What Matters Most with Faith Community

In this episode, we continue our series on the Fruit of the Spirit focusing on goodness (Galatians 5:22-23). Kindal Bartleson and Charles Partney join Tabitha Caplinger to talk about what goodness really is and how we can partner with the Holy Spirit to cultivate it in our own lives. They chat about our motives and how messing up can actually bring us closer to God as we experience true grace in the face of our flaws. Listen in as we continue to discover what matters most! 

Table of Contents: 

00:00 Welcome & Introductions

01:27 Defining Goodness

08:10 God is loving & present

11:35 Trust plays a huge role

12:42 How we see God impacts how we engage with others

15:08 Can we be good on our own?

18:47 What does goodness look like in our lives?

20:43 Motives matter

25:47 Wrestling with goodness in ourselves

29:29 Understanding God's goodness when we mess up

34:10 God's goodness takes the pressure off of us

39:49 What does the process look like?

41:44 God works within us first

44:00 How do we partner with the Holy Spirit to cultivate goodness in our lives?

What Matters Most is a podcast from Faith Community Church.

Connect on socials:
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Instagram
YouTube channel

No matter where you're at on your journey, you are welcome here.

Faith Community Church
[email protected]
636.671.4190

In this episode, we continue our series discussing the Fruit of the Spirit focusing on kindness (Galatians 5:22-23). Tabitha Caplinger is joined by recent high school grad, Brooklynne Hudson, and Brian Caplinger for a chat about what biblical kindness looks like. They talk about the difference between being nice & being kind, and how true kindness will cost you something. 

Show Notes: 

• The Greek word for "kindness" in this context is chréstotés.

Table of Contents:
 
00:00 Welcome & Introductions

01:31 Series Recap & This Episode Topic: Kindness

03:25 The difference between being nice & being kind

06:15 True kindness costs us something

09:30 Learning to be kind is part of our walk with Christ

17:24 Living in the Fruit of the Spirit is not contingent on other people's actions

22:40 We can be kind without knowing the results of our kindness

28:43 How we've experienced kindness

35:55 Kindness in leadership

37:55 Practical ways to grow in kindness

41:39 What we believe about God matters

45:15 We all need Jesus

48:28 There are benefits to being kind!

What Matters Most is a podcast from Faith Community Church.

Connect on socials:
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube channel

No matter where you're at on your journey, you are welcome here.

Faith Community Church
[email protected]
636.671.4190

Our host Tabitha Caplinger is joined by a couple of our friends - Misty Moore and Grant Reeves - and they each bring such a great perspective to this important topic. It’s one that challenges each of us from time to time and it’s really a key component to sharing the love of Jesus with others. Who wants to hear about God from someone who can’t wait 2 minutes for a chicken sandwich? That seems random but you’ll get it when you listen to the episode! At the end of the day, it's all connected and it's all about Jesus.

Table of Contents

00:00 Welcome

01:22 Guest Introductions

03:15 Where we've been in the series

04:26 Patience in Scripture

06:00 Our struggles with patience

12:01 What's the root?

15:00 Our impatience shows when we pause conversation with God

17:00 The Fruit is all connected

20:00 Trust don't rush

23:00 Stay active in the waiting

28:00 Timing matters

29:40 Our patience can reveal the nature of God to others

31:27 Patience when others hurt you

33:38 Pause and assess your emotions

35:00 Tab's story about patience in the drive-thru

38:43 Patience = respect

39:00 What to do when you get it wrong

43:27 Our relationship with Jesus matters

45:00 We should have a supernatural level of patience because of Jesus

46:30 What to do if I struggle with patience

52:20 The Fruit of the Spirit is a tool we can choose to use

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Watch the Acts series & subscribe to our channel at YouTube.com/faithcommunity.

What Matters Most is a podcast from Faith Community Church.

Connect on socials:
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube channel

No matter where you're at on your journey, you are welcome here.

Faith Community Church
[email protected]
636.671.4190

Welcome to the final episode of What Matters Most for 2022 - it's a special one! Tabitha and Brian Caplinger sat down over zoom with our new friend, Matt Mikalatos. Matt is an author and full-time TV and film writer who lives in Portland, Oregon. His books include "Journey to Love," "My Imaginary Jesus," and the young adult fantasy, "The Crescent Stone." If you are a part of Faith Community, you may remember a message Brian spoke a few months ago based around the ideas of his book, "My Imaginary Jesus." 

This conversation is full of those little golden nuggets you’re going to want to write down or take some serious mental notes. They talk about the dynamics of our relationship with Jesus and how that intersects with the Bible, history, community and church. They also explore how we can be wrong about who Jesus is and what He said. Then, how we can grow & change as we continue to walk out our relationship with Him. 

We’re just a couple of days away from Christmas so whether you’re traveling, preparing your favorite holiday dish or wrapping gifts as you listen, I hope you are reminded of the nearness of Christ and the wonder that’s found as we pursue Him. He is good and He is trustworthy. 

So sit back, and enjoy this conversation with Matt Mikalatos on What Matters Most.
____________________

Visit Matt Mikalatos' website at mikalatos.com to find out where you can get a copy of one of his books or connect with him on socials!

