PODCAST · religion
The Backpack
by Christ Community Church
The Backpack is a podcast from Christ Community Church of Shelbyville, Kentucky. On The Backpack, we want to prepare you for the journey outside, where following Jesus meets real life. In our various segments, you'll find sermons, stories, interviews, and more content that will help strengthen, equip, and encourage you as you walk with Jesus. The journey of faith is full of hills and valleys, twists and turns, and we want to help you navigate them all. So grab your backpack and come join us on the trail.
Episodes
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The Canteen #231 Jesus on Rules
Did Jesus come to toss the rules? In this message from our "Jesus on" series, we look at Matthew 5:17-26 to see what Jesus actually says about the law, and why His answer might surprise both rule-followers and free spirits. The truth? He didn't come to abolish the law. He came to fulfill it.
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The Canteen #230 Jesus On Mission
Are you searching for purpose, or missing the fact that it's already been given to you? In this message from Matthew 5:13-16, we explore Jesus' words on what it means to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Purpose isn't found; it's given by your Maker. Don't hide your light. Let…
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Stories From The Trail #125 Gavin Webster's Story
It started with free dessert. During the pandemic, Gavin Webster showed up to a backyard Bible study for the food and stayed for the faith. From a small Kentucky church to the Marine Corps in California, he led friends to Christ, earned military recognition, and discovered his greatest...
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The Canteen #229 Jesus on Attitude
Eight blessings. One challenge: total loyalty to Christ. The Beatitudes aren't about trying harder; they're about laying down your life and letting Jesus transform you. You are blessed when you have these attitudes because the only way you have them is in Christ.
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The Canteen #228 Return to Holiness
A comeback without a win is just a nice story nobody reads. In the final installment of our series through Ezra, we discover that finishing the comeback God has called us to requires more than rebuilding our circumstances, it requires a return to holiness. Like the Israelites who kept falling…
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The Canteen #227 Received Prayer
In this sermon from Ezra 8, we discover that returning to God's design requires recognizing what's clogging our hearts; sin we've grown numb to, like a dirty air filter slowly shutting down the system. The good news? The gracious hand of God is on all who seek Him. Through reliant prayer and...
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Stories From The Trail #124 Caytie Burgin's Story
Caytie shares her story of finding peace with God through years of battling Crohn's disease - culminating in a near-fatal Easter weekend that landed her in the hospital alone during COVID. A powerful reminder that God shows up in our darkest valleys.
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The Canteen #226 Resolved Courage
Where is God sending you? In this sermon from Ezra 7, we explore how God gives us resolved courage to join Him - not by our own strength, but because Jesus came to us first.
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Stories From The Trail #123 Kaleb Nab's Story
Kaleb Nab shares a powerful story of faith, risk, and God's faithfulness at Christ Community Church. After building a comfortable, safe life in his small hometown of Carrollton, KY, Kaleb felt God calling him to give it all up and step through a new door. What started with a bold Facebook message...
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The Canteen #225 Rekindled Joy
When obedience to God's mission provokes opposition, it's easy to want to quit. But the story of Ezra reminds us that God specializes in transforming enemies into allies, and that's where true joy is found. From the comeback crew rebuilding the temple to a Pearl Harbor pilot turned missionary…
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Stories From The Trail #122 Sherry Allen
When God calls, He provides. Follow Sherry's journey from a 14-year-old girl with a heart for Africa to a nurse on her first medical mission in Uganda, where three nurses treated over 400 patients, witnessed miracles, and fell in love with a community that forever changed their lives.
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The Canteen #224 Renewed Sacrifice
Your best sacrifice will never be enough to complete the comeback, but Jesus already made the greatest sacrifice for the greatest comeback ever.The question is: God, are You getting all of me?
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Stories From The Trail #121 Jordan & Emma's Story
Two graduating seniors, Emma Moreno and Jordan Williams, share how a week at Kentucky Baptist Student Worship Camp shaped their faith and prepared them to lead worship as they head off to WKU together. From forming a band with strangers to performing a worship set days later, they reflect on...
