Here is a peeving, depressed preacher who is mad. God sent a little gourd to grow up and make shade over the preacher’s head. He is so thrilled at that nice little, leafy plant. Then God sends a little cut worm like the one that cut off your tomato plant last spring. Chopped that thing off and with the hot sun and the hot breeze, it shriveled. The preacher got all depressed and said, “I want to die.” God said, “Jonah, you are more concerned about a little gourd that shades your head than about a city that has become a believer.”

He closes the book with this great passage: “Should I not be concerned for the great city Ninevah?” You and I are going to be more involved with electronic trinkets at Christmastime than we are with the great heart of God that bleeds for the cities of the world. But as imperfect as we are, we are a missionary people because we gather each week to worship a missionary God who carries in his heart a love for every person in it and every place in this world.

from “The Danger of Not Being a Missionary”
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Gender-neutral version:

Here is a peeving, depressed preacher who is mad. God sent a little gourd to grow up and make shade over the preacher’s head. He is so thrilled at that nice little, leafy plant. Then God sends a little cut worm like the one that cut off your tomato plant last spring. Chopped that thing off and with the hot sun and the hot breeze, it shriveled. The preacher got all depressed and said, “I want to die.” God said, “Jonah, you are more concerned about a little gourd that shades your head than about a city that has become a believer.”

He closes the book with this great passage: “Should I not be concerned for the great city Ninevah?” You and I are going to be more involved with electronic trinkets at Christmastime than we are with the great heart of God that bleeds for the cities of the world. But as imperfect as we are, we are a missionary people because we gather each week to worship a missionary God who carries in God’s heart a love for every person in it and every place in this world.

from “The Danger of Not Being a Missionary”