Logos 4 hits the streets
Logos 4.0 hit the streets today. So what is it like? I like it. A lot. Here are just a few reasons why. (more…)
Read the bible in a year community style
One of the great things that the Internet does is unite people around the world. There are very few communities that are really beneficial to building up believers, however, it seems that this is a gap that is slowly being filled.
One example of this gap being filled is with the Logos Global Bible Reader. This is a product in development, currently late in the beta release cycle. The idea of it is to read the Bible in a year on a schedule along with believers from around the world.
Given it is a new year and a great time to start reading the Bible in a year, I thought I’d give a quick plug for this free application.
To get started, create a user account on logos.com (if you don’t already have one) and then download the application from here (Windows only).
Getting started
Once logged in, select a reading schedule by clicking the purple icon next to the "Bible in a Year" text – there is a reading program that starts on Jan 1, 2009 which would be a useful place to start.
I suspect that by the time you read this it will be a few days into the new year, but never fret, you can catch up by just selecting the first day that you missed from the date drop down list (labeled 1 in the image below). If you are a bit behind, I recommend taking a few hours over a weekend to catch up.
Community – a new dimension
One of the cool things about this program is the community aspect. You can see how many people are following along the same reading as well as how many of them are on schedule with their reading. If you fall behind you will become part of the "behind" statistic.
As you read through, you can post comments by clicking the comment tab. This is one of the coolest parts of the application – not only can you share your thoughts, but so will others, which will likely both challenge, inform and inspire your thoughts as you read and reflect. A nice touch is that as you mouse over the comments the glob above will expand and you’ll see the location of each reader on the planet as your read their thoughts. I can already see a couple of readers in New Zealand in the comments.
You can read either the King James Version or the English Standard Version at the moment, and each days reading includes Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs – a good mix.
If achieving one of your goals could be done by reading through the bible in a year, this might be a great way to do it. I’ve done the Bible in a year a few times now and it is a great way to get a general overview of the Bible and understand what the Lord is doing through the word and the world.
BibleTech 2009
Earlier this year the first Bible Technology conference was held in Seattle, and by all accounts it was great. I submitted a paper which was accepted, but in the end pulled out, as it was simply too hard to justify the costs to get over there at the time.
Next year it is on again (in March this time) and the call for papers is again open. As much as I’d like to, I’m going to refrain from submitting a paper unless I’m going to be there anyway.
If you are in the US, you should take advantage of the nearness of the event (and the lack of a NZ$3,000+ airfare) and consider signing up to attend. It is a great opportunity to see where technology is going and how it is changing how we study the Bible.
Registration doesn’t seem to be open yet (I’m sure it won’t be long), but you should get on the email list to stay up to date with progress.
Verse mouse over and linking
I use Logos – and I love it.
I recently became aware of their RefTagger tool for web sites – and have been meaning to install it – and I'm glad I did.
RefTagger is a free bit of JavaScript that you can dump on your page to bring verse references to life. It literally only takes seconds to get it up and running and it works like magic – no markup required!
I often put verse references into my pages (e.g.), so this is good for you if you don't sit there with a bible but want to quickly check what the verse says.
With RefTagger you can just mouse over a reference and you'll see the reference pop up in a JavaScript window. Click the link and you'll go to the reference on biblegateway.com.
If you are a Logos user, clicking the 
icon will open the verse in Logos for you.
Here is an example – Jer 29:13.
If you have a blog and can't be bothered hyperlinking every passage (as I used to do) but want to give more information to readers, you should seriously consider giving this a go. Grace To You are using it too 
Mini Notebooks for Bible Study
If you haven’t noticed there is a new range of notebooks that are now hitting the markets – called the mini notebooks.
These notebooks are tiny (around the size of a decent book) but in many cases pack the punch of a full laptop (sans DVD drive) for a very reasonable price.
Take for example the new HP 2133 Mini-note (pictured) which is running a 1.6GHz CPU, 2Gb RAM and 160 Gb Hard Drive and costs NZ$1158.30 (at time of writing).
The big benefits of something like this is portability. You can use the tiny notebook to take notes (you can touch type on them) and hold entire libraries
There are some sacrifices to make of course such as a DVD Drive (which you rarely need on the go – a USB DVD drive can sit on your desk and plug in when needed for around NZ$120). There is also no FireWire (again, how much do you really need this?). Battery life can also be an issue (2.5-3 hours) although the Asus EEE PC will give you 6 hours in some cases).
If you have always considered a laptop too bulky for taking to church or conferences but see the benefits of computers – these are worth considering.
UMPC’s and Bible Study
In my last post I mentioned that I have two computers. This post is about the benefits of using a UMPC with Bible study software such as Libronix (from Logos).
