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Steep Discounts on Logos Resources

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Logos Bible Software is holding their annual March Matchups, where you can go and vote on which commentaries and Bible background resources you like the best. The farther a particular resource makes it through the bracket, the steeper the discount put on it.

Go ahead and vote. And if you are a Logos user, you can find some outstanding resource series at terrific prices. Even those that lost their matchups are well discounted. I highly recommend the New Studies in Biblical Theology, Church History Magazine, and Bavinck’s Reformed Dogmatics.

Check it out!

Disclaimer: Logos links are affiliate links. By clicking them and buying stuff, you’ll provide this blog with a small commission at no extra cost to yourself. Thank you for your support.

Logos Bible Software: More Affordable Than Ever

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I’m an avid user of Logos Bible Software, using it for hours every day. It serves my personal Bible reading and Bible study, theological reading, small group preparation, sermon preparation, training of others, original language work. I call upon it for random questions that arise in conversation. It even helps me track my preaching schedule, history, and sermon database.

So I have benefitted from this software tremendously for both personal and ministry reasons. I was thrilled when the generous people at Faithlife (makers of Logos) offered me free early and continuing access to their new subscription model, which just launched at the end of October, in exchange for an honest review.

Part 1 of this review will summarize what Logos is and does. Start there if you’re brand new to Logos. Part 2 will highlight what is new or has changed. Jump to that section if you already understand how Logos generally works.

What Logos Has Always Been

Logos has two main parts to its identity: Bible software and a digital resource library. You can use the software inexpensively without much of a library, or you can invest deeply in a modest, moderate, or exceptional library, depending on your needs and budget.

As Bible software, Logos comes with many features. The most important features are those that enable you to interact with the text of Scripture (using whichever translation(s) you’ve acquired in your library—and many translations are completely free). You can mark up the text, click a word to highlight every time it’s repeated, review a grammatical/propositional outline of the text, toggle verse/chapter numbers and footnotes on and off, compare translations, and quickly identify quotes and allusions to other parts of the Bible. Of course, it does so much more, but those are the features I find most helpful for OIA Bible study.

As a digital resource library, Logos enables you to research Scripture via Bible dictionaries, commentaries, theological texts, atlases, journals, and so much more. Your entire library is interconnected, which means you can search the library for a person, place, item, or Bible passage and immediately scan all the resources that mention your subject. Logos thereby becomes a virtual research assistant that provides lightning fast answers to your questions. Also, I use Logos to simply read books that I want to read. When an author cites a Scripture reference, I don’t have to flip open my Bible to read the supporting text. I can simply hover over it (desktop) or tap the reference (mobile) to immediately call up the full Scripture text in a popup. If one book cites another book (let’s say one commentator quotes an older commentator), the citation is hyperlinked; if I have the cited resource in my library, tapping the link automatically opens the cited reference in a new window at the very spot being cited.

Basically, if a Christian book exists in a Logos edition, I will only buy it in that form, in order to keep my library all in one place. I enjoy reading Christian books in the Logos app on my iPad, just like I might read on a Kindle.

Try Logos

Logos has such robust support and development behind it that they’re always releasing new features. Some of my favorite features connect the Bible with my digital library in dramatic ways.

  • For example, when I’m studying a passage (after I have a guess at the main point!), I can immediately pull up every commentary in my library that addresses that passage, quickly scanning them to find one that answers any particular question I have.
  • Also, Logos has a built-in word processor (the Sermon Builder) designed from the ground up for Bible teachers. In the Sermon Builder, I can add Scripture text by merely typing the verse reference. I can also add quotes from other resources, slides, and handouts with discussion questions.

  • The Sermon Manager feature maintains a database of all my sermons, along with data such as the date and location when I preached the sermons. So I when I visit a location as a guest teacher, I can quickly look up what I taught there previously.
  • One tool enables me to view and filter every NT reference to the OT. So when I’m studying a passage, I can check that database to see if there might be some citation or allusion that I failed to recognize.

One last thing you should know is that Logos has a desktop app, a web app, and mobile apps. Your library and database are stored on the cloud, so you can access it from any device connected to the internet. That way, I can look something up on the go. In my pocket, I now carry not only my Bible (in dozens of translations) but also the library of 5,901 resources I’ve accumulated. Or I can keep working and studying any time in any place. Or I can use my phone for a convenient reading or listening plan. Logos makes it ridiculously convenient to work my annual Bible speed-read into the flow of daily life.

Try Logos

What Logos is Now

So much for the basics of what Logos is and does. What is new this year, and how does it work?

Previously, to board the Logos train, you had to spend lots of money up front on a software feature set or digital library package. Logos has had a free version for quite a few years, but the most common reason I’ve heard people give for not moving to Logos was the price tag for all the features and a substantive library.

