First, a little history…
[Feel free to skip this part if you’d like (it’s a bit long and just some personal self-indulgent background) and jump to my observations from the first week with the Surface Pro 4.]

The first computer I ever purchased myself was an Apple Macintosh. It was 1989. I was headed to college at Mississippi State to study computer engineering, and I wanted my own computer so I didn’t have to go to the campus labs. My mom found out a lawyer’s office in town was upgrading their office computers and selling the old ones, about 15 Macintosh Plus machines, for $900 each. It was a great deal since these machines sold for $2600 each just a few years earlier when they were purchased new. It was a lot of money for a college kid (with inflation that’s about $1800 in today’s dollars), but it was a great deal so I bought one. But I only owned it for about two weeks.

It was an amazing machine – so much more elegant and well-designed than PCs of the day. The problem was that as beautiful as it was, it couldn’t do that much. In the late ’80s and early ’90s, the height of the PC era, software was king, and there just wasn’t that much software made for Apple compared to PCs. It was a great machine, but for me, it was the wrong tool for the job. So I sold it (for $1200 I might add, a tidy profit) and built my own PC with component parts.

For the next 12 years working as a computer engineering student and then as an IT professional with IBM, I only used PCs – that old home built PC, IBM-issued desktops and laptops, a Sony Vaio laptop, and then a Dell. In college I managed an office of mostly Mac users, but other than that I could count on one hand the number of people I knew who owned or worked on Macs. But then I started working at North Point Community Church (NPCC), and everything changed.

I started at NPCC in 2001, initially working in a tech support role, and the first thing that I noticed was that this was what you might call a “Mac shop.” More than that, they were Apple fanatics – fully bought in to The Cult of Mac. From the beginning of the organization, NPCC was a Mac-only environment. I fought it for a while, defiantly working on my Dell laptop, but eventually I gave in. Resistance was futile. They were buying the machine so cost wasn’t an issue to me, and by this time (2002) I had moved into a ministry role at the church so (almost) everything I wanted or needed to do my work (email, internet, spreadsheets, word processing, etc) was available on the Mac.

From that point on, I was a Mac user. And when the iPhone came out a few years later, I sunk a bit deeper into the cult of Apple. Then I sunk even deeper a couple years later when I bought my first iPad. But deep down, my heart wasn’t fully in it. Sure, I waited in line for my first iPhone, upgraded my MacBook to a MacBook Pro, and even converted my wife to a Mac. But in my heart I still believed I wasn’t being blindly loyal; I was just buying the best technology products to meet my technology needs. It just so happened that those products were made by Apple. Somewhere along the way, that didn’t feel as true anymore.

Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but looking back over the years since Steve Jobs’ death, it seems like somewhere along the line Apple began to lose its innovation mojo. Aside from the Apple Watch they haven’t really introduced any truly new or innovative products since Jobs’ death. Oh sure, their laptops have gotten smaller and lighter, their iPads have gotten bigger and more powerful, but these are just incremental improvements on Jobs-era products. Interesting and creative products aren’t coming out of Cupertino like they once did. But Apple’s competitors haven’t stopped working to close the innovation gap that Jobs created.

This became obvious in October of 2016 when Microsoft and Apple made new product announcements the same week. Microsoft announced the Surface Studio and SurfaceBook, two innovative new touch-centric products. While Apple announced its long-awaited MacBook Pro – lighter and faster for sure, but with the only significant innovation a customizable touch strip on the keyboard. Yawn. Industry experts took note that the most innovative products released that week didn’t come from Apple.

With my 2011 MacBook Pro (incidentally, the best laptop I’ve ever owned – hands down) chugging along but clearly nearing end of life, I decided now was the time to explore a change. For the first time in the last 15 years, Apple was no longer the obvious choice for my next daily-use device. Part of that is related to my usage needs, and part is related to the products available to meet that need.

For the last five or six years, I’ve interacted with (at least) three different devices most days – my iPhone, a tablet (first an iPad and then a Nexus 7), and my MacBook Pro laptop. Increasingly I’ve wanted a 2-in-1 type of device. A laptop/tablet hybrid – something smaller and more portable than a laptop that you can interact with like a tablet, but something more powerful that can run full versions of software with an integrated full-function keyboard. After a lot of thought and research I landed on the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 as the closest thing to what I’ve been looking for.

