MSI Press Blog

  Today, on the National Day of Prayer, people across the country pause in many different ways — through prayer, meditation, reflection, silence, or service. Though our languages of faith differ, the impulse is the same: to turn toward what is deeper, steadier, and more enduring than the noise of daily life. In an interfaith spirit, today can be a day to: Hold gratitude for the people who sustain us. Seek wisdom for the choices ahead. Offer compassion to those carrying burdens we cannot see. Ask for peace in our homes, communities, and world. Remember hope — not as optimism, but as commitment. Some will pray to God. Some will sit in silence. Some will light a candle, recite a psalm, chant a mantra, or simply breathe with intention. All of these are forms of turning toward the sacred. The National Day of Prayer is not about uniformity — it’s about unity of purpose: a shared desire for healing, justice, and the flourishing of all people. However, you observe today, may it bring ...

    Recently,  An Afternoon's Dictation  (Greenebaum), reached #1 on the Amazon bestseller list of books in ecumenism Christian theology, #10 in faith and spirituality. and #66 in Christian Faith. 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 explorations int...

  1. The Question Are Allah and God the same? It sounds simple. It isn’t. Because behind the question is another one: When two people use the word “God,” are they ever talking about the same reality? 2. The Human Angle You hear a Muslim say “Allah.” You hear a Christian say “God.” You hear both speak of mercy, justice, creation, prayer, forgiveness. And you wonder: Is this one God described differently? Or two different understandings of the Divine? 3. What the Word “Allah” Actually Means In Arabic, “Allah” simply means “God.” Arabic‑speaking Christians use the word Allah in their Bibles, hymns, and liturgy. It is not a separate deity. It is the Arabic word for the One God. So the linguistic answer is straightforward: “Allah” = “God” in Arabic. But the theological question is deeper. 4. How Islam Understands Allah In Islam, Allah is: One — absolutely singular, without division Merciful and Compassionate — the two names that begin every chapter of the Qur’an Creator of all thi...