No, it's not a B.O.G.O. pair of boots at Belk, or free coffee, or some new-fangled household gadget... it's better.... it's THE most amazing Bible study tool I have found and...wait for it...
It. is. FREE!!
I don't know where you are in your study habits, but mine, recently, have been scattered and aimless, so I have made a renewed commitment to be more purposeful this year. Call it a resolution if you will, but I think it's just a fresh call to redeem the time (Eph 5:15-16).
However, the sieve that is my brain can't seem to keep all of that "purpose" in any kind of discernable order. So, I prayed. And just like our Abba, all of a sudden, I remembered that I have this little CD in the back of my Strong's Bible Dictionary/Concordance/Biggest Most Awesome Book I Own.
So, I grabbed it and popped the thing into my beloved laptop, when LO, I found PURE GOLD! This little download left me with several different translations of the Bible, 3 commentaries, all the Greek and Hebrew transliterations of all the words, and MUCH, MUCH more. Here is a what it looks like when you pull up a passage of scripture (note: they have more add-ons than I do, so mine isn't quite so colorful).
If these images are too small, you can go to the link at the bottom to view them larger.
Another great feature is the Compare tab. It allows you to look at a particular verse in all of the different translations:
It even has an AWESOME graphics feature so that you can pull up maps and such:
My favorite thing is how personalized it is. There is a little tool that allows me to type in verses that I am trying to memorize. Then, every day it will bring it up and drill me on that verse. This proved priceless since I committed to memorizing 24 scriptures this year with the LPM Siestas.
It also has a section for prayer requests which allows me to input all that there is to pray for, label it, and add a note as to what type of request it is (i.e., thanksgiving, supplication, ect.). Then it will pop up in front of me at whatever frequency I call for. You can even mark it as answered, and keep it in a file for future reference.
Yet another personalized thing, is that it keeps track of my Bible reading. If I say I want to complete the New Testament in 6 months, then it breaks it up for me and gives me my daily reading. This is important to me because I have it set to pull up as soon as I open my computer for the day. I need that. I need that. I NEED THAT.
I can even record notes about what I've learned, keep cross-references recorded, and search to my little heart's content.
Have I mentioned that I like this program? I just can't say enough about this, seriously. This little snippet of a post can't do justice to the probably thousands of dollars worth of material that can be downloaded. It's invaluable to me not only as a teacher, but as a student of the Word, so without further ado, you can check it out right here: e-Sword
So, what are you using/studying right now? Inquiring minds want to know...
19 comments:
LOVED this post Gayle. Thanks so much for the info, pure gold.
A Bible tool that I've used on my computer is www.blueletterbible.org. Check it out, lots of valuable nuggets there too.
My daily devotion time is pretty old school. A chapter from the Old and New Testament and a Psalm. I try to read the devotion from Streams in the Desert and a new one I got for Christmas from my parents called Precious Gems, a daily devotion that focuses on a specific greek word in the scripture. Pretty cool.
As of this week, It has been confirmed that there will be seven of us ladies gathering in my home on Monday nights- we're doing the Beth Moore, Believing God study...woo hoo!
Blessings to you and yours!
Hey, thanks. My friend gave me e-Sword on a CD, and I didn't know it did all of that stuff. Those sound like some mighty helpful tools. I guess I better investigate this thing she gave me and find out how to use it to its full potential.
This looks incredible and it's just what I need! Thanks for the tip!!
sounds like something you'd get in bible college, but a whole lot cheaper!!! great find.
sounds like something you'd get in bible college, but a whole lot cheaper!!! great find.
Looks interesting...didn't know about this. thanks.
Wow Gayle, this looks fantastic! I am going to check it out right away! Is it ok if I pass it on in my blog with a hat tip to you?
I've been reading a one-year Bible since the first of the year (a whole 10 days!) and really loving having it broken up for me.
Many blessings to you and yours!
Sherry
I am reading Isaiah right now, just finished Galations. There have been a few gaps in my daily reading over the last month, like today, for example. I have a binder and record what book, chapter, and then write out a verse that impacted me and a practical application to my life. Great program, thanks for sharing!
I have esword, and so does my husband, and we love it. It is his primary tool to prepare sermons! My fav version is God's Word.
Girl, I LOVE e-sword! It is a great treasure indeed!
Looking forward to meeting you in ATL!
Much love,
Angela
Hey there!
Isn't esword great! I found it about a year ago or so. I love it! I haven't been back to their web site to check out new downloads and those maps look great!
Have fun checking it out!
wow, I hadn't heard of this before... seriously going to bookmark this and reread when my brain is sharper.
I'm sure you already know what I use, I talk about my Jon Courson Commentaries all the time. I'm going through the Bible cover to cover along with the commentaries. It's taking years, but I am currently halfway through Isaiah and feeling pretty good about passing the halfway mark.
I'm also a big fan of the quick verse lookup Biblegateway.com
Thanks for the info on e-sword. In Feb I start Beth Moore's study, Why Godly People do ungodly things. Can't wait. I am also use the Strongs bib book I call it, mmm I had no CD. But thanks for sharing a way to help me in my quiet time.
Great info! Thanks for sharing that!
Gayle,
That is great. I will have to look into this myself. I need a concordance and I have a sieve for a brain also. So many times I think, I can remember that. Not two days later I have no idea what it was.
Ruth
Oh, super cool!!! Thanks for letting me know!
I'm doing the scripture memory with Beth too! I'm also in the Esther Bible study from her right now.
I love you so much right now. I just thanked God for you and this valuable resource. :)
Thanks for the recommendation! That site (especially the maps - I'm ALL ABOUT knowing when and where stuff happened) looks amazing!
I'm in the middle of 2 Kings - hence the pull for dates and places. :)
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