MSI Press Blog

  excerpt from Joshuanism   by Tosto -  The post/Christian God A profound moment in my journey to seek and know God took place in an art gallery. I was in Seattle, visiting a friend of mine. I had some free time, and John had some free time, so I decided to fly out and kick it in the Emerald City for a few days. This was during the height of my Christian experience when I was still green behind the ears and miles away from questioning any of the marvelous things I believed. In fact, I was working at a church at the time, directing the music and worship ministry. The trip west was a welcome diversion. John and I were strolling through the gallery, surveying the local talent, when a curious painting caught my attention. John went over to ask the docent something, and I stood in front of the unusual painting, studying it deeply. The painting, you see, was titled God . But the painting itself was quite simple. The artist only used two colors: a purple sphere on a black backgr...

  excerpt from  Learning to Feel  (Kris Girrell) --  2 Emotions Drive the Bus! Sarah catches me over the dinner table with what occurs to me as a random—out of the  blue—question, but which for her is a continuation of her inquiry: “How did it feel when your first wife broke up with you?” “Honestly, I don’t remember how I was feeling. I guess I felt numb.” “Well, you must have had a conversation or something when she made that announcement. Can’t you remember any of it?” “I remember feeling sad and I remember one day riding the train into work and—it was a rainy day—and the rain rolling down the window seemed to map onto the reflection of my face as I stared out. But really, that’s all I can recall.” “I find it hard to believe that you didn’t at least talk about it.” I would be willing to wager that while most of us know we have feelings, being able to  access those feeling is somehow altogether different and more challenging. When we were  children, f...