The Ultimate Logos Shortcut List, Part 1/5 – Practical Tips for Sermon Preparation

Quick Overview of the Webinar

The 5‑part “Ultimate Logos Shortcut List” series presents roughly 20 shortcuts in this first session. Dr. John Fallahee chose topics based on participant feedback, focusing on word studies, layouts, and other features that boost efficiency. The goal is to give users practical ways to increase study speed without sacrificing depth.

Program Scaling and Favorites

Default UI scaling can feel off when you switch screens or devices. The quick‑scale method uses the three‑dot menu → “Program Scaling” → pick a preset, or type set programming scaling to 121% for an exact percentage. To keep that setting handy, create a Favorites entry: open Favorites (Tools → type “fav”), add the scaling command, press Enter, then drag the entry to the Favorites toolbar or directly to the Shortcut toolbar. Renaming the entry is optional but helps keep the full command visible. One click now restores your preferred scaling on any computer.

Creating and Managing Reading Plans

Two efficient ways exist to start a reading plan. In Documents, choose New → Reading Plan, pick a Bible or create a custom plan, then search for existing plans by keyword (e.g., “growth”) and start. Alternatively, while viewing a book, click Formatting → Reading Plans → New Reading Plan; the plan defaults to the book you’re in. You can set the scope (entire Bible or a selected range), choose a recommended reading time, and define the schedule: daily, weekly, or custom days. End criteria include a fixed end date, minutes per day, chapters per session, or number of sessions. After finishing, Logos generates a report with export options (Outlook calendar), a calendar view, a list view, and a home‑page overview. Drag the resulting card to the Shortcut toolbar or home page for one‑click launch.

Study Assistant – AI‑Powered Quick Answers

Logos now includes an AI‑assisted Study Assistant. Type a concise question (for example, “Explain the difference between justification by Paul and justification by James”) and receive a one‑page answer with links to relevant resources. To share the answer, click Copy Link, then paste it into a Note; the link stays live and can be opened by anyone using Logos. Embedding the link in a Note is simple: type the keyword, click the chain‑link icon, right‑click and paste the copied link, and the word becomes color‑coded, allowing instant reopening of the answer. The “Copy All” button creates a block of all related information (links, verses, notes) that can be pasted into a sermon document or study sheet, keeping notes lightweight by storing only the link.

Smart Search with Collections

As your library grows, searching “All Books” becomes overwhelming. Use the search magnifying glass, type your query, then click the AI icon that appears. Narrow results by selecting a specific collection (e.g., “John MacArthur”) via Books → Smart Search → select collection. In the synopsis box, click “Continue in Study Assistant” to keep the same collection context without re‑selecting it. This keeps your research thread coherent and saves time re‑filtering.

Book Filter (Collections) for Targeted Searches

Access the Book Filter through Tools → Collections or by typing “collect”. Collections can hold authors, book types, study methods, publication dates, or custom tags. A practical tip is to embed collections in Custom Guides; for example, a guide that pulls in “Concise Expositional” and “Exegetical” collections lets you filter search results instantly. This makes large libraries manageable and keeps your study focus tight.

Dashboard Shortcut and Biblical Maps

Click the Dashboard/Home‑page icon (the little grid) to act as a universal launch pad. Type any question — such as “What is the significance of the veil being torn in Matthew 27:51?” — and Logos routes you directly to the relevant tool (Study Assistant, Maps, etc.). The Biblical Maps feature, found under Library → “biblical maps”, benefits from switching to Details view and selecting the “Rank” sort order, which orders maps by relevance rather than alphabetically. Use Ctrl + F (or Cmd + F) to type a location like “Jericho”; the map highlights all matches, and you can pan and zoom with the scroll wheel. The Google shortcut (top‑left) opens a modern map showing the approximate contemporary location of the ancient site.

Word Studies and Linked Lexicons

Open a Bible quickly by clicking the Bible icon on the toolbar. To launch the Word Study report, go to Guides → type “word study” → select “Bible Word Study”. Use the three‑dot menu to choose a Link Set (e.g., Link Set A) that matches the Bible version you’re working with (e.g., Legacy Standard Bible). Clicking any word (e.g., “created”) jumps the Word Study report to that entry. To streamline, right‑click, collapse all sections except the Lemma tab, then drag the Lemma tab beside the Bible window and link both via Home → Link Set A. This setup lets you move from the Old to the New Testament while automatically switching the dictionary to Greek or Hebrew as needed.

Advanced Linking and New‑Window Options

If you want to keep your Bible view unchanged while opening a reference in a dictionary or commentary, right‑click the Bible title and choose “Open in a new window”. The original Bible stays visible, letting you read commentary without losing your place. This approach is especially useful when comparing multiple translations or commentaries side by side.

Practical Tips for Sermon Preparation

• Customize shortcuts: Drag any toolbar button or favorite to the Shortcut toolbar for instant access.
• Use the home button to pin reading‑plan cards or other resources for immediate visibility.
• Leverage the Study Assistant early: ask concise questions, copy the link, and embed it in notes for quick reference.
• Organize with collections: master collections to tame a growing library and integrate them into custom guides for context‑aware searches.
• Map integration: use the Rank view and Google shortcut to move fluidly between ancient geography and modern maps.
• Reading‑plan flexibility: choose schedules that fit your lifestyle, avoiding daily commitments that may lead to missed days.

Quick Reference List of Shortcuts (1‑9)

#	Shortcut / Feature	How to Activate (Key Steps)
1	Program Scaling (set exact %)	Three‑dot menu → “Program Scaling” → type set programming scaling to 121% (or desired %).
2	Add scaling to Favorites/Shortcut toolbar	Tools → “fav” → create entry → drag to Favorites or Shortcut toolbar → rename if desired.
3	Create Reading Plan (Documents path)	Documents → New → Reading Plan → choose book/custom → search & start.
4	Create Reading Plan (from book)	While in a book → Formatting → Reading Plans → New → pick range, schedule, finish criteria.
5	Export/ view reading‑plan reports	After finishing → Overview, Calendar, List views appear; export to Outlook if needed.
6	Drag reading‑plan card to shortcut/home page	Click‑drag the card to desired toolbar or home‑page spot.
7	Study Assistant – ask & get concise answer	Click Study Assistant (or type question on Dashboard) → receive one‑page answer with links.
8	Copy link from Study Assistant	Click Copy Link → paste into Notes or other docs.
9	Smart search by collection	Search bar → type query → click Books → Smart Search → select collection (e.g., John MacArthur).

Key Takeaways

Use these shortcuts consistently to reduce navigation time and focus more on the biblical text itself. The combination of scaling controls, reading‑plan flexibility, AI‑driven quick answers, and smart collection management equips you to prepare sermons more efficiently while keeping your study grounded in Scripture.