Day 2 and 3: Bible in 90 Days

There are times I read the Bible and I wonder why it is that I have let these stories have such authority over my life. I mean the truth is, I think a  lot of the scripture is not  the most encouraging stuff I have ever read.

First of all, the beginning of the Bible doesn’t treat women very well (correction: it treats them with extreme abuse). Abram freely gives his wife over to kings so he won’t be killed, Lot gives his daughters over to a mob, other women early in the bible are raped, abused, and treated as nothing. To be honest some of these stories simply break my heart, and I wonder “why do allow these stories to be my authority?”

The more I have reflexed on these stories, stories of brokenness, I have begun to see that their brokeness is the beauty of them. Because it is the brokenness we find throughout scripture that is speaking the truth about reality. I bible is not  fairy tales that encourages us like some Motivational Speaker. No the bible tells the true story of creation, brokenness, and redemption. So although it breaks my heart, the bible should have stories where women are mistreated. Not because abuse is deserved but because in the reality of our world today, women are greatly mistreated every single day. The stories of abuse in the bible are like the same stories of abuse in the news we hear everyday. And this abuse and brokenness points us to our historical and present need of redemption. If we long for life (and the bible) to be filled with fairy tales, we are avoiding the reality suffered by many all around us.  

The truth is I’m a block head of a man, and don’t have a clue about the struggles women go through in our culture. But I do believe that thier stories must be told and listened to, both the good and the bad ones. Sometimes the worst abuse is the silencing of a story.

New Mattress Sale’s Man

Anyone intertested in our new mattress line: Urban Organic

Bible in 90 Days…another New Years goal

Our church just started this new program called Bible in 90 days. The goal is to have the whole church rally together and each person read the bible in 90 days, about 12 chapters a day. To be honest, I’m a little worn out on “new church programs” ever since I went through “40 days of purpose” three different times. I don’t know what it is about church programs but it seems that you can make millions of dollars if you just come up with a different subject and slap a certain amount of days on it. my next book: “365 days as a really bad sinner, subtitle: Jesus help us all”.

Even after rehabbing from “40 days of purpose”,  I have decided to go ahead with my churches program and try reading the bible in 90 days. Who knows maybe it because its the new year, and I also committed to trying to run a marathon, lose 30 pounds, and travel around the world with my family, I thought might as well fail at reading the whole bible while I’m at it.

I just finished reading (listen to some British actor read) day one, the first 16 chapters of Genesis. The sad news is I’m already a day behind schedule, but the good news my wife Lauren and I thought we might as well try to do this whole 90 day thing together. After finishing chapter 16, I found myself unable to fall asleep because I had a lot of questions about the first part of Genesis.

Maybe because I was inspired by the new girly movie I watched last week, Julia and Julia (which when I’m honest, and not around a bunch of guys, I have to admit I like it…and added “learning to cook” to my on going list of  new year goals) or maybe I’m just longing to find a way to honestly process all the stuff I’m going to read this next 90 days. But I decided I going to blog my way through the bible. So here we go… day 1:

I think the strangest things I found while reading the first 16 chapters of Genesis, was the many different “gods” that make an appearance. There is the great God of creation, the God that is “walking in the garden”, the pissed off God that kicks yells at Adam and Eve, shuns Cain, and kills all humanity but Noah’s family, the God that keeps using the words “let us” like he is part of some Greek council of gods, and the one the wacked me out the most that God that on the surfaced seems threated by humanity.

Since I was a kid I have wondered why God didn’t want Adam and Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge. In Genesis it seems to paint a picture of a God that is afraid that man will become to knowledgeable or powerful (like in the story of Babel, where God says, “nothing that humanity propose to do will now be impossible for them…Come, let us go down and confuse their language.”) What is God afraid of?

I think when I was in professional ministry, i was always afraid to ask these questions, because I was scared someone would discover that I didn’t have the answer, or maybe I was even afraid that God didn’t have the answers. But now i find it excited to ask questions I don’t have a clue how to answer, and to be honest, I don’t even think there is an answer. I use to read the bible to find answers, but i think this time I may read it to hear the story of God.

Family Pics

Minister to Mattress Sales Man

For the last year-and-a-half after graduating seminary, I have invested my time at City Church in Denver. I started first as an apprentice for church planting and then worked as the church’s Minister of Urban Mission. In the midst of this entire ministry period at City Church I have seen God work wonders in the life of our city, the church, and mostly in my own life. For the last several months I have been working part-time at City Church and part-time as a sales person at Urban Mattress. Although the mix of church work and sales has been a good match, working two part-time jobs has created an unbalanced and unsustainable schedule for Lauren and me. So in light of some of the transitions in the life of City Church and in my own life I have decided to become a full-time employee at Urban Mattress.

As you can imagine this decision was a hard one to make, but I truly believe that God has led me to this point. If you were to ask me a year ago, “What do you think God is calling you to?” I believe my last answer would be “A mattress salesman.” But that’s what I love about God, He seems to work in our lives in ways we never imagine, and in doing so continues to draw us closer to Him.

For this next year my dream is to continue as a missionary in Denver, who is able to be finically sustainable by working at a mattress store. I plan to continue much of my involvement in the ministries here in Denver, by continuing to attend City Church, and by joining the board of an international ministry called Hope International that gives micro-loans to the most poverty stricken places in the world.

To be honest, I truly don’t know how God is going to work through all this transition but I am confident that He is at work. The beauty of it all is that whether I’m a Minister or a mattress salesman, I know that Christ will still walk with me every step of the way.

Forsythe Family Pics

Here are some pictures that our neighbors (Devo Photography) took the other day.

The Latest Liam Pics

These are from weeks 5 and 6. A week ago Liam weighed 6 lbs 6 oz, so he is nearing 7 today (I would guess). He is already outgrowing his premie clothes.

More Liam Pictures (Weeks 2-3)

Liam is 5 lbs 9 oz and likely coming home tomorrow if all goes well! Here are some more pics from his 2nd and 3rd week.

Liam Carson Forsythe

Liam Carson Forsythe was born April 8, 2009. He was 4lb 08oz and 19in long (pretty big for 7weeks early). As a proud Father I wanted to show off some pics of our new baby boy!

Will’s Feb/March Preaching Schedule

Here are Will’s preaching dates:

City Pres (Denver): Feb 22 and March 29

Springs Community Church (C. Springs) March 1 and 22

For directions and service times visit City Pres: http://www.citypres.org/  or Springs Community Church: http://www.springscommunitychurch.org/.

Also, if you plan to come, please email (try_love@live.com). We’d love to know you are coming and plan lunch or something if you have time.