MSI Press Blog

  From Arthur Yavelberg, author of A Theology for the Rest of Us -- Not So Still, Small Voice In times of terrible tragedies—whether personal or world-wide—many in the West think of the Bible and pray.  While the text of the prayer may be general–”Please fix this!”–there is usually the hope that there will be some dramatic, divine intervention—much like, say, God splitting the Red Sea in the Book of  Exodus .  However, while there are many examples of such miracles in both the Old and the New Testaments, there are also accounts where God’s presence is not at all obvious.  For instance, in the Book of Genesis, the  Joseph  of “The Coat of Many Colors” fame is despised by his brothers, sold into slavery and spends years in an Egyptian dungeon—only to rise to power by the side of the Egyptian vizier, save the lands from a devastating drought and rescue his family.  As Joseph tells his bewildered brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now be

  I wish I knew more about all the thinking and emotions that went into Joanna Romer's A Woman's Guide to Self-Nurturing . Unfortunately, after publishing ten books with us -- all of them respected and many of them beloved -- she passed away quite unexpectedly. One of her co-authors found her on the floor when she dropped by; Joanna had died of a heart attack, with no one else around to help. After producing two books on bereavement, which reflected both her personal experience and her research as a professor of journalism, Joanna asked if we would be interested in publishing a book that she felt compelled to write -- a book for women, focusing on their mental health and comfort, based on psychology and spirituality. It some ways, it seemed like she, not all that long ago divorced, was actually wanting to write a book for herself and then share it. Usually, we tell would-be authors to move their own needs aside and focus on the needs and interests of their readers. However, Joa