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My wife often accuses me of loving technology for its own sake. But there is so much that can be done using the latest means of communication: blogs, podcasts, websites, and prayer newsletters. For many users of these communication tools, Bible software is indispensable. Allow me to show you how today's Bible software titles can add spiritual flavor to technological advances.

A blog (shorthand for weblog) is a journal where ideas run like racehorses. I host two of these, and I find I need constant input from Bible software to keep up with the many readers who post comments. On one blog, we were discussing the value that action has over words. I opened the QuickVerse™ program to look up everything I could find on the issue of action versus religious conversation.

Fortunately, QuickVerse™ is simple to search. It allows me to create my own booklists and even my own books, clipping and pasting from various volumes within the vast QuickVerse™ library. I can also e-mail directly from the program, sending verses or clips from these books to blog participants without having to open my e-mail program. Within seconds, I am back on the blog, entering the digital conversation with speed and theological accuracy.

I might find an answer in Unger's Bible Dictionary and add a quote from the Explorers Bible Study. QuickVerse's™ many commentaries and dictionaries give me all the tools I need to add authority to my online commentary.

Several members of my church host podcasts. A podcast is an informal, online broadcast that can be downloaded to any MP3 player, or listened to on any computer. It requires either detailed planning or the ability to compose the program on the fly. Most podcasters usually go for the second option.

Franklin Electronic Publishers produces a quality set of tools that can be handy when using the Bible with podcasting. Their handheld Bible (KJV or NIV) can be searched much more quickly than a standard desktop computer. In addition to search capabilities, the Franklin has a built-in clock for watching the time on the podcast, and an organizer for outlining its content. Franklin also makes a handheld Holman Bible Dictionary, which is useful for looking up alternate translations. Holman has built-in reference material linked to all the major translations available today.

This past December, the film version of the C. S. Lewis classic The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe opened in theaters around the world. Our church community put together an outreach package to help believers communicate the deeper truths of this story. We used several different programs to aid us in compiling the material and publishing it on our web page.

Logos Bible Software from Libronix was essential for searching out the themes of spiritual warfare, good vs. evil, and even references to lions. As we found a useful idea, we pasted it to the clipping area. In addition, I began using InterVarsity Press's Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, which contained several pithy sections on spiritual warfare. Working with the Libronix database, the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture library contains medieval and early church writings, which are as timeless and useful as any I have found.

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