Within any human system, there is a structure of power and responsibility. In some cases, that structure is well-defined and ordered like a community organization with by-laws run by Robert's Rules of Order. Companies have organizational charts to define who answers to whom. My observation is that the more intimate and small the system, the more difficult things can get.

One of my observations along life's journey is that humans have a penchant for whining at every stage of life, it just looks different in adults than it does in childhood. It transforms from emotional tantrums in children to adults wallowing in grumbling, complaining, and lament.

In the quiet this morning I find myself confessing that I never think about my needs because there has never been a day of my life journey that I couldn't take for granted my basic needs would be met. This means that my entire life journey has been spent measuring the "quality" and "success" of life by the relative equation of my wants versus my acquisitions.

I believe that God infused music with powerful properties. One of them is the way music ties us emotionally and spiritually to moments of our life journeys.

In today's chapter, I found it so clearly hiding in plain sight. Moses and the escaping Hebrews find themselves stuck at the shore of the Red Sea as the Egyptian army advances on them. In escaping their chains of slavery and oppression the Hebrews looked back at what was and found themselves mired in fear. Moses was focused on standing firm, but that leaves the situation between the proverbial rock and a hard place. God wants them to move forward.

In episode five of the series we pick up the Great Story at the end of Moses' story and overview the continuation of the story through the "Historical Books" of the Old Testament.

In our fourth episode of the series we're going to start wading through the major sections of the Great Story. We begin with the ancient and mysterious texts of the first five books, known as "The Books of Moses." In them, we'll discover the problem and the prophetic plan through the promise to a person who will become a people.

In our third episode of the series we're going to talk about some of the "meta-themes" in the Great Story and, since all good stories are a reflection of the Great Story, we'll look at some examples of the meta-themes we find in our favorite movies and epic stories.

Second episode of the series in which decode some of the basic confusion people often have about the Great Story (aka The Bible) and provide some suggestions and recommendations for diving in to the "shallow end" where you won't drown in discouragement!

First episode exploring the basics of the Great Story (aka The Bible) for both those who have little or no prior knowledge, and for those who do and simply want a refresher on some of those basics. In episode one we'll explore three foundational themes as we begin this journey: metaphor, context, and mystery.