Pastors, How do you use illustrations with Logos?

Al Het

After commenting in another thread about books in Amazon, it made me wonder how, or if, others are using Logos for illustrations.  I know many pastors use Google as their primary source for illustrations, but I know there have to be lots of us left who keep and use personal illustrations.

I have never taken to Logos Notes, but it sounds like it is getting significantly better.  Many (most?) on here seem to prefer to use Logos for everything they can in sermon prep, so I was wondering what that looks like in this area.  Always looking to improve my methods, so it is great to hear how others do things.  And by the way, I did ask a similar question a couple of versions ago, but I know Notes has improved since then.

So, if you use Logos to keep book notes, or life illustrations, how do you do it (or even if you don't use Logos, I'd love to hear what you do)?

For instance, I use Evernote for all these things.  When I come across anything that would make a viable illustration, I make a quick note in Evernote, usually on my phone, wherever I am.  I do this with movies, conversations, and anything I encounter in life.  I might clean it up a bit later, when I'm at a computer, give it a few tags, etc. 

Also, I do most of my reading on my Kindle now, and highlight A LOT, and take a few notes.  When done, Amazon saves my highlights and notes, and I copy and paste them into a note in Evernote, give it a few tags. 

When I'm preparing a sermon on any subject, or want to illustrate a point, I search a few key words in Evernote, and almost always get a bunch of hits, both illustrative, and quotes and highlights.  So much better than how I did it manually, a thousand years ago.

So, do you do similar things in Logos notes?  Do you do something else?  How do you come up with illustrations, and bring material that you've read into your sermons?

Thanks.

JT (alabama24)

Personal books are perfect for this. 

RyanB

Thus far I've used a personal book but it is cumbersome to update it frequently. I've been wondering if maybe the new Logos 8 Note system might make this easier with some sort of usage of the tag/label system (not really sure of the difference). Morris Proctor gives a sample idea of how to do that here: https://mpseminars.com/church/create-and-search-an-illustrations-notebook/ and he uses a tag. I too would be interested if anyone has experience with this method.

Pastor Don Carpenter

I use both the Logos Notes and the Logos Illustrations tab to find, save and record illustrations.  I also subscribe to sermoncentral.com .  In Logos notes I have created a notebook just for illustrations.  When I find a good one, I will paste it to my notebook and anchor it to the appropriate verses and tag the note with key words such as subject matter.  I also use a symbol unique to illustration notes to it stands out as I read scripture... when I see my symbol for illustrations, then I know I have saved something good there.

As a final step in my sermon prep, I will open the illustrations tab under the guides/Biblical reference guides tab.  I will plug my test verses in and see what logos comes up with.  If I find a good one I will both save it to my notebook as described above and plug it directly into my sermon doc.

This works for me, I hope it can help you.

Don

RyanB

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1049032#Comment_1049032

Pastor Don Carpenter said:

I use both the Logos Notes and the Logos Illustrations tab to find, save and record illustrations... In Logos notes I have created a notebook just for illustrations...As a final step in my sermon prep, I will open the illustrations tab under the guides/Biblical reference guides tab.  I will plug my test verses in and see what logos comes up with.  If I find a good one I will both save it to my notebook as described above and plug it directly into my sermon doc.

Hi Don,

Your process describes the challenge I've run into with using notes/notebooks for illustrations. In the past I used a personal book of my illustrations. This worked well as it also populated in the Illustrations tab on a Passage Guide. I've recently started using a Notebook file for illustrations. What I'm discovering is that now, instead of only having to check the Illustrations tab, I now have to check both the tab AND the notefile because the notefile doesn't populate in the illustrations tab. Instead of only going to one place, I now have to remember to look in two. I'm curious if doing double the work has een problematic for you or if it's just second nature? I only ask because I'm wrestling through if I want to maintain my PB method, or begin a two-step process.

Thanks,

BillS

I use a Word document that's a master file having an embedded file for used illustrations. I copy / paste each new illustration into the master file with a title suggestive of how I might use it. As I use each illustration, I highlight it gray & move it to the embedded file, which is only opened if I save the master file. Easy peasy, after initial setup.

Word's search capabilities are adequate for me to find appropriate illustrations or to check if I've already used one.

Blessings!

Pastor Don Carpenter

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1050923#Comment_1050923

The illustrations that I have added to my notes are not only tagged, but also anchored to specific verses with an orange star so I know that there is an illustration I believed to be relevant to that particular verse.  It serves as a bit of a wake up call to me in my prep.  Also, I find when looking for illustrations to finish out my sermon, I end up looking in several  places...including  Logos and  Sermon Central so I am not bothered by one more place to look...

RyanB

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1051040#Comment_1051040

Pastor Don Carpenter said:

The illustrations that I have added to my notes are not only tagged, but also anchored to specific verses with an orange star so I know that there is an illustration I believed to be relevant to that particular verse.  It serves as a bit of a wake up call to me in my prep.  Also, I find when looking for illustrations to finish out my sermon, I end up looking in several  places...including  Logos and  Sermon Central so I am not bothered by one more place to look...

Thanks Don