How do I display a Bible passage without continuing verses?

Now that our small-groups are using on-line meeting apps, I am using Logos as a primary display tool which includes reading scripture passages prior to study. I set the font size very large, and call up a passage such as Deuteronomy 7:1-4. Unfortunately, that creates a very busy screen which goes well beyond my desired cut-off.

How do I restrict, or terminate the display at the desired location?

This seems like a trivial task, but I can't seem to find the trick.

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Comments

MJ. Smith

There may be a better way but I often use a passage list to get just the specific text.

Don Kolafa

I have found a resolution to my own issue of compact passage display: The 'Copy Bible Verses' panel displays the exact selection prior to the actual copy task. Without completing the copy process, I use the screen image. After invoking the selection, I drag the tab to my larger panel then create a Favorites shortcut for recall later. It also gives me Bible translation, format and font size flexibility.

Once it is set-up, it is very useful during a small-group study. While not ideal, I have been using Logos with GoToMeeting cyber studies as a reasonable substitute for in-home gatherings for a few months now.

Bruce Dunning

I have found a resolution to my own issue of compact passage display: The 'Copy Bible Verses' panel displays the exact selection prior to the actual copy task. Without completing the copy process, I use the screen image. After invoking the selection, I drag the tab to my larger panel then create a Favorites shortcut for recall later. It also gives me Bible translation, format and font size flexibility.

That's was a creative fix.

While not ideal, I have been using Logos with GoToMeeting cyber studies as a reasonable substitute for in-home gatherings for a few months now.

It would be interesting to hear an evaluation of what worked and what didn't work so well doing this.

Don Kolafa

Thank You for asking.

I have personally used GoToMeeting dozens of times now. I have also joined
or observed Bible studies via several other on-line apps over the last
few months. I am currently leading two weekly on-line studies: a verse-by-
verse study of Proverbs and a second study of Biblical characters.

Nothing can fully replace face-to-face fellowship and study. My small-group
style of Bible study is to "lead" discussion rather than "teach" a gathering
of 6 to 18 people around a dining room table or seated in a well-lit
living room. As such, these informal and relaxed sessions are conducive to
interactions--both verbal and non-verbal. I rejoice in being able to nurture
the observations and reactions from attendees.

When the group is not in physical proximity, you lose this intimacy and dynamic.
The dialog is necessarily more structured and formal. (My groups are conditioned,
however, by trigger phrases I commonly use to invoke their response.)

One desired attribute of in-person study is the availability of different Bible
versions; this enhances perspectives by translator word choice. Unfortunately,
with on-line study, this introduces too much confusion. I find it necessary to
broadcast my Logos screen with the Bible verses we are reading/studying. I also
have found it necessary to partition scripture reading to convenient segments
because scrolling the screen cannot be synchronized due to the time-delays
built into on-line study.

I always use a hand-out guide and/or outline for structured study. Unfortunately,
distribution via e-mail falls short as very few people will actually download and
print it. Therefore, I will alternately display study-guide and scripture. Using
the facilities of Logos, I will jump to alternate Bible translations and several
preferred commentaries.

So you have two opposing forces at work when you conduct this kind of on-line
study: do you keep faces on the screen to keep dialog active, or do you display
content for reading/study? It is not an easy choice, nor is one or the other
always best. I have witnessed both, and I have used both. You need to be very
flexible.

Overall, I would give on-line study a 40% effective rating. It is certainly
better than no meeting at all.

I would be very interested in hearing the experience or suggestions of others.

Bruce Dunning

Thanks for your detailed explanation Don. What a great summary of the benefits and challenges of doing an on-line Bible study. I especially like that you have identified the tension of being able to see and interact with people's personal expressions verses being able to see and interact with the text together. Obviously the best would be for everyone to be able to have a copy of Logos on their computers which have the video call as that way I think you could have the best of both worlds.

I think this pandemic has forced us to have more on-line meetings which has many benefits and I think most of us are improving our skill with using it. Still it is not as good as being in person as you say.

I hope more people weigh in on this as I too would be interested in hearing what others do.

NB.Mick

I hope more people weigh in on this as I too would be interested in hearing what others do.

My men's bible study group meets via Skype now in Corona time. This may continue for some time, as we have higher-risk people in the group and the immediate families. I facilitate the Skype conference and the others come in from their laptops (sometimes a smart phone). We do have some connectivity or band-with issues for some members somewhat regularly, which we have grown to accept but hey are still annoying.

We start with some "how are you doing"-stuff before we do the bible study and we'll end with a round of prayer. I'm the only one using two monitors - I use Logos to have the bible passage ready, several translations linked as a set in a four tabs layout because we usually have different translations around - some more formal equivalent, some more dynamic - and one of the members knows biblical Greek very well, so I have the NA28 in the back, linked as well. We often jump to parallel accounts in the Gospels, and to referenced verses all around the bible, or group members may introduce another passage they are reminded of. Logos simply is great for doing this. So my preference in doing this is sharing my Logos screen. Some of the others have their paper bible along with them (I don't) so they prefer to switch back to the faces view to see reactions and interact more holistically (the best technical solution would be everybody had two monitors and we were using MS Teams or such where you can have shared content on one screen and the faces on the other - anyway). We usually don't bring commentaries or such to this group - but sometimes the question comes up "what does the original text say" and once we even switched into BDAG to look up a Greek word. Having Logos open is so much better than sitting around a table knowing "I could find out about that if I was home". Then again, we're not meeting to trump scholarly knowledge onto each other, but to be on a spiritual journey together. Most often, the challenge is not understanding what the text says, but to become honest about how I go about the clear message of God's Word.

Continuing verses in the passage is no issue - rather it helps sometimes to scroll up to e.g. show the setting of a scene, or the context, and to go down to see what concludes the section or comes next. Those things happen "automatically" when people use paper bibles and thus it's not an issue when Logos has such extraneous information on the screen. Again, the setting is is not a sermon or someone from the group teaching the others, but doing bible study together in a group of men who all go back many years in their faith.