My Master Bathroom Project



Ah, no leaks, no flames!



I like to watch home repair shows. I record a few of them. I like the pioneer of the genre, This Old House. And I like Holmes on Homes. Holmes is the name of a builder who goes to homeowners’ homes who have been victimized by incompetent and/or unscrupulous contractors. He uncovers all the blunders and deficiencies and then corrects them. The fact that he is the hero of all of his stories gets a little tedious, but what he does is instructive. My favorite, though, is Ask This Old House. They usually tackle small projects in various aspects of home-ownership. They may cover landscaping, HVAC, electrical, carpentry or plumbing. Fascinating stuff.

I decided to renovate our master bathroom. Dale: (eyebrows arched, arms crossed) Are you sure you can do this? Me: I’ve seen it on TV many times. How hard can it be?

You’ve heard the axiom, “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing”? I’m here to tell you—it’s true! When it comes to construction I know a little bit about a lot of things. Just enough to get into trouble.

I did the demo and some new framing to fit around the cast iron shower pan. I was ready to solder the new shower valve. I was psyched. I started early on Friday morning. But I couldn’t get my propane torch to stay lit. I took it to the hardware store to see if I could get any help. The helpful guy at the store smiled, took my torch and loosened the tip. “If you don’t keep the tip loose, it won’t get any oxygen. No oxygen, no fire.” Hey, don’t be smug. You didn’t know that either.

So, I’m back home with my torch now and heating up the copper fittings on the shower valve. A propane torch gets very hot. But guess what? Temperatures hot enough to solder copper fittings are also hot enough to burn wood. My bathroom wall kept catching on fire! So I would hold the flame on the fittings with my right hand and beat out the flames on the studs with my gloved left hand. It was very exciting.

Did you know that for $15 you can get what they call a “heat shield”? You drape it behind the copper you’re heating—so you don’t burn down your house. How am I supposed to know that? I’ve never seen that on Ask This Old House.

I’m learning a lot. Don’t call me, though. You don’t have enough insurance for me to work on your house.

I’ve come to this conclusion. You can only learn so much by watching a program. At some point, if you want to become better at it, you have to do it.

That’s true about our faith, too. You can only learn so much from attending classes, services and conferences. At some point, if your faith is going to grow, you have to do. Not sing about it, read about it, or agree with someone else who’s talking about it. You have to DO IT. You have to serve, pray, give, witness—do. Will you stumble along the way? More than likely. Will you grow spiritually in the process? Without a doubt.

The one benediction we all covet for ourselves is the Lord pronouncing over us, not: “Well attended good and faithful servant,” but, “Well done good and faithful servant.”