My Apologies

Brothers,
 Please accept my apologies for not making any new posts as of late. Because of some family issues I have not been in the mood to think about things too deep. Also, on behalf of my family a heartfelt thanks to the many who have offered up our son Aaron in prayer. God is great and working as we speak. Please keep Aaron on your prayer lists. God bless. I hope to be back in groove shortly. Thank you.....Dave

A Little EA Humor

A Candidate for initiation was to be picked up and driven to the Lodge, but before this could happen the car broke down. The Candidate said as it was no great distance he would go on his bicycle.
Just when he reached the top of the hill his chain broke. As the Lodge was at the bottom of the other side and all he needed was a backpedal brake, so he repaired the chain with a cord he had in his pocket and free–wheeled downhill to the Lodge.
Later that evening in reply to a toast in his honor, he said how proud he was to be a Freemason but could not understand, as he had told no one, how the WM knew that he had come on his own free wheel and a cord.

Masonic Wages

What is it that the brethren are looking for? Is it just fellowship? Is it recognition for a job well done?

Every Lodge has brethren that are the movers and shakers, or for a simplier term these are the "leaders".

However, every Lodge needs the brethren that just want to help and be part of selected activities. It is the leaders job to make Lodge enjoyable for all. Many of our meetings can seem boring to our brethren. It doesn't have be be this way. We are a craft that tends to do things the same way year after year. In fact, we usually do it the same way, by the same people, until these people tend to lose their enthusiasm.

It needs to be our goal to help others enjoy their lodge experience, and avoid boredom with their lodge. Part of this is getting them to buy in to the projects and activities of the Lodge. The best way to accomplish this is to get the brethren involved with the decision making process. Find out what they want, why they want it, and how they want to accomplish it.

Let the brethren run with a activity, and then assist them by giving them good counsel. Don't forget their wages for their efforts!

The wages do not have to be monetary. They could be any one of the following:

• Just saying "Thank You...Job Well Done!"
• A written thank you to the brother.
• Special recognition from the Lodge during a regular meeting.
• A special mention of the Brother's help in the Masonic News or Lodge Trestle Board.
• Present the Brother with a Certificate of Appreciation.
• Give Brother special recognition in the Grand Lodge E-News.
• Have an Annual Awards & Achivement Night and recognize the Brother's accomplishments.

The Awards & Achivement Night should be a great night of fellowship with the Brethren and their wife. This is an opportunity to pass out Grand Lodge recognitions, thank Honorary Members, acknowledge outstanding contributions made to the community by the Lodge or individuals, and acknowledge those who have worked for the profit of the Craft.

However, one of the problems with our fraternity is that we initiate, pass and raise a brother...but do not get them involved at the start of their journey.

Every Lodge should have several Mentors and these brothers should be well versed with the "Mentor Booklet", which can be downloaded from the Grand Lodge website. This Mentor Program will stress education of the brothers through their journey, and developing a friendship in process. If we want our fraternity to grow, we must be ready to invest our resources. The biggest resource needed is our time and effort in PROPER MENTORING.

We need to make an effort to get to know our new and existing members. I would bet you, that some of our existing members would be in need of mentoring. In fact, make an effort and have every active member call and invite several other members to a Lodge Activity. If they attend, get to know them. Find out what makes them tick. Try to pair them up with Lodge Programs that they may have interest in. Maybe even make them a "Leader". Lets get more participation in our activities, and who knows...by accident we might even GROW!

Masons shall persevere!

Golden Fleece – Roman Eagle

A frequent Masonic question is “What is the legend of the Golden Fleece and what is its relation to the lambskin apron and Roman Eagle?”

The legend of the Golden Fleece has been handed down from time immemorial. Mythology tells us that the Golden Fleece was supposed by the Greeks to be hidden in a remote land far across the trackless sea. This precious fleece grew upon the back of a ram, the gift of one of their gods. The ram was constantly guarded by bulls that breathed fire and by a dragon that never slept.The promise to the Greeks was (so fable went) that if they could find and recover the Golden Fleece and bring it to Greece, wealth and prosperity would abound in that country.

