I am sitting here as I write this post typing on a new Macbook Pro with a Retina screen. You've seen a Retina screen before - any iPhone since the 4 has had one, so odds are, if you have an iPhone in your pocket, it has a retina screen.

One of the biggest drawbacks of the iPad mini was its lack of a retina screen. It has the same resolution as an iPad 2, only squeezed into a size that was almost 2 inches smaller. Lots of people love the smallness of the iPad mini, and some have even said that the iPad mini outsold the iPad 4 two to one. People really like it. 

Now the iPad mini has a retina screen, and the resolution on it is even better than the new iPad Air. I haven't seen one yet, and the word is that supplies this holiday season may be severely constrained, but this very well may be the best iPad for preaching, teaching and writing yet. 

Why? Because of text. 

Text rendering on Retina screens is extraordinary. And if you're a preacher, teacher, writer, or anything in between, you live in text. You take notes in text. You read and write in text. 

There are lots of great apps for the iPad mini out there - Simplenote and Editorial are a few of my favorites - that take complete advantage of the sharp, un-pixelated text rendering you find on a Retina screen. The best part is that the text rendering is built into the system, so as long as your app runs and has been updated for a retina iPad (which most of the have and are now required to by Apple), the text in any app will look crisp and clean. 

For example, in my workflow as a youth minister, I do a lot of writing, copying and pasting, reading, and presenting. I have all my notes in Simplenote (which has a really nice Mac app as well). I compose my lessons and sermons in Simplenote and they're automatically synced to my iPad mini. I can't wait to see what my words look like on a Retina screen, not to mention how much easier it will be to read while presenting. 

If you need to format your work and make it look great, Apple's Pages is also a great place to start. You can even print to several cloud-enabled printers using AirPrint. 

I won't be getting a Retina iPad mini immediately, but I'll definitely be checking them out as soon as I can. If you're in the market for a 7-inch tablet, the resolution on the Retina iPad mini is certain to please. 

Usually, I don't use exclamation points, but this actually warrants one. Because I'm really excited to launch my new set of resource pages here on the site.  

Starting today I'm offering over 30 free downloadable text files of sermons, classes, and devotionals. The sermons are full-length and full-text, because that's how I write out my sermons. These sermon lengths can range from 20-40 minutes. Classes are your standard 40-minute classes, mostly for teens, although the content will be applicable across age groups. These are a mix of full-text and bullet points with scriptures, illustrations, and sometimes even games. The devotionals are short, 5-minute thoughts that I do usually twice a month here where I work on Wednesday nights. They're full-text as well. 

I'm not charging for any of this content, because 1) I believe the Gospel is free and these resources try to teach that Gospel, so they should also be free, and 2) with the exception of personal stories and illustrations, I claim no original content here. In fact, most of these illustrations and lessons you've probably heard before. When I take an idea from someone else's writings, thoughts, or words, I cite it. So I claim no original thoughts here, just some good content that I felt I did not need to keep to myself.  

Most files are in plain text (.txt) format for your connivence. This makes incredibly small files that are easy to download and open and lets you put your own formatting on them if you wish. The text files will open in any text editor, internet browser, or word processor, making them very universal. 

I only have two prerequisites to using the material and content provided: 1) DO NOT use this stuff without further study of your own. This material is meant to help you in your ministry, not replace your study. 2) If anyone wishes to use this content in a publication, either printed or otherwise, I request to be contacted for it's use. 

Take a look at those resource pages and let me know what you think. More resources will be added every week, so keep checking back. Eventually I'll have a library of resources at your fingertips.

May God bless you and the use of these materials in your ministry and study.  

Classes

Devotionals

Sermons