Pathfinder Church Messages

Pathfinder Church | October 25, 2026 | Doug Mauss Have you ever been trash-talking about someone and then noticed them in earshot? We don’t like it when people lie to us or gossip about us, yet we do some of the same things! We say “sticks and stones…” and “what they don’t hear won’t hurt them,” but what if false testimony causes harm not only when it’s heard by another, but from the moment it’s s...

Pathfinder Church | October 18, 2026 | Dion Garrett The world is a place of finite resources, where the bold seize what they can. We want to be moral people, but in a dog-eat-dog world where one person’s gain is another’s loss, can we afford to be idealists? How do we navigate our everyday choices in light of what we need, deserve, and want? Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online Giving | http...

Pathfinder Church | October 11, 2026 | AJ Mastic Love, particularly the romantic sort, seems like it should be free to do what feels right in the moment; that it should trump “the rules” and not be held back. We have a sense that the passions of the heart are nearly always a right guide, but what if boundaries are just as key to love that is pure? Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online Giving...

Pathfinder Church | October 4, 2026 | Dion Garrett There are certain people we wish we didn’t have to interact with. Whether they are frustratingly irritating or a declared enemy, these people cause problems for us - and it feels like life would be better without them. If we have the chance to be rid of them, why wouldn’t we take it? Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online Giving | https://path...

Pathfinder Church | September 27, 2026 | Doug Mauss We don’t love being told what to do, and we can develop a contentious attitude toward authority figures; from our parents to our presidents. So, when they make a bad decision, it’s even harder to toe the line. What should our response be when those in charge are making calls we don’t agree with? Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online Giving |...

Pathfinder Church | September 20, 2026 | Dion Garrett Life is busier than ever, often pushing our minds and bodies to their breaking points. We know that we should find ways to recharge, but how do we do that when there’s always something that needs to be done?! And when we do take precious time for ourselves, how do we make sure it’s actually restorative? Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Onlin...

Pathfinder Church | September 13, 2026 | AJ Mastic The modern world offers many different paths to happiness. It feels like an incredible stroke of luck that we live in a time when we can personally explore so many of them; yet few things seem to satisfy for long. Do we just need to keep trying paths until we find the one(s) that grant longer-lasting happiness, or should we enjoy the search knowin...

Pathfinder Church | August 30, 2026 | Dion Garrett When good things happen to us, is it just luck of the draw? Or just something we deserve because of all our hard work? What role does God have in our good fortune? Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online Giving | https://pathfinderstl.org/give Podcasts | https://pathfinderstl.org/podcasts Facebook | https://facebook.com/pathfinderstl Instagram...

Pathfinder Church | August 23, 2026 | Doug Mauss If bad things happen in our lives, is it because we deserved it in some way? Are negative events a sign of God’s judgment? How can we tell if God is behind some tragic circumstance, or if we’re just under spiritual attack? Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online Giving | https://pathfinderstl.org/give Podcasts | https://pathfinderstl.org/podcasts...

Pathfinder Church | August 16, 2026 | Dion Garrett Sometimes life settles into an ordinary routine. There are neither big victories nor painful tragedies—no roller coasters! If nothing major is happening in our lives, doesn’t that mean that God is not involved either? Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online Giving | https://pathfinderstl.org/give Podcasts | https://pathfinderstl.org/podcasts Fa...

Pathfinder Church | August 9, 2026 | AJ Mastic When we don’t get what we want in life, is that a sign of God's neglect or lack of care? Disappointments are inevitable, but we always have a choice—how we interpret them and fit them into our story. When major pieces of our story don’t go right, derailing our future plans, how can we make sense of it? Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online G...

Pathfinder Church | August 2, 2026 | Doug Mauss Most of us weren’t abandoned as orphans, nor did we spend years in rehab. We’ve lived run-of-the-mill lives, which don’t seem to require divine intervention from God. If we don’t need to be rescued from anything, then what do I need God and/or the church for? Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online Giving | https://pathfinderstl.org/give Podcasts...

Pathfinder Church | July 26, 2026 | AJ Mastic Winter is the season when the landscape is stripped back to reveal the true silhouette of a life. But what is natural and godly can often feel uncomfortable and dehumanizing. How can a season of constant losses be productive, even fruitful? Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online Giving | https://pathfinderstl.org/give Podcasts | https://pathfinders...