This is my Fujitsu U1010 UMPC. It is pretty small (171mm (W) x 133mm (D) x 26.5-32.0mm (H)), and light (600gms). It has Bluetooth, WiFi, a SD card slot (SDHC capable), a fingerprint reader and a touch screen. As you can see, it is a convertible laptop form factor which can be used in several ways.
I use this computer for a number of things, including my morning devotions. For this I rotate the screen and put it into portrait mode. In this mode it has buttons for scrolling allowing you to hold the device and scroll with your thumb while holding a cup of coffee in your other hand .This is similar to reading a standard paper back, although at 600 grams the U1010 is a little heaver.
You’ll also see that I can highlight passages just like in a paper Bible (click the image above to see details). One of the nice things about the convertible form factor is that I can rotate the screen with the press of a button. This is handing to put the device into note taking mode where I can enter text with the stylus (pen) or my finger (if I’m really desperate). Landscape is the best way to use multiple windows in Logos or Pocket Bible, and this is the mode I use when I’m on a plane or in a cafe and want to take notes. This also allows me to have my notes and a couple of books open at once pretty easily.
This device also opens into a full keyboard type form factor, which is useful if you want the screen to be propped up without using your hands. However, the keyboard is not really useful for typing on – except for two finger typing and this is my one complaint about the device – but I guess that is the trade off you make for a device this size.
I have an extended battery on this device which lasts over 6 hours. This is adds considerable freedom to the mobile computing experience, allowing me to work for a good period of time on a plane or in a cafe or similar.
I carry the U1010 around with me pretty much everywhere. It resumes from sleep mode in just a few seconds so it quite useful for taking notes on the fly or killing downtime with some reading. With over 1800 books on it – there is never a shortage of books to read.
Speaking of reading, Logos along with other publishers such as Thomas Nelson are releasing some good books for Logos – many as soon as they are published. One example of this was "The Truth War" by John MacArthur. I bought the paper back when it was released, and then found that it was also available on Logos through Thomas Nelson, so I purchased the Logos copy – which I can then search and use as a study resource as part of my library. In addition, many older books by some great people such as Jonathan Edwards, John Calvin and others are available for free here (note that you need a paid version of Logos to be able to read the free books as they require a special reader component).
I also use OneNote which is useful for taking hand written notes and drawing diagrams. Of course, these are all synchronized to my other computer, making it easy to follow up later on.
With this device, I can do pretty much anything that I could do on paper (i.e. take handwritten notes, etc), plus carry around all my study notes and resources and more. Not only this, but OneNote converts handwritten scrawlings into text with a couple of taps – making it a very useful tool.
The only thing that is still puts the brakes on the mobile experience is the speed of the device – it can be quite slow – and yes a note pad and paper is quicker to get out and write on, but its harder then to get the notes into a reusable (searchable, etc) format. In spite of this, I’m happy to make the few trade offs for the benefit and flexibility of being able to study or read wherever I am and make the most of any downtime that I have.
My computing environment
I was having a coffee with Dominic a couple of weeks ago and he suggested I should blog about the technology I use for Bible study. So I’ve split this into two posts. This one focuses on my general computing setup and the other focuses on how I use the UMPC.
First of all, the benefits of electronic Bible study tools are quite well documented and are summed up in two words: Search and Ease of access (OK, that’s four words):
- Fast search of the Bible in any translation you have
- Search on word, phrase, Greek or Hebrew word
- Search for references to verses
- Search your notes
- Search in original languages
- You can have as many books open as your screen allows you to have
- More books can be used during the course of study
- Easier to access books on the computer than a physical library
I mostly use Logos – primarily due to the library I have in it, and some of the advanced features such as the reverse interlinear Bible, although I like using Pocket Bible for Windows from Laridian for Bible in a year readings.
I have two computers which I use. One is a home built desktop computer – reasonably new – with a nice big 24" screen. This is great for sitting down and studying in preparation for our life group that we have each week. The big screen allows me to have lots of things on screen at one time, which makes it easy to work with a number of books and notes at once.
The other computer is tiny and highly portable Fujitsu U1010 (also known as a U810 in the US). This is a miniature convertible tablet PC based on the UMPC specification. It is not as fast as my quad core desktop, but it serves a different purpose (more on this in the next post).
I keep my notes synchronised between the two computers via Foldershare – which automatically syncs files (as long as both computers are on) when the files change.
So, if I make a note on one computer, or highlight a passage, or similar – in a few moments it’s on my other computer. I also use this system to synchronise hand written notes from my mobile computer to my desktop computer. This means I’ve always got all my notes with me wherever I am.
