What's up with the guy that went down in the whale? A handy chart.

A stubborn prophet, a big storm, and a 3-day/2-night stay in an underwater hotel that smells like sushi. No, you're not tripping out. And you're not in one of those meetings where they try to sell you a timeshare. Nope. You're reading the Old Testament book of Jonah.

There's a reason this biblical story is a Sunday School favorite. It's got all the elements of a good story: Memorable characters, fantastic events, danger and humor. Jonah is a fishy yarn that's meant to make you smile -- and make you think.

If you're like most, it's easy for the lessons of the story to get lost in the weeds...the seaweeds. What looks like a simple fish tale about a guy who learns his lesson when he tries to outrun God, packs a punch when you look under the surface. (Hint: It's not all about the whale.)

One great way to get at what the story is all about, is to look at how the story is put together. Structure can tip us off to some key ideas and themes of this little book with the big fish. Here's a chart that uses come color and lines to help you map out Jonah as you read. It takes a little extra effort to put on your thinking cap when you read this story...but be patient, and you can reel in some big time truth...

Click here to download the Jonah chart as a printable pdf...

Coming up next time...Is Jonah's whale for real? We'll dig into a close encounter of the fish kind...

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