Mythologizing the Bible

Mindfulness isn’t escaping reality, it’s noticing what matters. Attention, humility, and presence can transform the way you live!

Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to truly pay attention? We live in a world that constantly competes for our focus, rewarding quick reactions, instant opinions, and endless distractions. We often think of mindfulness as a way to relax or reduce stress, but what if it’s something much more demanding? What if mindfulness is the discipline of noticing what we’ve stopped seeing: our own blind spots, the quiet injustices around us, and the humanity of people we’ve filtered out through habit, ideology, or just indifference?

I’m Brandon Jubar and this is Mythologizing the Bible, where we’ll be taking a look at three readings from the Christian Bible through the lens of “sacred myth.”

As we reflect on the readings for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we’ll explore how genuine mindfulness grows by paying attention to what truly matters: practicing justice, cultivating humility, and becoming fully present to the people right in front of us.

In this episode, we’re asking a deceptively simple question: What does it really mean to be mindful? Together, we’ll discover why mindfulness is far more than inner peace, why humility begins with recognizing our own limitations, and why the greatest act of generosity may simply be giving another human being our complete attention. And before we’re finished, I’ll leave you with one question that may change the way you notice the world—and the people in it.

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What if your inner voice wasn’t always part of being human? Let’s explore self-awareness, consciousness, and why protecting your mind matters today.

Have human beings always been self-aware? I don’t mean, “Have people always been intelligent?” I mean something much more specific. Have we always had that quiet voice inside our heads that reflects, argues with itself, imagines possibilities, and asks, “Is this really what I believe?” We usually assume the answer is “yes, of course.” It feels so natural that it’s hard to imagine any other way of experiencing the world.

But what if that inner voice isn’t simply part of human biology? What if it’s a cultural achievement that developed over thousands of years—and one that’s now under attack by social media, political tribalism, and an economy built on capturing our attention? In this episode, we’re going to explore what many believe is one of the most provocative theories in modern psychology, examine what it might reveal about the Bible, and consider why protecting our inner life may be one of the most important challenges of the twenty-first century.

So, let’s dive into that... in this episode of Afterthoughts!

CODA Project is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Self-awareness begins in silence, grows through emotional honesty, and helps us face fear with clarity instead of panic.

Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to simply be alone with your own thoughts? The moment life grows quiet, many of us instinctively reach for our phones, turn on the television, or fill the silence with noise. But what if all that distraction is keeping us from hearing the one voice that matters most—our own? What if the greatest barrier to understanding ourselves isn’t a lack of information, but a lack of stillness?

I’m Brandon Jubar and this is Mythologizing the Bible, where we’ll be taking a look at three readings from the Christian Bible through the lens of “sacred myth.”

As we reflect on the readings for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we’ll explore how genuine self-awareness grows by quieting the world’s noise, honestly confronting our deepest emotions, and recognizing how fear shapes the choices we make.

In this episode, we’re asking an uncomfortable question: What fear hides behind my strongest opinions? Together, we’ll discover why self-awareness begins in silence, why emotional honesty is a strength rather than a weakness, and why understanding our own fears may be the key to becoming more compassionate, resilient, and authentic!

CODA Project is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Can freedom exist without autonomy? How does authoritarian religion cultivate dependency, obedience, and fear instead of genuine freedom?

Every July, Americans celebrate freedom and independence. We wave flags, light fireworks, and proudly remind ourselves that no king has the right to rule us. Then, on Sunday morning, tens of millions of Americans walk into church and enthusiastically proclaim, "Jesus is Lord," "Christ is King," and "I surrender everything to God."

Think about that for a moment.

We’ve built an entire national identity around rejecting absolute rulers while simultaneously treating absolute submission to one invisible ruler as the highest possible virtue. If someone demanded that level of obedience in politics, business, or even marriage, we’d call it authoritarianism. Wrap it in religious language, though, and suddenly surrender becomes holy.

That’s the paradox I want to explore today.

So, let’s dive into that… in this episode of Afterthoughts!

CODA Project is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Freedom begins within. Discover why real independence isn’t about possessions or power, it’s about purpose, resilience, and generosity.

Have you ever noticed how often we confuse freedom with comfort? We’re told that if we can buy what we want, say what we want, and live without interference, then we’ve achieved independence. But what if we’re still being quietly controlled… by advertising, social expectations, political tribes, or our own pursuit of status and security? What if real freedom has far less to do with what we possess and far more to do with who we’re becoming?

I’m Brandon Jubar and this is Mythologizing the Bible, where we’ll be taking a look at three readings from the Christian Bible through the lens of “sacred myth.”

As we reflect on the readings for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we’ll explore how genuine independence grows from intellectual freedom, deepens through inner resilience, and ultimately finds its purpose in serving the well-being of others.

In this episode, we’re asking a challenging question: Are we living the life we’ve intentionally chosen or the one our culture quietly chose for us? Together we’ll discover why freedom begins by questioning what truly satisfies us, why hardship doesn’t have to define us, and why the highest expression of independence is found not in “standing apart from others”, but in freely choosing to strengthen the communities we share. And before we’re finished, I’ll leave you with one simple question that may change the way you think about freedom itself.

CODA Project is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Progress isn’t automatic. Every generation must sort inherited ideas, keeping what promotes human flourishing and discarding what causes harm.