One of the great things about technology is that the price of all this keeps coming down. My desktop computer is only a few months old and while it’s pretty grunty – Quad Core Intel, 4 Gb RAM, 2x 400Gb HDD in a stripe (for speed) and a nice big 24" monitor, the entire setup cost less than NZ$3k The monitor has shed a couple of hundred dollars since then as has the CPU. Maybe I’m showing my age, but given this was the first desktop computer I’ve bought in 3 years, I was pretty happy with the difference in value for money.
Next: Portability
Patterns in movies
I’ve had some nagging concerns about movies for ages, and so I thought I’d follow my previous post with some of my concerns.
I remember when I was a kid there was a gag going around where you told someone to say "toast" 10 times quickly. Then you ask them what you put in a toaster and they say "Toast" – well mostly anyway. This is a simple form of conditioning that is harmless, but illustrates a really important thing – we can be conditioned.
Far from mankind being animals who run on instincts, we are individuals who make individual decisions, but who can also be conditioned. This conditioning has been the subject of movies (such as Resident Evil, Clockwork Orange or Serenity) and has been of great entertainment value for many years.
However, while we are being entertained by such movies, we seldom stop and think about the conditioning we are subjecting ourselves to in front of the box.(or screen).
Think with me for a moment about the basic movie plot. Most movies can be boiled down to a simple formula:
- Introduce characters
- Build plot to a high point
- Have something go terribly wrong
- Have some great thing happen to rectify the situation and make a happy ending.
There are variations on this – mostly in terms of timing (some mix the first three together and then take ages to get to the last one, etc) – but there are very few movies that break this mold. This formula seems to work – and if you think about it, it mirrors life – we all have ups and downs in life. But how many times do you really need to pay money to see this pattern repeated?
The real question though – is what is the nature of the content around these high’s and lows? What is it that is the high point? What is the thing that goes bad? What is the good thing that happens.
Here is a common plot. The end of the world is nigh. Some bad thing happens to the world and mankind is doomed to destruction (ala Transformers, Independence Day, Armageddon, ad nauseam) – except for a small group of people who band together to save mankind (or perhaps just New York).
Seems harmless enough, however, this mirrors some events in Revelation, and if you stop to consider just how many movies share this basic plot – you start to see conditioning. In this case – something alien is coming to earth (Jesus) and the world must band together to fight him – to save the human race. Why? Because the most precious thing we have is each other (according to hollywood philosophy). Thus, when Jesus comes, it should be pretty easy to rally the world together to fight him.
Romantic comedies are popular – mostly among women, and they follow the basic plot above to the letter, but have you noticed how many of these movies today are not ending in marriage? Invariably sex before marriage is pushed as the normal way to say "I love you" and "I want to be with you" is demonstrated by moving in together. Still more concerning is the number of gay romantic comedies that are appearing, not to mention general movies where gay relationships are seen as normal (not that it is surprising).
Also of concern to me is the way the church and believers are represented in movies. A few years ago there was a rash of TV episodes and movies where the church would appear to be harboring criminals or engaging in illegal and immoral activity. Today, often the church or pastor or even just a believer are vilified or seen to have irrational beliefs or have some psychological problem. Faith it seems is fine as long as it is not in the God of the Bible or in Jesus.
Horror movies almost without variation show that the church is powerless against the forces of evil, and the plot has the unbeliever saving the world through brute force or even some sort of supernatural power or magic. Not to mention the horror movies that have the church as partakers with evil
Magic is generally seen to be amoral (that is a power for good or evil), fortune telling and divination is seen to be a power that can be used for good – and this is in spite of it being listed as an abomination to the Lord. An abomination is something that the Lord regards with extreme disgust and hatred (according to Miriam-Webster’s Dictionary). The problem with movies is not that we are entertaining ourselves frivolously, but that we are entertaining ourselves with that which the Lord detests – while we say we love Him!
Movies also invariably demonstrate prioritized values of the world. This is perhaps the most seductive, and hardest to see. Survival is a higher priority than not surviving (that is kind of built in to us), but also perceived happiness is more important than character and doing the right thing, success is generally portrayed as having money, learning from your mistakes is not something that generally comes up and wisdom is not valued. There are exceptions, but this is the norm.
This last point is the one that is really destroying the church IMHO. How many people do you know in your church who value character above being perceived as successful? How many people in your church do you know who are anxious to do the right (and hard) thing rather than take what’s in it for them and run? The point is not that these people are not in the church, but that they are the exception – and they probably don’t watch many movies.
