My Story: Paul Burgess

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This week’s story comes from Paul Burgess, an undergraduate student at CSU.

I am a full-time worker and part-time distance education (correspondence) student studying for my Bachelor of Theology. I have found that I need the Logos software. I am working 50+ hours a week, and trying to study, with a family. I am 52 years old, and find I do not have the time to properly research things by reading through books. I need a system that is almost able to provide me the references before I ask for them (I know that’s impossible), but Logos software has almost that ability.

By running a search on a word, a verse or a topic, I get exactly what I need: lots of information, commentaries that contain explanations or comments, and other references or cross references. These help me not only understand what I am searching, but its context. I could not get this straight from a book. Even a library as large as the books in my Logos package would not give me the understanding I need, because I would have to trawl through the books manually, or through the indexes manually, which would take hours or days. One quick and efficient search, and I have everything at my fingertips.

The real benefit is the depth I can go to within minutes of starting the search. I can refer to books, commentaries, Bible versions and hermeneutics systems, including Hebrew and Greek versions, and have the understanding I need, in the depth I need for my course, or for my own understanding.

I find that the information that is available to me would be overwhelming, without the strong and efficient software that encompasses it. I own other Bible software, but I find that I use Logos almost exclusively. I do use the others rarely, just to look at another commentary, to ensure I am getting a well-rounded view, but I find that these other systems more often than not add nothing, but confirm what the Logos system has provided me.

I cannot recommend this system highly enough.

I also must note that I had a few minor glitches when I started using the system, but the support team were quick to respond and were excellent in their diagnosis of the issue and rapid in their response to resolve these glitches, which were really my incorrect answering of setup messages. Living in Australia and being on a totally separate time zone was no obstacle to the Logos support team, who communicated with me via e-mail and also rang me to ensure that I had the answers I needed, in a timely fashion, on my correct times, which I find very gratifying. Too many companies ring when its convenient for them, not for the customer.

I bought the Scholar’s Library and am saving my “pennies” to buy the upgrade to the Gold version, because I am so impressed with this package. If I had found this package first, I probably would not have bought the other systems. I would strongly recommend that anyone considering a reference library consider Logos as a primary choice, because of the strength of the system, the depth of the books contained, and the ease of use of this powerful system.

I am sure I am using only a small part of the system, but it is easier to use and gets me the information I need better than any of the other systems, or a book based system. I also could not afford to buy a book based system, nor do I have the space.

I have recommended the Logos system to studying ministers, to ministers, and too lay people like myself. I would strongly recommend this tool.

Thanks for sharing your story, Paul.

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Written by
Phil Gons

Follower of Jesus, husband of Shanna, father of five, Chief Product Officer at Logos, PhD (ABD) Theology, reader, learner, blogger, technophile.

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Written by Phil Gons
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