Jonah, Jonah, you bring me stormy seas with your deceit...

Back in the 90s I had an album (on vinyl!) by a little known group called Breathe who sang a song with that line in it. It always goes through my head when I am teaching Jonah, as I was on Friday with the lovely Midlands team. As always when you study a book with brothers and sisters who love the word, people open your eyes to new and wonderful things: here's a few the lovely Midlands guys helped me with:

Chapter 1: I'd never seen as clearly before the rather frightening aspect of God's character that he will put us through quite literally anything to get our obedience from us. It's good for us: discipline - but frightening all the same. It also raises the very difficult pastoral question about "Am I Job or Jonah"?

Chapter 2: Thanks to etrangere for the insight that the covenant plays an important part in understanding the book. Jonah remembers the covenant (and rejoices in it!) while inside the whale by quoting the Psalms extensively, but still by Chapter 4 hasn't quite thought thropugh what it means for the rest of the world if God really is the way the covenant says he is. Interesting for us so keen, rightly, to celebrate the Gospel, but often so slow to think through the implications of the God revelaed by the Gospel for the rest of the world.

Chapter 3: Pray for revival. Here we have the largest most unlikely revival we have recorded for us in the Bible started by a rogue possibly unconverted prophet preaching less than half the Gospel. Yet the Ninevites believed God and their whole city was turned upside down and repented. Why shouldn't our gracious compassionate God do the same today, - weak as our churches and CUs are? Let's pray that he will!

Chapter 4: I rushed through. I'm sure they would have had some interesting things to say on that too had I given them time!

Thanks Midlands team for your wonderful insight and encouragement: it was worth my 4 hour epic journey home from Nottingham! Also, Phil Marshall give me a lovely back rub, which was not at all dodgy.

Bloggerama

I'm back, back again, in the words of eminem. And with a brand new Relay inspired look and name, which was generously provided by Dave Bish Big Up and Thanks Bish!

I'm going to try and post more often, not just with my deep thoughts (which is why my posts have been more infrequent) but with all my exciting happenings in life. I'll try not to just fill you in on boring "I went to the shop" news though.

2 things that made me think this weekend.

I went to see my MP Louise Ellman about the whole CUs and SUs thing. She was supportive on that front. Not so on the Sexual Orientation Regaulations issues which I also raised with her. But, ever since I've been working with Richard Cunningham and listen to him harp on ad nauseam about worshiping Jesus with all of your life, I have tried to do that a bit - and one way is making what I believe are his views heard by the person who is supposed to represent me to government. Her PA looked at me like I was barking mad, and we were in a room with floorspace the size of a postage stamp, but I felt all liberated having taken my part in the democratic process.

I went to a 9:38 ( link here) conference Lots to think about there. But what I came away thinking about is this: give me a godly pastor who wants to humbly serve the Lord, over someone who preaches great sermons any day of the week in charge of my church. Make me like that too Lord. Both would be good...but if I have got to choose....

Finally, look at this video of my friend Steve's daughter telling the story of the three Billy goats gruff - cutest thing ever Weep with the cuteness if yopu click here.

Anyway blogettes - it's great to be back.