MSI Press Blog

  Morning prayer gives us a line that sounds simple but is anything but: “I will lift up in glory the man who humbles himself.” Humility is one of those virtues everyone praises but few define. It’s often mistaken for self‑erasure, self‑doubt, or shrinking so others can shine. But real humility is not smallness. It is clarity — about who we are, who we are not, and how we stand in right relationship with others and with God. Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It is thinking truthfully, without distortion, without inflation, without fear. And that truth looks different depending on where you stand. At Work: Humility as Steadiness, Not Self‑Diminishment Humbling yourself at work does not mean letting people walk over you or pretending you have no competence. It means: Doing the work without needing applause. You let the results speak, not the ego. Listening before asserting. You assume others may see angles you don’t. Taking correction without collapse. Humility ab...

  A sparrow is mentioned more than once in the Bible, including in this morning's prayer, and that repetition is not accidental. In Scripture, the sparrow carries a quiet but insistent significance: God’s unwavering attentiveness to what seems small, ordinary, or easily overlooked. In the ancient marketplace, sparrows were the cheapest of all birds — two for a farthing, five for two farthings, a kind of “buy four, get one free” of the first century. They were common, unadorned, and of little economic value. Yet Jesus says that not one of them falls to the ground without the Father knowing. The point is not the bird; the point is the care. If God attends to the smallest creature, He attends to us even more. The Psalms deepen this image. In Psalm 84, the sparrow finds a home near God’s altars — a poetic reminder that even the smallest life can dwell close to the Holy. In Psalm 102, the solitary sparrow on a rooftop becomes a symbol of human loneliness and vulnerability. The bird is t...

  We often imagine confidence as a switch—something we can flip once we’ve gathered enough courage or success. But confidence doesn’t arrive in a single moment of triumph. It grows quietly, like roots beneath the soil, deepening with each small act of trust. 🌱 Confidence begins as permission At first, confidence is simply the permission to try. You don’t need to feel ready; you just need to allow yourself to begin. Each attempt—no matter how uncertain—plants a seed. Over time, those seeds become evidence: I can do hard things. I can learn. I can recover. 🌤️ Confidence grows through repetition Every time you show up again, even after doubt or failure, you reinforce the truth that you are capable. Confidence isn’t the absence of fear; it’s the familiarity of movement through fear. It’s built through practice, through showing up when it would be easier to withdraw. 🌾 Confidence matures through humility True confidence doesn’t need to prove itself. It knows its limits and still move...

  Justice, compassion, community, and humility — these are not separate virtues but four movements of one sacred rhythm, according to Steven Greemebaum ( An Afternoon's Dictation , see below). To live justly is to live in harmony with the divine pulse that animates all creation. Each aspect calls us to align our daily choices with something larger than ourselves. 1. Act with justice toward all Justice is love made public. It’s how mercy takes form in the world. Acting with justice means seeing every person — not just the agreeable ones — as worthy of fairness and dignity. It asks us to look beyond convenience and comfort, to stand where truth and compassion meet. Justice is not vengeance; it’s restoration. It’s the courage to repair what’s broken and to protect what’s vulnerable. 2. Love compassion and embrace community To love compassion is to recognize that our lives are intertwined. “My life is about us, not me.” Community isn’t something we tolerate; it’s something we embrace. ...