MSI Press Blog

  Excerpt from Typhoon Honey (Girrell & Sjogren) -  Defining transformation The nature of everything in this world we know of and in which we live is change. Nothing is static and immutable—nothing. Neither concrete buildings nor stones. Not mountains nor oceans. Nothing lasts forever without changing. Not only is everything in a constant state of flux (though admittedly at different rates and speeds), but the nature of those changes is purely chaotic. The universe is chaos that moves in patterned forms which we call fractals (self-repeating patterns). So when we begin to talk about change and what change is, we start with the idea that change is natural and continual.   This is no new concept. The ancient sages observed changes happening around them and sought to understand the nature of change and changing systems more than three thousand years ago. The “Book of Changes,” called the I Ching , is probably the most widely known of the systems for understanding change. Presumably c

  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

  MSI Press is happy to report the release of  Typhoon Honey  (Kirrell & Sjogren) as an e-book. The paperback version was released in December 2021. Congratulations to the two authors! To read posts about this book, including excerpts, and its authors, click HERE .

  Breakthrough means breakdown first It has often been said that as humans we will do far more to avoid pain than we will to maximize pleasure. We realize that most people think that they want to find joy, happiness, or pleasure, but in truth most of our efforts are in the opposite direction. One look at evolution, however, will quickly demonstrate that it is through pain, failure, and breakdown that we get better, stronger, and smarter. What is it that we learn in these painfully tough moments or experiences? Let’s first dissect what happens in a total breakdown. What do we actually mean by breakdown? It is important to differentiate that we are not discussing something like a “nervous breakdown.”  That is something that should be handled by a medical professional, and neither this book nor this specific chapter are intended to solve these kinds of problems. That being said, please read what follows through this important filter.  Breakdowns are, in fact, epic. Breakdowns are t