Listen or Get Swallowed

I've spent the last year studying the 4 chapters that make up the book of Jonah in the old testament.  Yes - a year.  The book is so small you can easily pass by it several times before you find it hiding out between Obadiah and Micah.  Diving into these chapters, however, has been a great experience and I have learned so much about the divine interventions that our Awesome God places in our lives. 

The adventure started when I watched this. . .

yes. . . the veggie tales . . . it's good folks.

Then the ladies and I studied Jonah: Navigating a Life Interrupted by Priscilla Shirer.  I had the chance to go through it twice.  It was a fresh perspective on Jonah.  Priscilla is a great speaker.  She concentrates on the big theme: Life's Interruptions really are God's Divine Interventions.  The workbook and DVD series did a great job at challenging us to restructure our thinking.

This summer while we take our summer break, the girls and I will be working on learning a number of verses from the study.  You can download a copy for yourself here!  I print the verses on both sides of a single piece of paper; place the paper in a gallon sized ziploc bag with the seal at the bottom of the page; get the bag wet; and stick it onto the tile of the shower!  It's a great place to read God's Word and put it to memory.

I also dove into Jonah with my weekly Wednesday night community.  Igor, Nathan, and I all taught out of the book of Jonah.  This is my lesson on chapters 3 & 4.  Igor and Nathan brought an entirely different perspective to the book.  Studying together in community really does open up my eyes.

On Monday, one of the ladies surprised us with a great gift of this t-shirt.  Oh so darling. . . can't wait to wear it this summer.  It says "Listen or Get Swallowed". 

The great culminating event of studying Jonah was when we watched this fantastic rendition of the story of Jonah told by this absolutely darling little girl.  Seriously - she has a gift.