Down Home: Climbing back up to zero

Early in our marriage, Joanna and I watched Hee Haw most every Saturday night. If you ever wondered whether, deep down, I’m a redneck, now you know.

First, we enjoyed Hee Haw, and then we loved it when we encountered it directly. In 1981, we moved to Louisville, Ky., so I could attend Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Soon, we joined the wonderful congregation in our neighborhood, Crescent Hill Baptist Church. And, of course, we joined the Sunday school class for seminary couples.

Students and some spouses took turns teaching our class. On one level, teaching a roomful of bright, aggressive ministerial students provided great experience. When you taught, you had to bring your “A” game. On another level, it saved the rest of the church from feeling the need to teach a roomful of bright, aggressive ministerial students, who thought they were well on their way to knowing it all.

Sunday school with the Nutts

But Crescent Hill Church did not leave us bereft of actual leadership. The church assigned Grady and Eleanor Nutt as the “caring couple” for our class, a task they had embraced for years. Mostly, Eleanor’s presence guaranteed at least one adult would be present in the room. And they regularly opened their lovely home across from Cherokee Park to a flock of young couples far from their families.

Grady was known as “the Prime Minister of Humor.” A Southern Seminary graduate himself, he spent years traveling to church banquets, youth retreats, ministry conferences and myriad other events, regaling and enthralling all comers with his unique blend of religious humor, Southern cultural insight and divine wisdom.

By then, Grady reached the pinnacle of his popularity—a regular spot on Hee Haw. So, we could watch Grady on TV on Saturday night and then, on most Sunday mornings, see him in Sunday school. We all knew Grady and Eleanor loved us, and we loved them.

Grady died at age 48 the night before Thanksgiving, 1982, in a plane crash on the way home from a speaking engagement in Cullman, Ala. His memory remains vivid, poignant and blessed for thousands of Baptists, particularly couples who passed through Grady and Eleanor’s Sunday school class at Crescent Hill.

An exasperating week

Jo and I also enjoyed another regular piece on Hee Haw. Actress Marianne Gordon would sit in a swing, dressed as the quintessential Southern belle, fan in hand. “It’s been such an exasperating day,” she always began, and went on to describe what seemed like travails to her but sounded silly and/or glorious to “normal” people.

I thought of Marianne’s line the past few days as I mused to myself, “It’s been such an exasperating week.” Within a span of four days, we put Jo’s car in the shop to get new wheel bearings, and workers showed up to install not one but two water heaters in our house.

The water heater in the attic has been giving Jo the creeps for awhile now. Nothing bad happened, but I could tell she had calculated how many walls would have to be rebuilt if that baby ever blew. So, I climbed up there to learn it was 10 years old.

She called a plumber and asked how long water heaters last. Eight to 12 years, he said.

Next day, the plumber and his helper showed up to give us a bid. Turns out, the water heater in the garage was 16 years old and perking on borrowed time.

So we bought wheel bearings and two water heaters in the same week. Ouch.

Imagine zero as the basic level of how your house is supposed to operate. Everything works. You don’t worry when you leave town. You don’t call for emergency repairs in the middle of the night. You’re comfortable.

If you remodel, you make the place better. Investment in nice countertops, a better TV, new floors or a fancy deck raises the bar. Your house gets better, and you’re even happier to live there.

Climbing back up to zero

But spending perfectly good money on stuff like water heaters, a roof or an appliance is like climbing back up to zero. You take a hit just to get back to where you expect to be.

So, for awhile there, I threw myself a nice little pity party. “It’s been such an exasperating week.”

And then I realized I sounded about as silly as Marianne Gordon. We live in our favorite house, and Jo drives a safe, comfortable car. We can afford to fix them without worrying about paying any bills. God has blessed us beyond comprehension.

I bet Grady would’ve told a really funny story if this happened at the Nutts’ house.