MSI Press Blog

Soul Food for the Weary                                                                                                   Inspired by Psalm 16 If you develop a toothache, you go to a dentist, right? If you need glasses, you call an optometrist; if you need money, a banker. But what if you’re soul-weary?   “Where could I go but to the Lord? Seeking a refuge for my soul Needing a friend to help me in the end (Brother won’t you tell me?) Where could I go, O where could I go, where could I go but to the Lord?”  (Gaither Vocal Band) The psalmist declares: “The Lord himself is my inheritance, my prize.  He is my food and drink, my highest joy!  He guards all that is mine.  He sees that I’m given pleasant brooks and meadows. I will bless the Lord who counsels me; giving me wisdom in the night.  He tells me what to do.  Save me, O God, because I have come to you for refuge.  I said to him, ‘You are my Lord, I have no other help but you.’”

Proudly announcing the release of  God Speaks into Darkness , the third book in our pandemic series -- a set of books dedicated to helping people make it safely (mentally and physically) through the pandemic. These books are written by experts in their fields, who are also authors by their own right of other MSI Press books, and  information about new books to be released in this series can be found on the  MSI Press home page . In God Speaks into Darkness,  brief devotionals speak to the enormous challenges facing our world today. So many of you are grieving loss of loved ones, or risking your life daily to help others, or facing  loss of your livelihood, financial ruin or uncertainty. The  Psalms and teachings of Jesus offer treasures of hope for today and promises us a brighter tomorrow. You will find in  these meditations that God wants to comfort his own and then use us to help and bless one another. Bennett Easterling has authored two other popular and award-winning book

This book contains 100 miracles from the Gospels -- and similar true-story miracles for today, for a total of 400 (!!) miracles described, explained, and discussed in the book, with questions for individual or group reflection. Here is one of those miracles with its modern-day counterparts: A BIG FISH STORY  (Gospel account in Luke 5:1-11)  Peter and Andrew were fishermen by trade. They’d caught thousands of fish and no doubt loved to swap fish stories with their friends, but this particular fish story topped them all. Here is what happened: One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to hear this charismatic street preacher. He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge—their owners had left them and were washing their nets. Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. Then he sat down in the boat and continued teaching the people. When he finished speaking, he said to Si

Just posted a lovely book review for Easterling's book, Of God, Rattlesnakes, and Okra , on the book's page at our website. The review appears on Know Doubt Ministry website , and conccludes:: You may have never been raised on a farm, lived in the rural South, eaten okra, or experienced pre-WWII life, but you will be captivated by Ben's tales as if you had.  I strongly encourage you to read my friend's book. Click on the site link above to read the entire review. Other delightful reviews can be found at Barnes and Noble -- HERE . Our favorite from among them is: "Are you sure this little rascal is a preacher's kid? Pity his poor mother! This demands a sequel!" Are you sure this little rascal was a preacher's kid? Pity his poor mother! This demands a sequel. Are you sure this little rascal was a preacher's kid? Pity his poor mother! This demands a sequel. Are you sure this little rascal was a preacher's kid? Pity his poor mot

Are you interested in moving beyond the traditional egg hunt and chocolate bunnies, finding ways to engage the children of your family in the Easter story? We’ve discovered a delightful game that both adults and kids enjoy. It’s as simple as finding some colored plastic Easter eggs—the kind that open up--and stuffing them with questions or clues surrounding the trial, crucifixion, and resurrection story. Find an Easter basket, fill it with fake grass and place the eggs inside the basket.   When everyone is seated for dinner, someone passes the basket around the table. Each person takes an egg, then take turns opening their egg and reading the scripture verse or showing the clue and telling what it has to do with Easter.\ You can be quite imaginative in stuffing the eggs, using small nails, bits of fabric, thorns, spices and other items as well as scripture verses. If the one opening the egg cannot explain how it relates to Easter, the other children are invited to answ

Bennett earned a journalism degree from University of Southern Mississippi and an MS in Business Administration. He worked as a Management Intern by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (TN), U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (MD), and as a staff advisor to then Congressman Trent Lott (with whom he is shown here), helping develop a national policy for nuclear waste disposal. The last ten years of his career was spent searching for a safe disposal site for high-level radioactive waste—much of this time was spent speaking to State and local governments, American Indian Tribes, and the public. He edited the  Jones County Junior College  newspaper, wrote for the University of Southern Mississippi  Student Printz  newspaper, and taught a freshman journalism course at USM. He served as sports copy editor for the  Bristol Herald Courier  (VA/TN). His professional career included writing speeches for Presidential appointees, congressional testimony, and public relations. He and his wife lead

Sent to the printer today: Jesus Is Still Passing By by award-winning author J. Bennett Easterling. Look for pre-orders on Amazon and Barnes & Noble as early as next week. This is a great book for individual devotions and for group study. From the Bible: 36 miracles, each explicated by Easterling in a background information section. Every miracle of Jesus in days of yore finds three (!) parallels in real life stories from today.Reflection questions that cause pondering and self-development accompany each of these life applications -- in all, well more than 100 study, reflection, and discussion questions. A rich resource for all Christians and those wanting to know more about the Christian religion.