Pathfinder Church | July 19, 2026 | Doug Mauss Fall is the season of transition, where the heat of building begins to cool and the colors of a life’s work are fully revealed. In human lives, this is the season of "harvesting" influence and perspective. Our culture often sees this as a time to hoard resources for our "golden" sunset, or conversely, as a time of crisis when we fe...

Pathfinder Church | July 12, 2026 | AJ Mastic Our culture loves summer. The days are long, energy is high, and growth seems limitless. In human lives, summer is the season of building: careers, families, homes, influence, and dreams. To many, summer seems like the apex of living, which means we go full speed ahead and imagine it’ll never end. But what would it mean to live “summer,” not only to th...

Pathfinder Church | July 5 2026 | Doug Mauss By late spring, the world feels alive. Everything is growing fast, strong, showy, and vibrant. In humans, this is the season when roots deepen and our destinies begin taking shape. But what happens when fear and control dominate what’s growing? Or when it’s neglected to fight for itself? Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online Giving | https://pathfi...

Pathfinder Church | June 28, 2026 | AJ Mastic Early spring is full of possibility. Tiny shoots push up from the ground, but it’s still too early to tell exactly what each one will become. Children are like that—full of possibility. With all the possibilities, overwhelm is inevitable. Yet, are there consequences when we steer our children into who we’d like them to be, or tell them they “can be wha...

Pathfinder Church | June 21, 2025 | Dion Garrett What is the Kingdom anyway? The Kingdom of God was Jesus's most talked-about topic, but it looks nothing like the castles, crowns, and conquest we might imagine. It's not a nation-state, a political movement, or even the afterlife — it's something far more personal and immediate. Jesus himself is the Kingdom, and according to Luke 17,...

Pathfinder Church | June 14, 2026 | Doug Mauss It’s good to have a sense of the sacred. Some things are holy and their purity should be maintained. But with too much an emphasis on purity, you end up with constant “moral panics” about the corrupting influence of the world. Too little purity, and human dignity itself becomes trampled in the mud of “anything goes”. How do we find the right balance?...

Pathfinder Church | June 7, 2026 | AJ Mastic We have an innate sense that life should be fair. And certainly, if we have a just God, then he should enforce fairness. But how do we define what’s truly “fair,” considering all possible factors? Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online Giving | https://pathfinderstl.org/give Podcasts | https://pathfinderstl.org/podcasts Facebook | https://facebook.c...

Pathfinder Church | May 31, 2026 | Dion Garrett As a nation, founded on liberty, freedom ranks high(est) in Americans’ values. But how much freedom is a good thing? Can too much freedom cause harm to ourselves and others? Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online Giving | https://pathfinderstl.org/give Podcasts | https://pathfinderstl.org/podcasts Facebook | https://facebook.com/pathfinderstl Ins...

Pathfinder Church | May 24, 2026 | Doug Mauss We all know we should care for others. But how much, exactly? Are someone else’s bad circumstances my problem, or their own fault? Too much care, and we become martyrs. Too little care and we become misers. How do we find the right balance? Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online Giving | https://pathfinderstl.org/give Podcasts | https://pathfinders...

Pathfinder Church | May 17, 2026 | Dion Garrett People being under authority is a gift of God, to establish and maintain order. But what kind of authority is holy, and what level of obedience do Christians owe to unjust authorities? Giving too much power to authorities results in fascism; too little results in anarchy. How can Christians know when to submit to authority and when to hold authority...

Pathfinder Church | May 10, 2026 | AJ Mastic Loyalty is important. It’s what binds groups together. But too much loyalty can lead us to tolerate or excuse immoral behavior from our in-group, while magnifying the flaws of outsiders. At its most extreme, loyalty creates cults. On the other hand, too little loyalty prevents us from forming bonds of safety and trust. It can lead to individualism and s...

Pathfinder Church | May 3, 2026 | Dion Garrett Many of us draw a sense of confidence from looking good. We shop for the right clothes and cosmetics, we perfect our poses and posts, and we collect things of beauty around us. When does it cross a line and become vanity? What if we’re not showing people more of our true beauty, but covering it up? Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online Giving | h...