Some Christmas Shopping Recommendations
Edward Riojas, illustrator. Neale, John Mason, translator. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. Sioux Falls, Kloria Publishing, 2021. Hardcover. $9.95. https://www.kloria.com/books/picture/o-come-o-come-emmanuel/
Edward Riojas, illustrator. Veni, Veni, Emmanuel. Sioux Falls, Kloria Publishing, 2021. Hardcover. $9.95. https://www.kloria.com/books/latin/veni-veni-emmanuel/
Keating, Ray. The Lutheran Planner 2022: The To Do List Solution (Get things done while being encouraged, inspired, and consoled each day). Long Island: Keating Reports, 2021. Spiral. $34.95 with free shipping. https://raykeatingonline.com/products
Keating, Ray. The Disney Planner 2022: The To Do List Solution (Enjoy all things Disney while gaining inspiration and getting things done!). Long Island: Keating Reports, 2021. Spiral. $34.95 with free shipping. https://raykeatingonline.com/products
The Hebrew Old Testament Reader's Edition (Westminster Leningrad Codex). Wheaton: Crossway, 2021. 2204Pages. Hardcover with box. $89.99. https://www.crossway.org/bibles/the-hebrew-old-testament-readers-edition-hconly/
The Greek New Testament with Dictionary (Greek Text Produced at Tyndale House, Cambridge). Wheaton and Cambridge: Crossway and Cambridge University Press, 2021. 799 Pages. Hardcover with ribbon and box. $59.99. https://www.crossway.org/bibles/the-greek-new-testament-hc/
Howdy from Wyoming on a 54 degree December day. That's hard to believe here on the Friday of Advent I! The weather is more reminiscent of Spring in Wyoming, like a pleasant Palm Sunday. We've been using my day off to enjoy the rare weather and do some Christmas shopping.
The books listed above and briefly reviewed below are some of my recommendations for your shopping list this Christmas. They are among my favorites among those received for review in 2021 because of their faithfulness, beauty, and practicality.
Have you seen the books by Kloria Publishing yet? They take a simple idea, publishing books of solid hymn texts, and pair them with original, glorious art, and then sell them for a remarkably affordable price for the quality of the binding, art, text, and the package as a whole.
Take a look at the latest pair of books, one in English and its twin in Latin.
Yes, it is the same book in both Latin and English. Classical Lutheran educators, please pay attention to this release! Classical Lutheran homeschool families and Classical Lutheran schools should add both to their libraries.
Edward Riojas is one of my favorite living artists. The style of art looks very much like historic stained glass with a fresh approach. The colors are inviting. The style is approachable for children and adults. I would really love to see a stained glass installation of this art in a Lutheran congregation somewhere!
Young scholars and their parents can practice their ecclesiastical Latin with Veni, Veni, Emmanuel reinforce the meaning of the words with the English version, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.
The end pages of Veni give the original text of the hymn in Latin underneath music presented in Gregorian chant. There is a notable learning curve for the latter. I recommend visiting our friends at Emmanuel Press for a copy of The Brotherhood Prayer Book and recordings to learn Gregorian chant as a Lutheran.
The end pages of O Come present John Mason Neale translation in English with modern musical notation, familiar from current Lutheran hymnals.
Every time Kloria comes out with a new book, I call it my "new favorite" in all sincerity, and buy extra copies to give away.
Ray Keating has brought back The To Do List Solution for his two 2022 planners.
A 2021 planner was not possible for multiple reasons, but users of the 2020 editions have back everything they appreciated about his desktop planner format, with new improvements.
The Lutheran Planner....features daily quotations from Scripture, the Lutheran Confessions, hymns, and edifying writers.
The Disney Planner....shares interesting facts and quotes from "all things Disney," from Walt himself, classic films from the "house of Mouse," new PIXAR favorites, and even more recent acquisitions like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars...
The format of all three planners is generous, full letter sized, perfect for your desk, weighty enough for you to take seriously, and filled with interesting quotes that can motivate you to keep going or get back on track all year long.
The best improvement of the 2022 edition is that they now can lay flat. Switching the format to a spiral binding was a really practical idea and will be well-received by users.
I like getting things done. Ray Keating's planners will help you do just that. The annual, weekly, and daily planning pages will help you set goals, make plans (Deo volente; James 4:13-17), and track your progress.
Pick up either or both as a gift for yourself or other people you know!
My final two Christmas Shopping Recommendations from Crossway will get a fuller book review post because both deserve it.
My seminary studies included countless hours in Greek and Hebrew with the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament and Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. I still use the copies I bought back in 1996. They now have rivals on my shelf, thanks to our friends at Crossway.
My initial impression of both is very favorable. The bindings are sturdy. Each is a solid hardcover that comes with a black box to store each testament. The Greek New Testament comes with a ribbon. I added four ribbons to the Hebrew Old Testament for my convenience, especially as I prepare a fuller review later.
The The Greek New Testament with Dictionary (Greek Text Produced at Tyndale House, Cambridge) deserves your attention. This is the most recent release from Crossway, an edition including a rather extensive Dictionary under the same cover. The font is very readable.
There are many other editions of this Greek Bible for you to consider. The two main kinds are editions like this with a focused apparatus at the bottom of the page, like the NA versions of the GNT. The other kind is a Reader's Edition. Instead of an apparatus, the bottom of each page features language helps with less frequently used words. I like both approaches and how the latter Reader's Edition is becoming more common to help language study become part of my devotional time. You can get hardcover, imitation leather, and leather editions of this new Greek Bible, the leather editions being produced by Cambridge, known for premium leather Bibles.
The Hebrew Old Testament Reader's Edition is the Westminster Leningrad Codex. I'll have more to say about that in my full review. I consider this a larger print edition of a Hebrew Bible compared to my seminary BHS. I like this Hebrew font, to. At this point, no premium editions are planned.
I wanted to get this review out today since there are only a limited number of shopping days left before Christmas. Please consider these six resources for yourself or your loved ones.
Rev. Paul J Cain is Senior Pastor of Immanuel, Sheridan, Wyoming, Headmaster of Martin Luther Grammar School and Immanuel Academy, a member of the Board of Directors of the Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education, First Vice-President of the Wyoming District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and a member of its Board of Directors, Rhetoric Teacher for Wittenberg Academy, and Editor of Lutheran Book Review. He has served as an LCMS Circuit Visitor, District Worship Chairman, District Evangelism Chairman, District Education Chairman/NLSA Commissioner, and District Secretary. A graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Rev. Cain is a contributor to Lutheran Service Book, Lutheranism 101, the Hymnal Companion hymn and liturgy volumes, and is the author of 5 Things You Can Do to Make Our Congregation a Caring Church. He is an occasional guest on KFUO radio. He has previously served Emmanuel, Green River, WY and Trinity, Morrill, NE. Rev. Cain is married to Ann and loves reading and listening to, composing, and making music. He dreams of running his own publishing house some day in the Lord's timing.