My first week with the Microsoft Surface Pro 4

The 2-in-1 laptop/tablet category has been growing significantly over the last few years, but Apple has been notably absent from this category, insisting that laptops and tablets are distinctly different devices and refusing to create a hybrid. So while my desire for a hybrid device has grown, Apple continues asking users to either sacrifice touch interaction for a lighter laptop, sacrifice a full OS and apps for a more powerful tablet to replace your laptop, or (ideally for them) buy and use both. So without a 2-in-1 option from Apple, I had to look at the alternatives. In my research three machines stood out: the Microsoft Surface Pro 4, the Dell XPS 13, and the Microsoft SurfaceBook. Ultimately my decision came down to two factors – a detachable keyboard and cost. The detachable full-feature keyboard of the Surface and SurfaceBook allow you to use the device more easily in tablet mode, and ultimately the cost of the SurfaceBook and XPS13 eliminated them as viable options for me. I was willing to buy used to keep cost down, but since this is still an experiment I wanted to keep the cost somewhere between $500-$750. So when I found a Surface Pro 4 (i5 processor, 8 GB RAM, and 256 GB SSD) for $750 on Craigslist I went for it.

After a week of using the machine, here’s what I like and what I don’t like so far.

What I like

• I really like using a 2-in-1 device. A lot. Running in “laptop mode” – operating with the keyboard and running a full-featured browser and full versions of apps – I am 100% as productive as I was on my MacBook. Switching to “tablet mode” – pulling off the keyboard to browse the web or watch a video is seamless.
• This is a beautiful device. I can’t believe they’ve gotten laptop-quality hardware into this form factor – an i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB hard drive (the same specs as the entry-level MacBook Pro which retails for $1500 new).
• Windows added a cool facial recognition login system that I love. No need to input a password or pin to access the device, just look into the webcam. It works surprisingly well in all light conditions.
• The screen is very clear, and watching videos is a big step up from any of the tablets I’ve owned (iPad 3 and Nexus 7). It makes reading or watching video very easy.
• The touch screen is very accurate and operating in tablet mode is seamless.
• I’ve run Windows 10 for a while on a desktop at home, but this is my first experience using it for extended periods of time. There are things that I miss about OS X, but not much. This is a very usable OS.
• Access to way more application options. The Mac OS app ecosystem has grown so much over the years that it doesn’t really bother me much, but there are definitely way more PC apps out there. And with Windows still holding a dominant market share developers often put more effort into those versions than their Mac equivalents.
• The Microsoft Surface Type Cover keyboard is great – far better than other portable bluetooth keyboards I’ve used with tablets. It’s easy to connect, doesn’t require charging or batteries, and it’s big enough that typing on it feels great. The touchpad is also responsive, accurate and very comfortable to use. From what I’ve read this model is a big upgrade from the previous version, and it shows.
• Thanks to being a Google Drive and Dropbox user, all my files transferred seamlessly once I set up the Windows clients for both services. Plus, since most of the work I do is in G Suite or through a browser my day-to-day work experience feels pretty similar.

What I don’t like

• The thing I miss the most so far is the iMessages app. There’s no Windows or web version so I don’t have the convenience of texting from my laptop anymore. That’s a bummer. This might lead me to start using texting through my Google Voice number more. We’ll see.
• The Windows Store is a bit of a joke compared to Apple’s or Google’s. The apps that they have work great, but there’s not a lot there. There aren’t a lot of tablet-oriented Windows 10 apps out there either. There are some big ones (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Evernote, etc), but if you compare the “tablet ecosystem” to the Apple or Google Play stores, it falls way short. But as I mentioned in the “likes” section, this is easily overcome with access to a full OS, a desktop browser, and full versions of apps downloadable from the developers’ sites.
• Compared to pure tablets, the device is heavy. This hinders it a bit in tablet mode. I love using it to browse the web, read articles, or watch videos, but I wouldn’t use it as a book reader. It’s too heavy to use in that way. To be fair I don’t really like reading books on an iPad or Android tablet much either due to eye strain. So I think the Surface will work great for everyday short bursts of reading, and I’ll keep using my Kindle PaperWhite as my primary eBook reader.
• I do miss Mac OS’s Linux base. I still do enough remote server stuff that it was nice to open a terminal window and connect. However, I did install Ubuntu on Windows 10 and am hoping this provides a good alternative.
• Battery life is okay but not great. I knew that was a criticism from reviews I read, and it’s a limitation resulting from the use of more powerful hardware. It’s not any worse than my current laptop, but compared to other ultra-portable laptops and certainly to tablets, it’s a weakness. Itis also worth reiterating that I did buy my Surface used so it’s not a new battery, which may be a factor.

Overall one week in I’m pleased. I’d give the Surface Pro 4 an “A” after one week of use. There are definitely pros and cons, but I also know there is no perfect system. No fanboys and girls, not even Apple. In the end you pick the technology tool that works best for your needs and live with the shortcomings.

