The Book of Jonah tells of a man who is called on by God to issue a warning to the enemies of Jonah's people, flees from God to avoid the task, finds that flight from God is impossible, and reluctantly gives the message to his enemies who, to his irritation, repent and are spared. I am strongly drawn to this story because of the very recognizable and universal characteristics of Jonah (anger, fear, foolishness, arrogance, lack of compassion, but also courage and faith), and the humor and humanity of the story. Jonah is one of those rare Biblical characters I can relate to, and his story has wit, drama, philosophy, action, and deep emotion.