Now that has all changed, as Logos has moved to a subscription model. So you can choose among three tiers of subscription levels to gain access to the features and resources you need. I’m currently on a Pro subscription (the middle tier), and it offers me way more than I’ll ever need. The highest tier (Max) will likely appeal only to academics. Most of the people reading this blog would be able to meet their needs and more at either the lowest (Premium) or middle (Pro) tier.

Some subscriptions will give you access to mobile education courses each quarter of the year. Every subscription gives you discounts whenever you purchase additional resources for your library. Some offer you cash back at the end of the year. All subscriptions give you two free books each month. Anything you buy for your library remains yours forever, even if you cancel your subscription someday.

Learn about what comes in each subscription tier here.

In addition, subscriptions come with some new features not previously available, that I love.

One such feature is Smart Search. Logos has always had a tremendously powerful search function, where you can search the Bible or the resources of your library for just about anything. The challenge, however, was that, in order to get the results you wanted, you had to learn a complex syntax. Or at least look up the Help documentation to find the kind of search you wanted to do so you could then enter the proper syntax.

Well, no more. Logos subscriptions now come with a number of built-in AI tools, and one of the best is Smart Search. Now I can use a plain-language inquiry, and Logos can figure out what I’m trying to do. For example, I was recently studying Matthew 1. I knew from past research that Matthew’s genealogy skips at least a few generations of kings, but I could remember which kings. I could have gone back to skim all the way through the book of 2 Chronicles to figure out which kings are skipped. Or… Now I can simply run a Smart Search.

Even though the “Synopsis” answer is generated by AI, it is footnoted with legitimate resources from my own library (not from the Internet at large). To verify or explore any detail of the answer, I can simply click the link and go right to the resource. Scrolling further down, I get excerpts of additional resources that may help with my question.

Try Logos

Another lovely addition to the Pro and Max subscription tiers is the set of AI features in the Sermon Builder. Now I’ll be honest that I wasn’t the biggest fan of Logos using AI. This technology will be so easily abused. But I’ve also become a believer in the benefits when used responsibly. For example, after I complete a sermon manuscript, I always struggle to come up with good discussion questions for the small groups at our church. Logos AI can now read my sermon and suggest possible discussion questions for me. I can tailor those questions to a certain age group or a certain type of question (comprehension, application, etc.). And while I have never found the AI-suggested questions to be useful enough to simply copy and paste for our church to use, they have always stimulated my own thinking in just the right way to help me overcome my writer’s block and come up with something we can actually use.

The Sermon AI Assistant can now also suggest possible illustrations and applications, which can have a similarly stimulating effect. I’m frankly alarmed by the option to also generate sermon outlines from a text, as I believe it short-circuits the need for teachers to do their own work in the text. However, even with that tool, I can imagine someone using it responsibly as a way to generate ideas (despite the danger that some will use it to replace the need to think for themselves). When I train teachers, I don’t mind if they get outline or content ideas from other people, as long as they can still show me from the text why they made the choices they made with respect to their final outline and content.

One last feature I’ll mention is the in-app Help Center. Earlier I mentioned that the financial layout used to be the most common objection to Logos. The second-most common objection is the learning curve. Logos has always provided a fabulous set of tutorials and training videos online. But now, the in-app Help Center makes all that training immediately accessible when and where you need it. If I’m working on a sermon and can’t remember how to pull a quotation from one of my resources into my manuscript, I can click the question-mark icon for the Help Center and just ask my question. Using the same AI technology as the Smart Search I mentioned earlier, Logos immediately provides me with the help I need. So the learning curve just got a lot shallower, reducing the barriers to entry for this wonderful software.

Conclusion

As I mentioned at the beginning, I love Logos and use it all the time. And the new set of subscription features have made my study even more efficient and more effective than ever before. Research and preparation tasks that used to take hours now take minutes, without sacrificing the quality of my study (or replacing my study with AI enhancements!). I can simply get where I was getting before, but faster and with increased depth of knowledge that increases credibility and persuasion.

The subscription model also gives you access to a wider variety of features and a larger digital library at a more affordable price than ever before. What used to cost hundreds or thousands of dollars up front (even with a payment plan) now comes for much less. A substantive library of over 250 books, plus many tools and datasets, can be had for $10/month or less.

And if you’re not totally sure, you can try it out for free. Using this link (or any others earlier in this review) will not only help support our blog; it will give new subscribers a free 30-day trial.

Try Logos

Announcing our 10th Annual Bible Reading Challenge

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We believe one of the best ways to learn to study the Bible is to read it. A lot of it. Over and over again. That way, when the foundations are destroyed, the righteous will know what to do. When the wicked bend the bow, the children of God hide in the one who is their refuge. When surrounded by those who have lost their minds, the people of God have sure footing and a stabilizing security.

