Another FREE Resource

This morning I was thrilled to discover another free resource (HT:John Piper). Jonathan Edwards was one of the greatest theologians in American history as well as the greatest philosopher America has produced. Yale has made the complete works of Jonathan Edwards available to the public in a searchable online format. Be sure to bookmart this link and add it to your Bible Study Favorites!

Another case for a bulging toolbox

I have mentioned before that as a pastor, pressed for time yet convinced of the necessity of careful study, I have found Logos Bible Software to be invaluable. Here is another witness to the powerful tools available through Logos: Professor William Varner of the Master's Seminary has written a review of Logos, available here. Even if the price tag were twice as much as it is, you would not regret adding this powerful tool to your library.

Bible Study at Warp 10

You've been there. You have a Sunday school lesson to prepare and 1,001 other things to do this week as well. And, let's be honest, the same holds true for those preparing Sunday morning sermons as well. You've just settled in with your favorite commentary and a good cup of coffee, and the phone rings. A young couple in the church is having their first big fight. Sermon prep gets pushed aside as you address the next crisis in line.

Most of us have two choices, really: either you do your best to squeeze study in around everything else, or you try to convince the flock that they're not being neglected as you squeeze everything else in around study. Some take a third choice--sacrifice the family; but that's not a Biblical choice so let's PLEASE drop it off our radar.

There is another option, though. You can concentrate your Bible study during the time that you do have. That is exactly what Logos Bible study software enables you to do. If you only have an hour here and there, use the FULL hour studying, rather than hunting books, trying to remember where you read this or that quote, turning pages, bouncing back and forth to an index, and shuffling books and papers around to make room on your desk.

I was one of those bibliophiles who swore that I would never switch to electronic books. But I cannot tell you how thankful I am that I did. Now I have access to more books in less time, and my study time is concentrated, allowing me to prepare higher-quality meals for the sheep.

Stop by the Logos web site and check out the demo videos. Yes, the packages are pricey, but as the old saying goes, "You can make more money; you can't make more time."

My Favorite Preachin' Bible

In our "Bible DIY" category, I wanted to show you my new favorite Bible. A couple of months ago Cambridge, the Aston-Martin of Bible publishers, came out with their first NASB Wide-Margin Bible. My understanding is that Pastor Mark Minnick from Mt. Calvary Baptist, as well as some other pastors, had a great deal of input into the new design features such as thicker paper and a wider margin. This is a Bible for serious study -- built to last under heavy use. It's fairly pricey (I found Amazon has the cheapest list price now), but with the top-quality leather and hand stitched, lay-flat binding, you get what you pay for. Some may find the print a bit small (if you're familiar with Cambridge Bibles, they used their Pitt-Minion typeface). My biggest problem has been adjusting to the paragraph format. Takes some getting used to when you grew up Old Scofield like I did, but the clarity and precision of the NASB makes it well worth the effort.

I've found that, with proper care, a Uni-Ball Signo Micro 207 gel pen does really well for clean, bold marking on Cambridge's paper.

The Bible for the Blogosphere

Found a new online Bible reading tool designed with the MySpace crowd in mind. You can read your favorite translation, highlight & markup your favorite texts, and then journal your thoughts. A great way to spend your breaks and lunches at work. Check it out here.