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: @matthew.mikalatos

Instagram: @mattmikalatos
____________________

Watch Brian's message based on the concepts found in "My Imaginary Jesus" here.

Thanks for listening! Stay tuned for new episodes in 2023 as we continue to discover What Matters Most.


Table of Contents
00:00 Episode Overview
01:42 Introductions
04:11 Guest Introduction: Matt Mikalatos 
07:10 The Inspiration behind "My Imaginary Jesus"
14:00 The temptation to put Jesus in a box
17:50 Suffering & Jesus
19:00 Destructive Imaginary Jesuses 
21:42 Fixating on what fits our narrative
25:00 How do you uncover an Imaginary Jesus?
31:30 The journey to spiritual maturity
34:38 It's good to ask questions
43:20 Be intentional about relationships with different generations
44:30 What helps Matt connect with God
47:50 How different cultural perspectives help us discover God in fresh ways
51:20 The Jesus we believe in is the Jesus we reveal
52:29 It's a journey
53:29 How do we partner with Jesus to expose our own Imaginary Jesus?
56:15 Where to connect with Matt

What Matters Most is a podcast from Faith Community Church.

Connect on socials:
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube channel

No matter where you're at on your journey, you are welcome here.

Faith Community Church
[email protected]
636.671.4190

In this episode of "What Matters Most," we continue our study of the Fruit of the Spirit focusing on Peace. Tabitha Caplinger is joined by Fawn Ellerbrook,  and special guest,  Stephen Murphy of the Nook Podcast. 

This particular Fruit, like joy, has some common misconceptions about how we actually experience it. Throughout the episode we talk about the Biblical perspective of peace as well as the practical side in our own experiences and how we can be a people of peace as we navigate the world around us.

Thanks so much for tuning in as we continue to discover what matters most. 

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Connect with Steven Murphy on The Nook Podcast on your favorite podcast platform. 

Table of Contents

00:00 Episode Overview
01:00 Introductions
03:10 Biblical peace
06:50 Separating feelings & truth
13:40 God's peace can be found in calamity
16:31 You can live in God's peace & still struggle with anxiety 
18:30 What does it look like to choose peace
22:45 It's a long-game
26:19 The power of dropping it
34:50 Being peacemakers
41:22 Go & make disciples no matter what
45:30 The connection between wisdom & peace
49:05 The difference between a follower & a fan
52:15 Peace is a posture I choose
54:00 It's ok to be human & need reminding
55:30 Doing the work to be like Jesus
56:23 A reminder about Shalom 

What Matters Most is a podcast from Faith Community Church.

Connect on socials:
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube channel

No matter where you're at on your journey, you are welcome here.

Faith Community Church
[email protected]
636.671.4190

In this episode, Fawn Ellerbrook sits down with Time Moore and Josh Earls to talk about friendly discourse, humility and the ability to change our minds.

How do you feel when faced with an opinion that’s different than yours? Even more so, when you’re faced with a person passionately advocating for an idea that you passionately think is wrong with a capital W? The truth is, people who think differently than us - even on the things that matter most to us - They’re not the enemy.  So, How do we practice friendly discourse and keep open minds without abandoning our core beliefs? How do we cultivate the ability to challenge our own perspectives in a way that strengthens us and our community in the end?

If you enjoyed this episode, we'd love for you to follow or subscribe wherever you're listening. 

Table of Contents
00:00 Welcome & Episode Overview

01:55 Are we really that divided?

06:50 The Sacred & Secular

09:30 The importance of relationships

11:30 People are not enemies

14:20 Friendly Discourse & Technology

21:12 We're going to figure this out

22:55 Be respectful of authority

25:53 How do you allow yourself to change over the years?

28:00 Is success seasonal?

29:25 The power of admitting you're wrong

33:30 Seeing the humanity in one another 

37:00 Why it's hard to believe the best about people we don't have a relationship with

40:00 We all have triggers

42:40 Our personal experiences with anxiety and depression

51:00 Anxiety, trust, & our relationship with God

1:00:10 Thinking critically & core convictions

1:03:12 Jesus is Truth

What Matters Most is a podcast from Faith Community Church.

Connect on socials:
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube channel

No matter where you're at on your journey, you are welcome here.

Faith Community Church
[email protected]
636.671.4190

In this  episode of "What Matters Most," Tabitha Caplinger continues our study of the Fruit of the Spirit with two Faith Community friends, Lauren Earls and Brian Caplinger. They sat down to chat about JOY.

They talk about the difference between joy and happiness and how real joy doesn’t depend on the world around us. It’s a great conversation to listen to as we head into the holidays and the fun, busyness - and maybe even difficulty - that can come with that. 

So, whether you’re driving to work, at the gym or cooking dinner, listen in as we continue our conversation on the Fruit of the Spirit.

