Faith Meets Academia
Welcome to Faith Meets Academia!
Struggling to connect your faith with everyday life, career ambitions, or academic pursuits? Hosted by a university professor and ordained minister, Dr. Adrian Reynolds, this podcast will help you translate your faith-based values into personal growth, professional development, and academic success. Faith Meets Academia emphasizes that faith and work can forge a mutually sustaining partnership.
Each episode breaks down complex academic concepts into everyday language and connects them with timeless spiritual principles for transformational learning and development. By the end of each episode, you will be equipped with practical tools to set the tone for a purposeful, productive week.
Join the journey today!
Your host, Adrian Reynolds (Ph.D.), is an ordained minister, learning coach, and assistant professor of medical education at an R1 university. He is on a mission to merge educational innovation with biblical wisdom. Dr. Reynolds brings over two decades of teaching experience across the educational continuum: from working with underserved, high school students as a state-certified instructor of Spanish to coaching students in graduate and professional degree programs in evidence-based teaching skills and the science of learning.
Dr. Reynolds’ work is located within the rapidly growing field of applied learning sciences and is driven by both socio-cognitive and sociocultural approaches to learning and teaching. His preventive model of academic coaching has been published in journals such as Medical Teacher and Clinical Teacher. He has held over 1,000 (one-on-one) academic coaching sessions with medical students, residents, fellows, and pre-med students. Dr. Reynolds has developed numerous peer-teaching programs for medical students in addition to courses in the science of learning for residents, pre-med and high school students.
Dr. Reynolds has been preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ for over 10 years both nationally and internationally. He has long been recognized to seamlessly intertwine academic concepts with biblical principles: His approach to preaching and teaching the word of God is centered around growth mindset (Philippians 4:13), transformational learning (Romans 12:2), and reflective, mindful practice (Philippians 4:8, Joshua 1:8, Psalm 119:97).
As a missionary ambassador, Dr. Reynolds has embarked on transformative journeys that bridge cultures and continents, bringing tangible support and hope to those in need. Most recently, in the fall of 2023, his dedication to humanitarian causes led him to Mozambique: From the bustling streets of Maputo to the serene countryside of Inharrime, through the unwavering support and sponsorship from faith-based leaders and communities, Dr. Reynolds has played a pivotal role in the allocation of humanitarian aid and educational resources, providing essential support to elevate community wellbeing.
Earlier that year, he engaged in a mission focused on cultural exchange and relationship-building in the Maputo province to better understand and address local challenges. Through these missions, Dr. Reynolds exemplifies the true essence of a missionary ambassador, integrating service, education, and faith into impactful action.
Faith Meets Academia
Episode 34: Start with What You Have: You May Already Have What You Need
Have you ever gone shopping only to find out you already had what you bought at home? In this episode, let's explore the unexpected abundance right at our fingertips. We often overlook the treasures right within our reach. This episode encourages you to reframe your perspective and recognize the resources you might be overlooking in your life. This isn't just about reducing impulsive purchases; it's about a mindset shift. We'll discuss the practical and psychological benefits of starting with what you have, from saving time and effort to fostering a deeper connection with your surroundings and relationships. Consider the impact of increasing your sense of awareness—how it can lead to a more intentional and fulfilled life. Reflect with us as we challenge the notion that what we need is always "out there" and appreciate the surprising abundance we already possess.
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DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely my own and do not reflect or represent the positions, policies, or opinions of my employer, any organization or academic institution with which I am affiliated. This podcast is a personal initiative, and is not connected to my official/ formal duties and responsibilities as a university professor.
Hello, hello, and welcome back to Faith Meets Academia. We are on episode 34. Episode 34. And this one's titled are you ready? Start with what you have. You might already have what you need. Let me say that again Start with what you have. You might already have what you need. With what you have, you might already have what you need. This one's going to be a quick one, but it is going to be good. It's going to be good, so we're going to be diving into something that I think will really resonate with most of us. Right, starting with what we already have.
