Jonah 3:7 – 9 “Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: ‘By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let […]

Well, Jonah was only in the belly of the whale for three days and nights. But apparently, I’m not as compassionate as our Almighty God, and I have left the poor fellow hanging in cyberspace for nearly six months. When I get to glory, I’ll have to seek him out and beg his forgiveness. All […]

about the morning when death was conquered by our Lord. I mean, God, I know how things were on that Friday when He died. Or at least I’ve heard. The sun hid its face. All was black, right in the middle of the day. The earth shook. Creation mourned, that day that Your own Son […]

Jonah 3:6 “When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust.” When most of us think of Jonah’s story, we think of the miracle of one man being trapped in a fish’s belly for three days, […]

Jonah 3:4 – 5 “On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: ‘Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.’ The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.” “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Jonah must have thought on […]

Jonah 3:3 “Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city – a visit required three days.” I will never forget my first visit to New York. As a native Texan, I was accustomed to wide open spaces and mile upon mile of open land. I […]

Jonah 3:1 – 2 “Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.’” Have you ever messed up big-time, and wished you could have a do-over? I have. Plenty of times. Sometimes, in the little things […]

Jonah 2:10 “And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.” My son likes this part of the story because it’s gross. And he’s seven. And seven-year-old boys like anything gross. But I like this part of the story because of that first little phrase: And the Lord commanded the fish. […]

Jonah 2:9 “But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD.” How far does God have to go to get your attention? I wish I could say I responded to His every whisper, but that would be a gross untruth. […]

Jonah 2:8 “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.” Wow. This is an interesting twist that Jonah’s prayer makes. It’s kind of random, considering he’s in the belly of a smelly, slimy fish, crying out for his very life. Why does he suddenly think of other people who worship […]