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Our Adult Christmas Choir 2023
Today the adult choir sang and they did an amazing job! I wanted to share it for everyone to enjoy. Next week our children perform their Christmas play, so stay tuned!
Britney Spears on Abortion
Yesterday I finished reading Britney Spears’ biography, The Woman In Me. You may be wondering, “Why is a pastor reading Britney Spears’ biography?” My answer would be, “Because I love reading biographies!” I am about the same age as Britney so I was certainly aware of her growing up. Her type of music was not the type that I listened (or currently listen) to, so I am mainly reading out of interest about her life. I find famous people interesting!…
Island Pond was featured on the Baptist Press
The Baptist Press wrote a very nice article about Island Pond the other day! Here is one part of the article: Talking about spiritual things is especially difficult in Hampstead, a town 45 minutes north of Boston, because New Hampshire and neighboring Massachusetts are the least religiously-inclined states in the nation, the pastor said, citing a Pew Research Center study. “New Englanders are very independent, so the idea of attending a church is a challenge for a lot of people,”…
What’s on my desktops?
What exactly does a pastor do during the week? While no week is the same, I want to give you a look at my six desktops on my computer so you can see what I am up to. Keep in mind my job goes beyond a computer. I meet with people, attend meetings online and in-person, do projects at the church, lead staff and volunteers, and do many other “off-computer” activities. However, a look at the desktops will give you…
Ask The Pastor: Can people who actively pursue a sinful lifestyle become members of a church?
Ask The Pastor: Can people who actively pursue a sinful lifestyle become members of a church? In the last blog I talked about the balance between loving people while also protecting the purity of the church. In this blog, I’m going to look at this from a different perspective: church membership. Can a person who is actively, blatantly pursuing a sinful lifestyle still become a member of a church? Or what should be done about a current member who is…
Ask The Pastor: How can the church be loving to sinners while also protecting its purity?
How can the church be loving to sinners while also protecting its purity? This question came to me specifically in the context of someone that is in an active gay relationship that wants to be involved in the church. However, as we will see, the answer is the same for any person that is involved in intentional, public, unrepentant sin. So whether we are talking about a person that is actively involved in a relationship with someone of the same…
Christians should be against violence
The news in the past week of the shooting at the school in Nashville was absolutely tragic and heartbreaking. Sadly, it has gotten to the point where it is not shocking. School shootings happen enough now that we have grown desensitized to it. What made this one unique was that the school appears to have been targeted because of their religious beliefs and in particular their opposition of homosexuality. It reminds me of the verse from 1 Timothy 3:12, where Paul says, “Indeed, all who desire…
Ask The Pastor: Is It OK to watch The Chosen TV series?
What do you think about watching The Chosen TV series? As you may be aware, some Christians have posted on various blogs and websites that they are against watching The Chosen, which is a television show put out by some Christians that tell the story based off of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). While there are a number of reasons why they say they won’t watch it, most of the reasons all come down to the series portraying…
Pastor Kyle’s book is out on Amazon!
Book Release On January 17, Pastor Kyle’s book was released on Amazon! Ignite Your Faith is a short, yet powerful look at five steps you can take right now to grow in your spiritual life. If you act on what you read, you will set yourself in the right direction for spiritual growth. Taken from years of experience as a pastor in one of the least religious states in the country, Kyle Lewis gives meaningful steps to get you headed in the right…
Announcement Regarding Lay Pastors
Dear Island Pond Family, On Sunday, January 15, we will be holding our quarterly business meeting after the service. I am excited to let you all know that the members will have the opportunity to vote on making Adam Houston our first lay pastor. Last year the congregation voted to make some changes in the constitution that created the position of “lay pastor.” This is someone who serves as a pastor at the church on a volunteer basis (as opposed…
Ask The Pastor: Does Regeneration Precede Faith?
I want to be honest with you. I don’t really like talking about Calvinism and Arminianism because it is such a debated and heated topic. Churches have split over it. Hundreds of years ago people were put to death over it. To discuss this issue is like walking through a mine field of theological explosions. One of the issues at the heart of the Calvinism and Arminianism debate is when regeneration happens. If it happens before faith (salvation) then you…