Getting What You Want... Not always a "good" thing....

Have you ever wanted something so badly that when you did get it, you wondered what you were thinking in the first place?

It is somewhat ironic that often that one thing that we are absolutely convinced will make us "happy" or "fulfilled" turns out more often than not to be the thing that almost ruins us!

i remember a few years ago sitting around my house in the far western suburbs of Chicago thinking that if i had the chance i would jump at the opportunity to be a co-pastor of a church. i recall even thinking that God was giving me all the "go for it" signals on this idea that anyone could ask for... friends who affirmed my leadership gifts, conversations regarding an emerging, new "shared" church leadership paradigm and the ultimate... an unsolicited phone call, offering the "opportunity of a lifetime" helping to co-lead a church in another part of the country!

WOW! What else could an earnest, eager and more than slightly immature person ask for?!?

Well several years later, i realized i should have asked for a whole lot else!

• Did the experience allow me to develop more as a leader?
• Was the experience necessary for future opportunities that might come my way?
• Was the experience fun?

The answers: Yes... Probably.... and only if you think of having teeth extracted from your face as a "good time"!

i often found myself during those several years wondering how could i have misunderstood all the "signs"? And you know what? i never really came up with a truly satisfactory answer. i did however realize that one must exercise extreme caution when thinking or believing you have come across your supposed "opportunity of a lifetime"!

i also believe that one of the most painful prayers that can be answered "yes" is the one prayer you pray to get that one thing you have always "thought" you wanted... and you get it.

PS. Oh yeah, one more thing... this past weekend at our church we celebrated with 34 baptisms! It was an awesome way to end a great summer!

Life is short... get a WHAT?!?

Can you make out the Chicago billboard to the left?

Yeah, i've edited it because it needed to be edited!

Both shots are midrift pictures, the one to the far left was a picture of a scantily clad woman from her neck down. The picture to the far right was a guy whose pectoral area was in top form.

If you can't make out the words on the ad, you just need to know it was placed by by a legal firm and encourages people to remember... "Life is short. Get a divorce."

i guess what i don't get is how in the world, in good conscience, anyone could put a billboard up like that anywhere in the world!?!

One of the people responsible for placing the billboard commented by stating that the billboard promotes "happiness and personal integrity". Well, it promotes something alright but i'm not convinced it is either one of those two things!

Is the answer to a short life, divorce? Some might say "Oh Rob, you're just over-reacting... the thing was put up all in fun...." Yeah maybe but as far as i know, almost everyone that has experienced divorce from the husband or wife, to the children, to the in-laws, to other friends and relatives would overwhelmingly agree that "happiness" was not necessarily what they got out of that ordeal.

So somebody tell me, is this normal? Do most married people walk around thinking that their personal integrity will be kicked up a notch when they get that divorce?

If so, we (as a nation) are even more screwy than i thought....

PS. i should add one note.... the parking garage owners on whose building this was placed ended up taking the billboard down once the word got out about how insane this advertisement seemed to be.