Welcome to Faith Meets Academia, Biblical Foundations for Scholarly Pursuits. I'm your host, Dr. Adrian Reynolds. Thanks for joining me on this transformational journey where the sacred and the scholarly converge.
As a university professor and ordained minister, I stand at the intersection of educational innovation and Biblical wisdom. Are you tired of having to separate your spiritual calling from your academic profession? If so, you've found your community.
In this community, we use Biblical principles to illuminate our scholastic endeavors. In this community, we leverage academic concepts and theories to magnify the reach and impact of our spiritual gifts. Yes, your faith and your scholarship can forge a mutually sustaining partnership.
I'm here to help you bridge the gap between your academic work and your spiritual journey.
Hello, hello to all the faithful supporters of FMA, for short, Faith Meets Academia. Thank you so much for tuning in to this second episode. Thanks for your support, your reviews, your feedback.
You've made this launch of Faith Meets Academia successful. I'm honored and humbled that you have allowed me into your homes, into your cars, on the way to work or your place of worship. Thanks for sharing this time with me.
The response and feedback has just been overwhelming. I'm so grateful that God has chosen me to bring this message to you. I think you deserve to hear it and I'm here to share it.
I feel so supported in this endeavor and I want you to feel supported too in your goals, in your aspirations, in fighting your battles and going through your challenges. I want you to feel supported. I'm with you in this journey of using God's word to enrich our academic and professional lives and also the other way around, using our academic wisdom to maximize the scope of our ministry.
Hear this, Jesus was about putting people first, all right? Mark 10, 45 says that, for even the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. So that's quite clear, Christ put people first.
So as a child of God and as a disciple of Christ, I'm just saying, I'm here for you. Before diving into the meat of this episode, I'd like to share some of the feedback I received from some of our supporters. So one of our listeners said, and I'm quoting verbatim here, Academia needs a lot of faith at this very moment, congrats.
Another said, I knew it, yes, this is exactly what you're calling is, OMG, so happy for you, let's go. Another supporter said, absolutely phenomenal, wow. Another comment, I love this, faith doesn't cancel out intelligence and education, it enhances them.
And then there's this other message I got from this individual who said, wow, loved this. Todd and I were talking, Todd and I were just talking about impact today. The scriptures confirmed how I've been dealing with some things as far as my job and church.
Thanks for sharing. Tell my brother I appreciate him. You know, I'm just, I'm really just blown away, just humbled by this overwhelming support just after the first podcast.
Now remember, after you have listened to the podcast, you can leave a rating and you can also write a review on your preferred podcast app, such as Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music Podcast Index, Player FM. There are about 15 different apps or so where you can find Faith Meets Academia. And of course, you can listen to any episode on these platforms, but this has been a blessing to you.
Go ahead and leave a review. You can also follow or subscribe. I've discovered that different platforms use different terms.
Some use the term follow, some subscribe, but they're basically saying the same thing. Follow, subscribe, support. This podcast, and you'll find the steps to do that in the show notes.
I've listed a step-by-step guide for you, just for those of you who might not be familiar with that process. Okay, so now let's get to the heart of the matter here. Face your fears through your faith. And this is part one. Part two of this will be coming out next week.
As you may recall, at the conclusion of the first episode, I revealed what it was that caused so many false starts and long delays in bringing this ministry to a broader audience. Yeah, it was, I discovered, that four-letter word called fear. Here's how fear showed up and blocked my blessing, if you will, for way too long.
Close to 10 years, as I said in the first podcast, in the first episode. I was fearful of a number of things. I was fearful of destructive criticism.
I was fearful of isolation from potential naysayers. I was fearful of being vulnerable. I was fearful of failure.
Well, guess what? Today, I say goodbye to the fear of destructive criticism, and I'm saying hello to growth through constructive feedback. I'm saying goodbye to the fear of isolation from potential naysayers, and hello to the power of community and unity in a new movement, in a new direction.
Today, I say goodbye to the fear of vulnerability, and say hello to the humility and boldness of transparency. I say goodbye to the fear of failure, and say hello to the unlimited possibilities for success that comes with every attempt and every learning experience. Face your fears through your faith.
Well, how did I face all these fears through my faith? You know what? At this point already, this doesn't even feel like it's just a podcast episode.
It feels more like a testimony. So, let me break it down for you. Well, what is faith?
What is faith? Hebrews 11, 1 and 2.
