I'm overwhelmed, looking for help.

James Amos
James Amos Member Posts: 33 ✭✭
edited November 2024 in English Forum

I tried Logos a couple of years ago and chose to go with some other software at the time. I now have purchased a Logos 7 package and I am overwhelmed at the amount of options and information. Basically I don't know where to start with the guides.

Main things I need help with how to use Logos to study the Bible for:

1. Personal growth and notes

2. Create Lessons for students and small groups

I'm not sure if that is enough information but if you need more let me know.

Comments

  • Mark Smith
    Mark Smith MVP Posts: 11,826

    James, the training videos on logos.com are very well done and if you haven't watched them I suggest setting aside an hour of two to do so.

    Notes are covered in the video tutorials. Building custom layouts is also covered.

    Logos has some Layouts pre-loaded that you might find helpful.

    Pastor, North Park Baptist Church

    Bridgeport, CT USA

  • PetahChristian
    PetahChristian Member Posts: 4,635 ✭✭✭

    A good place to start is the 30-day challenge, which will help you to learn how to use Logos 7 to study the Bible.

    Other resources include the QuickStart for Logos 7 videos which are included in your base package. They will introduce you to the program, and guide you through the basics.

    Thanks to FL for including Carta and a Hebrew audio bible in Logos 9!

  • Fasil
    Fasil Member Posts: 541 ✭✭

    Go to www.learnlogos.com if you are serious to learn . This is The best place to know it well.

    Blessings!

    Fasil

  • DAL
    DAL Member Posts: 10,837 ✭✭✭

    Fasil said:

    Go to www.learnlogos.com if you are serious to learn . This is The best place to know it well.

    Blessings!

    Fasil

    Or you could buy the digital manuals Vols. 1-3 and start from scratch. 

    DAL

  • Erwin Stull, Sr.
    Erwin Stull, Sr. Member Posts: 2,793 ✭✭✭

    In addition to Learnlogos.com and Morris Proctor, watch as many of these as time permits and you are willing to watch.

    https://www.youtube.com/user/LogosBibleSoftware

    https://www.logos.com/logos-pro

    https://www.logos.com/webinar

    https://www.logos.com/webinar-archive

  • BillS
    BillS Member Posts: 3,805 ✭✭✭

    I am overwhelmed at the amount of options and information.

    If (like me) you're better at exploring on your own, you can start simply by opening Logos, click the Home button (top left on my screen), & at top left key your passage or topic into the "Go" box where it will bring up a number of relevant resources (books) into your 1st layout.

    If you want the 1st layer of tips to help you use it, they're at your fingertips. On my home page just under the Home button is a Quick Start video overview of the desktop.

    Longer term, the key to satisfying your goals for Logos is to make sure you've got the books you'd use if you were using paper. Only if the info is IN your library will you be able to get the most out of L7's tools for helping you find it.

    Blessings on your efforts to learn L7! It's well worth it.

    Grace & Peace,
    Bill


    MSI GF63 8RD, I-7 8850H, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, 2TB HDD, NVIDIA GTX 1050Max
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  • Keith Pang
    Keith Pang Member Posts: 1,079 ✭✭✭

    DAL said:

    Or you could buy the digital manuals Vols. 1-3 and start from scratch. 

    DAL

    How do you like these training manuals? 

    Keith Pang, PhD Check out my blog @ https://keithkpang.wixsite.com/magnifyingjesus

  • James Amos
    James Amos Member Posts: 33 ✭✭

    Thanks for all the links and advice, I'll look into them over the weekend and if I come up with me questions I'll let y'all know.

  • David A Egolf
    David A Egolf Member Posts: 798 ✭✭

    Pay attention to the notes files.  Countless people have visited these forums through the years after they had not paid any attention to their notes files.  They used the defaults and wound up with all their notes and highlights dumped into a few unmanageable files.  Unfortunately, one of the shortcomings of the software is that it doesn't provide an easy way to recover from this situation.  It is recoverable, but the longer you let it go, the harder it will be to get your notes organized.  So do set your palettes up and take charge of your notes. 

  • Bill Shewmaker
    Bill Shewmaker Member Posts: 750 ✭✭✭

    Pay attention to the notes files.  Countless people have visited these forums through the years after they had not paid any attention to their notes files.  They used the defaults and wound up with all their notes and highlights dumped into a few unmanageable files.  Unfortunately, one of the shortcomings of the software is that it doesn't provide an easy way to recover from this situation.  It is recoverable, but the longer you let it go, the harder it will be to get your notes organized.  So do set your palettes up and take charge of your notes. 

    [Y] [Y] [Y] [Y] [Y]

  • GaoLu
    GaoLu Member Posts: 3,511 ✭✭✭

    For what it is worth, many years ago I gave up on Logos (Libby as it was affectionately known then), or rather put the idea out to pasture and revisited it from time to time (called it in for a sugar lump).  Finally, I gave up for good. It was just too time consuming to learn.

    Then a few years later a friend convinced me to try one more time. I did. I decided to try one more sugar lump. I got severely bitten. I plowed in and discovered that Logos seemed hard to learn because I only expected it to do what other Bible software could do, but....  

    [Warning: we are about to switch metaphors]

    ...the buttons and knobs and dials available were profoundly complicated if all it would do was what I knew about what other software could do.  I expected to fly an ultralight and I found myself in the cockpit of a 747. However, to my delighted amazement, I discovered I could fly this Logos-747, take off and land it safely, in just a couple hours. Wasn't long till I was whooping it up and discovering it would do things I had no idea even existed.  One of the best things that happened was this: discovering Logos caused me dig in to find out what all else existed in the world of theology and Bible study that I didn't know existed.

