myTakes: Religion & Spirituality

I had been struggling to write a book on religion for 16 years. These last 30 days I’ve come up with around 60 pages of outlines combined with another 28 pages of outlines compiled over the 14-15 years before that Last...

Jesus gave many parables on money In one story, a man gave his servants smaller units of money and left for a temporary trip away Before leaving he gives each servant the same unit of money One servant multiplies the...

So I like many others used to believe that being religious was about keeping the law I now know that being religious is not about keeping the law but about loving others Does that mean God does not care whether you keep...

I believe life has four purposes Most religious people believe life is about finding and serving God But I believe it’s also about helping others find and serve God You help people find God by showering them with...

The pharisees thought the ultimate Goal of life was perfection in Justice and law keeping To protect their religious interests they avoided adultery and kept kosher and sabbath But Jesus introduced or clarified or...

Matthew 6:33 Says seek first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you Before declaring this, Jesus said do not worry about what you will eat or drink or what you will wear for clothing So I’ve...

12 Reasons Many Fail To Appreciate, Understand or Properly Interpret Scripture is: (1) The Declaratively Powerful Expectation The expect God to speak through large scale events and not through rustling leaves (2) The...

When Jesus was on the cross he was thirsty after 3 days of dehydration and requested water A man who did not respect him offered him vinegar mixed with wine attached to a sponge And when Jesus discovered the drink was not...

The bible says those who share water receive water So if you want God to bless you can do it by blessing others Pray for those who are suffering Build the confidence of those who have low self esteem Calm those who are...

A real Christian views the bible and the act of religious practice as an excuse and reason to care for and love and protect and bless and help and rejoice in others A sick minded Christian views religion as an excuse to...

In the bible Jesus tells a story A wealth property owner hires people to work in his vineyard Some are hired in the morning and work longer Some are hired near the end of the day and work shorter hours When it’s time to...

The bible says blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth To me meekness is not cowardliness or self hatred or moral failure in the face of adversity Its a willingness to minimize your demands on others and the...

One mistake I made when before I became a Christian was that I trusted in myself and not in the universe or the spirit of creation - this led to pride, ego, anorexia, extreme arrogance, anxiety disorders, health...

In Matthew 20:16 Jesus says many are called but few are chosen I believe Jesus meant to say that many are religious and pious and devoted to the laws of religion But few are humble and compassionate and just Like a very...

For me Christmas is not about fancy clothes or expensive lattes It’s about celebrating charity and good will Celebrating the lives of those who died Celebrating the family and friends who remain Celebrating the...

1. I learned you cannot make money off of religion and be a successful and well adjusted Christian - I tried leading a bible study for donations - I tried running a ministry for donations - I tried to work as a life coach...

Jesus talks about how the kingdom of Heaven is like treasure a man found hidden in a field and after finding it he buries it again and than goes and sells all that he has and buys that field He also says the kingdom of...

I think a lot of times, when a relationship is God’s will - it will often not make sense to outsiders I remember as an 18 year old I was madly in love with an older man who rejected me Both the guy I liked and his best...

Jesus said good trees produce good fruit Bad trees produce bad fruit A good tree cannot produce bad fruit A bad tree cannot produce good fruit By their fruits you will recognize them To me the tree is a symbol for your...

Jesus said that in the house of God there are many mansions and if this was not fact Jesus would have warned you about it What I interpret from this is both that life with God is enriching but also that you do not have to...