The hope of redeeming that promise led to the formation of an order which embraced in its membership many of the most illustrious men of that period, who were called Argonauts from the name of the ship, Argo, on which they sailed. Tradition is replete with the daring deeds and suffering of those men in the cause in which they enlisted. The badge of the order was the symbol of a Golden Fleece. At a later, though still ancient, period there was formed among the Romans an order that embraced only those renowned in war. Its symbol was the Roman Eagle.

Of these two orders, the object of one was worldly wealth; the object of the other was military glory. Both orders have faded from the face of the earth, as surely will perish all orders founded on sordid or vain desires.

But allegedly more ancient than the order of the Golden Fleece or that of the Roman Eagle is the order whose badge is a lambskin or white leather apron, whose aim is innocence and purity of life, and whose object is charity. That this order,Freemasonry, has survived, while all others have perished, teaches us that if we live in accordance with its tenets, we, too, shall persevere.

This is taken from a posting on "The Masonic Leader"

Grand Blanc #571

We traveled to Grand Blanc Lodge #571 for the conferral of the Master Mason degree. Two brothers were raised to the sublime degreee of a Master Mason, one from Grand Blanc lodge and one from Goodrich lodge. It was a fine evening with some outstanding ritual work. An excellent turn out considering it was November 17 only two days after the opening day of deer season.

There was a fine compliment of brothers from throughout Ancient District 20 to help confer these degrees. I had the pleasure of sitting in the south and WB Carl D. took the west all under the direction of WB Don M, also I have to congratulate Grand Blanc's senior deacon who did a superb job. In talking to the SD after the degree he said that he wants to nail his part and do everything right for the candidate(s) not his own ego but the candidate, that my brothers is Masonry.

Another wonderful evening in Ancient District 20 masonry !!!

Behold how good and how pleasant......

it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.

It is like the precious ointment upon the head that ran down on the beard, even Aarons beard that went down to the skirts of his garments.......Aaron was the brother of Moses and for lack of  better terms, he was Moses' front-man or spokesman.....to be anointed with the precious oil was an outward sign of dedication to God and his purposes. The words give illustration that Aaron allowed himself to be enveloped with the oil and permit it to run over and down his body to the very skirts or ends of his garment.

As the dew of Hermon.....is further illustration to the cascading effect of the oil or in the case of Mt.Hermon the cascading effect of moisture from the peaks of this extremely large and very tall mountain. Mt.Hermon's elevation is high enough that it has an effect on the atmosphere and creates snow and ice on the cap of the mountain which eventually slowly melts and the moisture cascades down the face of the mountain to allow precious moisture to reach the valleys. This same moisture gives and sustains life.

Such is the nature of unity and harmony among brethren, it starts at the top with God and cascades down through human nature and society. Just as the moisture of Hermon does not reach all areas, and the oil upon Aaron's head did not reach all areas of his garment, unity among men does not reach all areas....thus our challenge.....but BEHOLD how good and how pleasant it is when it does happen.

New Living Translation (©2007)
For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron's head, that ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe.

Star and Garter, etc.

 The origins of the

Golden Fleece – Roman Eagle – Star and Garter 

Presented at Shelby Lodge  #  662,  F.&.A.M. Waddy, Kentucky
by Bro. Steve Case

as they apply to the lambskin or white leather apron of a Mason 

and the meaning thus conveyed in the Entered Apprentice’s lecture
 

Brothers, a couple of months ago I was assisting another brother in studying for his proficiency on the Entered Apprentice’s Degree.  That brother would ask, on several occasions, for more information on just what the Golden Fleece, the Roman Eagle, and the Star and Garter meant as it related to the “Badge” of a Mason. 

I will have to admit that my answer was somewhat lacking in detail.  My answer and the answer of another brother present was something along the lines of “they are ancient and honorable orders bestowed upon some individual who has done some great deed.”  But even as I spoke the words, it seemed to me to be an answer lacking in some detail.  I could also tell that our Entered Apprentice was still looking for more information.  Therefore, I have done some research on the topic and hope I can now give a better answer. 

