mike goldsworthy

One of the things that kept me waiting almost an entire week after the iPad came out to buy one (I know, amazing self-control, right) was wondering whether or not it could replace my Kindle. Allison and I have a deal for new technology – no questions asked if I can sell what I already have to get it – and in order for me to get the iPad, I was going to have to sell the Kindle.

After talking with several friends who owned and regularly used a Kindle and who picked up an iPad right away, the common response seemed to be, “I haven’t touched my Kindle for reading since I got the iPad.” And that was all it took to convince me.

Since the most common question I seem to get asked about it is how it compares to the Kindle, I thought I’d offer some of my observations comparing the two now that I’ve had the iPad for 2 weeks.

The Kindle

The Kindle was designed to do one thing well – to be an ebook reader. And it’s a phenomenal ebook reader. It’s lighter than the iPad, you can hold it in one hand, and its batter life is amazing. I had gotten really good at reading with the Kindle and really enjoyed it for the most part.

The iPad

Of course the iPad does so much more than just being an ebook reader, which is why it was appealing to me. But as an ebook reader I’ve actually been surprised at how much I’ve liked it. Seeing charts, pictures and illustrations from your books in color is a stark contrast to what you’re able to do on the Kindle. Also, with the Kindle app I still have access to all my Kindle books as well as notes and highlights. It’s far superior for making highlights in books and taking notes in them. And my biggest concern – eye strain – hasn’t been a problem at all.

I do have a few things that I’d like to see different in the Kindle app…but the thing is that it’s easy for them to make those changes, or at least seemingly easier than it would be to make the changes on the Kindle itself.

So, for me there’s definitely advantages to the Kindle, but in the past two weeks with only my iPad, I haven’t looked back. I’m happy with the decision to use the iPad instead…and plus, I could have never written this blog on a Kindle.

I was talking with someone today who asked me a question that I’ve rarely been asked. We were talking about books, and I told him that I have a goal of reading 50 books each year. For me it’s a bit of a stretch to read that many, but I know plenty of people who read twice as much as that, but I guess it is still a significant number of books.

He asked me with ministry and family and whatever else, what I do to be able to read that many books in a year.

I’m totally convinced that good leaders read regularly. So, in order to help myself become a better leader, I’ve had to learn to force myself to read more. So, if maybe this is helpful to you, here’s a few thoughts that I’ve learned…

Make it a discipline
Find regular times to read every week, and even times to get away for a several hours or even a few days where you’re able to read and process.

Where you read matters
There are certain rooms or environments that are more conducive for reading than others. In our house, there are rooms that I rarely read in, because for whatever reason I just can’t concentrate on reading there. I’m able to read quite a bit in coffee shops with my headphones in, but I know others who can’t.

You don’t have to finish books
This has been so helpful for me to learn to be ok with not always having to finish a book. It may not resonate with you right now, or it may not be written well or very challenging…if that’s the case, then put it down. You only have so much time to give, don’t waste it finishing a book just to finish it. Also, if there’s only a particular chapter or two that seem to be helpful for you, it’s ok to only read those.

Occasionally read things that are outside of your norm
The majority of books that I read are non-fiction books on theology, leadership, sociology, etc. I force myself to every once in a while read a biography, or a fiction book, which helps me to break out of my norm and to not get stuck in what I’m used to reading.

Read with others
I regularly have books that I’m reading alongside friends or other staff. If I know we’re going to talk about a book or a certain chapter on a specific day it gives me motivation to get it done.

Read at random times
It’s helpful to always have a book with you. The Kindle (and the Kindle app for the iPhone) has really helped this. When you’re waiting for your car to be washed or if you’re early for a meeting, you can grab 5 or 10 minutes of reading if you have something with you.

Watch less TV
Seriously…if you cut out 1 show each night, and read instead during that time, you could probably finish 25 books a year just with that time.

A few things that I’ve learned that’s been helpful for me to read regularly. Anyone else got any tips to help us out?

A little over a year ago, we got Allison a DSLR camera. She’s been spending that time getting to know it better, learning how to use it on manual mode and taking some really great pictures.

She’s finally allowing me to tell you about her secret blog where she’s been showing her pictures, which I guess is now no longer a secret. I’m stoked to finally get to tell you about it:

Go check her out at allisongoldsworthy.com

And here’s a few of her recent pictures to get you started…

Today’s tax day.

Today our staff took some time to pause, reflect and celebrate what God did Easter weekend at Parkcrest. Several times in the Hebrew Scriptures, God has the Israelites set up tangible reminders of what he did for them.

So, today during our staff meeting, we wrote down some of the things God did, and put them up on a board as a tangible reminder of how God moved at Parkcrest during the Easter weekend.

It’s really easy for me to move on to the next thing and to forget and even miss what God has done. I need visual and tangible reminders.

By the way…one of the things included on here was that Parkcrest gave around $50,000 towards our Easter Offering which we give away 100% of!

For those of you at Parkcrest or in the So Cal area…this Saturday, we’re hosting a Worship Seminar to help you to hone your skills in playing an instrument, singing, doing sound or being the worship leader.

We’re bringing in some great people to teach clinics in a few specific areas:

• Worship Leading
• Bass
• Electric & Acoustic Guitar
• Keyboard
• Drums and Percussion
• Singing
• Sound/tech

Here’s the deal, if you’re a part of Parkcrest – whether you’re currently volunteering in Worship Arts or not, it’s free for you – we’re paying for you as a way for us to honor you and to help you to become better at what you do. Even if you’re not currently playing in the band, or want to become better before trying out, this will be a great opportunity for you.

But if you’re not a part of Parkcrest, we wanted to open this up to you also, so it’s only $25, which includes both breakfast and lunch.

So, it’s this Saturday, April 17 from 8am-3pm (breakfast is from 8-9) at the Heartwell Campus.

If you’ve got any questions, talk with Jo Jo Ambion.

It’s been a bit since I’ve updated…crazy weeks leading up to Easter, and then I spent the last week on vacation. As I’m gearing up to get back into the swing of things, thought I’d give a few random updates:

• Easter was awesome. Later this week, I’ll point you to the videos that we created for it if you’re not in the LBC and didn’t get to see it. I haven’t been in to get counts, but every service was full…some of them standing room only.
• I do know this though…including Good Friday, our 7th St Campus broke 1,000 people Easter weekend!
• Love the generosity of Parkcrest and our annual Easter Offering. Can’t wait to find out how much we’re giving away.
• I was on my 3rd annual mancation this past week. I think it was the hardest backpacking trip we’ve done & we ran out of water the first night – it’s not a mancation without some good stories
• I didn’t want one, but then I did, and now I’m typing this on it. Don’t judge me! By the way, the way I often buy new technology is by selling some of my old stuff – I’ll only get something like this if I can make it a zero sum deal. And yes…it’s lived up to it’s hype
• We ran into Chief Luna while at the Pike this week. He ended up giving us an impromptu behind the scenes tour of the Police Station. Isaac, Kate and their cousin got deputized.
• Stoked to get back into the swing of things this week