    [Warning: we are about to switch metaphors  yet again]

    For me, the struggle to exit my former cocoon of knowledge gave me strong wings to flutter like a butterfly. Even greater, gave me wings like a...

    [Warning: we are about to switch metaphors  yet again]

    ...a 747 to soar and discover like I never imagined even in my craziest dreams.

    [Warning: we are about to switch metaphors  yet again]

    Now after a few years, using Logos is like climbing up in a squeaky stirrup, hoisting a leg over the saddle of my own friendly horse, giving the reins a shake and galloping off into the broad horizon. As I gallop, I know that there remain a thousand undiscovered canyons and ridges to explore.

    So stick with Logos. Hang in there. To do so is profoundly worthwhile.

  • DAL
    DAL Member Posts: 10,837 ✭✭✭

    DAL said:

    Or you could buy the digital manuals Vols. 1-3 and start from scratch. 

    DAL

    How do you like these training manuals? 

    I just got them and will go through each one starting New Year's Day. I, too, want to master the software this time around. I've done "inductive bible study" L4 and MP is always useful and easy to follow. I'll let you know how it went when I finish the first volume.

    DAL

  • DMB
    DMB Member Posts: 14,261 ✭✭✭✭

    Gao, you'd not tire out switching metaphors, if you just moved your action-movie to Moses Lake, Washington. 

    "If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.

  • 1. Personal growth and notes

    Personally customized my Quick Start Layout for Bible Journaling:

    Blue Letter visual filter shows allusions and quotations between the covenants (testaments). FYI: Group Publishing has Jesus Centered Bible with Blue Letters in Old Testament that has Blue box with New Testament usage.

    Bible with "Send hyperlinks here" allows quote reference in Romans 1:17 for Habakkuk 2:4 to be clicked for parallel viewing (albeit causes Reading Plan to send links there too). Link Set B has Complete Jewish Bible linked with an original Language series of Bibles.

    Pay attention to the notes files. ...

    Opening default "Bible Journaling" quick start layout creates one note file: "Bible Journaling Notes" along with opening highest prioritized Bible and Highlighting.

    Personally use visual filters for highlighting words (so closed Highlighting tab). For my Journaling in 2017, am starting with four note files. In a printed Complete Jewish Bible, Torah (Teaching, Law) is 142 pages, Nevi'im (Prophets) is 550 pages, K'tuvim (Writings) is 433 pages, and B'rit Hadashah is 334 pages (as 2017 progresses, may revise Note file configuration). Also thought about a Journal note files for major genre's and for each Bible book. Logos wiki => Canonical Commentary Collections has internal book numbers.

    For Journaling (and Bible Study), personally like S.O.A.P.

    • S = Scripture (a note can be attached to more than one verse)
    • O = Observe (What jumps out ?)
    • A = Apply (What does God want you to do ?)
    • P = Pray & Praise (What happened to glorify God ?)

    Journal entries can include Prayer requests with Praise along with your Godly interactions.

    2. Create Lessons for students and small groups

    Various guides can be helpful for lesson preparation/research about a Topic or Passage. Thankful for God scribbling on "What's Up?" acronym:

    • W = Worship (Adore)
    • h = Holy
    • a = Abide
    • t = Thanks
    • s = "Same Speak Sin" OR Sing
    • U = Us
    • p = Pray

    One topical study is finding scripture references for each letter. By the way, "Same Speak Sin" is a literal translation of 1 John 1:9

    Thanks for all the links and advice, I'll look into them over the weekend and if I come up with me questions I'll let y'all know.

    Thankful for many friendly forum discussions: have learned a lot plus have a lot to learn. Looking forward to more questions and discussions.

    Keep Smiling [:)]

  • Vincent Chia
    Vincent Chia Member Posts: 428 ✭✭

    I have a helpful acronym for using Logos:

    L - let down your hair

    O - On the computer

    G - Go to Logos

    O - Open an e-book

    S - Start reading

    This is what I do when I began Logos (or more accurately, Libronix) back in 2000.

    L - Let down your hair

    I - Insert floppy disks

    B - Backup your Libronix license

    R - Restart Libronix

    O - Off your pager

    N - Nibble on a cookie

    I - If itchy just scratch

    X - eXit Libronix

    Director

    Elyon Family Clinic & Surgery Pte Ltd

    Singapore

  • Richard Villanueva
    Richard Villanueva Member Posts: 510 ✭✭

    James, pretty much everyone has given great advice here! There's not too much to add (before getting overwhelmed by the advice! [;)] ) I'd second the tutorial videos/webinars and especially the 10 or 30 day challenge is what was an amazing help with me.  

    A couple things I would add to the conversation:

    1. What is it that frustrated you or made you choose another software last time?? I noticed you've asked this question before in a past forum.  Was it challenging last time, and how so?  Maybe that may help the pros here lead you in an effective direction.
    2. Do you know anyone that currently uses Logos nearby or willing to spend an hour or two with you to get you started? There were two or three pastors I work with that just couldn't get it down until we sat together and worked through the basics and setup and then they became more proficient and even felt more comfortable searching out to learn more on their own.  Having a person to interact with could make a difference, if you are not inclined to just watching a tutorial.  It's that initial hurdle that can be the hardest, so whatever it takes to get over it is helpful!
    3. Is there a specific verse/topic/or lesson you are working on? Sometimes just learning the features is so abstract it can get lost.  But if you are trying to teach a class of 14 year olds a specific parable in a lecture format, then to have a small group discussion with them, it may help to lead you through picking specific tools for that job.  Or to say, "I want to do my daily bible reading, highlight some stuff and make notes I can read later like I used to do on my paper bible and journal at home."  That might help. 

    Hopefully I've aded to the conversation!  Best to ya on getting acquainted.  Keep us posted!

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