Posts by Kyle Lewis (Page 10)
Have Your Devotions With A Paper Bible, Not Your Phone
I love technology. And I love the convenience of having my Bible on my phone. So for several years I had switched to primarily reading the Bible on my phone. There are certainly advantages to having it with you at all times, but I began to notice some disadvantages as well. I was more prone to reading on-the-go. I was more prone to read less meditatively and more for quantity. I often found myself at the end of a chapter…
Information For Members of Island Pond
4/18/2020 Dear Island Pond Members, With the coronavirus continuing to keep us from meeting in person, we are in the unique position of having to make some decisions outside of the normal guidelines of our constitution. So I wanted to keep you in the loop regarding what the deacons and pastors have planned. First, the members are suppose to meet on a quarterly basis. In May, members are suppose to vote on a new budget and deacons. However, none of…
God Is Still In Control In The Midst of Uncertainty
One of the challenges of pastoral ministry is the bipolar nature of the job. One day (or moment) things can be going great and everyone seems to love you. The next day (or moment) things quickly turn sour, with bad news arriving, people getting upset, or disasters happening. With the quick changes, you learn to expect that anything could happen at any time and you are never really on “solid” ground with things around you. Over time, this can wear…
Drive-In/Parking Lot Church
Starting June 7, the drive-in/parking lot service time will be at 9:30am. We will also have an indoor service at 10:30am in the sanctuary. Drive-In Service Information: The drive-in service is held in the parking lot of the church. Driving into the parking lot it will be to the right of the church. We have several speakers set up for you to hear the music and message. We will also have an FM transmitter so you can listen through your…
3/17/20 Closing Information
IMPORTANT UPDATE FROM 3/17/20: Dear Church Family, The deacons and pastors met Tuesday night to discuss how the church will respond to the current virus situation. In light of the governor’s ban on large groups, and in an effort to do our part in not spreading anything, we have decided to stop all in-person meetings for the next three Sundays. Given the age of many who are involved in small groups, we have also decided to cancel all in-person groups…
Seven Purposeful Activities To Help Your Children Walk With God
In the book, “The Art of Parenting,” Dennis and Barbara Rainey talk about seven purposeful activities that the parents can engage their children in to develop them into godly adults. Here are those seven activities: 1) Pray With Your Children. “When prayer becomes a way of life in your family, it teaches your children that: 1) prayer at its essence is faith that recognizes that God exists, 2) prayer acknowledges that God hears, 3) prayer believes that God cares, 4)…
An Awesome Book On Marriage
Do you want to read (or listen) to a great book on marriage? I highly recommend the book, “Vertical Marriage” by Dave and Ann Wilson. Here is why this book is so great… 1) The Hilarious and Vulnerable Stories Honestly, I could never write a book like this because they were just too open and honest. They share intimate details about their marriage, talking about both the struggles and successes. But in the midst of this openness comes some of…
Fast Food or Home Cooked Devotionals?
I don’t know about you, but I love a good fast food meal! Whether it be the grilled chicken and waffle fries from Chick Fil A, the spicy chicken sandwich and fries from Wendy’s, the whopper from Burger King, or the Italian from Firehouse subs, I love a delicious meal made quick! Here’s the problem: fast food meals, while convenient, are not necessarily healthy. They are certainly better than not eating anything (at least in my opinion), but there are…
A Prayer Strategy For Your Kids
Recently my wife and I had the privilege to attend a marriage conference and one of the speakers was Alex Kendrick, the writer of several great Christian movies like War Room, Overcomer, and Courageous. He has six kids, ranging from (about) ages 10 to 22 and he spoke on the topic of, “Raising Kids of Faith.” I was so encouraged and challenged by the message, so let me share part of what he talked about. One of his main points…
Let’s Talk About Depression and Anxiety
About six months into my time as pastor at Island Pond, I preached about depression. I had no idea how much positive feedback it would receive! Not because I did an amazing job presenting the topic, but simply because I talked about such a timely issue from a reasonable yet biblical point of view. This is an issue that impacts many people and sadly is not discussed enough in the church. With that in mind, I want to address those…
A Volunteer’s Experience Helping At The Soup Kitchen
Two weeks ago, Sandy and I had the opportunity to serve at the Sonshine Soup Kitchen in Derry. After hearing her experience, I wanted to share it with the rest of the church to shed some light on this important ministry and hopefully inspire others to volunteer in March. So the rest of this blog was written by Sandy… — “I recently had the privilege of volunteering at the Sonshine Soup Kitchen. I’ve wanted to participate since my husband, Dave,…
A “New” Way To Study The Bible
A while back I was reading an article about the way that John MacArthur studies the Bible. I found it intriguing enough that I decided to give it a shot. Here I am while later to report back. The Method: MacArthur recommends picking one New Testament book and reading it every day for an entire month. If it is a smaller book, like 1 John, then you should read through the entire letter each day. If it is a larger…