“A chain is no stronger than its weakest link.” – 19th Century proverb

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord…” – Acts 3:19

Our ongoing “This Old House” journey continues to be rewarding, challenging, fun, beautiful – and then sometimes confounding. We love this place and the whole experience, but sometimes things come along that catch us off-guard.

One of the characteristics that tipped me in favor of this house was just how decrepit it was! Why? Because that meant we weren’t patching things up we were tearing them out and starting over. So, new plumbing “from the street,” one hundred percent re-wiring for electric, all new fittings and fixtures and appliances, all rot torn out and replaced, brand-new heat and air – and more.

Sure, old houses cost more to heat and cool – but when our natural gas bill hit almost $1,000 in December and well over $1,000 in January, I called in the experts. What we uncovered is a great illustration of the “weakest link” proverb. Evidently we can’t shove a new compressor and air-handler against the side of our house, join it to old, damaged, perforated, crushed, crimped, poorly insulated, out of date ductwork and expect it to work.

There were even duct runs dumping heat directly into the crawlspace!

Radical Intervention:

So we opted for a total tear-out, and for a couple of days our back yard looked like the house had been disemboweled! Thanks to Taylor’s HVAC we now have a properly designed air delivery system, specifically calibrated to match the specs on the compressor, and I anticipate significantly less waste in our energy usage.

The whole fiasco reminds me of how important it is to approach important things systemically rather than topically. Like putting new tires on a car but failing to fix the alignment problem that destroyed the old ones. Or taking a statin for cholesterol but doing nothing about the junk-food diet. Or going to church once in a while without ever becoming a disciple of Jesus.

Sometimes we need to look under the surface and address the need for a radical tear-out and refit rather than attach something new and shiny on the outside and expect things to change.

So my question is, “What’s the weakest link in our lives that we need to bring to God and ask for a radical re-fit?” It may appear costly up-front, but the new life and the peace and the joy and the celebration of what becomes possible turns out to be exactly what we are looking for….

And then, as Peter said to the crowd in Jerusalem, “Times of refreshing will come from the Lord…”

Gotta love a good refreshing – DEREK