In the first episode of our podcast series on the Book of Jonah, we explore how Jonah, a prophet, gets a mission from God to go to the city of Nineveh and call out their wrongdoing. Instead, Jonah decides to run away in the opposite direction, hopping on a ship to Tarshish. But God sends a huge storm that threatens to sink the ship, leading the frightened sailors to find out that Jonah is the cause. Jonah tells them to throw him overboard to calm the sea, and reluctantly, they do it. The storm stops, and Jonah is swallowed by a giant fish, where he stays for three days and nights.

We'll talk about Jonah's disobedience, the powerful storm, the sailors' fear and eventual faith in God, and how Jonah's story teaches us about the consequences of running from our responsibilities and the importance of turning back to God's path.