Dr. A:It's always easy to think that what we need is always out there somewhere right, waiting to be attained, waiting to be found right. How often do we go looking for things for stuff, if you will that in reality are already within reach, are already in our homes, in our lives or even our networks? We just didn't notice them. You see, it's really hard to find what you're not looking for, just as it's really difficult to hear what you're not listening for. On the latter point, if I may digress a little bit, there's been many a times where I'm having a conversation with a Spanish speaker. I'm a fluent Spanish speaker, so there's been times where I'll be having a conversation with a native Spanish speaker in Spanish, right, there were a few instances where I would ask a question in Spanish and the person goes, huh, and I get this surprised stare, like you speak Spanish. And then I would repeat the same question, not having changed a single thing, and then the response is not a response to the question, not having changed a single thing, and then the response is not a response to the question, but the response is, oh like, still in shock, still in total surprise, that yeah, I do speak Spanish. And then after that I get an actual response to the question. Well, what's happening there? Well, what's happening is there was nothing fundamentally wrong or grammatically incorrect or syntactically incorrect with the words that were coming out of my mouth. It's just that the individual, the interlocutor, as we say in language circles, the person with whom I was speaking, wasn't listening for or expecting to hear Spanish coming out of my mouth. They just weren't expecting it, I guess, because I don't fit the sort of typical image of a Spanish speaker, but they just weren't expecting it. They weren't listening for Spanish. So that part of their brain just didn't connect with the words that were coming out of my mouth until maybe a second or third time hearing me ask the question or making the comment in Spanish, and they're like oh, okay, okay, so, okay. So he speaks Spanish, so now I can turn on that part of my brain that will make sense of that language.
Dr. A:The linguistics side of me sort of digressed into that, but it's a similar point regarding going out and looking for things that we already possess, whether it's within ourselves or within our own networks, within our homes, because we didn't start out by examining or exploring or looking for what we needed amidst all that we already had. So when we start with what we already have in our quest to fulfill a need and the need can be just about anything in our quest to fulfill a need, and the need can be just about anything when we start with what we already have, how might that save us time, effort and even help us build a more meaningful connection with what's already in our possession? Now think about this how many times have you gone shopping right, only to come back home, whether it's shopping for clothes, groceries, whatever only to come back home and you open up your cupboard and you realize, oh, I already have this. Or you look at your closet and you're like, oh, I already have this shirt or I already have this blouse, I already have this dress, I already have this suit.
Dr. A:It's so easy to overlook what's already in front of us, what's in plain sight, right. I mean, there are a number of studies out there that have shown that a large percentage of consumer purchases are impulsive. That means you're buying things that you really didn't intend to buy or plan on buying in the first place, and sometimes you yourself can't even explain why you're doing that. We're often buying stuff that we really don't need. Why is that? I mean, sometimes people do that when they're in distress, or maybe to find some short-term, instant gratification, if you will, which so often is a cover, if you will, for a deeper problem. Maybe others do it because they simply can't do that. They can't afford it, right. They can't afford to just go out and get stuff that they already have. We live in a culture that's sort of centered around consumerism. All right, it's almost like we're conditioned to think that what we have is never enough. I don't know, maybe that's an American thing, I don't know. There's a quote-unquote grass is greener on the other side mentality at play here, right, constantly pushing us to look outward instead of starting with what we have.
Dr. A:Let me share an example. A while back I was having some car troubles right, car troubles? Anybody out there ever had car troubles? If you cannot identify, then hey, praise God for you. If you can, you know what I'm talking about. So it turns out my coolant was leaking and after multiple trips to a number of mechanics across town, the problem just wasn't getting any better. It just wasn't getting solved. I kept going from one shop to another, just praying and hoping somebody could figure out what the issue was and they could fix it.
Dr. A:Now, finally, it just dawned on me that I didn't tap into my own network for advice, for guidance. I remembered that a friend of mine has a dad who's a master mechanic with years of experience, actually owns a mechanic shop. So I call up my friend, he connects me with his dad over the phone, right and after talking, and in that conversation his dad tells me exactly where to direct the mechanics to fix the problem, because they couldn't even find the link themselves. And after that conversation, 20, 25 minutes, problem solved. And I thought to myself, if I just tapped into my network first, I could have saved hours I mean tons of hours, if not days of time and frustration going from one mechanic shop to another to try to figure this out. Sometimes the answer is right there. We just need to start with what we have. Let me give you another example. Very recently it was probably last week or the week before I decided to save myself some money, right, hey, listen, times are hard out there. Every penny counts. I decided to save myself some money and power wash my driveway myself. I think my dad would be so proud of me. May his soul rest in peace.
