Eric's Sunday Sermon; Use, Reuse and Recycle!

It is great to be here and alive. I just keep getting these close calls with death and having others die around me that I thank my lucky stars that I am breathing God's precious air. Oh yes that gets us to our first use, reuse and recycle -- yes that air we breathe. Did you know that normally when you hit that funny recycle button for your car's air con that you really are reusing air. Those wonderful in home ferns you see, or have, really do clean the air you breathe at an alarming rate even in the winter when everything is shut down tight to contain that heat. And yes the principle of scrubbing outside air mechanically is becoming feasible. In fact a catalytic converter and scrubbers in huge coal power plants are already in normal use. I don't know much about it's general use in "green" homes, but I understand they are common.

In this area of technology, mechanics, ingenuity and monetization we are now thriving. It is exciting. I have done some reading on it and chit chat with friends in similar businesses but they tell me to be careful because what was written and published at this time last year is out of date. So I will have to "re" visit the general principles involved and "re" examine the cutting edge stuff and recycle my previous assumption and adapt to new ones.

Now when reading a book of import. (yes recreational reading is awesome but we look at deep thinking books here not romance novels although Sampson and Delilah and Romeo and Juliet may fit there) So when deep reading, especially one with a spiritual or philosophical bent we notice something interesting; When we "re" read it, it gives us new thoughts.

Here is one for you. I know a preacher man, who is one of many that gives the same sermon on the same liturgical week every year. (3 year cycle for some) And I mean like for 30 years! So here are the good points and bad points of that practice. Every time we "re" hear something or "re" read something it is different due to changes in us. Here is the bad part; If the preacher man has the same thoughts every year he is clearly not growing in his faith. See that would not be cool if the receivers of knowledge grow but the giver of knowledge does not.

So here we see that in thought we must first "re" use our brain before we "re" cycle our beliefs.

It is just real hard to re-use beer bottles. Pro ball games do not re-use a scuffed balls. Now let us look at some interesting concepts here.

I lived in Mexico in the city and state of Puebla. A more beautiful place is hard to imagine. (I will try to include some pictures down below) The liter sized beer bottles were the most used. Michalatas were a staple. That is a beer with a salted rim on the glass with much lime squeezed into it. So then back in the early '90's what did they do with those beer bottles? Well generally speaking they were re-used. Probably about half were re-used by purveyors of really cool stuff like hot sauce and homemade Tequila - which by the way could blind you temporarily or permanently.(not that I would know) Stuff like salt and pepper shakers. They also cut off the bottoms, ran some wire and made lighted wind chimes. Of course they were also cut in half for a cup from one end and a funnel with the other. I had a really cool kitchen knife fashioned out of one. Hey and they would melt them down and make beautiful hand blown glass stuff.

Here is the USA they do, but not often, simply clean and re-use bottles. Makes me queasy as cigarette butts and chewing tobacco spit goes into them often. However generally speaking they are made into this stronger than original glass using a cullet or melted glass.

Hey if you had not noticed any baseball or basketball or football used in a pro game that gets scuffed is gone from the game. Now normally these are passed down and reused. But as a fact many are not. Because they would decrease the demand for new ones for kids play. So it is a blessing that programs that cannot afford balls are supplied these balls to re-use.

Let us recycle and reuse the above stuff. Somehow, and I do not really understand it, but my love gets re-used. Love is the foundation of all spirituality. I loved my Grandma and Grandpa, now I love my children. I wonder if it is the same love recycled.

Please reuse and then recycle the paper that wrapped the gifts you gave and received. Not happening here with a six year old, if you know what I mean.

There is a very good concept of being environmentally sound when it comes to water. Water really is the lifeblood of life. Hence none found on Mars or the moon. If you pay attention at all you know that our ice caps are melting along with our glaciers. Some island people's lands will be under water by 3000. I grew up in a desert that set at over 7,000 feet. Standing in a pine forest of 100 ft trees a man could die of thirst. I nearly killed my self using my body heat to melt snow. Yes you can add a few days to your life by drinking your piss. Totally sterile but by day 3 there is no piss.

I live in a place now where drinking water is hazardous to your health. It is just that bad out of the tap. They do not filter our water they simply fill it with chemicals to counteract the bacteria, much of which is healthy - of course fluoride.I spray the water on my roses to kill aphids.I fill my coffee cup with it and it eats the residue away, not a need for soap.

My gov. supplied water is not fit to recycle and that is in California. Our gray water might be safer to drink as most chemicals are filtered out along with the poop.

So do we use, reuse and recycle the knowledge of the worldly and the gift given of the spiritual? I like when someone points out to me a concept, notion or theory. So often I say "I knew that, thanks for reminding me." With the help of another we recycle and reuse a thought.

Let us get personal. There was a concept pretty much denied by my dad, and somehow part of my mom's lexicon. "well now that I beat your behind you have learned your lesson." Nothing could be further than the truth. Maybe sticking you hand in fire or nearly drowning. But not punishment for most of us stubborn rockheads. Why do you think jail recidivism is so high?

That concept above fits our spirituality. It seems no matter how many times we learn/use a truth we need to reuse it and recycle several times before we get it right. Here is a thought; Use, Re-use and re-name. It would be hard to believe that by re-framing a truth that it would not have further significant.

Enjoy and please take care of our earth. Fo get about it, for your children - do it for you.