Venting

In my line of work I see alot of garbage. I watch familys fall apart. Fathers who go to jail because they had molested their own children. Pregnant mothers come to pick up their children reeking of pot. Moms who bring their children to preschool but quickly leave because they are ashamed of the bruises on their face. Parents that are late picking up their kids cause they were out drinking and had to find a ride to preschool. Children talking about "what happens when daddy gets mad" I watch in pain everyday as parents chose their careers over their children. Parents who drop their children off at preschool at 7:30 am, hair uncombed, wearing the same dirty smelly clothes as the day before with a pop tart or twinky in hand, while mom or dad pulls away in their brand new SUV talking on their cell phone wearing beautiful clothes on their way to Starbucks, then the same parent will then come back still on their cell phone at 5:34 (we close at 5:30) they yell at their kids... "hurry up get your stuff and get in the car, i have a meeting to go to..." I really hate how parents refuse to discipline their kids... that really frustrates me. I meet hundreds of kids a year. The ones that are better behaved, and have more respect for themselves, adults and things are the children who receive discipline. But along with that they also receive positive reinforcement and attention, their has to be equal balance of both. I have meet alot of very depressed children also lately. For instance, I was babysitting 3 children ages 5, 9, and 12. The 12 year old was obsessed with "having a boyfriend" and how this other girl in her class has nicer clothes, and bigger boobs and two boyfriends at the same time, so in turn the 5 year old girl talks about the same thing. But the 9 year old boy just broke my heart. After I put them all to bed I went in and checked on them, he stoped me and tells me how he "wished mommy would play with him" and "love him like she loves Adam (her boyfriend)" then he wen ton to tell me he, "just wants to die because then mommy would notice something different about him and then she might wish he was their again." that just floored me... he is just a baby... its was so... heartbreaking... I dont know what the point of this blog is... I am just at a loss of what to do... I love my job! I love working with the kids, but so many of them are hurting, and I can do anything about it... I just wish I could change what goes on at home sometimes... I just dunno...

Jonah Jonah Jonah Jonah Jonah in the belly of a whale

this is the "lesson" I am giving this week at church... feedback would be nice... is it too boring or confussin... its for highschoolers... so let me know...

Many people discredit the book of Jonah because it describes a man surviving inside a fish for 3 days. To many, this simply seems impossible. So they raise all kinds of questions that have little to do with the central theme of the story. Was Jonah swallowed by a fish or a whale? Isn’t this story more of an allegory than a historical narrative? If Jonah wasn’t swallowed by a fish isn’t Gods word discredited? Many people would rather debate the story then learn from it; critique is rather than study it.

I happen to believe this story is historical fact. First, Jesus made reference to Jonah’s big adventure as an example of his own death and resurrection in Matthew 12:40. Second, there is documentation of someone else surviving a whale swallowing.

1891. A man named David Barltey was a crewman on board a English waling ship called, Star of the East. He was thrown overboard during a struggle to reel in a 70-foot sperm whale, and presumed dead. The next morning the men of the ship begin to clean up and gut a whale they caught the day before and discovered Bartley in its stomach. He was unconscious but alive, his skin bleached white from stomach acid. He eventually recovered and said that breathing was surprisingly easy, though the heat (104 degrees) was almost unbearable.

So it seems possible just by natural cause that a person could be swallowed by a whale and live to tell about it. And when we consider the awesome power of an omnipotent God, how can Jonah’s story be anything less than certain.

But the key to unlocking this book is not establishing the plausibility of the plot. Its recognizing the infinite compassion of God and the drastic measures he takes to express it.

We think of compassion and love as residing in out hearts, but in the Biblical mindset, compassion comes from one’s stomach or intestines. Compassion is gut-level concern for others; something you feel deep in your belly. That’s why the Bible sometimes speaks of “bowels of compassion.” God had it. Jonah did not. So God used the stomach of a “fish” to try to turn Jonah’s stomach back to Him and the lost people of Nineveh.

Sadly, even Jonah’s fish ordeal had only a temporary effect on him. He took Gods message to Nineveh, but grew bitter and resentful when God spared the city. In many ways Jonah is just like us. How many times has God stiffed us up to serve him, only to see us fizzle out a short time later? How many times have we grown jealous and resentful when an enemy is successful and seems to enjoy God’s favor? There are many lessons and warning we can take from this story, so as we review Jonah in the next few minutes look for the Holy Spirit to apply them in a variety of ways.

1) You can run, but you can’t hide. Jonah 1:1-17 goes on to read how God called Jonah to go to Nineveh, he refused and ends up swallowed alive, we all know the story. These verses show compassion in disciplining his people. Cause and effect. We learned this as child. When you told your parents “no” as a child you were punished. Same thing here. God will take drastic measures to keep his people in line. He had Jonah thrown overboard and swallowed by a fish. Ask yourself this: What will He do to you??? Whatever it takes to keep you in his care. Hebrews 12 tells us that only legitimate “loved” key word LOVED children receive discipline. Illegitimate kids run wild with no restraint. So, while some people might think God was mean to do what he did to Jonah, he really was just the opposite. Jonah did something extreme by sailing away. God matched that move by sending a storm and a fish to eat him alive.

2) You can always pray. Jonah 2:1-10 is a prayer from Jonah to God then God compassion in answering our prayers. If God were and ogre, he would have gotten a cheap thrill out of squashing Jonah mid-flight. Instead, the Bible says that God provided a great fish for Jonah (Jonah 1:17) And after Jonah prayed, God commanded the fish to vomit him onto dry land. (verse 2:10) Sometimes God needs to drive us to our knees. He wants us dependent and praying. Sometimes he will allow our situation to get so desperate that we have no other choice but to cry out to him.

3) You can never be too far gone. Jonah 3:1-10 gives details of when Jonah does go to Nineveh and Gods compassion in granting repentance. Nineveh was a city of evil people. They were barbarians who worshiped idols and often raided Israel and tortured its people .In spite of this, God was sending them help! That’s why Jonah did not want to go… from the beginning Jonah suspected that God intended to spare the city. Nineveh didn’t deserve God’s compassion, but they received it anyways. Jonah 3:10 says that Nineveh turned from evil and God had compassion on them. But understand this: It was not their change of heart that led to God’s compassion. God’s compassion came first. Compassion led to repentance; not the other way around. After all, if God had not sent Jonah, the people would have never changed. This story illustrates the power of Gods word. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says “All scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” By sending His word to Nineveh, God had compassion on them and gave them opportunity to change. And by granting a place like Nineveh repentance, God shows that we can never be too far gone. No matter where we’ve been or what we’ve done. God can save us.

Two Days after

I have been engaged for only two days now... and already I am feeling overwhelmed. Everyone telling me what I need to do, or things that need to happen or things I need to get. I feel like I am on a merry-go-round that is spinning out of control...ahhhh... and me and Daniel are kinda already arguing about how the wedding is going to be... I feel like I just want to crawl under a rock and hide till its all over..