MSI Press Blog

  The following excerpt comes from Seeking Balance in an Unbalanced Time by Steven Greenebaum. A FAMILY IN CRISIS               Pandemic. For most of us, and I certainly include myself, the notion of a worldwide pandemic has been ripped out of the realm of the theoretical and dumped with a thud in our laps. What do we do? How do we cope? How on Earth do we cope? How do we even try to lead some version of normal lives when life is no longer normal? How can we find and keep some kind of balance as we walk this pandemic tightrope? These are tough, important questions – and we want answers. Living a life of uncertainty 24/7 can break our heart and our spirit. Everything seems out of balance, especially our lives. So, what do we do?             The honest truth is, of course, there’s no one answer that solves this. There are so many different things for us to deal with as we try to keep our balance. What I’d like to do is offer what may be only a partial answer, but one I think we can hold

Tradition tells us that for the first time in recorded history, an enslaved people were able to walk away from slavery. As a Jew I am “commanded” to remember this day, and I do. I also feel strongly that it is something we all might wish to celebrate: NOT as a single event in history, but as an indictment of slavery as we join together to embrace a Universal Passover as our goal for humanity. It is not that “we” escaped the bondage of Pharaoh, once and forever, but that Pharaoh has come to enslave all of us throughout history, with many different names and forms, and we must seek to overthrow ALL Pharaohs, at all times – whatever form Pharaoh may have taken. For me, this has long been the essence of Passover. Yes, I remember that “We were slaves in the land of Egypt.” But I remember it not because the “poor Jews” were enslaved, but rather as an in-my-face reminder that slavery is wrong. It is always wrong. It is wrong if Jews are enslaved. It is wrong if Africans are enslaved

  Great review of   review of One Family Indivisible (Greenebaum): Synopsis: Throughout history, from the neolithic age down to the present day, humans have divided themselves into groupings of "us" and "them". "One Family: Indivisible" by Steven Greenebaum is a kind of spiritual memoir that engagingly invites the reader into the deeply spiritual and lifelong journey of the author to find a way to acknowledge our differences without dividing and subdividing ourselves into competing tribes. It is a journey of mountain tops and deep valleys, but it leads to the inclusivity and mutual respect possible with Interfaith. Critique: Unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library collections, "One Family: Indivisible" is a thoughtful and thought-provoking read that is especially recommended for the personal reading lists of seekers from all races, ethnicities, and spiritual paths who are searching for that elusive goal of a community o

  Factor 1: Childhood Experiences         One somewhat surprising statistic that emerged from the interviews was that all of those learners who had reached level 4 had become acquainted with foreign languages very early in their life. That does not necessarily mean that they began studying those languages. In many cases, languages other than their first language were used in the family or community, and while the language learners themselves may not have picked up any of those languages well enough to speak them, they did gain one very important understanding that stood them in good stead throughout their days of subsequent language study: Languages are not exotica but rather everyday tools for communication. The venues in which multiculturalism was met by the interviewees in this study included home, community, school, and work. Any one of these venues seemed to be sufficient to trigger the concept of “language as a tool” or “language as communication” that created the facility ultim

  Excerpt from Surviving Freshman Year by Gregory Jones -  Sunday Lunch             Austin barely got to work on time. He had been out late the night before with Brandon and some others they met through a college-age Bible study sponsored by a local church they attended. Austin usually went to church with his family on Christmas and Easter but had never been a regular attender. Brandon had invited him, and it seemed like a good way to make new friends. Austin was enjoying the study and had made new friends, and they had enjoyed a fantastic game of capture the flag the night before. They had gathered at the church playground, which bordered an open field and a wilderness trail. The students had divided into two groups with each group choosing a base on opposite sides of the church. The object of the game was simple: The first group to get the other team’s flag and return it to the spot where their flag was located would be the winner. What made this really fun was the inclusion of wa

  Excerpt from I Love My Children, But I Don't Always Like Them Carma’s Story Every family has to figure out the expectation game and how each child may respond to surprises, frustration, disappointment and even too much excitement. As children grow up, and their behavior evolves, their capacity to handle change and respond to unwelcome triggers may also vary, depending on a number of factors. Every family must deal with this process. The Greens came to me because their daughter kept embarrassing them at family functions. Both parents had four siblings, and everyone lived nearby, so they came together to enjoy a meal at least once a week. Carma’s parents considered this a blessing, but their daughter wasn’t so appreciative. As she turned 12, she often tried to get out of family events by crying and begging to stay home alone. I facilitated a parent-child meeting with them (see Chapter 6). After some open-ended questions, Carma was able to verbalize that she felt nervous being with