing the work without needing applause. You let the results speak, not the ego. Listening before asserting. You assume others may see angles you don’t. Taking correction without collapse. Humility ab...