MSI Press Blog

  Arthur Yavelberg, author of A Theology for the Rest of Us , talks with podcasters Natasha and Regan, about angels, past lives, sin, and free will and more on Dance of the Soul . For more posts by and about Arthur and his book HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC? Check out information on  how to submit a proposal . Interested in receiving a free copy of this or any MSI Press LLC book  in exchange for  reviewing  a current or forthcoming MSI Press LLC book? Contact editor@msipress.com. Want an  author-signed copy  of this book? Purchase the book at 25% discount (use coupon code FF25) and concurrently send a written request to orders@msipress.com.

  Today's guest post from Dr. Dennis Ortman continues the theme he started last week on dying and living. Journey through Death “Unless the grain of wheat dies, it remains just a grain of wheat.” --Jesus of Nazareth   Pope Benedict XVI, the retired pope, recently died. One of his caregivers reported his last dying words: “Lord, I love you.” He was echoing the last words of Jesus on the cross: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Mahatma Gandhi, called the “Great Soul,” was assassinated. His last words were a cry to God: “Ram, Ram, Ram!” The last thought of these men before they died was not of all the loved ones they left behind, but of God, who was their constant companion throughout their lives. They faced death with a tranquil spirit. Socrates, the epitome of wisdom, faced his death with a similar calmness. He was condemned to die on a charge of corrupting the youth of Athens. His friends tried to convince him not to take that fatal drink. Socrates responded

  Dr. Elizabeth Mahlou, author of Blest Atheist , her conversion story (abbreviated here ), says she had two goals in the writing of this book. One, perhaps obvious, to any reader was to continue her conversion story after the immediate first weeks. The second, not obvious to any reader not in her personal circle, was the telling of a true story of evil, one that greatly disturbed her and some of her closest friends and one that was played out on a deeply spiritual level that is seldom discussed because many, if not most, people do not encounter such things, or if they do, do not recognize the spiritual warfare going on.  Elizabeth changed all the names and other details, such as location, professions, and organizations involved in this spiritual battle, which forms the hidden core and major prompt for this book--something the casual reader, or even perhaps the more intuitive reader, would notice. For those involved in the warfare, however, it did not matter that names were changed. Th

  An Afternoon's Dictation (Greenebaum) is now available on pre-order at online bookstores, e.g. Amazon and Barnes & Noble , and at the MSI Press webstore . (The webstore offers a 25% discount with the coupon code FF25.) 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

  Arthur Yavelberg, author of A Theology for the Rest of Us , has had another article published in the Arizona Daily Star : " God Is Infinite and Unlimited ."    For more posts by and about Arthur and his book, click HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .

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.’”

This excerpt comes from the section of A Believer-in-Waiting's First Encounters with God that talks about God's protection even while being an atheist. Puerto Rico Not only do I feel protected, but also I have no explanation for why I am here today other than having been protected in the past. Whether it is dreamily walking in front of cars—growing up on a Maine farm without much in the way of roads probably contributes to that habit—or being placed in harm’s way due to my occupation, I seem to escape injury regularly.        In 1980, my reserve unit had been called to active duty in Puerto Rico to replace sailors who had been attacked, wounded, and killed on the way home from the night shift at a military post. My unit, considered one of the most ready in the reserves at that time, was activated to fill in the decimated ranks until those wounded returned to duty and those killed replaced. I left my graduate studies and university teaching position and took off

“There is a clear difference between an easy life and a good life.”  Read the full book review at Readers' Favorites:  https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/blest-atheist .