If you’re not sure what I mean by all these foundations/bow/sure footing metaphors, then maybe this is your year to read the entire Bible in 90 days. Objective truth and emotional stability are yours for the taking. Not by toughening yourself up (Prov 18:11, 26:12), but by perceiving who really sits on throne (Psalm 11:1-7, Matt 6:19-21). You’ll only see, though, if you’ve got the eyes for it.

But I digress and perhaps ought to get to the point.

The Challenge

I’m writing to announce our 10th annual Bible reading challenge. The challenge is to read the entire Bible within 90 days. If you wish, you may begin today. Regardless of when you begin, your 90-day period must end no later than March 31, 2025. Once you complete your reading, you may submit an entry form (see below) to enter a prize drawing.

And why—you ask—would you embark on such a strange venture? (“Has the day finally come,” they inquire, “when the Lord has struck with madness the riders of this horse we call the blogosphere?” Zech 12:4) I can think of at least three reasons.

  1. Your grasp of the Bible’s big picture will surge like a second wind for Ahimaaz (2 Samuel 18:19-28).
  2. Your reward in heaven will be great.
  3. We’ve got a sweet set of prizes to urge you on in the present age.

Because this is our 10th annual reading challenge, we’re blowing things up this year. There are not one but two grand prizes. And for every 10 people who complete this year’s challenge, there will be an additional prize package. On top of all that, we will grant extra entries into the drawing for anyone who recruits first-timers to complete the challenge with them.

Grand Prizes

The first grand prize is a 12-month pro-level subscription to Logos Bible Software. Logos has been the most requested grand prize for this year’s challenge, and due to the generosity of Faithlife (makers of Logos), your faith has become sight. Just this year, Logos has shifted to a subscription model. So one winner of our drawing will be gifted a 12-month subscription at the Pro level, which includes a library of over 500 books, along with tools for note-taking, counseling, preaching, marking up the text, making presentations, and access to five free mobile ed courses each quarter of the year. Find my review of the new subscription-based Logos here.

The second grand prize is a premium book rebinding provided by Pro Libris Rebinding. The winner of this prize is invited to take their favorite Bible, novel, or other book, send it to Pro Libris, and have it re-bound with a premium leather cover and binding. Or if you can’t decide which book of your own to get rebound, we will provide you with a free copy of a one-volume reader’s Bible of your choice, and Pro Libris will give it the premium treatment. You can view a sample of Pro Libris’s work at their Facebook and Instagram pages.

We want you to read and re-read God’s word for years to come, so we’re offering these prizes to catalyze a habit of such delightful romps.

Additional Prizes

But wait, there’s more! In addition to the two grand prizes, we will offer one additional prize for every 10 people who complete this year’s Bible reading challenge. That means that if only 10 people complete the challenge, two of them will win the grand prizes, and one will get an additional prize. If 100 people complete the challenge, two will win grand prizes, and ten will secure an additional prize.

So your odds of winning a prize this year could be greater than 10%. Can you find any other giveaway on the Internet with such great odds of winning? And though the physical discipline and training of reading the Bible in 90 days is of some value, the character and godliness which it instills in you holds promise not only for the present life but also for the life to come.

Everyone selected to win an additional prize will get to choose one of the following options:

  1. A one-volume reader’s Bible of your choice.
  2. A copy of both Knowable Word and Sowable Word.

Please note: Physical prizes are limited to people with addresses in the United States. Winners in other parts of the world will receive a $50 Amazon gift card via email.

Referral Bonus

One last new spin on this year’s challenge: the referral bonus.

On the entry form for this year’s challenge, there will be a place for you to mark whether this is your first time completing the challenge. And if it is your first time, there will be a place for you to provide the name of the person who recruited you to try the challenge.

Both recruits and recruiters will benefit:

  • First-timers will gain one extra entry in the drawing for naming the person who recruited them to this year’s challenge, if that recruiter also completes this year’s challenge.
  • Anyone who completes the challenge and is mentioned by one or more first-timers who also complete the challenge will gain three extra entries in the drawing for each person they recruited to complete the challenge.

Note that both the recruit and the recruiter must complete the challenge. All recruits must be first-timers; recruiters can be either returnees or first-timers themselves.

And as usual, fake, incomplete, or spam entries will be deleted. For example, anyone who fills out the form today or tomorrow clearly hasn’t read the entire Bible within the time window, so their entries won’t count. Also, entries submitted before Bible reading has been completed will be thrown out; this drawing is only for those who read the Bible in 90 days and not for those who intend to read the Bible in 90 days.

So it will do you no good to recruit millions of people to complete the entry form without completing the actual reading challenge. God sees and knows what you are up to, and your entries will be chucked to the place where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.

