Pathways Church Blog

Thinking about prayer; I turn first to frogs.

My boys love frogs. (What is it about boys and frogs, anyway?) One of my favorite memories is of Kyle and Joshua when they were 4 and 2. We drove into a driveway that was full of HUGE frogs. They couldn’t get after the frogs fast enough. This way, that way, into the bushes. (The picture above is not of my son or our frogs that day, but you get the idea). Now, we don’t have frogs of that girth in our backyard, but we find them regularly all the same. In fact, we have a plastic cage that has pretty much been devoted to the holding of my sons conquests for a period of time until they are released back into the wild. According to my boys, frogs are fun.

We’re talking about prayer? (Hang with me)

Absent of prayer, this might be an accurate picture of God and His creation. God would have his “science experiment” and would be working toward it’s best interests, but we would simply be existing in the midst of whatever environment that God placed us in. Waiting for our release (so to speak).

However, God has offered to you and I an invitation to participate with Him in invading the world with His redemptive heart and passion. Not only are we created “in His image”, but we are co-conspirators in God’s great plan. It’s not simply that we get to “do”, but that we also get to “share” with God. Prayer is an invitation for us to offer our hearts to God and for Him to offer His back to us.

When you think of prayer, what comes to your mind? Share it with the rest of the community here.

Does this picture represent the heart of worship? Is worship a song? Is worship only for those who are musically inclined? What is worship and how is a church to be shaped by it?
Maybe the Apostle Paul gives us a bit of clue when he talks about worship here. I have a passion to see our Pathways community transformed by a culture of worship and of worship and of worship and of worship.

Got any other pictures for me?

Just last week, my oldest son, who is 14, came running into my room to give me the big news – he had gained 10 pounds since the last time he had weighed himself. Do you remember the last time you celebrated 10 pounds? That is a distant memory for me. We tend to be passionate about growth when we are young. It’s exciting. It opens new doors of opportunity for you. Then…growing gets old. We take it for granted. We grow in ways we are no longer comfortable with.

Growth is a part of life. Jesus often referred to our lives as seeds, bushes and vines. Seeds have to die. Bushes have to be pruned. Branches must stay connected to the vine to survive. These are all illustrations of what it looks like for us, as individuals to grow and continue to grow in our lives.

There is a truth about growth for us corporately as well. The essence of the community of followers of Jesus is that we are to stay focused on Him and His mission. As soon as we begin to look inward and focus on ourselves, rather than the needs of a lost world, we have lost what God intended for us.

Seeds. Bushes. Vines.

Ever feel like you were looking at yourself through a broken lens? You want to see yourself as God sees you, but all you see is your own brokenness? Healing is found in discovering the truth of what God feels and believes about us rather than what others or our own experiences have taught us. This weekend we are going to confront some of the lies that we have believed about ourselves and embrace God’s truth.

“…and the truth will set you free.”

Here is a link to the software that Dean referred to in his teaching from Sunday.

www.x3watch.com

I’m sure that most of us understand the term, “The elephant in the room.” It refers to the big issue that exists but nobody wants to talk about. Most of the time we ignore the elephants hoping they will go away. Others walk into the room and want to know why nobody is acknowledging the elephant. We tell them we don’t know what they are talking about…but deep inside…we know. Families have elephants. Churches have elephants. My prayer for Pathways is that we would never be a community that ignores our elephants. It stunts spiritual growth.

One of the elephants that has affected the church for a long time is that of pornography. Nobody wants to admit that it exists within Christian homes or acknowledge it’s influence in our families. If we want to get serious about our pursuit of God’s heart and return to His intent for sexuality…we have to talk about pornography.

There is a ministry out there that is talking about it quite a bit. XXXChurch was started by Criag Gross and Mike Foster several years ago to address the growing issue that was affecting men and women within the church. The ministry has since taken off and begun reaching out to the people involved in the porn industry – even helping them to get back home, start their education and get jobs. What XXXChurch is helping people to realize is that behind every photo/video/camera there is a real person with a real story and real hurts and pains that have led them to an involvement in this industry. They are the Imago Dei and understanding that is the first step to beating porn in our own lives and in culture in which we live.

We have the most amazing group of students in our church community! They are guided by an equally amazing group of volunteer leaders. We recently uploaded some pictures of different events that they have been on in the past.

You can check them out HERE.

This past Sunday, Resonate Church in Bonney Lake, WA held it’s first service. Pathways, you were a part of making that happen! I am so proud of your Kingdom hearts and the way that you give toward God’s work in ways that we will never taste the fruit ourselves – but those in Bonney Lake will be blessed by your gifts. I pray that God will continue to teach us and shape us into a community known for its generosity.

Here is an email I recieved from Scott Hatfield that I wanted to pass along to all of you:

Dean & Pathways Church,
Thank you all so much for your generosity, prayers, and thoughts that have been poured into Resonate. The gifts that you all sent were truly a blessing. This is all stuff that we need and will be using. We are so thankful that God provided us with a church like you all that can support and pray and partner with. We love you all.

The launch Sunday was incredible! The energy was high, the atmosphere was inviting, and people truly got a glimpse of the heartbeat of Resonate. If anyone had any complaints, it was that we had too much energy! It was awesome. 236 people walked through our doors. God is so good! We pray that we will be good stewards of the people that God brings our way! Thanks for your love, support and your partnership as we work together in doing the will of our God.

We love you all so much and can’t express our gratitude for your belief in us! We pray God’s blessing on Pathways! Let’s lock arms together and let’s the gospel infuse itself into our lives and our churches and as we make Him known to our part of the world!

Love, grace & blessings,

Scott