MSI Press Blog

  Precerpt (excerpt from book prior to publication):  Raising God's Rainbow Makers  (Mahlou) Naming the Rainbow 🌈 Raising God’s Rainbow Makers Names carry stories. Sometimes they arrive like heirlooms, passed down with love and legacy. Other times, they tumble in unexpectedly—through tears, toddler protests, or the joyful shout of a neighbor boy. For our four, each name came with its own twist of grace. Lizzie was easy. She was named after me and my mother. Isn’t that what you do with a first child? You reach back, honor the women who shaped you, and hope the name carries strength forward. Noelle was more complicated. Her original name was Anemone —until we told Lizzie. She burst into tears. “No, not that name!” she cried. “Why?” we asked. “Because I can’t say it!” So we gave her the chance to choose. Lizzie loves Christmas. She chose Noelle . We called the state and changed the birth certificate. Sometimes the best names come from the heart of a big sister. Shane be...

  Religious conversion often evokes images of long personal journeys, doctrinal shifts, or community transitions. But what happens when transformation isn’t gradual, but immediate—ignited by a direct encounter with the sacred? In the language of Mircea Eliade, this breakthrough is called  hierophany : the eruption of the sacred into the profane world, reshaping not just belief, but perception, identity, and purpose.🔍 What Is Hierophany? Hierophany (from the Greek  hieros  meaning sacred and  phainein  meaning to reveal) describes moments when the sacred reveals itself—whether through visions, natural phenomena, ritual acts, or sacred texts. These events break the normal flow of time and space, marking the moment as “other,” saturated with divine meaning. Think Moses at the burning bush, Paul on the road to Damascus, or even less-scripted, deeply personal revelations sparked by dreams, crises, or encounters with beauty so profound it borders on the eternal....

  Theophany—literally “appearance of God”—is not just a theological term. It’s a moment when the veil between heaven and earth thins, and the divine becomes perceptible to human senses. These encounters are rare, dramatic, and transformative. They do not merely inform; they reorient. Let’s explore two vivid biblical theophanies and how their recipients responded—not with casual awe, but with trembling, wrestling, and lifelong change. 🔥 Moses and the Burning Bush (Exodus 3) In the wilderness of Horeb, Moses sees a bush ablaze yet unconsumed. He approaches, curious. Then comes the voice: “Moses, Moses.” God identifies Himself and commands Moses to remove his sandals—he is on holy ground. Reaction: Moses hides his face, afraid to look at God. He protests his inadequacy, questions his calling, and ultimately obeys. This theophany doesn’t just reveal God’s presence—it commissions Moses to liberate a nation. The encounter marks a pivot from exile to leadership, from anonymity to prophet...