The Hunt for the "Perfect" Devotional Resource: Part 2

I've written before about how the hunt for the perfect devotional resource can become an idol for me. I am encountering this struggle again as I settle into some long-term memory goals. In particular, I want to be able to just carry around one book that contains all my memory work, I want that book to be durable, portable, and aesthetically pleasing. So this is me thinking out loud through my desire for this perfect resource, even as I try to temper that with the knowledge that using the thing is so much more important than the thing itself.

Here's what the ideal resource contains / looks like for me:

• New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs in 2001 ESV
• The text of every hymn in the LSB, with extended texts from Walther's Hymnal substituted where each hymnal contains the same hymn
• Luther's Small Catechism
• Various prayers for the Christian
• Space to put in my own devotional orders
• Orders for Daily Prayer from the LSB
• Truly fits in the pocket
• High-quality, durable leather construction

This resource, of course, does not exist and never will. The question is, what is the closest I can get to it, and which of the desired characteristics should I prioritize?

I currently chiefly use the Pocket LSB. The issue here is that the LSB does not include the books of the New Testament that I am trying to study. Nor does it easily fit in most pockets. 

Another possibility is the Gideon's pocket Testament. This contains not only the Psalms but also the Proverbs and the New Testament. However, I would be missing out on having the hymns in my pocket, the Small Catechism, and the high-quality leather, since Gideon's is mass-producing these with the goal of affordability in large numbers for their ministry.

Yet another possibility is the upcoming release from ESV of a leather-bound book of Psalms, Proverbs, and New Testament. The weakness here is that it will not be pocket-sized.

Let's consider the deal-breakers for a resource that really will do everything I need:

• Psalms
• John
• Romans

Viewed this way, the Pocket LSB is excluded. I could do what I have done in the past, and tape books of the Bible from the Gideons into my LSB. But I did not enjoy the piecemeal nature of this, and rarely used these resources. Part of the key is that I really need to be able to enjoy and admire the thing, and if it feels trashy I am less likely to want to use it often. As silly as that seems, it really does help. So here are the front runners as I see it, with key disadvantages in parantheses:

• Pocket LSB (no New Testament)
• Gideons' Testament (Not high quality)
• ESV Testament in leather (not pocket-sized)
• ESV Testament in faux leather (not high quality)

I would say that with these factors, the ESV Testament (with Psalms and Proverbs) in leather is the front-runner. But if it's not pocket-sized, why not just get the whole Bible... and then what is the difference between the Bible and my devotional source. Do they need to be two different things? I think if all I carried around was a Bible, I would really miss the hymnody and prayers and writings that devotional use to help you engage with the text of Scripture.

Finally, another option I've considered is simply hand-writing in a Rite in the Rain book everything that I want, so it's all there. This is the least practical in terms of time but could result in getting exactly what I want, all in one place.

I will keep the blog posted with my ranting thoughts! Hopefully there will be some clarity on the topic for me soon.