MSI Press Blog

Want to expand on the topics in Introductory Lectures on Religious Philosophy ? Watch Dr. Sabzecvary's YouTube presentations HERE . For more posts about Dr. Sabzevary, his lectures, and his book, click HERE .

  Shared from Jackie's blog:  The Day I Learned I Was Really Important, Just Not in the Way I Thought The past week or so has been tough! Blog subject, or maybe book subject tough. On Tuesday I picked up a full mug of coffee and felt a familiar dull ache. This ache sent a panicked message to my brain. Oh crap! I’m getting a flare. My "tell" that a fibro flare is coming is this dull achy hand and wrist pain. So uncomfortable that I can’t wrap my fingers around a glass or even hold my phone without making it worse. I quickly calmed myself with the reminder that I hadn’t had a flare up that lasted more than a few days in over three years. Whatever I was doing, meds, supplements, diet, exercise-ish (being honest here), was keeping my symptoms at bay! For the rest of the day I took it easy on my joints and tried my best to stay calm. Later that my evening my shoulders and neck started to ache but again I reminded myself that it should all be over soon. I thought about how luck

Shannon is a practicing attorney, Jewish content writer, and convert to Judaism. She is affiliated with the Conservative Judaism movement.  She is the author of Since Sinai . A Michigan native, she now lives in New York City with her family. Read more posts about Shannon and her book HERE .

  It is Tuesday. Time to tall turkey. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side. Today's topic addresses book structure. Rather than pull in dozens of resources and then generalize them for important takeaways as I usually do in the Tuesday post for authors, I am going to simplify life for all of us and not reinvent the wheel.  Dave at Kindlepreneur has written an excellent article about the book parts and the expected order for them (yes, you can break the order, IMHO, but do it knowingly and for a reason, not just because your own order feels more comfortable to you). Read his article HERE . The bottom line is that editors, publishers and readers expert a specific order of book parts. Break with

  When Carl came home from the hospital and was put on in-home hospice, we, the members of his family (my daughter had come from the East Coast with her family and my son had come from Sacramento), did our best to learn all about his medical needs. The kids had come home because it was clear the end was near, and we wanted to make sure that his time at home was as pleasant as possible, surrounded by family. We learned about the various medications he had been taking and would be taking. He was not able to communicate well by then, but he had quite an arsenal of regular pills that he took every day, and once he stopped being able to sort them out himself, we had to figure out which he needed when. He was also given new drugs -- morphine, which he used only a little of, and an anti-anxiety drug, which he never needed. With the morphine, instructions were unclear, and we guessed at amounts. Checking in with the hospice nurse, we learned that we were giving a 300-pound man the dosage that

  Angels All Around Us Dear Kindred Spirits in Christ, I've been thinking about the unseen heavenly realm this holiday season, and how real it is. Twice in my life, I've felt the presence of angels - and they were profound, supernatural experiences that I'll never forget. My first encounter was when I was traveling on a four lane highway at dusk. I saw a car cross the median and come barreling toward me, and only had seconds to respond. I felt invisible hands touch mine and guide me safely to the side of the road. I pondered the event heavily, and could only surmise that it wasn't my time yet. The second event was when I was with my extended family at a regional hospital. We had gathered to be with my mother, who was not going to survive emergency surgery. In the wee hours, right before her passing, I was resting, half asleep, when I felt an invisible presence swoosh over me, moving toward her direction. It was a peaceful encounter, and I knew without doubt th

(photo of Murjan ) All too often, when pet owners die, their pets end up trotting over the rainbow bridge behind them. Not by desire but because kin and neighbors turn the pets into kill shelters, and, indeed, like many other older animals, they are euthanized. It is important, therefore, that people include their pets in their post-mortem plans (wills, trusts, powers of attorney, or simple agreements with family members) and make sure their kin are ready to follow through. Following through does not include dumping pets at shelters that will kill them. No-kill shelters can be an option, but not IMHO the best one. Imagine being caged for most of your life. My daughter has promised to take my cats. She has several cats of her own and takes good care of them. I can rest easy that my cats will have a good home when I can no longer give them one. We have a cat angel in our town. She brings in the street cats and finds homes for them. It is amazing how many people will adopt a neighbor'