While I did utilize our little library here in the Lodge, the Encyclopedia, and Webster’s Dictionary for source materials, my best source of information actually came from an article on the Internet.  It turns out that Bro. Steven W. Sanford of Fredericksburg Lodge No. 4 in Fredericksburg, Virginia, had already worked up an article on just this topic.  I hereby freely acknowledge his work and thank him for making it available to other brothers. 

Brothers, during your EA Degree you were presented with a lambskin or white leather apron and were told that it, quote; “is an emblem of innocence and the badge of a Mason, more ancient than the Golden Fleece or Roman Eagle, more honorable than the Star and Garter, or any other order that could be conferred upon you at that time, or at any future period, by King, Prince, Potentate, or any other person except he be a Mason.” 

From time immemorial, symbolic emblems, medals, and high orders of recognition were created by those in power to recognize outstanding individuals and to create orders of honor and chivalry.

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“More ancient than the Golden Fleece or Roman Eagle.” Sounds like something we may have learned about in high school, in Greek Mythology from “Homer and the Iliad” with Jason and the Argonauts performing a heroic deed in rescuing the Golden Fleece in 939 BC.  Well, you are right.  Mythology holds that the Golden Fleece was supposed by the Greeks to be hidden in a remote land far across the trackless sea. This precious fleece grew upon the back of a ram, the gift of one of their gods. The ram was constantly guarded by bulls that breathed fire and by a dragon that never slept. The promise to the Greeks was (or so the fable went) that if they could find and recover the Golden Fleece and bring it to Greece, wealth and prosperity would abound in that country. The hope of redeeming that promise led to the formation of an order which embraced in its membership many of the most illustrious men of that period, who were called Argonauts from the name of the ship, Argo, on which they sailed. Tradition is replete with the daring deeds and suffering of those men in the cause in which they enlisted.  

Somewhat later, in England, Philip, the Duke of Burgundy, founded the Order of the Golden Fleece in 1429 as an Order equal to the English “Star and Garter” as a means to keep alive chivalry, to honor old knights, and as a means to tie this Order to his title, which would in turn extend his heritage.   The name of the Order and its badge, a pendant sheep’s fleece made of gold, was a new device for the House of Burgundy and was certainly intended to represent the fleece sought by Jason and the Argonauts, an heroic legend which paralleled the Arthurian origins of the Order of the Garter. The adoption of a pagan image as the badge of a Christian Order led to a protest by the Order’s first Chancellor, Jean Germain, Bishop of Nevers, who preferred that it should recall Gideon’s fleece (which was neither gold nor a prize for courage). Later in the century, Chancellor Guillame Filastes added the fleeces of Jacob, Mesa, Job and David to be associated with this image, making six in all and supposedly corresponding to the virtues of magnanimity, justice, prudence, fidelity, patience and clemency. The badge was to be suspended from a Collar adapted from an earlier livery badge to that of a Fire-Steel or (fusil).
 

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The Roman Eagle became the symbol of imperial power about a century before Christ.  It was the most prominent fixture or symbol throughout the Roman Empire intending to remind everyone as to who was in power and it preceded all Roman armies when marching to and from battle.

But, the ritual use of the Apron has a much earlier history than these.  The Bible mentions a garment worn by the High Priest, called the Ephod, described as an apron or skirt covering the body from the waist down, and made of white linen with shoulder straps, possibly a bib. It also had a "girdle", described by the Bible as "curious," with no other details. Elijah and John the Baptist wore aprons of leather.  Isaiah wore an apron of hair-cloth.  Jeremiah wore an apron of Linen.  The ancient Druids wore a white apron for the sacred duty of cutting mistletoe.  Priests of the Roman gods wore white when making sacrifices.  It is obvious that these various faiths chose a white garment to symbolize the importance of purity of heart when going about the work of God.  To us, as Speculative Masons, it is a reminder of our very ancient and divine heritage.

