Sparkling Gems from the Greek

A lot of first impressions on Rick Renner's book Sparkling Gems from the Greek is that is it a book written for Greek study. The design on its cover shows sparkling gems and fancy letterings. Unless you come near this book and really read what's written on the cover, you might miss the subtitle that mentions God. Plus, its 1000-paged thickness also resembles those of dictionaries and encyclopedias that you only see in school libraries. Then again, don't judge a book by its cover, right? Because whether you like its fancy appearance or not, Sparkling Gems from the Greek is not just any book that you simply add to your collection.

In its truest form, Sparkling Gems from the Greek is a devotional. Rick Renner fills this book with daily devotionals for readers to use everyday. Then, this is the reason as to why the book is a little heavy, because it carries 365 devotional for users to read all year-long. Also, Sparkling Gems from the Greek is not just like any other devotional, as every daily reading is carefully planned to be of the right length.

Renner begins every reading with a verse or a scripture from the New Testament as this will then open a certain "topic" for the day. If since the beginning you are clueless with what the Greeks have to do in this book, this will answer your questions. The New Testament is actually originally written in Greek. But when the entire text of the Bible was made into an English version, the New Testament also underwent through a series of translation.

This is what really makes Sparkling Gems from the Greek different from all other devotionals ever printed, because Renner gives his own translations of the texts from the New Testament. Renner does not rely on the already-translated Bible versions, instead he converts the New Testament directly from Greek. After delivering his message about the scriptures, Renner will then give his personal lecture about such matters. He also never fails to include encouraging comments to help his readers. The daily readings will then be closed by a prayer and a declaration of faith regarding the day's topic. And then, Renner leaves off with a set of questions that especially pertains to the lesson of the day.

Perhaps the cons of buying this book are only related to it being rather expensive and bulky. When it comes to its contents, it is polished well. Rick Renner is very confident in the way he chooses to write about God, his faith and his religious opinions, a specific quality that a devotional author must possess to guide his readers. Sparkling Gems from the Greek is a sure recommendation.