My only regret has been some loss of sleep. More often than I care to admit, I play on my iPad late into the night. But it’s not all fun and games. Really.

There’s a smorgasbord of apps that are great for church work. The real work-horses (email, browser and calendar) come pre-installed. And here are a few others I use every day.

For Research

Bing. Free. Looking for a sermon topic? Or how to fix an irksome website issue? Until last week, the Google toolbar in Safari was my go-to research tool. But then Bing came along and it’s gorgeous. Plus it has lots of serendipitous information tacked on — the local weather, news trends, and so on. And the search results aren’t bad either.

For News

MobileRSS. $2.99. I’ve relied on news feeds as my primary way to stay current on tech for 10 or so years now, but I’ve never had as seamless and immersive an experience as on the iPad. The iPad shines for scanning news. There are several great contenders, but I like to read my news oldest first, and MobileRSS was the only one that met that criterion last time I checked.

Instapaper. $4.99. How did I ever manage before Instapaper? This app is a sanity saver. When I’m whipping through articles and happen on one that deserves more than a few seconds of my time, I just click on Instapaper. It’s stored away ready to read later — plus much of the gobble-di-gook of your average web page is stripped away.

For Organizing

Evernote. Free. I’ve got Evernote on my iPad, PC, Mac, Android phone and iPod. That’s the beauty of it. You can send stuff from one machine to another with no problem. You can even email right to your Evernote account. I use Evernote for home and work to do lists, ideas of things to do in the future, bookmarks, and much more. It takes a bit of getting used to, but is well worth the time to learn.

For Inspiration

Kindle. Free. Kindle on the iPad isn’t as good as either the Kindle reader or print. And yet… It’s so utterly convenient. You can read in the middle of the night without turning on a light. You can bump up the text size. And it’s with me everywhere, unlike its print and reader counterparts. There are hundreds of wonderful free books, but I like to support authors and love buying books for the Kindle. Yesterday is was The Wise Heart. Today it’s Beyond the Worship Wars. It’s my own personal library in just two clicks.

For Religion

Choices will vary widely according to your faith and need, but it’s a virtual certainty you will find something amazing. Just search the App Store using terms like “church,” “prayer,” or the name of your faith. Then dig into what you find. I tried “mediation” and came up with this truly lovely app that I use almost daily. Insight Timer. $1.99.

Learning More About the iPad

AppStart (free) and AppAdvice ($1.99). Last but not least, is this pair of meta apps — apps about apps. AppStart teaches you the basics of your iPad, and brings together excellent recommendations on a variety of core topics. Then if you just can’t get enough, AppAdvice is a daily publication filled with iPad and iPhone news and reviews. It catches app sales and and has excellent advice on the latest and greatest.

That’s just a small taste of my daily fare. The magic of the iPad is it’s versatility and broad appeal. I hope you’re fortunate enough to enjoy one too.

And tantalize it did. My theory is bag-buying is in my DNA. My mother adores bags, as do both of my daughters and I. Mother calls us bag ladies, but I like to think we’re bag connoisseurs.

Of course I bought one, and now have tested it. It turns out it’s a customized Ogio Hip Hop Messenger Bag that’s $15 less than the normal price. Here’s what I love about it (in priority order):

• It fits my very large Mac laptop. I have one of those luscious, but huge, 17” numbers.
• For being as large as it is, it’s quite sleek.
• And for carrying as much it does (laptop, purse, a book or two, and sundry other items), it distributes the weight on my aging shoulders nicely.
• The price is decent ($60) and presumably supports the good people at Mozilla, who “believe that openness, innovation, and opportunity are key to the continued health of the Internet.” (Amen to that.)
• It has the perfect pocket for airplane tickets right on the front.
• It sports a glowing embroidery of the handsome fiery fox.
• The laptop compartment is padded.
• There is adequate space for my purse and books.
• It has a tidy compartment for papers.
• There is the usual wealth of little pockets for cell phones, water bottles, etc., etc. It even has a place for one’s iPod, complete with “headphone exit port.”

There are only two minor flaws:

• The ring that holds the shoulder strap bunches up in front.
• It doesn’t match my glasses.

Up until now, I’ve had to carry my laptop in a backpack. I looked, at best, like Josh Lyman, without the swagger. I’m sure I would have been worthy of PeaceBang’s frump hall of fame, but mercifully I’m not a minister – merely a geek. And now I’m a very happy geek who’s ready to hit the road.