We’re continuing to get much interest in our Christmas greeting cards, and I wanted to let you know that they’re almost here! I know many of you are looking for them.

We should have them in our hands this afternoon and will have them up for sale shortly thereafter. Depending on when we get our hands on them, if you buy them when they go on sale this afternoon, we should be able to get them shipped out tomorrow and in your hands early next week at the latest.

We will be updating the banner in our store, removing the Luther coffee mug banner and will have a new one which will take you directly to the new Christmas cards. Keep stopping by and when you see that new banner, you’ll know they’re available to buy.

Thanks for checking back with us on this, and thanks for your patience.

** UPDATE **

We got’em!  They’re finally in and on sale in the store.  Go get some as you wish.

Consistent quality blogging is a relatively rare thing even considering the scope of the blogosphere. To write succinctly and in an engaging way day after day, week after week, takes real talent and devotion.

Michael Spencer, the famed Internet Monk, is one such individual. I have followed his blog for almost a year now, and continue to stop by daily to imbibe his mix of honesty, rejoicing, complaint, and commentary. On occasion I will even comment on one of the posts. The discussion can be lively, sometimes bordering on a brawl—a kind of theological smackdown tag team event. More often though his writing has touched deeply on a subject that many of his readers also wrestle with and the discussion takes on a tone of mutual understanding and encouragement. Some of his self-disclosure is searingly and painfully honest. This makes for really good blogging and has kept my interest far longer than any number of other blogs.

Another factor that holds my interest is his fair treatment of other Christian traditions. He is a Southern Baptist, but will often invite someone from another tradition to answer questions concerning their tradition. Recently he invited Josh S. (one of his readers and a regular commenter) to answer questions about Lutheran Theology. You can read those posts here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

This series of posts was one of the best explications of Lutheran doctrine I have seen on the web. The commenters were very perceptive and added to the discussion. More recently he has been in dialogue with Roman Catholics, allowing them to explain some of the finer points of Roman Doctrine.

Mr. Spencer is also a very perceptive critic of Evangelicalism and the Church in general, and his criticisms hold a lot of weight. He has the ability to hold the churches foibles and sins under the searing spotlight of scrutiny and ask questions that others aren’t willing to address. This alone is worth the price of admission (which luckily for us is free on the blogosphere).

So you may ask “Why are hardcore confessional Lutherans sponsoring a blog that’s not Lutheran?” The short answer? Because it’s good. This kind of Christian blogging builds up God’s people. It strengthens faith. It is a great example to Christians and non-Christians alike. As Christians, we all face the same struggles and triumphs and deal with the same spiritual issues regardless of which denomination we belong to. To see a Christian man go through these things and try to wisely weigh them out, and do so publicly is of benefit to anyone who is willing to follow along with him.

To those who watch our doctrine who may be asking themselves whether we agree with everything Mr. Spencer writes our answer is a hearty “Heck no!!” He is Baptist and we are Lutherans. (All of us unapologetically so.) He has sometimes been known to irritate me. But he is an honest man, he writes a great blog, he pulls no punches, and New Reformation Press is proud to sponsor him.

We have been blessed enough to get some ad space on internetmonk.com, thanks to its gracious author, Michael Spencer.  As a matter off fact, it appears we’re their first official sponsor!

I can’t tell you how pleased we are to be able to work with Michael like this and to be receiving some of his regular readership on our site.  I hope you enjoy what you find here in our catalog, and I would urge you to add us to your bookmarks and visit us regularly.

We have a lot of plans for 2008 and look forward to adding many more products to our catalog.  We have been paying attention to what some of you have been looking for from Dr. Rosenbladt, and we’re digging into his archives with him to get our hands on all kinds of goodies which simply aren’t available anymore.

For instance, very soon we’ll be making available his old Law and Gospel series in an MP3 format so you can put it on your iPod.  Some of you may remember this presentation and may even have it on an old cassette tape somewhere.  But it’s time to make such great material available on the new technology, and we’re working to make it happen.

We hope you stop by again soon and please stay in touch.  We always love hearing from our browsers and customers about what you like, dislike and what is on your wish list.

Thanks again, Michael, for promoting us to your readers.  To our other browsers who may not have heard of him, please stop by internetmonk.com and have a read.  We think you’ll like it.

Under the totally sufficient imputed righeousness,

We here at New Reformation Press hope you’re having a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday this season and that you’re able to have plentiful and joyous time among family and friends.

Though Thanksgiving is not a Christian holiday (and is particular to the United States as well), it has always been one of my favorite holidays for all the great things it brings together. This is the time of year best described by the word “almost”.

Students are almost done with school and about to enter their holiday break. The calendar year is coming to an end which means that the tax season is almost here, but people are also trying to use up their accumulated time off at work. It also means that Christmas and New Year’s celebrations are almost upon us as well. For Christians, we’re entering the season of advent, which means the time to celebrate the birth of Christ is almost here.

In this time of “almost”, one of the great things about this holiday season is how effective it always seems to be at making us stop in our busy lives to re-focus on the good and wonderful things we already have, tearing our focus away from the future and looking back to the present. Every year the time I get with our family and friends along with the food and drink and relaxed atmosphere is such a huge blessing, how can I help but be thankful?

As I relax and stop all my busy-ness and take the time to recognize all that I’ve been given, I’m always reminded what a good and gracious God we Christians worship. In light of the gift of the recognition I’ve been given of even the smallest amount my own sin (which is so potent as to be crushing – even in such a small quantity), at times like this, I am most humbled and grateful that our God gives so much to an undeserving wretch like myself, through the death and resurrection of His Son.

As a sinner, I do not deserve the family and friends which I’m given (which are truly some of my greatest riches), let alone my belongings, or daily bread which I receive constantly. But though I continue to sin greatly, even in my faith, the power of the saving grace of the Cross is greater still.

Thank you, Father, for Your incredible gifts, especially the seemingly ordinary and mundane ones, and the constant reminders that You give us both of our sin and Your grace through Your Son, Jesus Christ, through Whom all our sins are forgiven.

Soli Deo gloria!

We’ve been getting increased inquiries about our soon-to-be-available Christmas cards recently, so I wanted to keep everyone in the loop. After working with artist Tim Baron, who has simply done a wonderful job at creating great cover art for us, we are in the process of getting the cards printed right now. We hope to have them on sale in the last week of November, but the worst-case scenario will have them on sale in the first week of December.

They will probably be on sale in packs of 12.  Pricing isn’t final yet, but keep your eyes open, because it won’t be much longer.  Thanks for hanging in there with us on this!

If you haven’t seen the artwork yet, please take a look at Tim Baron’s blog where he posted an entry on it.  Thanks again to Tim for his great work!

1.
For all the saints who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

2.
Thou was their rock, their fortress, and their might;
Thou, Lord, their captain in the well-fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true light.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

3.
Oh, may Thy soldiers, faithful, true and bold,
Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old
And win with them the victor’s crown of Gold!
Alleluia! Alleluia!

4.
Oh, blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
Yet all are one within Thy great design.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

5.
And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

6.
The golden evening brightens in the west;
Soon, soon to faithful warriors comes their rest;
Sweet is the calm of paradise the blest.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

7.
But, lo, there breaks a yet more glorious day:
The saints triumphant rise in bright array;
The King of Glory passes on His way.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

8.
From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
Singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost:
Alleluia! Alleluia!