OurPact is a system created “to empower parents to guide their children through the balanced use of technology.” In short it’s an application that you set up on your iOS or Android device that allows you to grant or deny access to the internet and apps on a scheduled or an ad hoc basis. This allows you to set boundaries on when and how long your kids have access to devices, and the system enforces those boundaries. Want to make your dinner table a technology-free zone? Set up a recurring schedule to shut off access during dinner. Want to make sure your kids aren’t using devices after bedtime? Set up a schedule to shut off access from bedtime until wakeup time. While the scheduling feature is nice, what I love most so far is the ability to enforce time limits for ad hoc use. How many times have I said, “Okay, you can watch videos on the tablet for 30 minutes,” only to get distracted and come back an hour later to find my kids still glued to the screen?! Honestly, it’s not their fault. I’m pretty sure space-time bends in a strange way around all tech devices so that one minute of screen time is equivalent to fifteen minutes of real time. With OurPact you never have to guess or fight over how long they’ve been on the device. Simply grant access for the amount of time desired, and when their time is up, access shuts down. Parents can manage all devices through a simple interface through the OurPact app (iOS or Android) or on a browser through the web app. In my experience set up was a breeze and took only a couple minutes on each device.

Obviously this doesn’t solve all our problems. We still have to find other ways to manage computer, TV and console game usage, and there is no filter to control what your kids access (check out OpenDns for that). But in my house OurPact has been a great tool to help reinforce our family’s boundaries around technology and guide our kids toward a more healthy relationship with media content.

• I am more convinced than ever of the life-giving rhythm of sabbath that God has woven into human existence. We were made to work, to produce, and to steward this world God has given us, but we are called to the regular practice of sabbath – daily, weekly, monthly, yearly and seasonally. It is not a rule to be followed but a gracious invitation to life to be pursued.
• During my sabbatical I intentionally engaged in the practice of presence – attempting to give myself fully to the people and circumstances of each moment of each day to receive what God had for me. In truth I feel that for the first time I realized that the present moment is the only thing real that we as humans experience. The past and future are out of our reach, but the current moment is real and available to us. So living – really living – is embracing that and remaining conscious and awake to that truth every moment of each day.
• As I practiced being fully present, I realized that one of the great enemies of that for me and others is technology, mobile technology in particular. I became more aware during my sabbatical that we are all subject at times to the compulsions created by these mobile devices. When you are present in a place and a moment of time, it is easy to see how many people aren’t. I saw it in the couples sitting at a romantic dinner next to a canal in Venice, Italy – both staring at their mobile phones not talking to each other or observing their beautiful surroundings. I also saw it in the families who traded opportunities to interact with each other for moments of silence while all of them were absorbed in their screen, sometimes in my own family. I most definitely saw it in myself as I was compelled to exit whatever special moment I found myself in to try and capture and curate it on social media or engage with whatever was happening in the world.
• Art and creativity feeds me and draws me into the moment. The time I spent sketching during my sabbatical was such an enjoyable practice. I want to continue to make time and space for entering into moments and places by recreating them artistically. Likewise I recognized how good it was to appreciate art and beauty created by others. It renews my hope for the goodness and creative capacity inherent in human beings.
• I observed a number of what I’m referring to as “symmetries” during my sabbatical. Here are a few and some initial reflections:
  • The three phases of my sabbatical were a reflection of my life – past (time with my mom and brother, and friends from Atlanta), my present (time with my wife and kids), and my (hopefully) future (time with just my wife). This symmetry allowed me to see what has been, what is and hopefully what will be. Like my life, what was most important in each phase changed, and I could see how God has worked and is working through the context of each season of my life and in the most important relationships of each phase.
  • I realized during this sabbatical that I began my professional work life when I was 24 years old – almost exactly 20 years ago. As I thought about it, I realized that meant I am probably right at the midpoint of my working life, as 20 years from now I will be 64. As I thought about that and remembered what the last 20 years has brought, I thought forward to what the next 20 years would be and what I might do. I realized that half of that time – the next 10 years – will be spent raising my kids and getting them out of high school and on to whatever is next for them, hopefully off to college. At that point I will be entering a new chapter and perhaps a season of consolidation in my work and ministry.
  • On the first day of my sabbatical the Lord led me to Psalm 23 and during the course of my time away I also meditated deeply on Jesus’ words in Matthew 6 about staying focused on each day, “for today has enough trouble of its own.” Norton, my co-pastor at NDC, had no idea about these verses or their importance to my sabbatical, but my first Sunday back at NDC he read Psalm 23 during our time of worship and preached from Matthew 26. It was as if the Lord was reminding me that the words he had spoken during my time away were to come with me as I re-entered my normal rhythm of life and work.
• My experiences this summer led me to the paradox of feeling the insignificance of humanity’s existence in the universe and at the same time our supreme uniqueness. We are nothing but space dust – made of the same essential elements and compounds of the planets and stars, but we are dust that contemplates our existence and seeks meaning. This led me simply to an appreciation of life, gratitude for the human experience, and inspiration to not simply let the years of my life pass by but to contribute my part to the world, each moment of each day I live.
• As I returned, I had three important realizations about what is in the season ahead for me:
  • I have ten really important years ahead with my family. During those ten years I will launch my children into adulthood. Every moment counts, and I want to do everything I can to help my boys become men.
  • I have ten really important years ahead with my wife. During those ten years, we will either grow in intimacy and prepare for the season together after our kids launch or we won’t. Every moment counts, and I want to do everything I can to sustain and grow my relationship with my wife.
  • I have ten really important years ahead with my work. Before, and even during, my sabbatical, I heard the message from leaders I respect (via articles, conversations, or messages) that “most pastors stay too long.” They hold onto organizational leadership positions and often end up burning out, being forced out, or otherwise leaving under less-than-desirable circumstances. I don’t want that to be my story. In looking at my life I recognize that I’m twenty years into my working life with (hopefully) another twenty left. Of that, it is reasonable to expect that the next ten years here in Denver are an opportunity to leverage my skills and gifts in a primary organizational-leadership capacity, presumably continuing to lead New Denver Church. After that, I think it will be time to begin taking steps back from primary leadership and giving responsibility to younger leaders, with my work taking on more of a mentoring and developing role.

