Control

Temperature controllers are fine when they work. Ours had stopped working. If the power source had been electric then we might have suffered catastrophic overheating. As it was our hot-water central heating system merely heated the domestic hot water to the same temperature as the heating water from the boiler.

Most of the time we run the boiler at 60°C which is an OK temperature for the domestic hot water. But when the weather is cold we need to increase the boiler temperature to increase the power output from the radiators.

Unfortunately with the faulty thermostat stuck on this meant that the domestic hot water became rather too hot for safety.

So today it was a return to engineering for me. Not returning to design though, but fixing a defect. I had to check out that it really was the thermostat that was faulty; purchase another unit from the valiant Plumb Center; and then replace the old thermostat with the new one and check it all worked properly.

It was an enjoyable task. It reminded me of all the nice things about being an engineer (albeit electronic rather than electrical) without any of the exasperating irritations that often go with engineering tasks. The fault was easily identified, it was what I thought it was, the replacement was easily found and was not too expensive (actually cheaper than I expected), and easily replaced the old broken thermostat. And best of all, everything worked when I tested it.

If only the people problems that I encounter in my new career as a church minister were so easy to fix. People are often sick, in body, mind or spirit. It's not easy to diagnose what is wrong. And even more difficult for us to fix.

In my engineering career, if there was a problem with a unit in production that the production engineering team couldn't solve, then the final resort was to call in the Designer - the person (or team) who had put the product together - sort of created it.

And that's what we do in ministry too. Even if we can see what the problem is, it's usually too difficult for us to fix on our own. And if we don't know the problem then we have no chance of fixing it.

But the Maker knows. He Created each one of us. He knows us intimately - right down to our component parts. When something's wrong - he knows what's wrong. And what's more he not only knows how to fix it, he is able to fix it, and he wants to fix it.

All we have to do is invite him to come in to help us with the problem. He won't interfere if we don't want him to. If we are determined to manage ourselves - that's a choice he allows us to make.

But if we will allow him to direct the solution, and we take the prescribed medication, then he will solve our problem, in his way, in his time, by his power.

When you're getting overheated and about to blow your top - call in an expert!