Is Jonah a story about a great big fish?

Hardly -- it is a story about a great big God and the great big love of that God.

Which sounds great, except that God's love is sometimes experienced like ... well... vomit of a fish that puts us back on the right path.

We've been working through one book of the Bible each week this year, but we are doing a bit of cherry picking here with the minor prophets.  You can definitely read the whole book of Jonah!

Some discussion questions

1)  What did you think of the book of Jonah when you were a child?  What about when you shared the story with the next generation?

2)  Pastor Rob offers that the book of Jonah itself knows it is exaggerating.  Does that seem fair to you?

3)  If the book does contain obvious exaggerations and intends to communicate truth on a more "mythical"/"deep" level does that undermine the story for you?  Must this have happened as it said it happened for the story to have power for you?

4)  In your life, have you ever run away from the call of God in your life?  When?  Why?

5)  In your life, has God ever provided sanctuary or protection in a way that gave you the space and time to reflect and even repent?

6) In your life, has God have used fish vomit -- something rather gross -- to help you survive or come to your senses?

7)  In your life, when has God loved others (especially another group) more than you did?  Did you begrudge this?  Did you feel your heart open to the other(s)?