More thoughts on the five R's

Here are some more parallels between home and Church renovations.

One of the HGTV shows I have watched is about 'unsellable' homes. A house is listed for sale, but no one seems to be interested. The homeowner thinks the house is great as it is, but in reality it is dated, has projects that need finishing or the outside needs some serious curb appeal before anyone will put in an offer.
Pretty much any of the shows on home renovations demonstrate that a reno usually goes over budget—and I'm not just talking a couple percent. There are usually problems that aren't visible until you start getting down to the basics—bad wiring or plumbing, mold and rot, or structural/foundation issues. It seems that nothing is ever simple. And the big renos are even worse. The more you want to do, the more you are going to blow your budget.
It's not only money that you run out of in a reno project. It usually takes longer than you expect. Many of the shows like to give themselves a deadline—and then have to rush like mad to get it done on time. (Personally, I'd rather see it take more time, and be done well, but I guess that isn't suspenseful enough for TV.)
Another thing I've noticed is that our tastes and desires are always bigger than what we are willing to pay. People out shopping for a home have high hopes and dreams for the latest style, everything in top shape, and exactly the design they want. But something like that in their preferred location is going to cost them a lot more than they can afford. They give their real estate agent their wish list and budget, and the agent tries to find something. Then the prospective buyers pick apart the possibilities, and complain about the price. It often seems that the reality check goes right over their heads.
The lessons for the Church from this are obvious enough to not need any interpretation.