Tag Archives: iPhone

Spend Completely, Then Recharge!

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iphone chargeRecently, my wife and I stopped by one of our local Best Buy stores and traded in our iPhone 4’s for the iPhone 5. As many of you know, when you get a new phone or tablet, the battery is already partially charged. Well, the first couple of days after our upgrades, we were busy and every time we charged them completely, the charge would not even last the whole day! Then, I remembered a trick I learned some time ago: In order to get the best battery life from your phone, your tablet, or any electronic device, when you first get it, you need to spend or drain the battery charge completely and then recharge! So, I told my wife not to recharge her phone after she unplugged it in the morning and to use it as much as she could during the day. Later on that evening, when the phones were showing about 30% of battery life left, I started playing some YouTube videos along with some other apps that I knew would quickly use a lot of energy. I played YouTube videos and the other apps on both phones until their batteries were completely spent and the phones died from battery drain. Then, I recharged both phones completely. Every since I did that, the batteries in our phones are lasting all day and even to bedtime without needing to be recharged! In fact at bedtime, after a normal day of use, we still have over 50% of battery charge left!

Well, I was thinking about that and I wonder could that be the reason why many people don’t get the best results in their lives? Could it be that they are constantly recharging without being fully spent first? Let me show you what I’m talking about: Most people are not willing to give anything their all. In other words, most people are always holding back in whatever they do. Whether it’s their job, their hobbies, or even recreation; they expend just enough energy to get by or just enough energy to attain a certain degree of success, but they never give it their all. As a result, they find themselves having to recharge often before the task is completed.

But why don’t people give it all they have? It could be that they are afraid that even after they give it their all; they will still fail! And so, they’re in a catch-22 situation: They don’t give it their all because they fear failure, but in most cases the very reason for failure is the lack of total commitment! So most of the time they end up expending just enough energy to get by and sometimes they don’t put forth any real effort at all! Sometimes it is because of the potential of embarrassment. They don’t spend it all (put forth a 100% effort) because they are afraid of being embarrassed by failure. Therefore, they go through life, playing it safe; only engaging in endeavors that don’t require their best effort or a lot of energy. Because of this, most of the time, life to them is boring; they are the walking dead, living on auto-pilot.

The Preacher says in the Bible (Ecclesiastes 9:10): “Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, because there is neither work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, the place where you will eventually go.” (NET)  In other words; spend completely and don’t hold back! Leave it all out on the playing field because when the game of life is over, it’s over! Set high goals! If you reach for the moon and fail, you still might land upon a star! And even if you miss the star, you will still have the satisfaction of knowing that you gave it your best! You don’t want to get to the end of your life and have regrets, thinking about what you could have done or what you should have done.

And remember, after you have given it your all and after you are completely spent; it’s not over! You have within you the potential to recharge and come back more energized than ever because any long distance runner will tell you: “After you have given your best and spent all, there is always a ‘second wind!” So remember, to get the maximum potential out of your life; spend completely and then recharge!

Preaching with an iPad

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I have been preaching with an iPad for two (2) years now and I love it, let me tell you why!

My Preaching Delivery Evolution: Outline-Paper manuscript-iPad

First of all, I am a manuscript preacher (my Daddy used to call them: “Paper Boys!) I didn’t start out that way, it just evolved as time went on. When I first started preaching in 1978, I would write out an introduction, do a 3-point outline with 3 sub-points and then write out my conclusion. I would take this single piece of paper to the pulpit with me, inserted in my Bible. Occasionally, I would get bold, commit the outline to memory and go to the pulpit with only my Bible.

I committed to using manuscripts exclusively in 1993. I was working on a sermon and I wanted to make sure I got to all the points, so for the first time, I wrote the sermon out completely: word for word. I did OK with memory and notes, but occasionally I would forget something or go “too long!” At any rate, when I first started using manuscripts, it was awkward, but the more I did it, the more I liked it! It kept me from going all over the Bible and was a more efficient use of preaching time for me. I started out hand writing my sermons (double-spaced) on yellow legal pad and taking the pages to the pulpit with me in a leather portfolio. Later on, after I brushed up on my keyboarding skills, I typed them double-spaced, landscape booklet form and stapled them together down the center. When I preached and turned the pages, it gave the appearance that I was turning the pages of my Bible (cool huh?)

The problem with the a fore mentioned process was across the years, I had accumulated boxes and boxes of notes and used a tremendous amount of ink, not to mention money spent on paper, ink and printers! And then, I bought an iPad 2 in April 2011!

Here is how I do it now:

During my research, I type my notes on my iPad, using the standard note application. That way I can access my notes on my iPad or my iPhone. When I type the actual manuscript, I use MicroSoft Word on my desktop or laptop (whichever one my wife is not using when I am ready to write). For reading comfort on the iPad, I use 22 point Chancery font, double-spaced. Once I have finished typing, I save the file in two places: In my sermon file folder on my computer as a “word” file and in my Dropbox as a PDF file. After I open it in Dropbox on my iPad, I send it to “Good Reader,” which is the application I use to read and deliver from. I like Good Reader because I like to turn the pages swiping from side to side as oppose to scrolling up and down in Dropbox. I also number my pages in Good Reader, so as to not lose my place should I accidentally tap my iPad screen.

In the pulpit with the iPad:

When I go to preach with my iPad, I carry it to the pulpit in a Portenzo brand case that actually looks like a book! (I don’t want to call too much attention to the fact that I am preaching from an iPad) It is a good practice to make sure the iPad is adequately charged with all sounds and notifications cut off. Just to be on the safe side, I also switch the wifi off or put it on airplane mode. I also lock the screen orientation to portrait so the screen will not rotate to landscape should I happen to pick the iPad up in the excitement of preaching!

Well, that’s the way I do it with my iPad! I thought about the iPad Mini, but I couldn’t justify spending that much money for what is essentially a smaller version of what I already have and besides that, my wife wouldn’t let me!

If you are using an iPad for preaching and/or teaching, leave a comment and let me know how you do it!