Trailhead Community Church: Sermon Podcast: Recent Episodes
Trailhead Community Church
Welcome to the Trailhead Community Church Sermon Podcast! Trailhead Community Church is a non-denominational family of Christ-followers that is here to show God’s love and to bring the Good News of Jesus in word and in action within our community and beyond.
No matter how good life with God can be, many threats remain that can spoil it. The conclusion of Joshua provides needed cautions to help us stay vigilant and protect the blessings we’ve been given.
What are you hoping for? Waiting is hard, but God’s promises are rock solid. Gain some encouragement from the story of Caleb in Josh. 14.
Our lives are full of decisions. If we fail to truly seek God’s guidance in important decisions, we may easily be deceived by our misperceptions and miss out on blessings intended for us. Yet, God is gracious and will work out his good plans even when we mess up.
It’s easy to get lulled to sleep spiritually. A sure sign is when we get sloppy and inconsistent in our obedience to God, often putting our desires above his commands. But that spells trouble, and the best and most lasting blessings can only be received through a fully surrendered heart.
If you are chasing the life you hope for and God is an afterthought, you’ve got it backwards. Start with your consecration to him and see how life falls into place.
It’s easy to get stuck in a holding pattern before you’ve reached the full expression of the life God is inviting you into. Joshua 3 illustrates how the future belongs to those who are willing to take a step forward by faith.
“Maybe I’m not enough.” If you wonder whether the life of blessing and purpose that Jesus offers is realistically meant for you—or if you are quick to write people off who don’t seem to fit the bill—Rahab’s story is eye-opening.
The path ahead into the life God wants for you isn’t easy. It will feel daunting and even overwhelming at times. To take hold of the opportunities before you will require a strong supply of courage and inner strength. You and I can find your courage the same way that Joshua did.
As we explore the essence of true worship, Pastor Chris Workman speaks from Scripture about the holistic nature of worship. From this message you’ll gain insight into how you can engage all of you in loving and honoring God, adding even more positive impact to your worship!
Your perspective of worship will make all the difference in the world as to how you approach and experience it. In this message, learn about some of the common misconceptions surrounding worship and discover what it’s truly all about.
Everyone worships something, and what we worship shapes our lives and character far more than we realize. In this message by Al Forthman, we learn more about this pivotal reason for worshiping a loving and holy God.
The Scriptures warn us of a reality we’re uncomfortable with—that we’re the targets of unseen spiritual forces of evil. Learn more about how they come at us and the power of Jesus to break us free.
The world, though beautiful in many ways, is filled with threats of all kinds. God promises his protective love and will miraculously come to our aid if we ask him. In this message, Pastor Chris Workman discusses the nuances of what that means and shares encouraging insights that will give you courage.
Most of us know the stress of times when we worry about how we will come up with the resources we need. Yet the Scriptures reveal that our God is more than able and eager to provide. Discover the principle that may open the way for the miracle you need.
Health problems can leave us feeling hopeless and helpless. But faith in God makes the impossible possible. If you or someone you know needs a miracle of healing, this message is for you.
The lasting impact of our lives is measured in how we touch the lives of others. We will build a rich legacy, indeed, if we will only follow Jesus faithfully until God calls us home.
If you’re like many American believers, you may feel that church is supplementary to your life. But what if it’s actually something so much more? In this message, discover Jesus’ crucial plan for us to learn to follow him in community.
As we follow Jesus, he directs us into our new life’s mission. When we accept our mission and understand how to best go about it, God will do amazing things through us to change lives and, ultimately, the world.
All the decisions we make, both large and small, add up to make us who we are. To experience the truly good life under his leadership, we must commit to follow Jesus one obedient choice at a time.
Following Jesus as his disciple is about a continuous journey of inner heart-change by the work of the Holy Spirit, resulting in a noticeably beautiful life…and you have a part to play.
True discipleship is costly. It isn’t always easy or comfortable. Following Jesus requires nothing short of dying to our self. Yet this is the path to become fully alive
Jesus came and called us not only to forgive our sins, but to show us a better way to live. In this message you will hear his call to you and be challenged to jump at his invitation.