Hebrews 11, verses 1 and 2 says, Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, or that confidence we have in what we hope for, the evidence of things not seen, for by it the elders obtained a good report, or were commended for a good testimony. A week ago, I didn't know what the outcome of this new venture would be. After all, I'm a brand new podcaster, still learning how to navigate the space.
I had no evidence of its impact then, but now I do. I really had no evidence of how many people it would reach, but now I do. I had no evidence of how liberating it would feel to reason through and share thoughts that were just hanging out in my mind, waiting to be released, unfiltered, uninhibited, without constraints or reservations.
But now I do. I had no evidence of what my family or friends would say, but now I do.
Let's dig a little deeper. The original language of the Book of Hebrews is Greek, just like the rest of the New Testament. That being said, it's important to note that substance in Hebrews 11.1, as used in Hebrews 11.1, is derived from the Greek word hypostasis.
And it literally means that which stands under or a foundation.
For me, in this case, the substance aspect of this is twofold. Number one, I truly believed and had this assurance, this underlying foundational confidence that supported the vision that by God's divine intervention, not by my skill or will, Faith Meets Academia, FMA, would transition from a desire or hope to a reality. I really believe that.
Not only did I believe it, but I could see myself at this desk, behind this microphone, recording these episodes. You know what? Even before I fully understood what an intro was in podcast terms, intro and outro, they have to do the mastering and the mixing, combining this track with the voice, all that tech stuff.
Even before I knew anything about all of that, I was rehearsing my introduction. I knew there had to be an introduction. Before I became familiar with all the tech stuff, I was practicing my introduction.
But guess what? Back then, I still didn't have the evidence I do now. And I know there's more.
Yes, Lord. I know there's more evidence to come. But I still didn't have the evidence back then that I do now, even as I'm doing this second episode.
Yes, because I believe that... I believe, and this is my all-time favorite scripture, I believe that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, and that with confidence over time, I began to see this initiative, this ministry, this podcast becoming a reality even before it materialized.
Now, on to my second point as regarding the substance, right? Question, who forms the foundation of this divinely inspired confidence? Who forms the foundation of that?
Ephesians 2, verses 19 through 22 says, Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, so now we know who the foundation is, in whom the whole building being fitted together grows. It's a foundation that promotes growth.
Isn't that interesting? Grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 3, 10, and 11 also tells us, According to the grace of God which is given to me, Paul says, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is who?
Jesus Christ. So then it sounds to me like building a foundation requires this other four-letter word called work. Hmm.
Yeah. Sounds simple, doesn't it? Building that foundation requires work.
In the field of civil engineering, I've discovered there are a series of.
Steps that are required for building a foundation. So first, there is site investigation and analysis, and that involves checking the ground where the structure is to be built, just to make sure it's solid enough for the construction. And the engineers, they have to test the soil to see if it can hold up the building without any problems at all.
And then secondly, there is the aspect of designing the foundation based on how heavy the building is and what the ground is like. They have to figure out what's the best way to make the foundation. This is like choosing the right kind of base, if you will, for a heavy piece of furniture, ensuring that it won't tip over.
And then thirdly, there is preparing the site. Before building, the area has to be cleared and level off. This might be similar to preparing a garden bed for planting, where you remove the debris and level the soil so the plants can grow well.
And then next there is, of course, the construction. Now we get to the construction of the foundation. And in this step, the workers build the foundation using materials like steel and concrete, which of course ensure the building will be stable.
You might think of it like making a cake, where you need a firm, solid pan to hold the batter, to ensure that it takes the right shape and it holds together.
And then lastly, there's quality checks. After the foundation is built, it's checked to make sure everything is done correctly. Similar to how you would review or inspect a completed project, like home repair, to ensure that it's done properly before moving on to other steps.
So there's quite a bit of work. We see from these real life examples, you're sitting on a foundation right now, wherever you are, if you're in a building, a structure, there's quite a bit of work that goes into this, and thought and planning and checking and double checking, just to make sure that we are on a solid foundation. So it seems to me then that the substance, faith is a substance of things we've hoped for, the substance is not just the belief or the assurance, but equally important, it's also about the work of building a firm, solid foundation that will support the materialization of the expected outcome.