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The Canteen #223 Roused Spirits
When life deports your dreams, through failure, disappointment, or a faith that once felt alive, what does a real comeback look like? In the opening message of The Making of a Comeback, Blake walks us through Ezra 1 and the story of God’s people returning to Jerusalem after years of exile. The…
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Stories From The Trail #120 Community Kids
A 4-year-old stood up and said, 'I have an evil heart,' and it was one of the most profound moments of faith we've ever witnessed. God is working in your kids. Don't miss it.
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The Canteen #222 Living With Joy
In this message from Psalm 32, Pastor Blake explores how God transforms our hidden sin into joy, through the Son who forgives, the Father who protects, and the Spirit who guides. Honest confession, he argues, isn't just good for the soul; it's the path to the joy we were made for.
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The Canteen #221 We Will Wait (Psalm 27)
Waiting is hard. Our culture calls it laziness. Our souls call it rust. But what if waiting on the Lord is actually one of the most powerful things you can do? This week we explored Psalm 27, David's song of courage in the middle of uncertainty, and what it looks like to gaze at God's beauty when...
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Stories From The Trail #119 Sue Ellis
At 82, Sue Ellis shares a lifetime of faith: from a Brooklyn childhood to finding Christ in Kentucky, and the two words God keeps putting on her heart: connection and faithfulness.
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The Canteen #220 Psalm 15
"What if the burnout and stress and anxiety and disappointment, those blah days that you and I experience, are really just a deep, deep longing to experience God?" Feeling burned out? Anxious? Just... off? It might not just be a mental health problem, it could be a spiritual one. This week we…
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Stories From The Trail #118 Chile Trip
Our team just returned from Santiago, Chile, where they led VBS, went on home visits, and witnessed lives changed, including a woman who gave her life to Christ. From breaking language barriers with a translate app to giving away Bibles, God used ordinary people in extraordinary ways. The church...
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Stories From The Trail #117 Chase Youngblood
Chase grew up in the faith, but it took leaving home to make it his own. In this honest conversation, Chase Youngblood shares what it looks like to move from "inherited belief" to genuine, personal faith. From homeschool bubble to public university, from three kids to four, from people-pleasing…
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The Canteen #219 Desires of the Heart
Ever get angry watching corrupt people prosper while you're doing the right thing? You're not alone; David felt it too. In this message from Psalm 37, we explore the four ideas David cycles through again and again: stop fretting over the wicked, look to the future, focus on doing good, and…
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The Canteen #218 Psalm 34
What do you do when life has you hiding in a cave? In this powerful message from our summer series On Repeat, guest speaker Wes Keene opens up about stepping outside his comfort zone, and what happens when we stop keeping God in a box. Drawing from Psalm 34, Wes shares how David, running for his...
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Stories From The Trail #116 Emilio Santellana
Emilio spent years as a fan of Jesus, not a follower. Then his world fell apart, a neighbor refused to give up on him, and everything changed. This is a story about shallow roots, nine no's, and the joy that shows up in your hardest year.
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The Canteen #218 Shining a Light on our Courageous Heart
Have you ever felt trapped between doing what's easy and doing what's right? Or so worn down by grief that hope feels out of reach? In this message, we walk through Psalm 31, and three conditions of the heart David describes; cornered, crushed, and courageous. Each one is an invitation to run...
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Stories From The Trail #115 Crossings Camp 2026
After a week of summer camp, Jordan, Clayton, and Billy share what God showed them; from the power of "boring testimonies" to finding real forgiveness, to a first-time chaperone who showed up expecting vacation and left with a changed perspective on worship. Hear how one week away can shift...