Though sometimes overlooked, Jesus’ Ascension is of vital importance to our faith and to the mission that Jesus accomplished. Among its huge implications is that glory lies on the other side of suffering. Take in this final climactic scene of his life and be inspired!
There’s nothing worse than losing hope. Revisit the scenes surrounding Jesus’ resurrection to discover how history’s climactic event brings hope to all who believe.
The crucifixion of Jesus, as dark as it was, shone a spotlight on how Jesus loved sinners to his dying breath.
Doubts and questions are a normal part of forming faith. But there is a right way and several wrong ways to go about addressing them. Discover what you can learn from the pivotal trials of Jesus.
There’s nothing worse than betrayal, and Jesus has been there. If we don’t guard our hearts and stay devoted to prayer, even the closest disciples can betray our Savior.
Come to the garden with Jesus where he fought his hardest battle in prayer. Learn from the best how to win your own battles through the surprising strategy of surrendering to God’s will.
Revisiting this famous scene, we gain insight into how Jesus fulfilled the Passover and initiated the first Communion.
While we often miss it, Jesus portrays the true heart of our Father, calling us home to become his true sons and daughters.
While most of us relate to the rebellious son who was lost and came home, it is the older brother who may more closely reflect our own hearts. We can be dutiful, religious and far from our Father’s heart.
Regardless of what else we try, we won’t find a deep peace until we know that we’re in God’s will doing the right things and fulfilling our purpose.
Week 7: Regardless of what else we try, we won’t find a deep peace until we know that we’re in God’s will doing the right things and fulfilling our purpose.
Week 6: To consistently experience the peace of God requires retraining our minds to dwell on all that is right in the world and in the people around us. Learn about this life-changing practice from Philippians 4:8.
Week 5: While anxiety comes from fixating on what’s wrong, the discipline of noticing and expressing thanks for God’s loving care in your life is a powerful catalyst of inner peace.
Week 4: Anxiety and worry can become a vicious cycle. The Scriptures teach us how to address its spiritual aspects and find peace through the practice of prayer.
Week 3: One of the biggest catalysts to having peace within is being gentle with the people around us so that our relationships are healthy and whole. Learn more about how to do that through this message by guest speaker and pastor Derek Koone.
Week 2: No matter what stressors we’re facing, we always can find peace through celebrating who God is and what he means to us. Worship is a cure for worry.
Week 1: Even when trouble is around us, we must not let it get in our hearts. The peace of God is ours as we learn to rest in Jesus’ comforting presence.
If this year is going to be what we hope, we will need God‘s favor, blessing and protection. Learn how to utilize these ancient spiritual practices to lay a solid foundation for the year ahead.
Week 5: Have you ever thought about how important truth really is? In this message from the Gospel of John, we see just how precious this gift is that Jesus has brought us.
Week 4: Of all the gifts God has given us, none is more impactful and far-reaching than his grace. Yet, its power is even greater than we realize when it truly takes root within us.
Week 3: While this topic tends to be neglected, we overwhelmingly see the awesome glory of God in Jesus’s arrival into this world, as well as anticipate what we will yet witness of it upon his return!
Week 2: The future often seems bleak, but Jesus’ coming has brought a profound hope that pieces through the darkness and cannot be extinguished.
Week 4: Whether trying to live life on our own terms, control the outcomes, or even simply overestimating our understanding of how time’s should go, playing God causes us to miss the wonder of the true God.
Week 3: While we must all make some judgements in life, a hyper-judgmental spirit is both a burden to us and a detriment to others. Jesus shows us the way to judge people less and love them more.
Week 2: If you’ve been sweating on the religious treadmill feeling like your efforts are never enough to please God, you’re not alone. It’s time to lay that burden down and discover the freedom of trusting God’s grace.
Week 1: While religion tends to make pretenders who wear masks to appear better than we are, a real relationship with God is built on authenticity. In this message, we examine the motivations behind our tendency to hide our true selves, and the freedom found when we drop our masks.
Week 4: If the Bible is the Word of God, then our posture towards it and handling of it becomes vitally important. Most people get this wrong, but the right approach produces beautiful results.
