MSI Press Blog

    Recently,  An Afternoon's Dictation  (Greenebaum), reached #55 on the Amazon bestseller list of books in ecumenism Christian theology, #170 in Christian ecumenism; and #215 in faith & spirituality. 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 explora...

  We don’t always have to evangelize. Sometimes, the holiest thing we can do is listen. Religious tolerance isn’t passive. It’s a practice—a daily choice to honor the sacred in someone else’s story, even when it doesn’t mirror our own. It’s not about watering down conviction. It’s about holding it gently, so others feel safe to hold theirs too. Across the world’s faiths, there are prayers whispered in temples, sung in mosques, chanted in monasteries, and spoken in living rooms. Each carries longing. Each seeks connection. Each, in its own way, reaches toward the divine. Tolerance doesn’t mean agreement. It means respect. It means we stop measuring truth by how loudly it’s preached and start noticing how deeply it’s lived. It means we ask not just “What do you believe?” but “How does it make you kinder?” In a time of global tension, religious tolerance is not weakness—it’s wisdom. It’s the quiet strength of those who build bridges while others build walls. It’s the courage to say, “...

  Some friendships are forged in shared doctrine. Others are born in shared longing. The bond between a Sufi Muslim and a Christian Mystic is not built on identical beliefs—it’s built on a mutual reverence for mystery, for love, and for the divine presence that pulses beneath all things. These two paths, though distinct in language and lineage, often meet in the heart’s deepest chamber. 🌌 What They Share Sufis and Christian Mystics both seek union with the Divine—not through dogma, but through devotion. Their practices may differ, but their orientation is strikingly similar: Silence and solitude as sacred ground. Poetry and metaphor as spiritual language. Surrender, not certainty. Love as the highest truth. Both traditions speak of the soul’s journey as one of burning away illusion, of becoming transparent to grace. They honor paradox, embrace suffering as teacher, and trust that the Beloved is always near—even when hidden. 🕊️ A Friendship Beyond Boundaries When a Sufi...