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The Canteen #217 Getting Your Lonely Life Back
We've all been there, crying out to God and feeling like no one's listening. In this powerful message from Psalm 22, we explore how doubt isolates us from God, from ourselves, and from others and how God's presence never actually leaves. Through the story of David, the cross of Jesus, and a...
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The Canteen #216 The Weight and The Way
Suffering isn't something to ignore, fix with Band-Aids, or carry alone. In this week's message from Psalm 39, Pastor Kenny walks us through two problems every one of us faces; the weight of living in a broken world and the burden of unrepentant sin and shows us how David moved from muzzled pain…
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The Canteen #215 - Taking Refuge in the King
In this week's sermon, Pastor Blake continues our summer Psalms series On Repeat by examining Psalm 2 - how we often rage for control in our lives, and how true peace can only be found by giving up that struggle and taking refuge in the rule of the King.
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The Canteen #214 - Enjoying God's Way
As we kick off a new summer series in the first book of Psalms called On Repeat, Pastor Blake examines Psalm 1 - what it looks like to be deeply rooted in God's word, how his truth nourishes us, and why finding joy comes from living his way rather than pursuing our own ideas and ideals.
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The Canteen #213 More Than A Moment
"Salvation is free, but discipleship will cost you your life. The Jesus who saves you is the same Jesus standing outside the gate saying, 'Come and follow me.'" This Sunday, Pastor Kenny delivered a powerful message from Hebrews 13, "Go Outside the Gate." Using the story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer…
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Stories From The Trail #114 Alex Hagan
"If we don't go, how are they supposed to know we love them?" Alex, a cattle vet in Kentucky, lives out his faith one farm visit at a time, building genuine relationships with clients, listening to sermons on long drives, and showing up with joy. He's about to head to New Mexico to serve the Zuni...
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The Canteen #212 We Are His Global Church
"God faithfully strengthens the victorious local church by sending them to the global one." In the final chapter of 1 Corinthians, Pastor Blake reminds us that God's plan to strengthen the local church runs straight through the global one. After 15 chapters addressing division, conflict, and…
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Stories From The Trail #113 John Weinold's Story
"We are not going to be someone's hero. We are there to show them who our hero is."- John WeinoldJohn recently was part of a team that went to Eastern Kentucky to serve with God's Appalachian project, a partner of ours who ministers in the eastern part of this state. John reflects on why he said...
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The Canteen #211 We Are His Builders
This week we continue on in our series called We Are His.We're studying First Corinthians, and this week we find ourselves in chapter fourteen. Pastor Blake takes a look at this chapter and examines the gift of tongues. What does it mean to speak in tongues and what does it look like if we're…
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Daniel Bright & Derek Page's Story
Yesterday’s story featured Daniel Bright and Derek Page sharing from their recent vision trip to Chile. Their message reminded us that the global church is alive, vibrant, and hungry to partner in the gospel. They described small congregations with enormous faith, pastors serving tirelessly,...
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The Canteen #210 We Are His Champions
Jesus gives you complete victory - victory spiritually, emotionally, physically, and even over death." This week we continue on in our series called "We Are His." We're studying First Corinthians and this week Pastor Blake looks at the second half of chapter 15 as we consider what it looks like…
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Stories From The Trail #112 Greece
The world is a lot smaller the more you say yes to going."- Megan Mattingly So often during our Sunday worship, we feature people telling stories of how they came to know Jesus and what it's looked like as they followed him day by day. This week we got to hear from our recently returned Greece...
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The Canteen #209 Holding Onto Hope
"The gospel invites you to hold on to the only hope that's actually holding on to you." We celebrated Easter weekend at Christ Community, and we're thankful for the many who came out and joined us as we continued on in first Corinthians looking at chapter 15 and Paul's discussion of why the...