Week 3: Many people question whether we be sure that the text of our modern Bibles is even true to the original documents. In this well-researched message, Pastor Chris Workman lays out the process by which the Bible has come down to us and explains why we can have confidence in the integrity of the text.
Week 2: If we look to Jesus as our role model, we would do well to carefully investigate how Jesus himself viewed the scriptures and to adopt his perspective. Pastor Chris Workman makes a strong case that if we reverence Jesus, we must respect the Bible.
Week 1: Is the Bible the Word of God? - To answer this important question, Pastor Chris Workman presents an overview of key pieces of objective evidence supporting the case for the Bible.
Week 7: It’s easy to start something. What’s hard is finishing. Yet this is a vital quality to develop if we are to attain the kind of life we hope for. This message will encourage you if you feel like quitting.
Week 6: Our fears and our aspirations both drive us to accumulate more and more, while Jesus teaches us that openhanded generosity sets us free to find contentment and the deeper joy of investing in the good of others.
Week 5: In a world of broken promises and easily discarded commitments, rewarding the trust that God and others put in us is essential to the kind of life and future we aspire to.
Week 4: Being consistent with the healthy practices we need most in life isn’t easy, but it is crucial to long-term growth. Need some motivation?
Week 3: No matter how devoted we are, we tend to overestimate our willpower. Temptation is coming, and if we don’t want to fall we must decide to be expecting it and prepared to resist. In this message, we learn how.
Week 2: It’s one thing to be religious and another to be devoted to Jesus Christ. In this message, we’re given a picture of devotion and how that decision clarifies so many other important decisions we must make in our pursuit of a fulfilling life.
Week 1: The way to a better life is through making better decisions. The Scriptures teach us how to overcome decision fatigue, decision paralysis, and the trap of making emotional decisions.
Week 9: Romans 8:37 assures us that in Christ we are “more than conquerors”! But before victory comes struggle. We must develop the mental toughness needed to take on whatever life dishes out.
Week 8: Maybe you struggle to accept that God has forgiven you, or to forgive yourself. Hebrews 8:12 assures us that because God’s forgiveness is complete, we can rest secure in his mercy.
Week 7: There’s nothing quite so precious or elusive as a deep, inner peace, especially when things are going wrong. Yet God offers us this amazing gift of peace as we learn to take our worries to him. Listen to this encouraging teaching from Pastor Chris Workman from Philippians 4:6-7.
Week 6: How should we balance all the competing priorities in our lives? In Matthew 6:33, Jesus teaches that when we put God first, everything else will become aligned with our highest purpose.
Week 5: Either a performance-based faith or sloppy living will trap us in a form of bondage. As Galatians 5:1 teaches, only believing the true gospel of Jesus Christ will set us free.
Week 4: The most important question we must answer in life is who do I trust? When life is confusing and overwhelming is when we are most likely to realize that trusting God is our best option. No wonder Proverbs 3:5-6 has become a life verse for so many people.
Week 3: Jeremiah 29:11 is a favorite verse for millions, recording God’s promise that he is working out his good plan for his people. Pastor Chris speaks to this encouraging promise and the hard questions it raises.
Week 2: God tends to do his best work through relationships. He has a mission and he invites us to join him in helping others look like Jesus.
Week 1: The church is, and always has been God’s Plan A to right the wrongs of this world. His wisdom is shown through us, living for him so others can see his glory.
Week 4: In the intriguing parable of the generous employer, we’re challenged to consider whether we want a God who is gracious or one who is fair. God will generously reward us according to how faithful we’ve been with our opportunities.
Week 3: If God is in reigning and in control, why is the world in the shape it’s in? Jesus told a parable to help us understand and to know how we should respond in a world where good and evil exist side by side.
Week 2: While we want big growth fast, we must remember that big things often come from small beginnings.
Week 1: Our ability to unlock the secrets of the kingdom of God and participate in it comes down to the condition of our hearts. In this message, we’re challenged to consider how we are hearing the word of God and the place we are giving it in our lives.
Week 5: To win our battles, we need a winning mindset. Learn how to actively exercise the authority given you by Jesus Christ to overcome all the power of the evil one in your life.
Week 4: An often under-utilized weapon in our spiritual arsenal to demolish the strongholds in our lives is the supportive accountability of other Christ-followers. Learn how relationships can be leveraged to help us win our battles.
