What Matters Most with Faith Community

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, Tabitha Caplinger and Fawn Ellerbrook have the privilege of sitting down with Christian Content Creator and Author, Whitney Lowe, to discuss her latest book, "Called Back to Who You Are." The book is about God's relentless and loving pursuit of His people and what that looks like for us today.

You can find Whitney on Social Media @whitneypiersonlowe. You can also pick up her book wherever books are sold, including Amazon & Audible. 

We're so grateful Whitney took the time to chat with us. Enjoy this conversation on What Matters Most. 

___________________

00:00 Introduction 
08:15 God's pursuit is good, not scary
16:35 What does God's kindness look like?
26:00 What's the difference between correction & punishment 
33:30 Rooted in God's love in every season
40:11 The Power of Community 
49:50 If you're in the middle right now

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

Send a text

What does persecution really mean for followers of Christ today? In this timely episode, Pastor Josh and Raymond Gharabeygi sat down to talk about what Jesus means when He says "blessed are the persecuted" in Matthew 5. Originally from Iran, Raymond shares a powerful perspective that will challenge you to expand your understanding beyond physical suffering to include the spiritual battles we face within our own church communities. His insight also serves as a helpful tool to sift through the noise of the media and consider the greater story at hand. 

Watch a previous interview with Raymond and His wife, Edith, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4aNaOUr554

00:00 Origin Story

05:15 What is persecution, really?

13:00 What’s happening in Iran & why it matters

23:00 The first country to adopt Christianity

26:15 Biblical books written in Iran

32:00 How does God work through persecution?

39:30 Persecution coming from inside the Church

43:20 Tortured for Christ, a story

47:00 What do we do about this & how do we pray?

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

Send a text

In this episode, Fawn Ellerbrook is joined by Tabitha Caplinger & Chris Rowton to explore Matthew 5:9, diving deep into what it truly means to be peacemakers in a world filled with division and conflict. The Hebrew word 'shalom' reveals that biblical peace isn't simply the absence of conflict—it's about wholeness, oneness, and restoration even in the midst of turmoil. We discover that peacemaking requires intentional effort, starting with cultivating peace in our own relationship with God before we can offer it to others. This episode challenges us to examine our motives: are we speaking to be right, or are we speaking for the sake of heaven? 

Want to study further? Check out BlueLetterBible.org, BibleProject.com, and EnduringWord.com. You can also download the free Bible app that includes a variety of translations as well as reading plans at Bible.com. 

___

00:00 Recap

05:25 Defining Terms

13:00 Peace is a gift, not something to earn

20:00 Everyone gets love

28:00 Solid ground & sinking sand

34:00 Peace when the stakes are high

45:00 Anchored in peace

52:00 Peacemakers consider the whole story

___

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

Send a text

What if having a pure heart has less to do with our actions or more to do with our motives? In this episode, Fawn Ellerbrook discusses Matthew 5:8 with Tabitha and Brian Caplinger, and we're challenged to understand that spiritual flourishing isn't about checking boxes or maintaining a perfect image. Instead, it's about the internal work God does within us when we position ourselves in the right place. The Hebrew understanding of 'heart' reveals it as the center of our intellectual and emotional life, where our desires, affections, and choices originate. This means purity isn't about following a religious checklist; it's about having undivided allegiance to God, with motives aligned to His will rather than our own self-protection or image management. 

____

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

Send a text

In this episode, Brian and Tabitha Caplinger sat down with Mary Stoinski - founder of Demential Life STL - and Wanita Foster - a member of Faith Community staff. 

They talk about what it means to show mercy, why it's important to receive it ourselves, and how showing love to others can make a huge difference in the world around us. 

________________________

00:00 Welcome & Introductions

03:15 Blessed are the Merciful - Defining Terms

06:52 Simple kindness matters

17:30 We're not above needing help

24:00 Healthy boundaries for caregivers

28:30 Where does forgiveness fit in?

37:45 How do you express mercy in everyday life?

49:30 Barriers to Mercy

54:00 Receive mercy yourself

Learn more about Dementia Life STL here.

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

Send a text

Following Jesus is a choice, not a feeling. In this conversation, we continue our look at the Beatitudes with a couple of new guests you're going to love! Chet Hunter and Madison Hunter have such great insight into what it means to hunger and thirst after righteousness throughout the seasons of life. 