The fact of the matter is that the church has embraced the entertainment of the godless without considering the messaging or conditioning that we subject ourselves to in doing so, and the cost that goes with this to the glory of the Lord and the effectiveness of the church
If you are someone who loves the Lord – ask yourself this: How many hours per week do I take in the world’s messaging through TV, Movies, books, radio, etc and how many hours per week do I spend considering the word of God through reading my Bible, listening to sermons, reading books, etc? Where is the balance of the messaging you are taking in, coming from? The prince of the power of the air or the King of kings?
Podcasts
After a discussion yesterday, I thought I'd publish a list of the podcasts I subscribe to.
I actually use a Zune rather than an iPod, and the new Zune software does a great job of managing content on the device.
So – here is the list . Click the orange feed icon to get to the feed (the Grace To You feed requires a free account).
- Christ Fellowship Baptist Church (Steve Lawson)
- Mars Hill Church Sermons (Mark Driscoll)
- Grace to You (John MacArthur)
- Desiring God (John Piper)
There are not many there. But I do mostly listen to them. I use my time traveling in the day to and from work to listen to sermons. I also like to try and run on occasion, and I also use this time to listen to sermons. This way, I've always got something going into my head and it is generally of value.
If anyone has other quality speakers who have a podcast, I'd be interested in hearing about them.
Two tips for Logos software users
I stumbled upon this tonight – very handy.
If you use logos (and if you don’t, you really should consider using it – it is brilliant), you can scroll up and down a chapter at a time with your mouse if you hold down the right mouse button and move the mouse up and let the button go.
It sounds complex, but it is really very simple and useful. It works in any book and skips to the next section if the book you are in is not a bible.
Also, if you are interested in a heap of books, there are a heap available here for free. There are heaps of fantastic authors here, such as C H Spurgeon, Jonathon Edwards and heaps more.
There is also a free application you can download and install to automatically download these books to your library – again free.
Very cool stuff.
Technology and spiritual growth
Centuries ago only the liturgy had scripture, and the scripture they had was Latin – often poorly translated Latin, and they did a poor job of bringing any understanding of God and the Lord Jesus to the people in the pews. Church tradition ruled and knowledge of the word of God and the Lord was extremely restricted. These days are often referred to as the dark ages.
Then over many years we had men like Luther, Tyndale and many others who challenged the status quo and over many, many years and through much bloodshed and tears brought the word of God to the people, and along with it a better understanding of the meaning of scripture, and knowledge of the Lord.
Inventions such as Gutenburg's printing press, made it easy to create volumes of scripture quickly and get it into the hands of the people. This technological breakthrough is probably the most important in the history of the church. With the invention of the printing press, knowledge was able to be documented and shared en-masse like never before. It allowed many of the great church leaders of the time to get their knowledge and understanding out to anyone who could read – and it changed the social class of those who could read from the elite to almost anyone. These changes revolutionized not only the church but the world. In England the increased availability (and acceptance) of the word of God was one of the key drivers behind the "right of every man" to read, and the institution of free public schools.
Since these days the church has been slowly taking all the knowledge of the smartest men in the world and building up the understanding of scripture amongst the church broadly. This process started with the likes of Luther who challenged the traditions of the Roman Catholic church and declared that scripture alone was the authority – not the church.
Since then the church has worked through the doctrines of salvation, the church, creation, the trinity, and more recently eschatology and have nailed down many of these doctrines reasonably thoroughly and with a degree of consistency. Of course there are still many things that many believers don't agree on, but technology has enabled these discussions to be recorded and thought through by many people over many years, so that the basics are widely agreed on and the details are also becoming more widely accepted.
I was reading Ephesians 4 this morning and this passage jumped out at me:
And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
If you think about this passage in the context of the global church, technology is a key enabler to helping believers grow together. The printing press allowed the thoughts of many pastors, teachers, evangelists and the apostles to be collated and published for many to consume and understand, and build on, growing the body of Christ as a whole. Today too, the understanding of the word of God is being propagated by mechanisms such as podcasts, RSS and similar technologies. However we are only at the beginning of what is possible.
The goal is to unite the church so that "we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God". Technology, and the Internet have much more to offer through centralizing the understanding of godly pastors and teachers into a repository that allows the examination of scripture and the interrogation of thought in a collective where all the understanding of the church is stored, scrutinized and drawn upon by believers in order to build up their knowledge and understanding of Christ.
Of course this is not all. Believers must open their hearts to one another and allow each other to have a part in each others lives for accountability and growth – this too can be done with technology, but the offline world has a lot to offer that technology cannot do as well in this role at this stage. Perhaps in the future this will change, but in the meantime, we can concentrate on growing individually, and helping each other globally using technology to reach out with our understanding and the lessons we learn as we live for Christ.