** Table of Contents**

00:00 Episode Overview

01:03 Introductions

03:00 Overview of joy

04:27 Biblical & cultural joy

06:45 Joy is a choice

08:40 The difference between happiness & joy

15:27 Jesus is the source

18:00 Suffering teaches us to appreciate joy

21:38 A theology of suffering & lament

24:35 It's ok to embrace where you're at

26:10 The hard things don't last

28:35 If we see joy as materialistic, we'll miss out

30:25 If Jesus is our source of joy, we have to be filled by the real thing

32:45 Ultimate joy is found in obedience to Christ

34:50 Sometimes we need to step back to advance

36:25 Joy is already in us

36:45 How do you know if you are joyful or simply happy

41:30 How do we cultivate joy

47:20 The power of practicing gratitude

51:47 Find accountability 

54:15 How to find joy in grief

59:00 Healing can come through Jesus and a therapist

59:50 Closing thoughts

What Matters Most is a podcast from Faith Community Church.

Connect on socials:
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube channel

No matter where you're at on your journey, you are welcome here.

Faith Community Church
[email protected]
636.671.4190

What is love and why does living it out matter? In this episode of "What Matters Most,"  Tabitha Caplinger continues our study of the Fruit of the Spirit with two Faith Community friends, Chris Rowton and Katie Geary. They're talking all about love: What is it? How do we experience it? What does it look like to walk in it? Really, just all the things. 

Part of this conversation also talks about some of their experiences of not being loved well or moments where they didn’t love well themselves, even in christian community. They have helpful insight into how we can grow as followers of Christ when it comes to showing the generous love we’ve received! 

00:00 Welcome & Introductions

03:20 The Fruit of Love

04:20 Types of Love

05:38 Why does the definition of love matter?

11:30 Love sums it all up. It's not cheap or an emotion.

14:50 Love is not easy. But it's worth it!

16:10 It comes from abiding in Christ

19:52 Examples of agape love

24:23 Loving through the lens of grace and humility

29:25 What do we do when we don't feel the love of Christ in Christian community?

32:58 Leading with love and recognizing we are not the Holy Spirit

41:25 What would you say to someone who doesn't feel the love of God?

47:43 How do we love people we find unloveable? *This does not include abusive situations*

56:22 Your homework this month: Get intentional about abiding in Christ

57:37 Closing Thoughts

What Matters Most is a podcast from Faith Community Church.

Connect on socials:
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube channel

No matter where you're at on your journey, you are welcome here.

Faith Community Church
[email protected]
636.671.4190

Today we're kicking off our study of the Fruit of the Spirit! We'll be basing this conversation in Scripture found in the book of Galatians in Chapter 5. Throughout this series, we are going to be talking about how we can live more like Jesus by abiding in Him and His ways. Today’s episode is an overview and will provide some context about what the Fruit of the Spirit is and what it means for our everyday lives.

No matter how you’re joining in today - whether you believe in Jesus or not - you’re welcome here. 

If you do not have a Bible, you can access a digital version for free at Bible.com. You can also learn more about the Bible and find a variety of resources to help you learn more about Scripture (like how to read the Bible) at BibleProject.com. 

00:00 Introductions
03:30 Vision behind this series
04:50 Overview of the Fruit of the Spirit
08:20 Why does the Fruit matter?
14:30 We should have more fruit
16:00 Does my life reflect Jesus?
18:40 Why don't we always see the Fruit in ourselves or others?
20:52 People of the Way
24:10 We need community
32:37 Experiencing the Fruit
35:23 Good & bad fruit
39:34 What it looks like to give Jesus our lives daily
42:18 Identity first, behavior second
48:30 Understanding our purpose as Christ followers
50:05 Abiding in Christ
53:40 Jesus is in everything
57:13 Choose where you abide
1:00:12 Stop comparing your light
1:02:35 Don't live as a dented apple
1:04:30 Perfection isn't required, just try!
1:05:55 The early Church & living out your values
1:09:10 Where do I start?
1:12:05 Closing thoughts

What Matters Most is a podcast from Faith Community Church.

Connect on socials:
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube channel

No matter where you're at on your journey, you are welcome here.

Faith Community Church
[email protected]
636.671.4190

We're back for season two! In this episode, Fawn Ellerbrook sits down with a few of our pastors to chat about what we’ve been learning since our last episode in 2021. Each of these men are incredible leaders and they share some great encouragement for challenging yourself to take steps of growth and to chase after your goals & dreams.

To learn more about Faith Community, visit FaithCommunity.co or connect on Instagram, Facebook or YouTube  @faithcommunity. 

Show Notes: 

• In this episode, Pastor Josh mentions a book called "Failure of Nerve" by Edwin H. Friedman. 

00:00 Welcome & Introductions
04:30 What we're learning
18:30 What we're seeing in culture
21:30 How do we lead & follow Christ in the midst of change?
25:40 Finding yourself in Scripture
27:06 Hot wings & the desire for instant gratification
32:50 The need for boundaries with technology 
26:51 Reconnecting with our identity and the narrative of the Gospel
41:45 Looking to the future & processing change
52:00 Discovering new things to learn
55:45 How to make a move on your goals
1:04:15 How do you measure success?

What Matters Most is a podcast from Faith Community Church.

Connect on socials:
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube channel

No matter where you're at on your journey, you are welcome here.

Faith Community Church
[email protected]
636.671.4190