02:30 Recap & today's Beatitude 

04:00 Defining Terms

10:00 How our journeys began

20:00 Going after the healthy food for your soul

28:00 What does it look like to find satisfaction in God?

30:00 Following God is a choice, not a feeling

40:00 How do we identify what's missing?

50:00 People can be weird, God is not

55:00 The Power of Community

___________________________________________

If you're new to the Bible or want to take your study further, consider these free resources we use ourselves:

Bible.com - A free, digital Bible with many translations from YouVersion that also provides hundreds of devotionals

BibleProject.com - A free resource from The Bible Project that provides in-depth overviews and studies of Scripture as well as key concepts and themes within the Bible.

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

Send a text

As we continue our discussion on the Beatitudes, we're chatting about the next Beatitude in our series - Blessed are the Meek. Tabitha sat down with a couple of friends to discuss the common misconceptions of meekness and how practicing it leads to God's blessing in our lives. Spoiler alert: it has nothing to do with weakness! 

00:00 Last Episode Recap

03:30 The misconceptions & truth of "meekness"

17:50 What meekness means Biblically & how it makes us feel

20:00 It's not about me

24:50 Learning to be content with how God made you

27:00 The why behind the what

39:00 The promise of meekness

50:00 The power of the pause 

___________________________________________

If you're new to the Bible or want to take your study further, consider these free resources we use ourselves:

Bible.com - A free, digital Bible with many translations from YouVersion that also provides hundreds of devotionals

BibleProject.com - A free resource from The Bible Project that provides in-depth overviews and studies of Scripture as well as key concepts and themes within the Bible.

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

Send a text

What if grieving sin is actually a way to grow closer to the God who loves us and others? As we continue our study of the Beatitudes, Tabitha Caplinger sat down with Josh Quick and Fawn Ellerbrook to chat about what sin is, what it means to mourn it, and how we walk with others as we learn to follow Jesus together.

00:00 What does "blessed are those who mourn" actually mean?
04:30 Defining sin and why it's something to mourn
17:00 The consequences of our sin
25:00 The hope for something better because of God's mercy
30:00 Having compassion for ourselves and others
42:00 Walking with people who are struggling
50:00 God transforms us from the inside out 

___________________________________________

If you're new to the Bible or want to take your study further, consider these free resources we use ourselves:

Bible.com - A free, digital Bible with many translations from YouVersion that also provides hundreds of devotionals

BibleProject.com - A free resource from The Bible Project that provides in-depth overviews and studies of Scripture as well as key concepts and themes within the Bible. 

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

Send a text

In Matthew 5, Jesus shares a set of profoundly rich statements about what it means to be blessed as you follow Him. In this episode, we jump into the first statement - "Blessed are the poor in spirit..." Tabitha Caplinger is joined by Lauren Earls, Brian Caplinger and Fawn Ellerbrook to chat about what this statement means and what it looks like in our everyday lives over 2,000 years later. 

02:00 What does it mean to be poor in spirit?

14:00 You don't have to be enough.

24:00 What we can learn through lack

27:00 How do we love in humility?

40:00 Sanctification is a process.

44:30 What are my expectations rooted in?

_________________________

To get a free digital Bible, visit Bible.com.

To learn more about the Sermon on the Mount & The Beatitudes, visit BibleProject.com.

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

Send a text

We're starting a new series walking through the Beatitudes found in Matthew 5. In this first episode, we'll get an overview of what this section of scripture is and talk through our thoughts on what this means for us. Tabitha Caplinger got to chat with three friends from Faith Community - Grant Reeves, Nicole Sullivan, and Fawn Ellerbrook - as we kick off the series.

00:00 Welcome & Introductions

03:00 Reading the Beatitudes

04:58 What does it mean to be blessed?

16:55 Our thoughts on the Beatitudes

23:25 Jesus made things right for us

33:00 We're called to follow Jesus & partner with the Holy Spirit in every season

46:15 The eternal perspective

51:50 It's all rooted in God's love for us

___________________________________________

If you're new to the Bible or want to take your study further, consider these free resources we use ourselves:

Bible.com - A free, digital Bible with many translations from YouVersion that also provides hundreds of devotionals

BibleProject.com - A free resources from The Bible Project that provides in-depth overviews and studies of Scripture as well as key concepts and themes within the Bible. 

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