From Mother to Disciple: Mary’s Journey

| Tue, October 23, 2012 | Products

Becoming a disciple of Jesus requires sacrifice, difficult decisions, and a willingness to be transformed—again and again. Putting on the new self in Christ demands change and perseverance. No one knew this better than Jesus’ mother, Mary.

Mary’s story provides a rich model for us as we seek to deepen our commitment to a life of discipleship. That’s why Logos has developed Mary: Devoted to God’s Plan, the second volume in the Studies in Faithful Living series. In this resource, we trace Mary’s journey of faith step by step as she follows God’s call. Mary’s continual shifts in identity presented challenging (and sometimes exhausting) sets of tasks: from those of a bride-to-be to those of an unwed pregnant woman to those of the mother of Christ. Toward her journey’s end, she encountered one more transformation—one only she would ever face. She went from being mother of God to child of God, from raising God’s son to following him, from teacher to disciple.

 

Mary: Devoted to God’s Plan walks you through the challenges of Mary’s journey. For her and for us, becoming a disciple of Christ requires humility, surrender, and an unwavering, sometimes blind faith in God’s plan. Mary’s devotion didn’t falter. Her journey wasn’t perfect—she sometimes misunderstood Jesus’ claims or urged him to act when he wasn’t ready to—but ultimately, she was willing to step back and allow God to lead her. Can we learn to do the same?

In Mary: Devoted to God’s Plan, you and your entire church or small group can follow Mary’s journey of faith, learning along with her what it means to become a disciple of Christ. As you explore history, culture, and literary insights into her story through this eight-week study, you’ll gain new insights into Mary, her perspective on Jesus’ life, and the dynamics between them.  Join us as we learn from Mary how to allow Christ to transform us. Order the individual book or the complete church curriculum now at the discounted Pre-Pub price!

Check Out Logos’ First Windows 8 App!

| Tue, October 23, 2012 | Misc.

The release of Windows 8 is right around the corner, and we’re already offering our first Windows app. With the free Verse of the Day app, you’ll get a daily artist-created Scripture tile on your start screen.

You can browse through the last 30 verses, share the day’s verse, or jump to Biblia.com to read the whole passage.

If you’re already running Windows 8, download the app now. Once you’ve tried it out, rate and review it! We’d love to know what you think.

Running Logos 4 on Windows 8

Going to be picking up Windows 8 when it’s available? We recommend running Logos 4.6.

To check which version you’re currently running, click on the help icon (question mark in the upper-right-hand corner of the Logos homepage) and choose “About Logos Bible Software” from the dropdown menu. When the new window opens, you’ll see the version listed at the top (example).

If you’re not running the current version of Logos 4, type “Update now” into the Command Bar (example). This will force Logos 4 to check for any available updates (example) and begin downloading them.

Add 38 Years’ Worth of Theological Lectures to Your Library

| Mon, October 22, 2012 | Products

The Florida College Annual Lectures (1974–2011) contain 38 years’ worth of teachings: over 600 lectures on a wide variety of theological topics. Now you can get them in Logos’ unique format. You’ll build a deeper research library with these searchable archives.

Why These Lectures?

Florida College is a Christian college near Tampa. Focused on Christ as our leader and spiritual authority, the college hosts annual lectures that are theologically conservative and consistently applicable.

Topics that Matter

A 38-year archive makes for 38 topics unpacked and explained. Among them are “Great Bible Doctrines,” “The Bible Doctrine of Sin,” apologetics, answers for young Christians, and individual studies on books of the Bible. These lectures will integrate with your Logos library, providing depth to your research, profundity to your sermons, and substance to your devotional time.

The Pre-Pub Offer Ends When It Ships

At $74.95 for the whole collection, they’re a terrific deal—pre-order yours before the price goes up!

Logos 4: Word Count in Books of the Bible

| Mon, October 22, 2012 | Products

Today’s post is from Morris Proctor, certified and authorized trainer for Logos Bible Software. Morris, who has trained thousands of Logos users at his two-day Camp Logos seminars, provides many training materials.

Sometimes, when studying a book or section of the Bible, we can pick up on an author’s theme by examining word usage. For example, John’s use of love in 1 John and Mark’s repeated reference to immediately in his gospel are enlightening.

With a Word List, we can easily discover the number of times a biblical writer used a given word. Try this:

  • Choose File | Word List.
  • Give the Word List a name that identifies it with the passage of Scripture being examined, such as 1 John Words.
  • Click Add (A) on the Word List.
  • Select a Bible from the dropdown list. (B)
  • Type a reference in the box, such as 1 John. (C)
  • Press the Enter key to generate the list.
  • Click Grid (D) to see the words in a spreadsheet.

Word List Example 1

  • Click the column header Count (A) to arrange the words according to the number of times they are used in the passage. (If Count isn’t visible, right-click a column header and select Count.)

Word List Example 2

In this 1 John example, please note the numerous occurrences of Greek lemmas translated love, know, and abide.

You can save these Word Lists and reopen them from the File menu.

