Pathfinder Church Messages

Pathfinder Church | November 13, 2022 | Dion Garrett Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online Giving | https://pathfinderstl.org/give Podcasts | https://pathfinderstl.org/podcasts Facebook | https://facebook.com/pathfinderstl Instagram |  https://instagram.com/pathfinderstl St. John School | http://stjls.org Contact Us | churchinfo@pathfinderstl.org Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online Giv...

Pathfinder Church | November 20, 2022 | Doug Mauss The hardships and uncertainties we encounter in life are only the start. Much more of our suffering and anger comes from the fear of where these things will lead us and leave us. Because the future is by definition “unknown,” how can we stop worrying about it and over-preparing for it? How can we walk into it with equanimity?  Website | https://pa...

Pathfinder Church | November 13, 2022 | Dion Garrett Most of our biggest struggles had their seeds planted a long, long time ago, in moments where we felt vulnerable, abandoned, neglected, alone, and overwhelmed by something in life. We can spend the rest of our lives (and lots of money in therapy) trying to unravel and recover from such things. But what if those root memories are incomplete? What...

Pathfinder Church | November 6, 2022 | AJ Mastic Community of family and friends is a great gift, but many of life’s hardest things are still things you have to face alone. So, what does it mean that “God is with you!”? What does God’s presence actually mean when you’re in the middle of life’s darkest valleys?  Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online Giving | https://pathfinderstl.org/give Podc...

Pathfinder Church | October 30, 2022 | Doug Mauss It’s an overwhelming time to be alive. Yet, we can be so focused on our present moment with all of our big problems, that we forget we are only a speck on the timeline of history. Even the biggest threats we face won’t be that significant in the grand scheme. After a few generations, most, if not all, will be forgotten. But far from signaling our u...

Some Assembly Required - Add It to Your Story (Week 6) Pathfinder Church | October 23, 2022 | Dion Garrett It’s encouraging to see and rejoice in other people’s successes (just scroll through your Instagram stories), or to have them rejoice in yours. Or in times of struggle, to be able to “share” your struggles with others, knowing that they will be with you “in spirit.” But so few of us have a co...

Pathfinder Church | October 16, 2022 | Doug Mauss Sometimes church can seem like nothing more than an event where the professionals do their thing, and the rest of us are invited in to be the audience. And if that’s all church is, then understandably, we will find places where we feel more consequential. But what if we’re more than an audience—what if we all have a necessary and vital part to play...

Pathfinder Church | October 9, 2022 | Dion Garrett We’ve all had our fill of self-important clubs, each doing their own thing to justify their existence. If the church is just one more group of exclusive and cliquish people, then what’s the point? https://pathfinderstl.org/showit  Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online Giving | https://pathfinderstl.org/give Podcasts | https://pathfinderstl.or...

Pathfinder Church | October 2, 2022 | Doug Mauss The church is filled with hypocrites. Abuses have been committed by even the most committed church goers. And even aside from the hypocrites and abusers, the church can be a place of hurt and conflict. If the church causes so much pain, why shouldn’t we try to avoid it entirely? Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online Giving | https://pathfinders...

Pathfinder Church | September 25, 2022 | AJ Mastic These days, many assembly kits come with batteries included, so why isn’t life the same way? To find success in life, we all are forced to develop our own resources, find our own energy to sustain us through the difficulties. But as we encounter problems that feel insurmountable and overwhelming, most of us would never consider the church as the p...

Pathfinder Church | September 18, 2022 | Doug Mauss Can the most important things in life be done on our own, or—like a child’s large Christmas present—is “some assembly required”? We often think we, and our lives, are “fine” on our own, but is that because we’re settling for a life that’s too small—something that falls short of our true destiny, our true inheritance? Website | https://pathfinders...

Pathfinder Church | September 11, 2022 | Dion Garrett We’re burned out because of the need to go it alone, and carve out (and control) our own good outcomes in life. Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online Giving | https://pathfinderstl.org/give Podcasts | https://pathfinderstl.org/podcasts Facebook | https://facebook.com/pathfinderstl Instagram |  https://instagram.com/pathfinderstl St. John S...

Pathfinder Church | August 28, 2022 | Doug Mauss Post-pandemic, we’ve gone right back to the busy lives and the overscheduled weeks. How do we have time for the important things? Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online Giving | https://pathfinderstl.org/give Podcasts | https://pathfinderstl.org/podcasts Facebook | https://facebook.com/pathfinderstl Instagram |  https://instagram.com/pathfinders...

