Several weeks ago,
I took a short-term missions trip with my church to Eastern Europe. I decided
to pack light and carry on my luggage, thereby avoiding the hassle of losing
it to that dark abyss (otherwise referred to as “checked baggage”). Packing
light meant taking little more for reading than my Bible and a book or two.
Soon after arriving
(and on more than one occasion!), I was assigned the responsibility of teaching
and preaching. I don’t know why, but the thought hadn’t occurred to me before
the trip that I might be bestowed this privilege. I had nothing prepared, and
no books to prepare with (except my bible, of course).
In the midst of
my frenzied preparation I was reaffirmed in my convictions that bible study
software is invaluable. Though, I’d left most of my books in print behind, I’d
decided to take my laptop. And what would’ve otherwise been a night of overly-anxious
“I hope I don’t say anything heretical” study, turned out to be wonderfully
efficient and fruitful.
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All, this to say,
if you haven’t joined the ranks of bible software ownership, there’s no better
time than the present. In fact, you’ll end up with a lot more of the “present”
to work with. And if time isn’t a convincing factor, think in terms of investment.
I know what you’re
thinking, “But, most of the good resources are as expensive electronic as they
are in print.” True… but that’s not what I mean. Think of the amount of money
you’ll save by avoiding those future chiropractor bills. With a briefcase or
backpack full of the print versions you use in sermon preparation, you’re bound
to pull something out of alignment. In past reviews I’ve listed a myriad of
reasons for going electronic — time saved, efficiency, searchability . . . And
I thought to myself, what else can I add? And then it hit me — preventative
medicine, yet another reason to go electronic!
This year’s review
contains several products that will go a long way in aiding sermon preparation.
I’ve done my best to leave the tech jargon in the manuals and emphasize features
I found to be useful, along with those I didn’t. I’ve chosen not to list prices
because most of the retail prices are inflated, and the “sale” price is usually
significantly less. To find out the latest prices, you can visit the websites
listed at the end of each review.
PC
Study Bible Version 4.2 – Advanced Reference Library
PC Study Bible
Version 4 was reviewed last year, so I’ll direct you to the 2004 issue for an
overview. Version 4.2 contains some additional features that are worth highlighting
though. If you already own Version 4, you can update to 4.2 for free by visiting
their website.