Pastor Appreciation Month Roundup: Oct. 20

| Sat, October 20, 2012 | Products

To celebrate Pastor Appreciation Month, we’re revealing a new sale item each weekday through October 26. If you’ve been watching the Pastor Appreciation Month page, you’ve seen all the deals released so far. But if you’ve missed some, here are this week’s live specials:

Christian Focus Marriage and Family Collection (7 vols.)

Retail: $107.75  Regularly: $89.95

Only $69.95 with coupon code PAM11

The Christian Focus Marriage and Family Collection will help you enhance your own relationships—and understand and minister to relationships in your circle of influence.

The Practical Works of the Rev. Richard Baxter, vol. 14

Retail: $25.95 Regularly: $15.95

FREE with coupon code PAMFREE

A lifelong preacher, Baxter wrote extensively on biblical and historical conceptions of the term pastor. Vol. 14 of The Practical Works of the Rev. Richard Baxter features The Reformed Pastor, one of the most influential post-Reformation writings on the subject.

Lewis Sperry Chafer Collection (9 vols.)

Retail: $184.95 Regularly: $149.95

Only $99.95 with coupon code PAM12

Lewis Sperry Chaffer remains one of the most beloved theologians of the early twentieth century. This nine-volume collection contains his views and expositions on a myriad of topics, such as dispensationalism, salvation, evangelism, grace, the kingdom of Christ, and elements of living a holy life.

For Calvinism and Against Calvinism (2 vols.)

Regularly: $33.98

Only $16.95 with coupon code PAM13

This two-volume collection contains award-winning author Michael Horton’s For Calvinism, which takes you beyond Calvinism’s caricatures, and Roger Olson’s Against Calvinism, which offers objections to the “new Calvinism”—a movement embraced by the “young, restless, Reformed” generation.

The Works of Arminius (4 vols.)

Retail: $148.95 Regularly: $99.95

Only $74.95 with coupon code PAM14

The Works of Arminius (4 vols.) contains Jacob Arminius’ major works, including his dissertation on Romans 7, analyses of Romans 9, speeches, lectures, personal correspondence, and essays, as well as an in-depth biography. Students of Arminius and Calvin alike will benefit from Arminius’ works in searchable Logos editions.

Keep watching the Pastor Appreciation Month sale page for new deals. All coupon codes expire October 31!

Organize Your Christian Community with Faithlife’s Calendars and Events

| Fri, October 19, 2012 | Apps & Web Tools, Products

Faithlife’s latest update is a huge step forward for your online Christian community. With the addition of events and calendars, you can organize all your group outings, celebrations, and services, all in one place.

Create a Faithlife Event

I just set up an Apples to Apples board game tournament at church. Setting up the event was simple. I clicked the “New event” button (example) to get started and then picked a name for the event (example). When it comes to choosing an event type, there’s a dropdown menu with 19 choices, like:

  • Birthday party
  • Class
  • Confirmation
  • Lecture
  • Graduation
  • General

Once I had the event named and scheduled, I filled out some details for everyone who’d been invited (example). Then all I had to do was send out invites. I could invite entire groups or choose individuals from specific groups (example).

Create Group-Specific Events

Need to create an event for just one of your groups? Simply:

  1. Go to your Faithlife group
  2. Click the Calendar tab (example)
  3. Create a new calendar event (you can even set recurring events, such as church services, small groups, and Bible studies) (example)
  4. View your events either as a list or in calendar view (example)

Start using Faithlife to organize your community of faith today!

If you haven’t joined the Faithlife communty, now’s the time. Sign in using your Logos account, or sign up for a free account!

Save Now on the Works of Arminius!

| Fri, October 19, 2012 | Products

“Bona Conscientia Paradisus”
“A good conscience is paradise”—The Works of Arminius, vol. 1

It was, perhaps, on this principle that Jacobus Arminius carved a place for himself in theological history by speaking out against many of his colleagues. On this date in 1609, Jacobus Arminius died.

Arminius, born Jacobus Harmen, began life in a small Holland town in 1560, a turbulent time. By the time he was 15, his mother and siblings were killed by Spanish military aggressors as Spain attempted to quell rebellions and the Reformation.

Harmen’s first patron, Theodore Emilius, was a clergyman who led Jacobus to dedicate his life to the service of God. The custom of the day was that educated men Latinize their names or choose a suitable Latin substitute. Harmen settled on Arminius.

His studies included lectures from Lambertus Danaeus and Johann Kolmann, the latter of whom taught against high Calvinism. In 1588, Arminius began preaching in Amsterdam. Dirck Coornhert, a man who had risked his life for his country during the Reformation, printed a pamphlet disagreeing with John Calvin. The ecclesiastical senate of Amsterdam requested that Arminius defend Calvin’s theories in a response.

After deliberating over the evidence presented by the Scriptures, Arminius reached a decision—in favor of Coornhert. From that point on, he began integrating his new view of theology into his preaching and writing. His influence survived the grave, sparking Arminianism, a theology that survives to this day, exactly 403 years after his death.