So there's quite a bit of work. We see from these real life examples, you're sitting on a foundation right now, wherever you are, if you're in a building, a structure, there's quite a bit of work that goes into this, and thought and planning and checking and double checking, just to make sure that we are on a solid foundation. So it seems to me then that the substance, faith is a substance of things we've hoped for, the substance is not just the belief or the assurance, but equally important, it's also about the work of building a firm, solid foundation that will support the materialization of the expected outcome.
Let's take a look at how James makes this connection between faith and work in James 2 verses 14 through 26. All right, so James 2, starting at verse 14. What does it profit, my brethren?
If someone says he has faith but does not have works, can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, depart in peace, be warmed and filled, but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Like, it's meaningless.
Even with faith, without that action, without fulfilling that need in a very practical way, the faith is dead. Thus also, the 17th verse, thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. The two go together.
And so that's really important to understand and to think about. When we talk about faith, we have to think about works. When we think about works, we have to think about faith.
Alright, so James 2, the 18th verse now. Now, but someone will say, you have faith and I have works. Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
If you would like to show God how much faith you have, it has to be connected to your actions, your works.
You believe, verse 19, you believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe and tremble.
Again, just the belief, just the confidence, the assurance by itself, just it doesn't cut it. Yeah, even the demons do that. But do you want to know, oh foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
Was not Abraham our father justified by works? Now James is highlighting these examples in the scriptures where we see the faith and works connection. Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?
Do you see that faith was working together with his works and by works faith was made perfect? Whoa. So your faith, as much faith as you have, it's imperfect, it's incomplete, without work.
And the scripture was fulfilled, which says Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. And he was called a friend of God. You see then that a man is justified, right?
We are justified by works and not by faith only. Likewise, the verse 25, likewise was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way. For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
So I had to face my fears through both faith and works. Well, what was the work? The work involved two key components.
The first component in terms of working through the fears that I had mentioned earlier, really involved a lot of self-reflection. That was the first component. Self-reflection that allowed me to unpack, unveil, unravel, understand all the fears that were holding me back from taking this big leap.
Yes, this big leap right here and now. My communicating this to you. Conceptually, hey, here's where Faith Meets Academia.
Conceptually, reflection is defined by this professor by the name of John Sanders as, and I'm quoting here, reflection is defined as, metacognitive, metacognitive is just a fancy term for thinking about how you think, thinking about your own thinking. Metacognitive process that occurs before, during, and after situations, right? So oftentimes we think of reflection as something that happens after the activity or task or situation has ended, right?
But it is a process that can occur actually before, during, in the moment, right? And after situations with the purpose of developing greater understanding of both the self and the situation so that future encounters with the situation are informed from previous encounters. You know, in simple terms, reflection is or reflection should ultimately lead to change in your actions.
It's not just about, you know, sitting back and saying, let me think about what went well, you know, what didn't go so well. You know, as an educator, I've seen those kinds of, you know, reflections and they're just, yeah, it's, it's disappointing. Yeah, because they oversimplify the process of reflection.
It's much deeper than that, right? So the ultimate goal of self-reflection is to facilitate transformation or change. And so, you know, on a practical level, there are questions.
And, you know, self-reflection, I mean, it's, it's been, it's been well-researched. You know, the impact of that, the benefits that we can receive as a result of critical self-reflection. There are some key questions that we can ask that can help us to come to a deeper understanding, to develop more insights into what we're experiencing, what we're feeling.
For example, in this case, fear. And you'll find a list of those questions in the show notes, so you don't have to write them all down, trying to make it easy for you. So you could ask questions like, what emotions am I experiencing right now?
What specific event or thought prompted or triggered those feelings? Are there deeper underlying reasons for these feelings that, you know, probably go beyond the immediate trigger? Have I experienced similar feelings in maybe in different situations or encounters with others?
You could ask other questions such as, how do these feelings affect me and impact those around me? What can I learn about myself from these emotional experiences? What steps can I take to better manage or respond to these feelings in the future?
For me, questions such as these were really important to helping me confront or face these fears. For me, that was the initial step. Well, what else did I do?
Well, here's what I did. I responded to that last question that I asked, question seven, in this section of the show notes. What steps can I take to better respond to these feelings?
I engaged in help-seeking behavior, which is a central tenet of self-regulated learning. I knew I couldn't get this far on my own, and I needed some guidance. Do you know anyone who struggles with reaching out for help?
You could ask other questions such as, how do these feelings affect me and impact those around me? What can I learn about myself from these emotional experiences? What steps can I take to better manage or respond to these feelings in the future?
