MSI Press Blog

  Parables, fables, folktales, and Sufi stories all use storytelling to pass wisdom from one generation to the next. They share a few essentials: They teach through narrative, not argument. They use symbolic or archetypal characters. They are short, memorable, and easy to retell. They invite interpretation — sometimes direct, sometimes hidden. Yet each form speaks a different language of truth. 📘 Parables — Moral Insight Through Human Experience Characters: Always human. Purpose: Reveal moral or spiritual truth. Tone: Realistic and grounded in everyday life. Lesson: Implied rather than stated. Engagement: The listener reflects and infers meaning. Example: The Good Samaritan. Parable = A mirror held up to the listener. 🐢 Fables — Moral Lessons Through Non‑Human Actors Characters: Animals or objects acting like humans. Purpose: Teach practical lessons about behavior. Tone: Simple, symbolic, often humorous. Lesson: Explicit moral stated at the end. Engagement: The listen...

  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...

  May 4-10 Many MSI Press authors are teachers -- and a number of them write some darn good books for parents, award-winning books, in fact. Others have written award-winning books in their content areas, and yet others have written fascinating memoirs Here are some of their works that might interest you. Go ahead. Click on the links that intrigue you! Cindy Alder (K-12) 10 Quick Homework Tips   365 Teacher Secrets for Parents Franki Bagdade (K-12)   I Love My Kids, But I Don't Always Like Them TL Brink (university) How to Argue with an Atheist Ekaterina Filatova (university) Understanding the People around You Christina Fisanick (university) The Optimistic Food Addict Tom Garza (university) Practices That Work Julie Gentile (private) 108 Yoga and Self-Care Practices for Busy Mamas How to Stay Calm in Chaos Emily Graves (university) How to Be a Good Mommy When You're Sick Geri Henderson (university) Healing from Incest Noah's New Puppy  (These have to be ordered thro...