Help is Available

If you’d like a checklist to help you stay on pace, here are three. You may make a copy and update the dates, if you plan to start on a date other than January 1.

  1. Canonical Order
  2. Chronological Order
  3. Hebrew OT & NIV Sola Scriptura NT Order

Or here is an iOS app that can help you track your plan. You may also want to consider making a reading plan in the Dwell listening app if you prefer audio. And perhaps you’ll want to bookmark this post so you can find the entry form once you complete the reading.

You may now begin any time, and may this be the ride of your life.

Official Rules

Here are the rules:

  1. You must read (not scan or skim) all 66 books of the Protestant Bible. You may choose the translation and reading plan (canonical, chronological, etc.). You don’t have to stop and meditate on every detail, but the Lord sees and knows when you are being honest about reading and not skimming. Listening to an unabridged audio Bible is acceptable. You may also use any combination of audio and visual reading, as long as you’ve read or listened to the entire Bible within the allotted time period.
  2. You must read the entire Bible within a 90-day period.
  3. The last day of that 90-day period must be between November 10, 2024 and March 31, 2025. If you’d like to understand why we recommend such fast-paced reading, see our Bible reading plan for readers.
  4. To enter the drawing, you must fill out the survey below, letting us know the dates you read and what you thought of the speed-reading process. Your thoughts do not have to be glowing, but they should be honest; you’ll still be entered into the drawing if you didn’t enjoy your speed-read.
  5. Any submissions to the form below that don’t meet the requirements or appear to be fabricated will be deleted. For example: multiple entries with different data, date of completion not between November 8, 2024 and March 31, 2025, “What I thought about the experience” has nothing to do with Bible reading, or date of completion is later than the date of entry submission (please don’t try to enter the drawing if you plan to read the Bible; only enter once you have completed reading it).
  6. In the first week of April 2025, we will randomly select 2 grand-prize winners from those who have submitted the form. Each will be assigned one of the grand prizes, but those two winners may swap prizes if they both agree to it.
  7. Then we will randomly select, for an additional prize package, one winner for every 10 legitimate submissions to the drawing (e.g. 50 total submissions means 5 additional prize packages).
  8. We will email all winners (both grand-prize and additional-prize) to get their shipping addresses. If a winner does not respond to our request for a shipping address within 1 week, a new winner will be selected in their place.
  9. The first grand-prize winner will receive a 12-month Pro-level subscription to Logos Bible Software.
  10. The second grand-prize winner (if in US) will receive a premium book rebinding for a Bible or book of their choice (from their personal library), or for a new one-volume reader’s Bible of their choice.
  11. Additional-prize winners (if in US) will select either a copy of both Knowable Word and Sowable Word or a one-volume reader’s Bible of their choice. (While these are not your only options, we have reviewed the following: ESV, CSB, NIV.)
  12. Any winner who does not qualify for a physical prize will receive a US $50 Amazon gift card via email.
  13. Unfortunately, though they are among the most courageous and competent people on the planet, staff members of DiscipleMakers are not eligible to win the drawing.

Another Perspective on Bible Study Method

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The Logos blog recently published a long form article from Daniel Yoon about “How to Do an Inductive Bible Study: 7 Steps.” I might quibble with the label “inductive” along with a few other minor things, but it’s overall a good explanation of OIA Bible study. He breaks the process into 7 steps, and explains how Bible software can help.

His steps are:

  1. Pray: What is the proper spirit for Bible study?
  2. Read: What’s the big picture?
  3. Observe: What does it say?
  4. Interpret: What does it mean?
  5. Discern: What’s the truth?
  6. Apply: What do I do now?
  7. Confess: Who can hold me to these truths?

I like to remind folks that it doesn’t matter exactly what we call the process, or whether someone breaks down the steps a little differently than I would. The crucial thing is that our approaches have the same substance. And Yoon does a great job providing a different, yet substantively similar framework for fruitful Bible study.

And he wisely warns folks away from becoming commentary junkies.

Check it out!

Using Logos 9 to Teach the Bible

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I use Logos Bible Software extensively every day. It is one of the programs I keep open constantly, so I can use it quickly and easily. I’m delighted that we’re able to give away a Logos 9 Silver base package for this year’s Bible reading challenge. One of my favorite things with the software is how it helps me teach the Bible.

By “help me teach the Bible,” I’m not referring to the study or preparation for teaching, though Logos also has much to offer in that realm. What I’m referring to here is the act of teaching. Logos offers a few features that provide the notes I take into any sermon, class, or Bible study.

Sermon Builder

The first tool is the Sermon Builder, which is essentially a word processor for Bible teachers. I write all of my sermons with it, and I prepare class notes or small group leader’s notes with it. The Logos Sermon Builder doesn’t quite have as much functionality as Microsoft Word or Google Docs, but it was fully designed with Bible teachers in mind. And for that reason, it is the best word processor I have ever used for sermons.

