MSI Press Blog

  What is a book jewel? A sometimes-overlooked book with remarkable insight and potential significance. Each month, we share near-daily, or as often as possible, reviews of the monthly book jewel - short, succinct reviews that can be read in 1-2 minutes with links to the reviewer by reviewers whose words are worthy of being heard and whose opinions are worthy of being considered. Sometimes a couple of minutes contains more impressive thought than ten times that many. We will let you decide that. This month's book jewel is A Theology for the Rest of Us by Arthur Yavelberg. Description: If God exists and is good, why is there evil? Avoiding such questions underlies the spiritual emptiness and anxiety in today's world. A Theology for the Rest of Us explores how to approach the divine through Eastern and Western religious traditions without dogma, challenging readers to "be you lamps unto yourselves." In a time of internecine wars and all kinds of abuse of authority and

Arthur Yavelberg, author of the multi-award-winning book,  A Theology for the Rest of Us , shares the following column from his blog: “If there is nothing for which you would commit murder, you cannot play the role of  Lady MacBeth! ”  That is how the now aging opera diva,  Maria Callas , dismissed a young, pretty, but not quite ripened, ingenue who aspired to one day take center stage on her own.  She had the voice, yes, and even something of “the look,” but she lacked the life experience to be able to channel the passions depicted by a  William Shakespeare  or  Giuseppe Verdi.   While this production at the  Arizona Theater Company  did not intend a spiritual debate, it is significant that Callas insisted "for which you would commit murder” and not “if you have not murdered.”  In religious terms, Callas was echoing the famous line of Jesus: “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.“ (Matthew 5:2

  Recently Arthur Yavelberg, author of the multi-award-winning book,  A Theology for the Rest of Us ,  published a column in the Arizona Star, called "A Pencil by Any Other Name;" it talks about how objects can be defined in multiple ways, depending upon situation, logic, point of view, religious philosophy, etc. You can read the article right here: A Theology for the Rest of Us  has earned the following awards: Best Indie Book Award Literary Titan Silver Aware American BookFest Best Books Award finalist For more posts about Arthur and his book, click  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 . Planning on self-publishing and don't know where to start? Our  author au pair  services will mentor you through the process. Interested in receiving a free copy of this or any MSI Press LLC book  in exchange for  revi

  BODY OF CHRIST “The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” --I Corinthians 10: 16)   When I left the priesthood many years ago, I was disillusioned with the Catholic Church. I was looking to belong to a loving family. In my distressed state of mind, I experienced the Church as a dysfunctional family. For a few years I was estranged from the Church, and from all institutional religion. However, I felt something missing. So, I went to churches of various denominations, looking for a home. Eventually, I found a Catholic parish that filled that need. I discovered that being a Catholic since childhood was in my bones. It was a truth about myself I could not deny. After leaving the ministry, I became a psychologist. A life of service still motivated me. My passion was, and still is, to understand the dynamics of personal transformation and to accompany my patients on their journeys toward healing and growth. I have come to believe there are thr

  excerpt from Introductory Lectures on Religious Philosophy by Dr. Amir Sabzevary From Chapter 1. Introduction to Religious Philosophy [Lester: So this is a course on religion. What do you mean exactly by “religion,” or by “philosophy”?] There is this wonderful animal called a salmon fish, which of course begins life as a tiny egg. By the sheer force of the water, this egg soon finds itself at the bottom of a river and after a few weeks, the shell opens and out comes a fish. At the bottom of the river, this fish makes lots of friends, buys a house, has children, and has everything that could possibly make it happy. In other words, life is really good for this salmon. Without any warning though, she gets attacked by her own psychology. Don’t ask me how it happens, but one morning the fish says to herself, “I don’t belong here. This is not my home. I have a house, but it’s no longer livable. I have a relationship, in which I feel profoundly alone. I have children, but they’re all like

  Just released. Kindle version of the popular Surviving Freshman Year by Gregory Jones. Winner of the Pinnacle Achievement Book Award for Religion and recipient of a Literary Titan gold award, Surviving Freshman Year follows a group of students through their first year of college. Each session describes a decision a student faces and provides biblical wisdom addressing the decision. By using the scripture and discussion questions for each chapter, this book will help students answer the question, "Is the Bible still relevant today?" Students looking for something both real and authentic will find that the Bible is both of these and absolutely relevant today. 5 star review: "Surviving Freshman Year" is a great resource for those getting ready to make the big move to college! Gregory Jones does a great job of of using stories and Scripture to help the reader how to navigate the first year of college. This is a perfect gift for your graduating high school senior or a

  Arthur Yavelberg, author of the award-winning book, A Theology for the Rest of Us , shared on his blog post an article he penned for the Arizona Daily Star and reposted on his blog, "What you are seeking is already yours." Here it is in full, but do take a look at his blog for other thoughtful essays. For more posts by and about Arthur and his book, click HERE . In the wonderful fantasy movie, “ The Wizard of O z,” the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Lion and Dorothy are all seeking something they believe is lacking: a brain, a heart, courage and the way back home.  While they lacked the terminology to discuss their despair as “existential angst,” their predicament is certainly not rare in spiritual literature.     In the  Hindu  classic, “ The Bhagavad Gita ,” the hero,  Arjuna , is forlorn at the prospect of going into battle against enemies who are all relatives.  Anticipating so much death and destruction, he is tempted to turn away.  Only when  Krishna  reminds him that he

  Positive Radio interviewed Arthur Yavelberg, author of the popular book, A Theology for the Rest of Us , in a segment called " Learning about the World's Different Religions ." It is a very well-done interview. Comprehensive and on the long side, but well worth taking some minutes out from your daily routine and just sitting back and listening for a few minutes of reflection. You may indeed learn something you would want to internalize. At the very least, the interview is informative and enjoyable -- a great morning listen with a cup of coffee or tea. Enjoy! And if you do enjoy this episode, check out more posts, including links to interviews, by and about Arthur Yavelberg 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 excha