The Backpack

Brady and Ashlyn Wright share their powerful story; from combat in Iraq and the struggles that followed, to a life-changing moment with Brady's grandmother, to founding Fire Mission Ministries right here in Shelbyville. They're building a 30-bed housing program for homeless veterans. Watch their full story and learn how you can get involved.

When we're most worried about what others see in the light, our inner lives are almost always dark. Jesus gives us four habits, giving, prayer, fasting, and simplicity, that guard our hearts from performing for the world and anchor us in a walk with God that's real.

What does it mean to really love your neighbor? In this sermon from Matthew 5, we explore three snapshots of a church that loves its community well: honesty that runs deeper than words, a willingness to go the second mile, and a commitment to perfect love, even for those who don't deserve it. Because Jesus did all three, perfectly, for us.

Ten people. One week in Eastern Kentucky. Countless lives changed. Over fall break, our team served at GAP in McDowell, KY, distributing food, running fall festivals for kids, visiting senior centers, and sharing the gospel. From a 72-year-old woman hearing John 3:16 for the first time to kids asking, "Who is Jesus?" this trip reminded us that the biggest mission field might be just two...

"I felt like a fraud." After leaning hard into God through cancer, Abby expected to feel close to Him forever. Instead, normal life set in, and the fire went out. What God did next is a reminder that He's not done with you, even when you're not sure He's still speaking.

What does Jesus say about marriage? This sermon from Matthew 5 exposes two lies we believe: that sex deserves to be worshiped, and that a spouse can fulfill us completely, and reveals the freeing truth: Jesus loves you more than your spouse ever could, and He loves your spouse more than you ever will. A message for every stage of life: single, married, divorced, or widowed.

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.

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 it shine.

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 accomplishment wasn't a promotion; it was pointing others to Jesus. Now back home, engaged, and mentoring hig...

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.

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 back into the same patterns of unfaithfulness, we too can sabotage our comeback before it's complete....

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 fasting, we can humble ourselves, purify our faith, and place our hearts back in God's hand...

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.

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.

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 to a girl named Meika, led to a whirlwind three-month engagement, a wedding, and a cross-state mov...

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, this sermon traces how God changes hearts, rekindles joy through obedience, and calls us back...

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.

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?

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 community, calling, and stepping into their next chapter with the Lord at the center.

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 big idea is simple and hope-filled: God’s plans to deliver you were made long before your dreams were dep...

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.

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.

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 fear tempts us to flinch. From the patience of the blue heron to the 52-year prayers of George...

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.

"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 dove into Psalm 15 and discovered that our deepest longing isn't for rest or relief, it'...