One of Jesus’ shortest parables—and one with some of the darkest imagery he allegedly shared—turns out to be a powerful metaphor for moral progress, if we look at it through a more humanistic lens. When we do that, we find ourselves asking what it really means to sort through the ideas we’ve inherited, and we realize that the work of sorting those ideas is work that belongs to every generation!

Imagine cleaning out your parents’ attic. You’d probably find family photographs, handwritten letters, treasured keepsakes, and maybe a few antiques worth preserving. But you’d also find broken appliances, outdated gadgets, worn-out furniture, and things nobody has used in decades. You wouldn’t keep everything simply because it belonged to your ancestors. You’d sort through it, preserving what still has value… and you’d let go of those things that no longer serve anyone.

The strange thing is, we’re usually much better at doing that with old possessions than we are with old ideas. Whether we’re talking about sacred scriptures, national traditions, political philosophies, or family beliefs, we often assume that age alone gives them authority. But history doesn’t work like that. Every generation inherits a tangled collection of wisdom and mistakes, compassion and prejudice, brilliance and blind spots. The real question isn’t whether we should honor the past, it’s whether we have the courage to separate what still nourishes humanity from what should finally be left behind!

CODA Project is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Fairness begins with understanding. Explore how wisdom, dignity, and discernment help us build a more just world… one conversation at a time.

Have you ever noticed how quickly a disagreement becomes a competition? Whether it’s politics, religion, social media, or even the dinner table, we’re often more interested in proving we’re right than understanding why someone else sees the world differently. But what if fairness isn’t about winning arguments at all? What if it begins with the humility to listen before we judge?

I’m Brandon Jubar and this is Mythologizing the Bible, where we’ll be taking a look at three readings from the Christian Bible through the lens of “sacred myth.”

As we reflect on the readings for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we’ll explore how wisdom, human dignity, and ethical discernment work together to create something far more demanding than simple neutrality: the lifelong practice of even-handedness.

In this episode, we’re asking an important question: Have we become so committed to being right that we’ve forgotten how to be fair? Along the way, we’ll discover why true justice begins with understanding, why every person deserves equal dignity, and why building a better world requires us to judge our own ideas with the same honesty we expect from everyone else. And before we’re finished, I’ll leave you with a simple question that just might change the way you approach your next difficult conversation.

CODA Project is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Why do healthy ecosystems need weeds? Discover how biology exposes the hidden danger of ideological purity and why resilience requires diversity.

There’s something deeply satisfying about a perfectly manicured lawn. No weeds. No dandelions. Every blade of grass standing at attention like it’s reporting for military inspection. We tend to think that’s what health looks like—not just in our gardens, but everywhere else. We want perfectly unified political movements, perfectly disciplined organizations, perfectly orthodox churches, and perfectly rational activist groups. If someone doesn’t fit, the instinct is simple: pull the weed.

It feels like strength. It feels like progress. After all, who wants a messy garden?

The problem with an immaculate garden is that nature doesn’t actually work that way.

A field with no diversity, no competing plants, and no ecological friction may look beautiful for a while, but beneath the surface it’s becoming dangerously fragile. Remove every challenge, eliminate every disturbance, and you’ve also removed many of the very forces that help living systems adapt and survive. The cleanest field can become the easiest one to destroy.

Human communities aren’t all that different. The moment a group becomes obsessed with ideological purity—whether it’s religious, political, or even secular—it starts confusing agreement with health. Disagreement becomes disloyalty. Questions become threats. Before long, the goal isn’t discovering what’s true. The goal is protecting the group from anyone who might complicate the story.

So, let’s dive into that… in this episode of Afterthoughts!

CODA Project is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Real courage isn’t always loud. Explore how restraint, resilience, and patience help us face life’s toughest challenges with wisdom instead of impulse.

Have you ever noticed how often we’re told that strength means acting fast, fighting harder, or never backing down? Whether it’s politics, social media, or even our personal relationships, we’re encouraged to believe that decisive action is always the courageous choice. But what if real bravery sometimes looks like restraint, perseverance, and the patience to let wisdom catch up with our emotions?

I’m Brandon Jubar and this is Mythologizing the Bible, where we’ll be taking a look at three readings from the Christian Bible through the lens of “sacred myth.”

As we reflect on the readings for the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we’ll explore a richer understanding of resolution, one that values self-control over aggression, resilience over certainty, and thoughtful patience over impulsive reaction.

In this episode, we’re asking a challenging question: Where am I trying to uproot a weed instead of growing through it?

CODA Project is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Did the early Church explain Jesus… or redefine him? Explore why one famous parable may have been transformed from an invitation into a rulebook.

For centuries, Christians have assumed Jesus spoke both the Parable of the Sower and the explanation that follows it. But modern historical scholarship paints a much more intriguing picture. In fact, many scholars believe the explanation wasn’t spoken by the historical Jesus at all!

When we’re looking at the Parable of the Sower, the parable itself is wonderfully open-ended. A farmer scatters seed across different kinds of soil, and each produces a different outcome. It’s vivid, earthy, and universal. You don’t have to be religious to appreciate it because it invites reflection rather than demanding some sort of dogmatic agreement. You can read it as a story about learning, resilience, opportunity, character, or even luck. And like all great poetry, it leaves room for you to wrestle with its meaning.

Then comes the explanation, and suddenly everything changes.

So, let’s dive into that… in this episode of Afterthoughts!

CODA Project is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.