What Do You Care About?

[Song] “Sing them over again to me, wonderful words of life.  Let me more of their beauty see, wonderful words of life.”

Hello, my name is Miss Barb!  Welcome to Lifeline English, the podcast that helps you know God and know English.

You can read the written script for today’s lesson online at lifelineenglish.com.

Today I want to teach you two more words.

The first word is care.  To care means to love someone or something.  To care also means to be interested in something.  The man cared for his sick dog.  He loved his dog and gave it medicine and good food.  Mothers care for their children, even after their children are adults.  They worry about their children and pray for their children.  I don’t care whether you eat chicken or fish.  That means, you can eat either chicken or fish.  I am not concerned which meat you choose.

The second word is worm.  Can you say worm?  It rhymes with “firm” and “germ”.  A worm is a small, long, thin animal with no arms or legs.  It is like a snake, but smaller, and it has no bones.  It does not bite with poison like a snake.  People often put worms on a hook to catch fish.



In our last story, Jonah was sitting to the east of Nineveh.  God made a plant grow up over Jonah’s head.  The plant gave shade to Jonah.  It protected him from the sun.  Jonah was very happy.  But then…

The next morning God sent a worm.
What did God send? God sent a worm.
When did God send the worm?  The next morning God sent a worm.

The worm killed the plant.
What killed?  The worm killed.
What did the worm kill?  The worm killed the plant.
Did a cow kill the plant?  No, a worm killed the plant!

When the sun came up, God sent a hot wind.
Who sent a wind?  God sent a wind.
Was the wind hot?  Yes, the wind was hot.
Did God send the wind at night?  No, God sent the wind when the sun came up.

The sun beat down on Jonah’s head.
What beat down?  The sun beat down.
Where did the sun beat down?  The sun beat down on Jonah’s head.
Did the plant give shade to Jonah?  No, the plant was dead.

Jonah became very weak.
How did Jonah feel?  Jonah felt very weak.
Why did Jonah feel weak?  Jonah felt weak because he was hot.

He begged, “I want to die, not live.”
Who was Jonah talking to?  Jonah was talking to God.
Who wanted to die?  Jonah wanted to die.

But God said, “Are you right to be angry about the plant?”
Did Jonah say he was angry?  No, Jonah did not say he was angry.
Was Jonah angry?  Yes, Jonah was angry.
Why was Jonah angry?  Jonah was angry because the plant died.
Was God angry?  No, God was not angry.
Did God kill Jonah?  No, God did not kill Jonah.
What did God do?  God asked Jonah a question.
Was Jonah right to be angry?  No, Jonah was wrong to be angry.

Jonah said, “Yes!  I’m so angry I want to die!”
Did Jonah say he was wrong to be angry?  No, Jonah said he was right to be angry.
Why did Jonah want to die?  Jonah wanted to die because he was angry.

God said, “You cared about the plant.”
Who cared? Jonah cared.
Did Jonah care about the sailors?  No, Jonah did not care about the sailors.
Did Jonah care about Nineveh?  No, Jonah didn’t care about Nineveh.
What did Jonah care about?  Jonah cared about the plant.

“You did not work to make the plant grow.”
Did Jonah make the plant grow?  No, Jonah did not make the plant grow.
Who made the plant grow?  God made the plant grow.

“The plant grew in one night and died in one night.”
Did the plant grow?  Yes, the plant grew.
How fast did the plant grow?  The plant grew in one night.
Did the plant die?  Yes, the plant died.
Why did the plant die?  The plant died because the worm killed it.
Did the plant die quickly?  Yes, the plant died in one night.

“Shouldn’t I care for Nineveh, the big city?”
Does God care?  Yes, God cares.
Did God care for Nineveh?  Yes, God cared for Nineveh.
Should God care for Nineveh?  Yes, God should care for Nineveh.
Did God care for Jonah?  Yes, God cared for Jonah.
Should Jonah care for Nineveh?  Yes, Jonah should care for Nineveh.

“More than 120,000 people live here.”
Where did the people live?  The people lived in Nineveh.
How many people lived in Nineveh?  More than 120,000 people lived there.

“They don’t know what to do.”
Who didn’t know what to do?  The people of Nineveh didn’t know what to do.
Did the people of Nineveh know how to be happy?  No, they didn’t know.
Did the people of Nineveh know how to become good?  No, they didn’t know.
Did the people of Nineveh know how to worship God?  No, they didn’t know.
Who should teach the people of Nineveh?  Jonah should teach them.

“Many animals live here too.”
Did animals live in Nineveh?  Yes, animals lived in Nineveh.
Does God care for animals?  Yes, God cares for animals.

Let’s listen to the whole story together now.

The next morning God sent a worm.  The worm killed the plant.  When the sun came up, God sent a hot wind.  The sun beat down on Jonah’s head.  Jonah became very weak.  He begged, “I want to die, not live.”
But God said, “Are you right to be angry about the plant?”
Jonah said, “Yes!  I’m so angry I want to die!”
God said, “You cared about the plant. You did not work to make the plant grow. The plant grew in one night and died in one night. Shouldn’t I care for Nineveh, the big city? More than 120,000 people live here. They don’t know what to do. Many animals live here too.”

Do you remember what a “verb” is?  A verb is the part of the sentence that tells about an action or a state of being.  Every sentence must have a verb.  I will tell the story again.  This time, I will pause before each verb.  See if you can remember the verb before I say it.  Ready?  Here we go!

The next morning God... sent a worm.  The worm... killed the plant.  When the sun... came up, God... sent a hot wind.  The sun… beat down on Jonah’s head.  Jonah… became very weak.  He... begged, “I... want to... die, not... live.”
But God... said, “... Are you right to … be angry about the plant?”
Jonah... said, “Yes!  I’m so angry I…  want to... die!”
God... said, “You... cared about the plant. You did not … work to … make the plant... grow. The plant … grew in one night and … died in one night. Shouldn’t I … care for Nineveh, the big city? More than 120,000 people … live here. They don’t … know what to … do. Many animals… live here too.”
Wow, this story has a lot of verbs!

What do you think that Jonah did next?  The Bible does not tell us.  The story ends here.

How many people live in your city?  Does God care about them?  Do you care about them?  Will you tell them God’s message so that they will not be destroyed?

I would love to receive a message from you.  You can write me.  Go to our website, lifelineenglish.com.

Until next time, may Jesus help you know Him and know English.  Good bye!

[Song] “Jesus only savior, sanctify forever, beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life.  Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life.”

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