Comfort Zone

“Disrupting My Comfort Zone” by Brian Grazer is a short story about a forty-five-year- old man in the entertainment business, who purposely puts himself in rather difficult situations. He is constantly in search for new people to meet that can teach him something new, or challenge his previous beliefs. Grazer goes on to explain the reasoning behind his wacky behavior saying, “Disrupting my comfort zone, bombarding myself with challenging and situations, this is the best way I know to keep growing” (92). In other words, Grazer feels as if he has a need to constantly be developing himself. Challenging himself in this way is the only way he knows how.

In conclusion, Bar-Jonah is a very sick person who eventually got what he deserved. He was a cannibal, sexual offender, kidnapper, molester, and overall a twisted killer. Who knows how many unknown people he has hurt, tortured, or killed and eaten. But now that he is dead and gone he won’t be able to hurt anyone

In the book of Jonah we see the vast amount of tension between both God and Jonah. He is one of the prophets who also believes in tolerance of non-Jews opposite to Ezra’s and Nehemiah’s stress of an unadulterated blood race of Jews under a restrictive Jewish God. Jonah is one of a vast line of important people in the bible who argues with God. As you see in past books of the bible everyone has stood their own against the Lord. Jonah though decides to try and run from God. The Lord called to Jonah and said “Arise, go to Ninevah, that great city, and cry against it,” but Jonah flees to Joppa, setting sail on a ship duty-bound for Tarshish, assuming he can evade the Lord. Jonah views the Lord as sort of a indigenous God of restrained power that his hand would not reach as

One of the many choices he makes is the decision for others to decide. At first he wants the ability for people to choose what they want, but he later decides it would be unsafe if people choose their own mate and job. The following quote states: “It’s the choosing that’s important, isn’t it? The Giver asked him Jonas nodded… ‘Or what if... they choose their own jobs?’ ‘Frightening, isn’t it?’ The Giver said Jonah chuckled. ‘Very frightening. I can’t even imagine it. We really have to protect people from wrong choices” (Lowry, 124). A second choice he makes about keeping the community safe is agreeing to what the Giver told the Elders about adding an extra child to a family unit. He first thought it was a good idea, but the Giver said that there could be famine and starvation and with Jonah already knowing about the hunger he willingly agreed. A final choice is Jonah agreed to letting the pilot go. In the novel the Elders were prepared to shoot it down, but advice from the Giver told them to wait. In the novel, it states “Do you remember the day when the plane flew over the community? ‘Yes. I was scared’ ‘So were they. They prepared to shoot it down, but they sought my advice. I told them to wait… I used my wisdom, from the memories. I knew that there had been times in the past—terrible times– when people had destroyed others in haste, in fear, and had brought down their own

Jonah was given the task of delivering God’s message of impending judgment to a society that Jonah despised.

Jonah's parents are loving, always telling Jonah that they were lucky to get him and that he is such a miracle. On page 15, page 16, and many other pages in the book mention how Jonah’s parents

Spiritual disciplines will prepare us for our journey in Christ. I feel if understanding correctly, the classical Christian Pilgrimage remind us that we all have issues requiring regular examination. In chapter eight, the classical Christian Pilgrimage tells us we are at different stages on the path of wholeness in Christ. However, in my thoughts some areas of our Christian journey we may be doing well, but in other areas we have not touched at all. Not to mention, these are the place we are not ready or capable of handling yet, however, as we mature in God and He knows what we can handle, then we are awakened. God awakens us to our true selves which have not been completely revealed. In reality, once we reach maturity to God, he reveals all that is hidden deep inside of us (the real us/you). By the same token, he let us see the inner behaviors, attitudes, desires, in fact how we measure up in them being Christ-like. I feel the awakening stage deals with the comfort of being set free of these issues that are holding us back also causing detours on our path to wholeness in Christ. Equally, the threat is being afraid to see who we really are; also how far from Christ-like we really are. We must first be awakened from our separation also alienation from God (Mulholland 79-82).

that he would let them win they had to first get rid of some of their men. So the lord told Gideon

Teenagers like to think they are always right. Even though we aren’t, we should take our parents more serious, especially as we grow up. Parents know what is best for us because they were once teenagers too. Let’s say there is a party, that you know is going to have drugs and alcohol there. Everyone is going to be there so you ask but your parents say no. You think that people will make fun of you for

The LORD is not going to allow His servant to have this wrong attitude, so He confronts Jonah with a question: 4 Then the LORD said, “Is it right for you to be angry?” This is a conversation between God and Jonah. We’re third party. Jonah is saying to God, “I’m mad that You spared the Ninevites and forgave them and showed Your love and mercy!”

God called Jonah to “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city and cry aginst it; for their wickedness is come up before me.” (Jon 1:2) Jonah fled Gods calling to Tarshish. During his escape a great storm came upon the boat that he was on. So the crew cast him into the sea where “the lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” In Matthew 12:40 Jesus refrences this as “Jonah being in a whales belly for three days.” While in the belly of the fish Jonah prayed to God to let him out. “the Lord spoke unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land”.(Jon 2:10) Jonah then went to Ninevah “and cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.”( Jon 3:4). Ninevah repented and turned back to God and he showed mercy. Jonah was still angry because God showed this savage nation mercy. God then explained to Jonah that everyone needs mercy even your greatest

The book of Jonah has been a staple in Sunday school classes for many years. It has also been subject to misinterpretation for many years as there is a much deeper meaning within the book that has enlightened audience that Jonah was originally written for. However, this remains one of the best books in that it contains a miracle that seems impossible which directly relates to people because it is a captivating story in which a man survives in the belly of a giant fish. Many have translated the word fish for a whale as that is the only fish that comes to mind that would have the capacity to hold a human. Let us talk about the facts, history, characteristics and some background that makes up the beloved book.

“Jonah, by contrast preaches a short, reluctant sermon in Nineveh (of all places!) and the entire city repents, from the greatest to the least.” (Hays,2010, P.171). “When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.” (Bible.org, N.D). repentance to me is the social justice part, If God’s people repents He will heal the land. The bible says, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2nd chronicles 7:14).

2. Background and Introduction: Jonah was instructed by God to go to Nineveh and preach the message of repentance to them.

In addition, the city of Nineveh is described in Nahum as “bloody, full of deceit, and full of plunder” (Bolin 117). The Ninevites’ actions therefore justified Jonah’s decision to disobey God’s command because of how ruthless they were. The nature of the great city disgusted Jonah and made him believe that the Ninevites were not worthy of God’s forgiveness. Although Jonah’s intuition to ignore God’s command seems admissible, we later learn that it is not up to Jonah to determine the Ninevites’ fate.