Pathfinder Church | August 21, 2022 | AJ Mastic | Relationships are risky. Sometimes it’s easier to do something yourself, or pay someone for help—rather than open the doors of connection with our neighbors. But what if there were some simple tools that would help us make relationships easier and more rewarding? Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online Giving | https://pathfinderstl.org/give Pod...

Pathfinder Church | August 14, 2022 | Dion Garrett |  We all want a fulfilling life. So, we wear ourselves out seeking for it in our job, our efforts, our hobbies. If we’re just scrabbling together an existence, why is it worth all the effort?  Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online Giving | https://pathfinderstl.org/give Podcasts | https://pathfinderstl.org/podcasts Facebook | https://faceboo...

Pathfinder Church | August 7, 2022 | AJ Mastic While many will say they aspire to be like Jesus (a noble pursuit!) there are other more accessible examples of people Pathfinders can grow into being. A woman named Priscilla and her husband, Aquila, are two such people. Making clear that imperfect isn’t an impediment to wholeness, they travelled around the world to find wholeness themselves and to b...

Pathfinder Church | July 31, 2022 | Dion Garrett Ruth did a lot of questionable things on her journey, returning to her mother-in-law’s homeland after God delivered their family a heavy blow, courting the attention of a kinsman-redeemer to save her mother-in-law from disaster, and many other things. Along the way, God was directing her steps. Living a “God-directed journey” isn’t easy. You subject...

Pathfinder Church | July 24, 2022 | Doug Mauss Those who are able to connect people to others, not to be the focus of relationships themselves, wield great power and influence. Lydia’s life reveals that. A wealthy merchant, a gentile, and a woman, becomes significant because of her willingness to connect others. But in life it’s often difficult to keep ourselves connected and inspired? Where do Pa...

Pathfinder Church | July 17, 2022 | AJ Mastic Focusing on the real-life needs of people is sometimes condemned as watered down or superficial. But a faith that does not help people with the stuff of life, isn’t very useful and certainly not transforming. Stephen and Philip were peers assigned to the seemingly “less spiritual” work of feeding widows, but their ministry became powerful. When “spirit...

Pathfinder Church | July 10, 2022 | Doug Mauss Paul had it made. His life was set as a very prominent and successful Pharisee. But when he became captured by the Gospel, he realized that the exclusivity and elitism of Pharisaical life was NOT in line with the heart of God. Paul’s life took a dramatic turn as he suffered a lot of misunderstanding and judgment to bring the Gospel to people that were...

Pathfinder Church | July 3, 2022 | Doug Mauss As humans, it makes sense to us that leadership and power are naturally used for the benefit of the one wielding it. Authority is leveraged to increase one’s personal standing, influence, or wealth. Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online Giving | https://pathfinderstl.org/give Podcasts | https://pathfinderstl.org/podcasts Facebook | https://faceboo...

Pathfinder Church | June 26, 2022 | Doug Mauss Martin Luther paved the way for the individual’s right to decide—he prioritized each believer’s conscience over the dictates of the church authorities and even over hundreds of years’ worth of traditions. How much authority should tradition have in our lives? Conversely, are we our own best decider—should our individual choices supersede those of the...

Pathfinder Church | June 19, 2022 | Doug Mauss Do people obey bosses because they’ve earned it, or because they’re the boss? Parents unquestionably are allowed to tell their kids what to do when they’re little, but when they grow up you can’t ground them anymore!  Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online Giving | https://pathfinderstl.org/give Podcasts | https://pathfinderstl.org/podcasts Facebo...

Pathfinder Church | June 12, 2022 | Doug Mauss It is a noble cause to wield authority for the sake of protecting those who can’t protect themselves (James 1:20). However, the attempt to protect often veers into an attempt to dictate the actions of others. How can we walk the line of advocating for people without constraining their freedoms, or the freedoms of others? Website | https://pathfinderst...

Pathfinder Church | June 5, 2022 | Doug Mauss As always, gender continues to be a dividing line in both culture and faith. Did God design the genders differently, or is it merely a social construct that we are free to modify or reject? Should men have authority over women, or is that a patriarchal relic of the past? Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online Giving | https://pathfinderstl.org/give...