Gplracer, Welcome.
Well, I expect they won't be easier at first, due to lack of familiarity.
LR is intended to accomplish the exact same work flow, of adjusting the image, (.e.g exposure, colors and balance, tone curves, capture and creative sharperning, etc.). Sharpening for the output device can be added at export time.
There are two principal differences:
1) Lr is non-destructive. Especially intended for camera raw type files, but also capable of working with RGB types (JPG, TIF, PSD) Lr never actually changes the pixels of your original images, it tracks the changes in a separate database, shows you (i.e. renders) what the image would look like if the changes were applied. The changes are only physically applied ('baked-in' is the common terminology) when you export the image.
2) Because there's a database being used to track the image adjustments, it only makes sense to use it to track all the other image parameters as well; keywords, metadata, pick choices, ratings, and all that other stuff. This provides a search and retrieval capabilty over and above the image editing capabilities.
If you're working with raw types, I believe that in the end, once you're up to speed, you'll find Lr far more productive.