On the right: Part of my latest sermon.

Here’s how Sermon Builder helps me to write my sermons or teaching notes:

  • I can tag any text as a “prompt,” which formats it in a way that stands out. My “prompts” are instructions to myself for when I speak. They could include time markers, reminders to speak more loudly or quietly, or notes for transitioning to the next presenter after me.
  • I can insert any Bible text right into my notes by simply typing the reference (such as “Matt 2:1-21) and hitting enter. Then the full text of the passage magically appears.
  • I can similarly insert quotations from other resources in my Logos library, and Logos will automatically footnote the source for me, should I need it later.
  • As I type my script, a counter at the top of the screen tells me how much time it will take to preach or teach this script. I do enough ad libbing that the number is never completely accurate, but I have learned how to adjust the automatic figure to give me a realistic sense of the timing. This helps me to make sure I’m pacing my material to fit within the time I have to teach it.
  • Any thing I format as a heading gets automatically sent to the sermon outline, which I can later export or grab as needed for printing on handouts.
  • All headings and Scripture texts get automatically sent to a slide presentation, which can be used to accompany the sermon or class.

Sermon Builder helps not only with the word processing, but also with the presentation itself:

  • The manuscript is automatically saved to my Faithlife account on the cloud, so it is backed up there and I can access it from any device. So I type the script on my laptop, but can preach it (or lead a small group) right from my iPad by simply opening it up there.
  • I can go into “presentation mode,” which cuts out any clutter in the layout and provides a timer right on the screen.

Sermon Manager

The other tool is the Sermon Manager, which provides a one-stop shop for organizing all of my teaching.

Some of my recent and near-future teaching.

I don’t yet use the Sermon Manager to its full extent, but I benefit most from the following:

  • I can take a look at which sermons I have preached based on the venue, calendar, or text.
  • I can track when I’ve taught the same passage in multiple venues.
  • I can access my entire library of teaching notes, in case I need to refer to something on short notice.
  • I can map out an upcoming series, and create templates to help me save time when I’m ready to draft my notes.

Conclusion

These tools provide another reason why I have come to depend so heavily on Logos Bible Software. And the truly wonderful thing is that these marvelous tools just keep getting better and better. New features are constantly being added to program updates. If you have been considering making use of Logos 9, perhaps this year’s Bible reading challenge could be your opportunity to acquire it.

Announcing Our 2022 Bible Reading Challenge

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For this year’s reading challenge, we’re giving away a Silver base package of Logos Bible Software! Logos 9 Silver comes with many Logos features, such as the text comparison tool, sermon manager, interactive infographics, and the Bible books explorer. In addition, it comes with a library of over 250 resources, including the complete Tyndale and Holman New Testament commentaries, Tyndale Old Testament commentaries, 11 Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias, and John Goldingay’s 3-volume Old Testament Theology. See my reviews of Logos 9 here and here. This feature set and library of resources (which you can browse here) would cost over $10,900 if purchased separately, and as a package Logos 9 Silver normally costs $999.99. But—thanks to the generosity of Faithlife for sponsoring this year’s grand prize—this silver package can be yours for free if you can prove you’d know what to do with it.

If you’ve been with us for the last few years, you’ve probably been expecting this post. Here I come, like the sun rising, going down, and once again hastening to its place to rise again. Like the wind blowing round and round, north, then south, and back again. Like streams running to the sea, and yet the sea is still not full. What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Viruses and societal turmoil are no match for our inevitability.

If you’re new to the blog, you’ll be delighted to know we do a reading challenge here annually. This is our sabbatical (7th) year for the challenge, so we searched high and low for the best prize we could think of to reward your toil at which you toil under the sun. We are deeply grateful to Faithlife for sponsoring this year’s grand prize.

Screen shot of Logos 9 Bible study and sermon builder

In our former days, most excellent Theophilus, we issued a 90-day Bible-reading challenge that had to begin on January 1 and end by March 31. But many folks have told us they would like to be able to get started over the holidays. While many are eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, or chasing a spirit of stupor, we hear that you—the readers of this blog, the champions of the covenant, the heroes who shine like stars in the midst of a present evil age—would prefer to redeem the time when you already find yourself away from your usual responsibilities.

And who are we to stand in your way? You think about all his commandments; you will not be ashamed. You are continually overcome with longing for his judgments. Though your life is down in the dust, you seek life according to God’s word. Therefore this year’s Bible reading challenge may commence immediately. In fact, perhaps it already commenced for you, and you’re only now realizing it.

