I thought that I'd share how I use Logos for personal Bible reading.
Let's begin by distinguishing between studying the Bible and simply reading the Bible through, in much the same way as you'd read a book by a favorite novelist. The benefits of an Inductive style of Bible study are self evident: see what it SAYS, determine what it MEANS, and then APPLY it to my life. At the other end of the spectrum is reading straight through for sheer pleasure, reflection, inspiration, and fellowship. Reading and studying are, at least for me, very different things. This note shares one methodology for employing Logos to enhance your Bible reading habit.
1. In Logos, click on the "Documents" tab, and select "Reading Plan". Since you already probably have a reading plan in Logos, I won't go over in detail how to establish one. If, however, you need a refresher, refer to the wiki page HERE for many examples of how to set it up and adjust it. Your Bible reading plan will be conveniently added to the home page (in the left most column), where you can click on today's daily reading, and your favorite Bible will open to the specified reading when you click it. My reading plan takes me through the New Testament in three months which equates to a rough average of three chapters per day. Additionally, I also have an Old Testament reading plan that guides me through the Old Testament every four months, and I use both plans concurrently.
2. I recommend that you set the Lexham English Bible (LEB) as your favorite Bible for it's excellent Read Along feature. The voice is smooth and easy to listen to as you follow along on your screen. There is even a ghosted "bouncing ball" that highlights the word being read aloud by the narrator. Now, we can easily listen and read along with a narrator as he reads to us. You're going to want to check out Morris Proctor's blog entry HERE for step by step instructions to set up your LEB for narration.
The value of both hearing and reading the Word at the same time can't be overemphasized. I'm easily distracted, and it can be something as fascinating as a butterfly outside the window, or a secular historical parallel in Scripture that stalls or derails my progress. This method helps to keep me on track.
Before the Logos team implemented the synchronized Read Along feature, I used to open a web browser to BibleGateway.com and use their ESV Audio Bible while I read along in Logos. This is SO much more convenient! Give it a try and see what you think.
and, And, AND.... I'm one of those pesky Visually Impaired people who have been so vocal about implementing this feature awhile back. Thank you to Bob and Logos for listening to an obnoxiously loud user. I'm grateful and a very, very satisfied customer.
