University of Whales
Jonah 2:8
"Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs."
Our church, Wheatland Presbyterian, is presently engaged in a study on the book of Jonah. The pastors are preaching on it and the small groups are discussing a book by Sinclair Ferguson written about Jonah called "Man Overboard."
It is wise to have the preaching and small groups working off of the same text. Good educators know that until information is personalized, it has little chance of being remembered. And a primary means of personalization is discussion...a give and take...which is not how our traditional church service is designed.
I was recently in an pleasant conversation with a godly woman where she mentioned that she loved her pastor's sermons, saying that they were practical and helpful. Interested in knowing more, and in no way attempting to trip her up, I asked her what her pastor had preached the previous Sunday. She drew a complete blank only two days after hearing the sermon. Boy, that was awkward.
There are deep-as-the-sea pedagogical differences between Hebraic (discussion and mentoring) and Greek (rhetoric and lecture) methods of learning. Both styles are needed but we in the Western Intellectual tradition have overly favored lecture at the expense of discussion and processing. Yet anyone who has has sat in a small group with a bore who dominates the discussion or reveals too much icky information, knows that "small group" facilitation is akin to conducting an orchestra. Too many small group leaders are put into that role with little training. Torture.
When Jonah was in the belly of the whale with seaweed around his head like a Do Rag, he was being personally instructed by the team teaching of God and the whale with some serious experiential learning. After three days of being in the belly, Jonah started to have several keen insights into God. When the whale barfed Jonah onto dry land, in a real sense, Jonah had graduated and was ready to rap. He had needed some intensive remediation and he got it. Going to Nineveh seemed to be less onerous after he had experienced the alternative.
It wasn't only just a head issue, it was also a heart issue. Both Jonah's head and heart had to get to where God's thoughts (head) and will (heart) were...now Jonah was a proud graduate of the University of Whales.
One of the insights that Jonah gleaned while in the whale was this verse above. This verse caught my eye yesterday as it was part of the chapter of Jonah 2 listed in the church bulletin. I will explore this verse further in the days to come....
"Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs."
Our church, Wheatland Presbyterian, is presently engaged in a study on the book of Jonah. The pastors are preaching on it and the small groups are discussing a book by Sinclair Ferguson written about Jonah called "Man Overboard."
It is wise to have the preaching and small groups working off of the same text. Good educators know that until information is personalized, it has little chance of being remembered. And a primary means of personalization is discussion...a give and take...which is not how our traditional church service is designed.
I was recently in an pleasant conversation with a godly woman where she mentioned that she loved her pastor's sermons, saying that they were practical and helpful. Interested in knowing more, and in no way attempting to trip her up, I asked her what her pastor had preached the previous Sunday. She drew a complete blank only two days after hearing the sermon. Boy, that was awkward.
There are deep-as-the-sea pedagogical differences between Hebraic (discussion and mentoring) and Greek (rhetoric and lecture) methods of learning. Both styles are needed but we in the Western Intellectual tradition have overly favored lecture at the expense of discussion and processing. Yet anyone who has has sat in a small group with a bore who dominates the discussion or reveals too much icky information, knows that "small group" facilitation is akin to conducting an orchestra. Too many small group leaders are put into that role with little training. Torture.
When Jonah was in the belly of the whale with seaweed around his head like a Do Rag, he was being personally instructed by the team teaching of God and the whale with some serious experiential learning. After three days of being in the belly, Jonah started to have several keen insights into God. When the whale barfed Jonah onto dry land, in a real sense, Jonah had graduated and was ready to rap. He had needed some intensive remediation and he got it. Going to Nineveh seemed to be less onerous after he had experienced the alternative.
It wasn't only just a head issue, it was also a heart issue. Both Jonah's head and heart had to get to where God's thoughts (head) and will (heart) were...now Jonah was a proud graduate of the University of Whales.
One of the insights that Jonah gleaned while in the whale was this verse above. This verse caught my eye yesterday as it was part of the chapter of Jonah 2 listed in the church bulletin. I will explore this verse further in the days to come....
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