Here are the rules:

  1. You must read (not scan or skim) all 66 books of the Protestant Bible. You may choose the translation and reading plan (canonical, chronological, etc.). You don’t have to stop and meditate on every detail, but the Lord sees and knows when you are being honest about reading and not skimming. Listening to an unabridged audio Bible is acceptable. You may also use any combination of audio and visual reading, as long as you’ve read or listened to the entire Bible within the allotted time period.
  2. You must read the entire Bible within a 90-day period.
  3. The last day of that 90-day period must be between today and March 31, 2022. If you’d like to understand why we recommend such fast-paced reading, see our Bible reading plan for readers.
  4. To enter the drawing, you must fill out the survey below, letting us know the dates you read and what you thought of the speed-reading process. Your thoughts do not have to be glowing, but they should be honest; you’ll still be entered into the drawing if you didn’t enjoy your speed-read.
  5. Any submissions to the form below that don’t meet the requirements or appear to be fabricated will be deleted. For example: multiple entries with different data, date of completion not between November 5, 2021 and March 31, 2022, “What I thought about the experience” has nothing to do with Bible reading, or date of completion is later than the date of entry submission (please don’t try to enter the drawing if you plan to read the Bible; only enter once you have completed reading it).
  6. In the first week of April 2022, we will randomly select one grand-prize winner from those who have submitted the form. To celebrate the reading challenge’s 7th anniversary, we’re also planning to have several second-prize winners. We’ll keep you posted on what those additional prize packages will include. We will email the winners for confirmation. The grand prize winner will need to set up a Logos account if they don’t already have one, and second-prize winners may need to submit shipping addresses. If a winner does not respond to our request for confirmation or a shipping address within 1 week, a new winner will be selected in their place.
  7. Unfortunately, though they are terrific people doing marvelous work for the sake of Christ, staff members of DiscipleMakers are not eligible to win the drawing.

We will occasionally post links to the submission form on the blog between now and March 31. But you might also want to bookmark this page for easy access when you’re ready to submit your entry.

If you’d like a checklist to help you stay on pace, here are three. You may make a copy and update the dates, if you plan to start on a date other than January 1.

  1. Canonical Order
  2. Chronological Order
  3. Hebrew OT & NIV Sola Scriptura NT Order

Or here is an iOS app that can help you track your plan. You may also want to consider making a reading plan in the Dwell listening app if you prefer audio.

You may now begin any time, and may this be the ride of your life.

Delightful Upgrade to Reading Plans in Logos 9

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As I’ve made known numerous times, I am an avid daily user of Logos Bible Software. And the latest version made a significant upgrade to a feature I use more than almost anything else: reading plans. When I wrote my review of Logos 9, I wasn’t yet aware of the extent of the upgrade to reading plans. But now that I’ve been using it extensively for my new year’s speed-read of the Bible, I’d like to tell you about it.

Some of the upgraded reading plan features show up in the desktop app. But the most noticeable improvements are in the Logos mobile app. (In case you didn’t know, you can use Logos on both your desktop and mobile devices, and everything syncs perfectly between them.)

For this year’s Bible speed-read, I’m following a detailed chronological plan. I call it “detailed,” because it pays no heed to chapter divisions. It might give me a 3-verse chunk, followed by a 7-verse chunk, followed by a 16-chapter chunk, and so on. I’m currently in the gospels, and it’s really fun to read every parallel scene back to back to back. It really highlights how different each gospel’s account is, even of the same event!

My Logos reading plan handles this sort of plan (and any sort of plan, really) very, very well. I read most often on an iPad, and here is a sample screen shot.

That’s it. A very simple interface, with only the portion of text I want at the moment. Those buttons at the bottom allow me to move to the next text assignment (or previous one) with a tap. The new text will then replace the current text on the screen.

You’ll notice that I’ve gotten rid of all footnotes, verse and chapter numbers, and section headings. I adjust that setting one time, and it applies to all passages I read from that Bible (in this case, the ESV) until I choose to add them back in. Give me the text; just the text.

Finally, do you see the speaker icon in the top right? A few Bibles, such as the ESV, have an integrated audio version available in Logos. When I tap that icon, the audio Bible (Hear the Word ESV Bible read by David Cochran Heath) begins playing. The audio begins precisely with whatever text is at the top of the current screen, even if it’s not the beginning of a chapter (audio track). At the end of the selection, the audio automatically stops, even if it’s not the end of the chapter (audio track). If I tap the “next” button at the bottom before the audio stops (sometimes I have to just beat the last word), the audio will continue with the next passage in the plan.

And if all that weren’t enough, I most love what the audio Bible does in between the beginning and end of a passage. When the audio begins each verse, a pulsating golden circle appears around the first word of that verse in the text and flashes for a second. That way, if my eyes drift from alignment with the audio, I can realign them at the start of the next verse (and every subsequent verse). When a portion of Scripture is longer than a single screen, the text automatically shifts (almost like a page flip) when the audio advances past the visible page.