As I return to my life and work after sabbatical, these reflections provide a sense of some of the ways God worked through my sabbatical to draw me closer to him and reveal some of the ways he is leading me going forward. I will continue to process many of the things revealed during my sabbatical for deeper insight and will trust God for the daily steps as I seek to move in step with the Spirit in this direction.

At the outset of this sabbatical, I had a clear plan but no clear goal for what I wanted to accomplish, aside from pursuing rest, reflection and renewal. The first three weeks or so were very active with a trip to Tennessee to visit my mom and meet with my co-workers at Q Ideas (bi-vocational pastors have to do some work on sabbatical!), a visit with friends in Atlanta over Memorial Day, and a week here in Crested Butte, CO with our friends the Bishops (who introduced us to what it means to do the whip and nae nae). But the last ten days have just been me, Kate and the boys enjoying the open possibilities of each day here. The two weeks we’ve been here have only deepened our love for this place and created magical family memories for us all.

But what am I learning? What is God saying to me? That’s what sabbatical is supposed to be all about, right? Maybe. This is my first sabbatical so I’m figuring it out as I go! So far there has been one message that has come back again and again. It first surfaced in my spiritual direction with Fr. Ed Kinerk at Sacred Heart Jesuit Retreat Center but has resurfaced in my reading of Scripture, the books I’m reading, and the time I’ve had alone with God. The message is very simple – “Be fully present. Right here, right now.” That’s it? Five weeks and all you’ve got is, “Be where you are?” Yep. That’s it. Over and over through the words of Jesus, Fr. Ed, Annie Dillard, Fr. Richard Rohr, Wendell Berry, and others, the message that’s been hammering me is – Be. Fully. Present.

The World’s spiritual geniuses seem to discover universally that the mind’s muddy river, this ceaseless flow of trivia and trash, cannot be dammed, and that trying to dam it is a waste of effort that might lead to madness. Instead you must allow the muddy river to flow unheeded in the dim channels of consciousness; you raise your sights; you look along it, mildly, acknowledging its presence without interest and gazing beyond it into the realm of the real where subjects and objects act and rest purely, without utterance. “Launch into the deep,” says Jacques Ellul, “and you shall see.”…The secret of seeing is, then, the pearl of great price. If I thought he could teach me to find it and keep it forever I would stagger barefoot across a hundred deserts after any lunatic at all. But although the pearl may be found, it may not be sought. The literature of illumination reveals this above all: although it comes to those who wait for it, it is always, even to the most practiced and adept, a gift and a total surprise.

…

Experiencing the present purely is being emptied and hollow; you can catch grace as a man fills his cup under a waterfall.

Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

So lately I’ve been waking, getting the boys squared away for the day and saying, “God, what are we doing today?” Sometimes that’s been something active, like a bike ride or a hike. Sometimes it’s just been sitting and reading a book, sketching or writing in my journal.The message is simple, but I find I’m still learning to follow, to slow down and to be fully present in each moment – to be where I am, emptied and hollow, hoping to catch some grace.

He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a tabled before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23 NIV)

First day of fourth and second grade for Ethan and Andrew!

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So proud of this guy for winning the skills competition in his group at @CoerverCoaching camp – most moves in 1 minute!

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