I want to quote an article I read on the four hardest jobs in the world. You can read this article here. Mike O’Dell of the York Baptist Association writes: In his book, “By The Stream,” Monty Hale quotes leadership guru Peter Drucker, saying that the four toughest jobs in America are: president of the United States, a hospital administrator, a university president, and the pastor of a local church. Are you surprised by number four? I mean, just how difficult […] The post The Four Hardest Jobs In The World appeared first on Island Pond Baptist Church ..read more

The olympics have been going on the past couple of weeks and as I have watched parts of them I can’t help but admire the ability of these athletes! Swimmers have sped through the water, gymnasts have performed all sorts of amazing jumps, twists, and moves, runners have sprinted across the track. All of it has been super impressive. The current olympics became even more impressive when I came across a video from one that took place about 100 years […] The post Let’s Stay Focused appeared first on Island Pond Baptist Church ..read more

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! The post Our Adult Christmas Choir 2023 appeared first on Island Pond Baptist Church ..read more

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! One of the things that immediately stuck out to me near the beginning of the book was something that multiple news websites saw as well. Britney was ..read more

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 a glimpse into some of the computer related duties and projects of a pastor (at least at Island Pond). So without further ado, here is a look at my six desktops: Desktop 1: The internet D ..read more

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 found to be involved in some sort of blatant sinful lifestyle? Some scenarios to think about: Sam and Tina are dating, have a child together, and a ..read more

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 sex or someone that is actively living sinfully with someone of the opposite sex, the answer will be the same. The next thing that we should remember is ..read more

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 to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted…”. The Christians ..read more

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 direction spiritually. Using examples from history, local news, and his own life, he weaves engaging stories with helpful, biblical teaching ..read more

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