Hey – this Sunday we’re going to start a short study on the book of Jonah! Fun! We’ll be concentrating on an introduction to the book, and then reading over v1-3.

What do you know about Jonah – I mean, without Googling it right away. Just off the top of your head, what do you automatically associate the book of Jonah with? We’re going to challenge the assumption that the fish is the the main point of this story.

Just to get ready for what we’re going to be discussing – you might want to get familiar with the Assyrians, whose capital city was Nineveh. If you actually took the time to watch that video – you saw some pretty gnarly details about these folks. Given some of that information – why do you think Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh? Have you ever found yourself at a crossroad where you recognized God’s design for your life was distinctly different from your own? What is the greatest temptation you face at a time like that?

Jonah was told to “get up and go” – and he did. Just not to the place he was sent to. He didn’t stay where he was, so he could say he was being obedient – but he still was doing his own thing. In what ways or circumstances do we try to put a spiritual veneer on our own self-interests?

Jonah is not just a children’s story – it is hard hitting and will get us fairly uncomfortable as we explore it. But in the end, we’ll discover a God who’s mercy is beyond our ability to comprehend and a world of second chances on the horizon.  Hope to see you this Sunday!