Kona with Jonah

KONA WITH JONAH Coffee Cup Bible Series  Four-week study In Kona with Jonah, readers encounter the character of God and their own need to embrace radical forgiveness. In seeing God’s love for the murderous people of Nineveh—ancestors of modern-day Iraqis—readers come face to face with the One whose mercy extends to all. “Pray for our troops.” We’ve heard the request in churches and on the radio. Yet how often have Iraqi terrorists made our prayer lists? And why should they? They behead people!  In the eighth century B.C., Nineveh lay in the heart of the Assyrian empire. Its people entertained themselves by drawing graphic cartoons of violent acts. Their stomach for torture gave them a reputation as the world’s most barbarous people.  And God sent Jonah, a prophet of Israel, to extend mercy to his enemies. But Jonah had a little problem with grace: He wanted it only for himself. Jonah's dilemma helps us explore the character of God and the ramifications for all humans, including our fiercest opponents.     Kona with Jonah is a four-week study designed for individual or group use that includes guided Bible study on weekdays and applicational devotionals on the weekends.   This book contains a leader's guide.     One reader's review. Another reader's review.   Check out simple works of art created by people expressing their laments to God. (Click on each picture for more info.)

For further study:

Notes

• Bible.org has wonderful audio messages, articles, and textual notes on Jonah.
• Dr. Tom Constable, a professor at Dallas Seminary, has compiled extensive notes on the Book of Jonah. He makes his notes available online for free. You can access the .pdf file by following this link: Constable notes
• Follow this link to Matthew Henry's complete commentary on Jonah.  

Visual Art

• Join people from all over who have created simple works of creativity the size of playing cards as part of their contemplations. 
• For online searches of biblical art relating to Jonah, follow this link to biblical art. 

Movie tie-ins to Jonah (Can be rented, borrowed, or downloaded)

• Jonah: A Great Fish Story (2005) In this cartoon adaptation of the well-known story, stop-motion animation and computer graphics convey a lesson on obedience and faith.   

• Jonah: A Veggie Tales Movie (2002) This VeggieTales film features Bob the Tomato and the Veggie kids learning the story of Jonah. God charges the prophet with the task of delivering a message to the people of Nineveh, but he ends up in the belly of a fish. 

• Moby Dick (1956 and 1998) Captain Ahab is obsessed with catching the white whale in these big-screen versions of Herman Melville’s classic novel. Moby Dick is not the story of Jonah per se, but it contains many literary allusions to the biblical Jonah, including a chapter in which a minister preaches a sermon from the Book.  

Book Recommendation:

·         Eugene Peterson’s Under the Unpredictable Plant

Check out all of the Coffee Cup Bible Studies: 

Espresso with Esther

Mocha on the Mount

Solomon Latte (Song of Songs)

Java with the Judges (includes Hannah) 

Cappuccino with Colossians  

Premium Roast with Ruth 

Frappé with Philippians