Week 2: When you feel like you can’t stop yourself from doing what you know needs to change, you’ve identified a spiritual stronghold. Let God teach you how to demolish it using the weapon of prayer!
Week 1: It’s easy to get down on ourselves when we struggle with being the person we want to be. It isn’t just a matter of our own weakness; we are also under spiritual attack. The first step to overcoming is recognizing the spiritual war we’re caught up in and seeking God’s protection.
History’s Greatest Mystery - From persecuted Jewish sect to the official religion of the Roman Empire to worldwide religion, the spread of Christianity is truly inexplicable aside from one shocking historical event—the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Jesus’s actions at the beginning of Holy Week included cursing a fig tree and causing a scene at the Temple. While these events can be confusing, they powerfully communicated the end of an era and the dawning of a new one in God’s dealings with humanity.
Week 5: Our idolizing of love and marriage leaves singles feeling incomplete and married people disappointed. The Scriptures point us to the one primary love we were each created for.
Week 4: How can we keep our love alive and growing for a lifetime instead of slipping down the path to isolation? In this message, we discover God’s wisdom for building a love that lasts.
Week 2: What if you could be married to the same person for life, and it wasn’t long enough? In this message we debunk some of the widespread beliefs about marriage and what makes love last and revisit God’s plan and purpose.
Week 1: Love is deeply misunderstood in American culture. While we search for love, we need a clearer image of what it actually is. For only real love lasts.
Week 6: Through Conversion: What your life has mainly been about so far may not be what you were actually created for. Our life purpose may be revealed when God upends our world and changes our mind.
Week 5: Through Desire - The life of Isaiah shows us that even the most ordinary person with a real desire to be used by God can leave a remarkable legacy. That desire comes from personally encountering the holy God and experiencing his grace.
Week 4:Through Position - God may have placed you in the very position you have in order to use you in a special way. We can learn much about this from the life of Queen Esther.
Week 3: Through Conviction - In the story of David we see how the person God calls to rise is often not the best positioned, but the person who simply cares more.
Week 2: Through Necessity - Sometimes the glaring need you see that is no one else is stepping up to fill is God‘s way of calling you to your purpose.
Week 1: God has a unique calling for each of us to impact our world for good. In today’s message we see how our call to action, and perhaps the greater purpose of our life, may come through crisis—and how we can answer that call.
Week 5: Happy New Year! We hope you have had a wonder holiday season! This week we Wrap up our Christmas Series: Where is the King. Thank you for joining on the journey.
Week 4: We want to wish you a very Merry Christmas from Crosstrail Community Church! Thank you for joining us as we continue our Christmas Series: Where is the King?
Week 3: The world’s animosity toward Jesus feels like it’s on the rise, but it has always been present. In this message regarding King Herod, we’ll consider why that is and why we should instead embrace Jesus and his way of peace.
Week 2: In the narrative of the quest of the Magi to find the newborn King of Kings, we find encouraging insight for anyone who is struggling to believe.
Week 1: This series traces Jesus as the newborn King through the gospel story answering the Magi’s question “Where is the King?” In this way, Mathew introduces us to the kind of King he is. In this first message, Pastor Chris Workman challenges us to consider what it means to us that the King is Present With Us and offers a practical way to become more mindful of him.
If we’re going to help others find their way to faith in Jesus, our character is vitally important. In this message, Skip Vaccerello describes two particular qualities that make all the difference.
While each follower of Jesus has been appointed as an ambassador for Christ to the lost people around us, the cultural walls we face loom high and imposing. Faith is needed, and it is so empowering.
Week 7: While we will suffer losses and pain in this life, they do not have to be our defining moments. God is about restoration and renewal and we can find great hope in him.
Week 6: When we’re hurt and confused, we long for answers from God. But what if answers aren’t what we actually need? God wants to meet us in the middle of our brokenness.
Week 5:In this message, Pastor Chris Workman examines Job’s famous declaration “I know that my redeemer lives!” We all need someone who can stand between us and God. And Jesus is the only one qualified.