Dr. A:I had a pressure washer in the garage, so I thought, hey, why not? Well, about 20 minutes, in guess what happened? The water hose broke. I guess I hadn't used it for quite some time, right, and it just wasn't holding up. It just didn't hold up. The water hose broke. The water hose that was connected directly to the pressure washer itself broke, and my first instinct was, you know, to go out and buy a new one. But you know, I held off on that and instead of running out and purchasing a new hose, I grabbed some tape to patch it up. But that it was a joke, you know. On my Facebook page I'm probably going to put up some pictures. You should see it. It was a joke. It didn't hold up. I mean, there was still a leak, water was still spraying all over the place, so that really didn't work. And then I remembered a couple of years ago and I remembered a couple of years ago, it just flashed in my mind I had bought a red hose. I even remember the color and I was pretty sure it was somewhere in the garage. So I went looking for that red hose and there it was in a corner in the garage, as good as new. It was a universal hose as well, so definitely it would work.
Dr. A:With the pressure washer that I had, I had exactly what I needed all along. That saved me a whole trip to the store and definitely some money right. Some money right. Start with what you have. You might already have what you need.
Dr. A:And this concept of starting with what we have reminds me of a really powerful Bible story. You know the story about the widow's oil in 2 Kings 4, 1 through 7 in particular. So a widow came to Elisha, the prophet, deeply in debt, on the brink of losing her two sons to slavery as payment for the debt, and she pleaded with Elisha for help. And Elisha asked her what do you have in the house? What do you have in the house? And she said your maidservant has nothing in the house except for a jar of oil. And Elisha told her go and borrow as many empty vessels as you can from your neighbors and then start pouring the oil into these vessels. And miraculously you know the story the oil just kept flowing and flowing. It filled every single vessel, every container. I mean from one vessel of oil to numerous vessels, filling every single container until there were no more left. All the vessels ran out, because they were all filled. The vessels ran out but the oil didn't. Hallelujah, that's a sermon right there. That's a sermon right there.
Dr. A:Through God's provision, this widow was able to sell the oil, pay her debts and support her family. So initially, what she had undermined, what she had underestimated because remember she said, thine handmaid hath not anything in the house save a pot of oil In her mind, I have nothing in this house except this little jar of oil she didn't really think much of it. She didn't really think she could do anything with that, until the prophet Elisha came in the picture. So sometimes God already has given us what we need. We just need to recognize it by start looking more intently, more deeply, more carefully at what we already have, what we already have access to our network, what we already possess. The answer might be through a friend, a mentor, a family member, your children, your parents, family member, your children, your parents. If we're talking about material stuff, I mean it might be in your own, it might be in your closet, in the kitchen, maybe even under the bed, who knows? So, friends, the big takeaway here is start with what you have.
Dr. A:Before looking outward, take a deep breath, pause. Ask yourself what resources, what relationships, what skills do I already have that could fill my need? Whether it's getting your car fixed or finding something in the house, we often have more at our disposal than we even realize. Leverage your network, just like with my car situation. Sometimes the answer lies in asking the people around us for help. Sometimes we're afraid to ask. Sometimes we just I just gotta tell you like it is sometimes we just have to swallow our pride and ask. Asking for help doesn't make you weak. It's going to make you strong or stronger. We don't have to figure everything out on our own. Our networks can be powerful resources.
Dr. A:Embrace the unexpected value in small things. Sometimes, what we consider insignificant I mean a simple jar of oil oil could turn out to be exactly what we need. For example, a simple jar of oil, an old hose in the garage that turns out to be as good as new. Instead of overlooking the small things you know, give them a second look. They might hold much more value than you think. All right, so start with what you have. Number one. Number two leverage your network. And number three embrace the value, or see the value in small things. So guess what, the next time you're faced with a need, before rushing out or stressing out, right, take a moment to explore, look at, take inventory of what you already have. Ask yourself is there something here that could meet this need? In this fast-paced, consumer-driven society? This mindset can help us save time, money and maybe even deepen our faith, as we realize that God often provides for us in ways we might initially overlook.
Dr. A:I'm sure this short but insightful episode has been a blessing to you. So hey, go ahead. Spread the love, spread the word, share it with a friend, family member, co-worker. Fma is still changing lives. It's on the move. No turning back. We're already on episode 34 to God be the glory. Faith Meets Academia FMA, as we call it, is available on all major podcast platforms. You can find it on Spotify, apple Podcasts, even Audible. All right, so keep listening, keep tuning in and see you on episode 35. God bless you.