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Stories From The Trail #111 Kolt Bitzer
" Keep pushing, but let God lead, gonna open the doors that are right." This week DJ had the opportunity to sit down with Kolt Bitzer. Kolt was baptized last year at Christ's community, and he sat down to talk about what it was like growing up, believing in God, but not being serious about…
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The Canteen #208 We Are His Body (Part 2)
This week we continue on in our series called We Are His A study of First Corinthians.Pastor Blake opens up chapter 13 of First Corinthians, and we look at how exercising our spiritual gifts in the church means nothing if those gifts are not. Exercised in love. So, let's listen in as he explains...
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Stories From The Trail #110 Dave Sullivan's Story
This week we got to hear from Christ's community member Dave Sullivan. Dave has been a part of Sparrow mission and their work in Honduras, and recently Sparrow started doing work in Thailand.So, Dave shared with us about his recent trip to Thailand and the opportunities to join Jesus in working...
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The Canteen #207 We Are His Body (part 1)
This week we continue in our study of First Corinthians called "We Are His."We're in chapter 12 this week. Pastor Blake opens up the text and explores the idea of spiritual gifts and how God gives them to his people to strengthen the church for the work that he's given to it. So, let's listen in…
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Stories From The Trail #109 Selina Goodlett's Story
So often during our regular worship gatherings, we feature people from the congregation telling their story of faith in Jesus and what he's currently doing in their lives today. This week we get to hear from Selina Goodlett. Selina is one of our students, and student pastor Kenny Mattingly sat…
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The Canteen #206 We Are His Together
This week we continue on in our series, "We Are His," a study of first Corinthians. We're in chapter 11 this week, and we look at how taking the Lord's Supper shows that we are his together, and we see how this act reminds us why we gather together as the church in the first place.
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The Canteen #205 We Are His Creation
This week as we continue on in our series, in first Corinthians entitled "We Are His," Pastor Blake,opens up the first half of chapter 11, and we look at how the controversy in Corinth surrounding women and head coverings actually has something to teach us about submission in a world that...
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The Canteen #203 We Are His Messengers
This week we continue on in our study of first Corinthians called "We are His." We're in chapter nine this week and Pastor Blake opens up the text to look at our role as God's messengers and how that causes us to focus on the message we carry and the Lord who has called us to carry it. So, let's...
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The Canteen #204 We Are His Imitators
This Sunday we continued on in our study of First Corinthians entitled "We Are His." Pastor Blake opened up chapter 10. We looked through Paul's admonition to do everything we do to the glory of God and consider how his instruction to the Corinthians to imitate him as he imitates Christ lays down…
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Stories From The Trail #108 Ashley Murphy
This week we got to hear from Christ community member Ashley Murphy. Ashley went. Through a traumatic car wreck back in the fall, and we have seen God's grace to her in extraordinary ways in preserving her life and healing her in her recovery. So she sat down with friend and pastor Elder Jeff...
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Stories From The Trail #107 Jennifer Seaton
Jennifer Seaton serves on our worship team at Christ Community, but recently she’s also stepped into student ministry, helping build a worship culture among the next generation. DJ sat down with her on Sunday and asked what she’s seen the Lord doing as she invests in students through music, and...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The Backpack is a podcast from Christ Community Church of Shelbyville, Kentucky. On The Backpack, we want to prepare you for the journey outside, where following Jesus meets real life. In our various segments, you'll find sermons, stories, interviews, and more content that will help strengthen, equip, and encourage you as you walk with Jesus. The journey of faith is full of hills and valleys, twists and turns, and we want to help you navigate them all. So grab your backpack and come join us on the trail.
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Christ Community Church
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Backpack have?
The Backpack currently has 385 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Backpack about?
The Backpack is a podcast from Christ Community Church of Shelbyville, Kentucky. On The Backpack, we want to prepare you for the journey outside, where following Jesus meets real life. In our various segments, you'll find sermons, stories, interviews, and more content that will help strengthen,...
How often does The Backpack release new episodes?
The Backpack publishes regularly with 385 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to The Backpack?
You can listen to The Backpack on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Backpack?
The Backpack is created and hosted by Christ Community Church.
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