Week 4: Getting hit hard enough by painful experiences can turn God into an enigma for even the most devoted believer. How should we respond when we’re disappointed, angry and frustrated with God?
Week 5: In our struggles and pain, not only do we have a glorious future to look forward to, but we have God’s help in the present. Listen in to to hear about the ways that you can experience his help in the middle of your problems.
Week 4: Why do we have to go through so much pain in this life? And what is God planning to do about it? Listen to what the Apostle Paul tells us about our present suffering and future glorification.
Week 3: “Since we are God’s children, we are his rightful heirs." Learn about how we who have faith in Jesus have been adopted by God, and what that means for our future, in this week's message from Pastor Chris.
Week 2: Jesus came not only to save us from sin’s condemnation, but also to free us from its domination over our fallen human nature. A new sheriff has moved into our lives to clean it up, and he’s known as the Holy Spirit.
Week 1: The essential message of Christianity is that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. What does that mean, and how does it change everything? This first message of the New Life Now series explores the amazing news announced in Romans 8:1.
Week 8: In this episode we wrap up our study of different Psalms throughout the summer. Guest speaker Melanie Irizarry goes over Psalm, 118 and shares with us the importance of gratitude.
Week 6: When all seems lost and God feels nowhere to found, Psalm 22 reminds us that reality is often not what it seems. Dark nights of the soul feel devastating, but hope can yet be found in God.
Week 5: We have an innate longing for home, which we spend our lives trying to find. Yet, while family is so important, home in the fullest and truest sense can only be found in God and in our future forever home. Let’s think about home together from Psalm 84.
Week 4: Are you weary from the heavy load you're carrying around? Wouldn't it be nice to lay it down? But who could you entrust it to? You've heard the twenty-third Psalm before, but maybe God wants to speak to your heart in a fresh way today through this inspired poem and invite you to a place of renewal deep down at your core.
Week 3: Special Guest Speaker Bill Finley guides through Psalm 51 to find Soul Healing and Hope
Week 2: Thank You for joining us as we continue our study of Psalms throughout the summer!
Week 3: While the words that we speak have tremendous power, that power can be misused to cause immense destruction. How often do we regret something we said? In this message we consider the implications of the hurtful things we say and find help from God to stop the vicious cycle.
Week 2: While we tend to focus on what not to say, we have the power to speak life into people’s hearts and to heal wounds with our words. It’s vital for parents and important for all of us to utilize this God-given power every day.
Week 1: When we think about the course we hope our lives take, rarely do we consider the power of our words. Listen to this message about how our words shape our world either for good or bad.
We sometimes find ourselves in a season in which we are physically, emotionally and spiritually depleted. Burnout is a symptom of discouragement, and God wants to refresh and refuel us.
Week 5: Addiction comes in various forms, but it always wrecks your life. As powerful as it is, Jesus is the Higher Power who can free you from its chains.
Week 4: Temptation is always right around the corner waiting to lure us into a trap. But we don’t have to be victims. There are three beliefs and a three-part process that are key to defeating temptation, which Pastor Chris Workman unpacks in this message.
Week 3: Anger is an inevitable emotion, but how we handle it makes a huge difference in our life outcomes. We tend to handle it poorly, but through God’s help and guidance we can free ourselves from the tyranny of anger.
Loneliness can be as crippling as it is common. But Jesus doesn’t leave us to do life alone. Learn how to overcome loneliness through the God’s presence and the guidance given the Apostle Paul.
In this message, Pastor Chris Workman examines two contrasting biblical pictures of the kind of King that Jesus is and draws important applications.
Week 7: Faith proves to be the key to victory in the challenges and opportunities of life. It generates the power that enables you to take them on with courage.
Guest speaker Skip Vaccarello paints a broad-stroke picture of what Scripture says about Heaven that should give us an eternal perspective as we journey towards it.
Pastor Chris Workman discusses how faith gives you a singular focus on what is of greatest worth and enables you to get through the obstacles in your way.
Week 5: Faith gives us the vision to look beyond our own lifetime and invest in the future of the next generation.
Week 4: From the lives of Abraham and Sarah and their family, we find that faith enables us to look beyond what seems possible to what God has promised, and to make our choices in anticipation of the fulfillment.