This combination of features makes it easier than ever for me to read/listen to my Bible on my iPad while, for example, using my treadmill each morning. It requires very little manual tapping and scrolling, and gives me a sustained audio feed with associated visual stimuli to follow along with.

I just wanted to rave about one more reason to consider looking into Logos 9.

Logos 9: From Bible Software to Ministry Management

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For more than 4 years now, I have used Logos Bible Software nearly every day, without regret. My only potential for regret has to do with having gone without Logos for the prior 17 years of ministry. Just this week, the good people at Faithlife released the software’s new version, Logos 9. And as usual, it’s nearly unbelievable how much goodness they thought to stuff into this system.

If You’re New to Logos

Logos 9 still functions basically like a Bible analysis program crossed with a research library. I’ve explained how it works in my reviews of older versions. Especially see the first two reviews, were I explain how it works generally, and how it can help with your personal Bible study.

Everything I’ve said in reviewing older versions of Logos hold true. I can generate, in seconds, an exhaustive list of repeated words in the book of Acts, as I prepare to begin preaching through it. I can click on one of those words anywhere in Acts, and have all instances of it instantly highlighted for visual referencing. I can write my sermons in Logos, integrating it directly with the Bible passage without having to keep switching between programs. I can generate a reading plan for any part of the Bible (or any other book in my library), with any parameters for the plan’s length or how I want the text broken up. I can take courses on various topics or books of the Bible.

But let me now explain some of the new features in Logos 9 and how I am using them.

New Features

Logos 9 makes it easier to create reading plans for any Christian book. I buy almost all my Christian books in Logos, so that they will directly interface with the Scripture. So it’s nice to set up a reading plan, with dates and checkboxes, to map out a plan to get through a book in a defined time period. And while I could do this roughly in Logos 8, it now is streamlined for a better reading experience. The auto-generated reading plans used to end abruptly in the middle of a sentence or paragraph, and now they are better organized around chapter divisions.

Logos 9 now has a pretty amazing way to visualize charts. For example, I can search for every reference to the Apostle Peter in the book of Acts (note: this is not simply a word search for the name “Peter,” but a search for every reference to the character Peter, even if only in pronouns). Then with a single click, I can turn it into a bar chart to visualize how frequently Peter pops up over the course of the book.

Then I can do the same with respect to the Apostle Paul:

Does a cursory glance at those two charts suggest anything to you about how Luke’s focus shifts over the course of the book? Of course, we could identify that shift in focus by simply reading the book over and over. But in seconds, Logos gives me precise data, in a variety of attractive formats, and without having to count these observations myself.

Logos 9 has a wonderful new tool called the Bible Books Explorer, which gives me quite a bit of data at a glance. Timelines, author and audience info, major themes, etc. But what I love the most in this new tool is a quick way to visualize connections between Old and New Testaments. For example, here is a diagram showing which OT books Luke directly quotes in either his gospel or the book of Acts.

And I could click on any of the specific books to generate either a list of which verses in Luke-Acts quote the OT, or a list of which OT verses are being quoted. I could make similar diagrams/passage lists not only for direct quotations, but also for simple allusions to OT texts, or for bare echoes of OT texts. Or I can make a single diagram/passage list for all of them combined!

A Place for Ministry Management

While those features (and many others I could list for you) are pretty cool and really useful to my study, the biggest new features have more to do with providing a place to manage my ministry.

Logos 8 introduced the sermon editor, which basically added a word processor that was interconnected with the Bible. So, for example, I can simply type a verse reference (such as “Acts 1:1-8), and the Logos sermon editor will automatically paste the full text of those verses into my sermon notes if I want.

But in Logos 9, the sermon editor has morphed into a sermon manager. It still has the full word processing capabilities and interconnectivity. But now it also has a place for me to map out an entire sermon series (like a set of lesson plans). I can sort sermons by series, venue, or date. I can view them in a table, or a radial calendar format, and have it all linked up with my church’s calendar or a liturgical calendar. I can click on any sermon’s title to open up the sermon notes themselves, and I can track which sermons have been preached at multiple locations.

This manager is a one-stop shop for planning out an entire teaching ministry. It doesn’t have to be focused on sermons, but would work just as well for any Bible study leader or Sunday school teacher and their teaching notes or lesson plans. This is simply wonderful.

Logos 9 has a similar new feature for a counseling or discipleship ministry. It has a Counseling Guide which can quickly suggest resources and Scripture passages on hundreds of topics, along with a place to keep track of and organize private notes.