For me, questions such as these were really important to helping me confront or face these fears. For me, that was the initial step. Well, what else did I do?
Well, here's what I did. I responded to that last question that I asked, question seven, in this section of the show notes. What steps can I take to better respond to these feelings?
I engaged in help-seeking behavior, which is a central tenet of self-regulated learning. I knew I couldn't get this far on my own, and I needed some guidance. Do you know anyone who struggles with reaching out for help?
Sometimes our students struggle with that. Outside of education per se, you may know of individuals for whom that's a big struggle. Help-seeking behavior.
Just telling them to get help won't work if that self-reflection component is missing. Because you see, self-reflection leads to self-awareness, which is crucial for recognizing when and why one needs help. And it enables individuals to understand their emotions, their behaviors, and the situations they face, leading to informed decisions about seeking assistance. Who did I seek help from?
Well, this is heartwarming for me to say. I'm pleased, I'm privileged and honored. I feel blessed to say that I've been coached by an exceptionally skilled and insightful business coach.
I mean, just the most talented in this space that I know. None other than my wife, Dr. Kimi, the founder and CEO of the Dr. Coach School, the only Dr. Coach School. You can look it up.
Sometimes it can be kind of tough being coached by your spouse. It required a deep sense of humility on my part to fully embrace and act upon her expert advice for taking the steps I needed to take to launch this podcast. We had many conversations about it, and I've expressed some of these fears to her as well.
But in addition to that, I also had conversations with my therapist. Yeah, I'm not afraid to say it. I mean, hey, clearly I've come a long way.
I mean, if you had told me 10 years ago that I would be recording a podcast, you know, telling all my loyal listeners and those who are to join that, yes, I do have a therapist that I meet with, I would say, no way, you must be talking to the wrong person. But you know what? Here's the deal.
There's some of you who are listening right now who probably know that you need to seek help and that you're facing some struggles that you can no longer and should no longer try to conquer on your own. But there's something that's holding you back from seeking the help that you need. And this is part of the reason I'm sharing this kind of testimony with you because I don't want you to stay stuck where you are.
Help is out there, right? Help is out there. And hopefully, this can be an encouragement to you.
For those who have known me for a while and have seen me preach and sing and teach and engage in other activities, from the outside looking in, it might seem like it's just automatic, or he's just got the gift. No, it's not quite the case. Well, now you know if you didn't.
There's a lot of work that I've had to do to bring me to this point so that you can hear this message. So back to my point about meeting with the therapist to discuss my concerns, my fears around launching into this new territory. She looked me straight in the eyes, and she started out by asking me this one question.
She said, are you going to please everyone? I was like, man, wow, she's being tough. She's being tough on me here.
But hey, sometimes I need that, right? She asked, are you going to please everyone? And then she went on to say, there's no such thing as perfection when it comes to this, right?
Because there's always the, you know, I could have done something more. I could have done something better, right? And, you know, she also said, no matter what happens, say to yourself, I am capable.
Whatever happens, I'll handle it, just like I have in the past. And I found that tremendously helpful. I found that really helpful.
That's something that I really thought about. And those are some points she made that have really stuck with me. And have propelled me to this very moment, right here, right now.
Well, I hope this, I pray, that this episode has been a blessing to you. Be sure to check out the show notes. I've made some updates to the show notes in the first episode.
You'll see lots of links there, providing you access to directing you to a number of free resources. Keep in mind that the embedded links in the show notes are not endorsements of any organization or author. They're just there to provide you with some resources so that you can engage in further study and exploration of themes or topics or concepts discussed if you so desire.
Feel free to reach out with any questions you may have or thoughts you may want to share. You can email me at faithmeetsacademia@gmail.com. faithmeetsacademia@gmail.com.
Also, if you're in need of prayer, I'd be more than happy to pray for you. And so there is a form you'll find in the show notes as well that you could complete to request prayer. So what's in store for next week?
This week, I primarily focused on faith and work in relation to confronting fear. Next week, I'll be drawing some key distinctions between three types of fears. Three types of fears.
The spirit of fear, sudden fear, and the fear of God. I'll illustrate how the impact our everyday lives both from a neurobiological standpoint, and how that intersects with how these three types of fears were confronted in various instances in the scriptures. Well, that's all for today.
Thanks so much for tuning in. Have a most productive week.