100 Promises of God: https://www.openbible.info/topics/gods_promises
Week 3: From the life of Noah, we learn that faith prompts us to choose God over the world and to take righteousness seriously on our way to a new and better future.
Week 2: In this message, the lives of Abel and Enoch are highlighted as examples of how faith is the material that makes us into people who please God.
Week 1: Faith in the true God opens up the world of unseen realities and possibilities, fueling a confident hope in the future.
It’s sometimes confusing how a believer who is passionate about Jesus should engage with the larger community in which they live. This message will give you valuable guidance in bringing your spiritual fire into the public sphere.
Week 4: When we bring a fire for Jesus into his church, beautiful things happen. The church fulfills its role to carry the hope of the world.
Week 3 : If you feel unsatisfied and frustrated on the job, Jesus will bring new purpose and perspective to your work. Learn how to have a fire for God at work.
What does it look like to be on fire for Jesus at home, and how does he change the dynamics of the relationships there? This message by Pastor Chris will inspire and challenge you with practical insights into building a spiritual home fire.
Week 1: How hot or cold is your fire for the Lord? In this message, Pastor Chris challenges us to feed our fire in order to have a satisfying and impactful relationship with God.
Maybe the most surprising thing about God becoming flesh is that there is a sense in which he intends for us to participate in his Incarnation today. In this message Pastor Chris Workman speaks of the wonder of how Christ can be formed in you.
What can we learn from the event of Christ’s birth and the song Silent Night about how to experience peace in a chaotic world?
In Jesus, God placed himself within the confines of a human body and experienced the human condition as one of us. He understands, and he’s here to help.
The Incarnation is about how God became flesh in Jesus Christ. To become a servant to humanity, he emptied himself of his glory and self-interests, modeling the way of self-denial for us.
When a relationship is wounded or broken, once we’ve done the hard work of forgiving and asking forgiveness, the norm should be to move towards reconciliation.
Week 2: When a relationship is wounded or broken, instead of trying to fix the other person using the ineffective strategies that we typically resort to, Jesus teaches us to begin with ourselves.
Week 4: What images and feelings does calling God “Father”evoke for you? Are they positive or negative? In this message we acknowledge some of our hangups and learn to see God for the kind of Father he truly is.
Week 3: Jesus claimed to be Yahweh in the flesh, the God who comes and walks beside us to save and deliver us.
God’s personal name reveals him as the relational God who saves us and satisfies our deepest needs.
Week1: The ancient names of God in Scripture tell us a lot about his nature and character. In this sermon, discover the power of Elohim the Almighty, the Creator, who is more than able to accomplish his good plans and before whom all are accountable.
Week 5: In a world of lonely people who don’t know Christ, the Apostle Paul gives us compelling reasons why those who belong to Jesus must be an inviting, welcoming community.
How amazing is it to be part of a community where people lovingly sacrifice for one another to meet whatever needs are present? This is the kind of generosity found in a community shaped by Jesus.
Week 3: You’ve probably noticed that life is hard and holding onto hope can be a real challenge. We all need encouragement. What would it look like to be part of a community where everyone is encouraging each other?
Week 2: In a me-first world, it’s a special community in which people selflessly serve one another. And that is what the church looks like when we model our lives on Jesus.
Week 1: As much as we need and crave community, we are so good at destroying it. Jesus has a better way to do community and invites you to experience it and to offer it to others.
Week 5: When we find ourselves in a pit, it’s hard to believe that God could find us lovable. But while we will never be perfect, we will always be perfectly loved.
Week 4: Life is hard. Almost everything worthwhile is difficult, and things happen to us along the way that bring pain and disappointment. Yet God promises that he is always working behind the scenes for our good.
Week 3- In our drive to succeed and accomplish important things, we forget that God is even more concerned with who we are becoming inwardly.
Week 2 - In our search for validation, our hearts get wounded early on, causing us to doubt our worth and strive to prove ourselves. We forget that only God can validate us and that he already has.
Week 1 - I Have a Soul - Just beneath the surface of every person is the hidden life of the soul. It is the truest essence of who we are, and yet we forget about and neglect it. Learn about the importance of your soul and how to tend to it.