Conclusion

With Logos 9, this software now does much to assist not only your personal Bible study but also your teaching or leadership of others in Bible study. I am delighted to commend it for your consideration. Keep in mind, though, that if you are already a commentary junkie, Logos might only accelerate your journey toward overdose. But if you have disciplined yourself to love and study the biblical text itself, inviting outside resources to join you as conversation partners and not personal trainers, Logos will serve you exceptionally well.

You might think it’s easy for me to say that, since Faithlife offered me a complimentary upgrade to Logos 9 in exchange for an honest review. But my review here is thoroughly honest. While my upgrades have come to me at no cost, I have deposited large amounts of money into shaping my Logos research library into just what I want it to be. And if I could go back to the beginning of my ministry knowing what I know now, I would absolutely have sought to raise the additional funds to provide myself with this inestimable tool.

They have made it easier than ever to benefit from this powerful software regardless of the size of your budget. You could spend thousands of dollars to squish a world-class theological research library into your pocket; or you could spend about $30 just to get access to some dizzyingly powerful study tools. Take your pick, or find something in between. I don’t think you’ll regret it. Check out Logos 9.

Logos 8: The Speed We Need

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I use Logos Bible software every day. I am impressed by the sheer power of what it can do. It does for my Bible study what an automobile does for my personal transportation: It gets me where I want to go, when I need to go, by whatever route makes most sense at the time.

With Logos installed on my laptop, my iPad, and my smart phone, the only time I use a physical Bible any more is when I want to sit and read at length. Now I could also do that with Logos, but why would I when there are so many fantastic reader’s Bibles these days?

The good people at Faithlife gave me a complimentary upgrade to Logos 8 in exchange for an honest review. So this review will focus on the new features in this version of the software. If you’d like to see what I think of Logos in general, see my reviews of earlier versions:

Speed

The biggest and best improvement is the speed of the software. This has always been my biggest complaint, and I’m far from the only one to have lodged it. Logos has typically been slow and ponderous, like an obese Moabite king oppressing the people of Benjamin.

They claim Logos 8 is 10 times faster than Logos 7. This doesn’t make it quite as zippy as Jehu, the maniacal charioteer. But it does make it such that I no longer have to find something else to do between the time when I click to open Logos and the time when I can get down to business.

There’s not much more for me to say, but this is quite a big deal.

Markup

A new feature called “Canvas” enables you to take a text and mark it up however you see fit. You can color-code repeated words. You can move clauses around to visualize sentence structure. You can underline, circle, draw arrows or insert graphics.

I’m not the most visually-oriented guy, but this feature shows much promise for those who want to mark up their text

Workflows

The feature that has my greatest interest is “workflows.” Workflows are templates for common tasks—such as studying a passage, preparing a sermon, etc.—that simplify your process. I used to look things up myself, find the right Scripture and supplemental resources, record my notes haphazardly, and move toward a finished product on my own.

But now, I can set up a workflow to capture all the steps I always try to follow. Logos then takes me through the template, step by step, each time I come to a new passage.

Logos 8 comes with quite a few built-in workflows, including basic Bible study, character study, word study, topic study, passage exegesis, and expository sermon preparation. I find these built-in templates to show off the power of what Logos 8 and its workflows can do. But I also find these built-in templates rather unhelpful for the proposed tasks. The biggest issue is that the built-in workflows are doing a great job showing off all Logos 8 can do! In the process, they take you far and away from the text and into the bowels of research and commentary about the text.

But have no fear, Logos 8 enables me to create a custom workflow that does what I want it to do. The “Inductive Bible Study” workflow in Logos 8 is way too quick to bring in commentaries and cross-references—without offering enough help to first wrestle through the text and its train of thought. 

So I created my own custom workflow called “OIA Bible Study (Focus on the Text).” This workflow walks straight through the Bible study principles in Knowable Word, presenting a series of questions that require you to toil over the text.

If you decide to use Logos 8, you can find my workflow here to try out for yourself. And if you don’t like it, Logos 8 lets you create your own.

Conclusion

If I knew 20 years ago what I know today, I would have acquired Logos Bible software at the start of my career as a missionary and preacher. This exceptional tool has proven to be a faithful companion and a valued guide. Perhaps it can serve this role for you as well. 

Here is a link if you would like more information.

You and Your Pastor Could Win a Free Copy of Logos 7

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LogosFor the month of October, Logos Bible Software would like to honor pastors who work hard and serve well to care for the flock of God. They invite people to publicly thank their pastors for their labors. And, by thanking your pastor, you will enter both yourself and your pastor to win a free copy of Logos 7 Gold.

Logos 7 is an amazing bit of software, which I use extensively every day. I recommend it highly. Click to see my review. Click here to get a 10% discount on a new base package (and send a small commission our way). Or, go thank your pastor and enter to win a Gold package for free.