You can experience this great man’s original teachings with The Works of Arminius (4 vols.), which contains all of Arminius’ major essays, speeches, lectures, and more. Get this collection now for only $74.95 as part of our ongoing Pastor Appreciation Month sale! With coupon code PAM14, you can save 25% on this valuable collection—get your copy now.

The Pastor Appreciation Month deals last only through the end of October. Don’t miss a single one! Check out our entire lineup.

Wisdom and Vexation in Ecclesiastes

| Thu, October 18, 2012 | Products

One of the issues involved in interpreting Ecclesiastes is the presence of what could be considered contradictions. The author declares that “much wisdom” comes with “much vexation” (Eccl. 1:18) and increased knowledge increases sorrow. But he also calls wisdom “good” and “an advantage” (Eccl. 7:11). The author argues that the dead are better off than the living (Eccl. 4:2­–3) and that the living are better off than the dead (Eccl. 9:4–6).

Sometimes these opposing statements appear in consecutive verses. In Ecclesiastes 8:12, the author says that “a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life,” and in verse 13 he states, “it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days.”

These contradictions have caused “much vexation” for many who read Ecclesiastes and try to find ways to explain away their presence. But these contradictions play a vital role in the author’s argument. They illuminate the book’s theme: that life is full of contradictions. For example, when the author compares wisdom and folly, he notes that wisdom is to be preferred (Eccl. 2:12–14a), yet he also observes that the wise and the foolish share the same fate (Eccl. 2:14b–16). This leads the author to despair because everything in life “is vanity and a striving after wind” (Eccl 2:17).

In Chapter 2 of The End of the Matter, I closely examine Ecclesiastes contradictions. I explore how different interpreters have dealt with them, and show how they can be understood as part of the book’s overall argument about the contradictory nature of life. Later chapters illustrate how the author’s declaration to “fear God and keep His commandments” (Eccl. 12:13) provides a fitting conclusion to his argument.

The End of the Matter ships October 25. Act now to add this resource to your Logos library while it’s still available at the reduced Pre-Pub price!

Study under History’s Greatest Minds

| Thu, October 18, 2012 | Misc.

Study under Plato, Augustine, Aristotle, Aquinas, Machiavelli, Shakespeare, Luther, Dante, Hobbes, Tocqueville, Nietzsche, Dostoyevsky, and others—all in a Christian cultural context. Knox Theological Seminary’s new online Master of Arts (Christian and Classical Studies) prepares you for modern ministry with the Great Books’ classical training. In this 48‐hour program, you’ll spend at least 18 hours reading the Western tradition’s greatest works. The program is designed to immerse you simultaneously in Scripture and in the Great Conversation, to which Scripture speaks more eloquently than any other voice.

The MACCS curriculum is distinctive because of Knox’s commitment to a careful reading and biblical analysis of classic Western literature. The curriculum is unparalleled by that of any other seminary in the world. It’s a classical preparation for the highest calling of all: the Gospel ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. And it’s completely online, so you can study anywhere.

Go deeper with Logos.

Your own Scholar’s Library: Platinum comes included with the program. Comprehensive, searchable, and worth nearly $18,000 in print, Platinum expands on the Great Books’ training with 1,200 books’ worth of answers and ideas, yours for the rest of your life. And with Logos’ smart searches, you’ll bring the MACCS curriculum’s thinkers into dialogue on any word or topic.

Knox is offering one comprehensive scholarship and one hundred partial scholarships for a total of more than $200,000! Learn more and enter to win at KnoxSeminary.edu—it’s fast and simple.

Deepen your love for the Gospel and get classical training for modern ministry with Knox’s online MACCS. To learn more or apply now, call 1-800-210-6466 or visit SeminaryDegreesOnline.com/Degrees/MACCS.

Get Help with Sermon Preparation!

| Wed, October 17, 2012 | Products

Week after week, pastors write sermons and plan worship services in a limited amount of time. No matter what else comes up, time doesn’t stop—Sunday is coming. Being creative isn’t easy under any circumstances, and working within looming time constraints makes it even more difficult to write something fresh and engaging.

Why not let Logos help? The Study, Apply, Share series jumpstarts your sermon planning process, saving you time and energy. Each volume explores a book of the Bible passage by passage, addressing each passage from three angles:

  • Study offers five to seven questions to help you think about the passage’s major interpretive issues as you craft your sermon. For example, James 1:2–8 includes the question, “Does the word ‘perfect’ in James 1:4 suggest the absence of sin?” Each question is accompanied by a link to a Logos resource that discusses the issue (The above question links to the New American Commentary: James by Kurt A. Richardson).
  • Apply includes two different application ideas for each passage, categorized by theme. For example, Hebrews 1:5–14 includes applications for the topics of angels and fulfilled prophecy.
  • Share includes professionally designed slides featuring statistical graphs that explore the book’s themes, ideas, and words and compare them to those of other biblical books. It also includes worship-service ideas that correspond to the application themes with practical ways to incorporate the themes into your Sunday service.

Each volume of the Study, Apply, Share series frees up your time, enabling you to minister to others without sacrificing the quality of your sermons and lessons. Pre-order the volumes today before the price goes up!