from my Son....

I figured it's only fair to share a "Tripp" story.

Tripp: Daddy, my belly is big like...."

Me: Don't say it! Not like mine!

Tripp: Ok, I need to exercise.

**he takes off running toward the car which is all of 50 feet from where we are standing. Just ask him, he's as fast as Lightning McQueen. He turns and looks at me and says:**

Tripp: Daddy, my belly is still big after exercising all the way to the car.


My immediate thought: Enough said.... we all want gratification and we won't it now..... agree?

Bill Gates on Religion....

According to this site, Bill Gates had the following to say about Religion in 1996.

Just in terms of allocation of time resources, religion is not very efficient. There's a lot more I could be doing on a Sunday morning.
- Bill Gates


Interesting....

My Daughter - she's so smart!

I'm having a conversation with my wife the other day and my daughter jumps in the middle of it.  I bet you've never had that happen.

 

Me:  Remember back in 1997, when we were traveling so much for ACS

Breanna (my daughter):  Daddy (said in her most sarcastic voice), YOU were born in the 1900s?

Me: So was your Mother!  (bringing someone else in on this!)

Breanna: You should be DEAD!  How old are you?

 

1 hour later:

Breanna:  Mommy, Abraham Lincoln was born in the 1800s, that's only 1 year apart.  Did Daddy know Abraham Lincoln?

 

 

2 Lessons:

1.  I'm old as far as my daughter is concerned.

2.  We need to work on her math skills.

Thought's about Hot Chocolate!

For some reason, this email forward (which generally I don't like!) got my attention.
I wonder if I'm hitting the mid-life crisis??


A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were
talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university
professor, now retired.

During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about
stress in their work and lives. Offering his guests hot chocolate, the
professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot
chocolate and an assortment of cups -porcelain, glass, crystal,
some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them
to help themselves to the hot chocolate.

When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor
said: "Notice that all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken,
leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to
want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems
and stress.

The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of
the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some
cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was hot
chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups...
And then you began eyeing each others cups.

Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate. Your job, money and
position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and
contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality
of life you have. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail
to enjoy the hot chocolate God has provided us.

God makes the hot chocolate, man chooses the cups. The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have.

Santee Cooper finally releases some rebates....

Solar is finally getting some REAL attention. Unfortunately, I don't know if I understand enough about electricity to make heads or tails of it.

For those that care, visit Santee Cooper's Site for more information.

If there's an electrical engineer out there that's willing to spend some time with me and help me understand electricity (both Solar and potentially Hydro, I am very interested in buying you lunch, dinner, and possibly dessert!

If I am reading this right, Santee Cooper is offering:
The rebate is $3/watt. For a 2,000 Watt PV
System, your expected rebate amount would be $6,000. You can do the same for any size system, but remember that there is a maximum rebate of $12,000, not to exceed the system and installation costs.

Then according to the EnergyStar.gov site:
Tax credits are available for qualified solar water heating and photovoltaic systems. The credits are available for systems "placed in service" from January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2008. The tax credit is for 30% of the cost of the system, up to $2,000. This credit is not limited to the $500 home improvement cap.

then South Carolina offers the following:

In South Carolina, taxpayers may claim a credit of 25% of the costs of purchasing and installing a solar-energy system for heating water, space heating, air cooling or generating electricity in a building owned by the taxpayer. The maximum credit in any year is $3,500 for each facility or 50% of the taxpayer's tax liability for that taxable year, whichever is less.

So… with Santee, the Feds, the State of SC all chipping in now, I did some Math… it appears that if you can get a 3000 Watt system installed for around $14,500, then you can get pretty much ALL that money back by using the rebates and the credits…. See below.





My questions are:
1. Can you get it installed for that?
2. Can you use the rebates and credits in conjunction with one another?
3. Am I missing something?

Whew...

Week before last in the Florida Keys.
This past week a quick visit to California (from South Carolina!).
Friday was my mom's birthday.
Monday (tonight), my son, Tripp, turns 4 with a blowout at Chuck E. Cheese's place. Mr. Cheese throws a mean (and expensive party!).
Thursday is the wife's birthday.... I cannot tell her age here...

Busy March!

Big Decision Behind us..

I told you about a big decision coming for my church.

Yesterday, We voted. Secret Ballot. 369-31 to proceed with a 5.6 Million dollar sanctuary.... In a Baptist Church, 92% of it's voting members on March 2, 2008, voted to begin the next chapter in our church's 230 year history. Buckle up.

Wanna see why we need to do this? Check this blog out... read "Be Willing" (I mean, read the entire post but pay attention to the "Be Willing part").

I can't wait to watch God's awesome power as he leads us to give more! Remember this verse!

Are you a leader?

Since an overseer is entrusted with God's work, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. -Titus 1:7

The overseer is generally defined as a "bishop". Now I know I am not a bishop (nor do I intend to be) but I am a leader and I am pumped up and challenged this verse.

I can't say that I am blameless. I try to be though.

I can say that I am not overbearing - agree?

I can say that I am not quick-tempered - except maybe with my kids sometimes.

I can say that I am not given to drunkenness, although College was a blast. Thank God I lived through it!

I am not violent

I do not pursue dishonest gain. I probably don't pursue honest gain enough!

Why am I telling you this? I don't know... :-)