Today Apple released a new product called the iPad. It is supposed to be a tablet computer with amazing Web, Email, and eBook capabilities. It looks like a giant 9” iPhone, and frankly performs like one too. The chip is fast and it has a couple cool features but again, it’s just a big iPhone.

If people want to go buy one that’s fine, but I have a couple issues with it. First it doesn’t do anything that an iPod Touch can’t do (with the exception of lame condensed versions of iWork). The iPad should have been built on Snow Leopard with an added ability to run App Store apps. Instead it’s just a big clunky iPod/iPhone without the phone capability.

Second, it doesn’t run Flash! The iPad is being sold as the “best internet experience ever.” Sorry but without Flash, and DivX my web experience is lame.

There is one silver lining. There is a new App and Store called iBooks. It’s an App Store for buying books and reading them on your iPad. This combined with buying Newspaper and Magazines directly to the iPad may very well save the print industry. Even though there are tons of eBook reader apps for the iPhone I think iBooks is a knock out of the park.

Will I get an iPad? I already did, 3 years ago…it’s called an iPhone.

As some of you may know over the past 3 weeks I have been taking it pretty easy. Back in November I found a blood clot in my leg. It was pretty painful and needed to be removed. I went in for surgery on December 15 and had the entire vein from my ankle to thigh stripped out. The doctor also made 19 different incisions to remove all of the varicose veins that caused the clot to begin with.

After the surgery I was in the most pain I have ever been in. It lasted for about 2 weeks and then started to slightly taper off. This past Saturday (Jan. 2) I woke up without any leg pain. I was walking with a cain after the surgery, but stopped needing it that morning.

All seems to be back to normal except for the minor swelling, which is keeping me off my feet for long periods of time. However, I am doing much better and appreciate all of your prayers during this crazy time.

As some of you may know from reading my blog, I’m the new “small group” pastor at Christian Heritage Church. CHC has never had small groups so we are launching them in January. Today I’m goin out to film 3 commercials advertising the launch. When they are finished I’ll post them up here.