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Our ritual goes on to describe the apron as being "more honorable than the Star and Garter or any other order that can be conferred”.   King Edward III founded the Order of the Garter in 1348 as a noble fraternity consisting of the King, the Prince of Wales and 24 Knights Companion.  One picturesque version of its founding tells of King Edward at a ball where a lady lost one of her garters.  Bending down to pick it up, the lady blushing and those present laughing, the King remarked, "Honi Soit Qui Mal y

” meaning “dishonor to him who thinks evil of it.” He tied it around his own leg and vowed to turn it into the most honored garter ever worn.  Since its inception, it remains to this day as the highest Order of English Chivalry.  The Order of the Star, created by King John II of France in 1351, was an imitation of the English Order.  The apron as professed by our fraternity confers a greater honor than the very highest orders of chivalry.  But, it also requires an extremely high standard of conduct for he who would dare to wear this emblem.

These Orders do not have much meaning to our present day society, however, during those time periods; non-masons considered these orders to be the ultimate honor that could be bestowed upon individuals.  High honors that we can all identify with today, range from the Medal of Honor to the Nobel Peace Prize.  Either way, our Masonic Fraternity wants each Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason to know that from the very beginning of their Masonic journey, that the ultimate honor that can ever be bestowed upon them is their white leather apron.

In Europe, the practice is that upon initiation you are given an unblemished white leather apron (as we do), and as you progress in the Lodge you are allowed to sew Masonic emblems and symbols of offices you held upon it.  Also each lodge has chosen specific colors for the border of the apron to identify their lodge from others.  Essentially it becomes your own personal visual Masonic record.

 Ending Comments

Brother Sanford, from Fredericksburg Lodge # 4, comments that it is much too easy for us to attach symbols to our lapels, come to lodge, and tie an apron about our waist without pausing to give these emblems even the slightest passing thought.  And finally my Brethren, over the centuries, and in our various lodges throughout the world, we see many varied and ornate aprons.  But remember my Brothers, there is nothing; I repeat nothing, which confers a greater honor than the plain white lambskin that you were presented with upon your initiation as an Entered Apprentice, which you will wear on that journey from who’s borne no man returns, and to that temple not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

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Back to Solomon's Lodge home page click here.
 

Birch Run #514

Traveled out to Birch Run #514 last evening. Birch Run had two Entered Apprentice candidates which were brought to light in fine fashion. I filled in as a steward....first time in a very long time, what an awesome way to observe a degree, I had forgotten how enjoyable that can be. The Entered Apprentice degree to me is the most inspiring degree. To be able to assist a man in becoming a brother is truly an honor and privilege.


Sometimes we wonder why we do what we do. I know when arriving at the lodge last night I was questioning myself. My thought was; why am I here? It became abundantly clear after getting into the swing of things and filling in as a steward. The reason for my visit was to not only assist in bringing two men to light but the preservation of the craft and the institution of Freemasonry. Also to reaffirm my obligation and commitment to the building of this great Fraternity.

Unfortunately I had to leave after the first section. Two things really made me feel good as I left. First and foremost, the huge smiles on both of the new brothers. Secondly one of the elder Past Masters came out to where I was putting my apron away, he extended his hand and said, " Brother I just want to thank you for coming out and giving us a hand tonight." Instantly I knew why I was there.

Vienna #205

We had a very enjoyable time last evening at Vienna #205 in Clio, Michigan. The purpose of the
 meeting was to confer the Fellowcraft Degree on a young man who also happens to be a DeMolay.

The degree was performed in fine fashion along with some fine lecturing ( if you exclude mine ) and the recap and letter G was done by a rather mature brother. I deeply regret not being able to recall his name but this brother does that part with such feeling and emotion, his performance is second to none. This brother although very aged and not able to move as easily as he once did takes great pride in this particular part of the ritual. What a contrast to see a brother who has been in the craft for numerous years lecturing to this very attentive and appreciative young Fellowcraft; Freemasonry illustrated for all those in attendance to witness, the very essence of our institution.


This young man who received his Fellowcraft Degree attends one of the local colleges and has formed a Masonic awareness club. He stated that he will be escorting several club members to the various open installation of officers, this will bring some of our rituals and traditions to light for these young men. What a tremendous outreach and innovative idea on the part of this young man. With new members like this our fraternity will carry on and probably grow beyond our imagination.

Social Network

Today the term "Social Network" has become a mainstay in the American version of English and the pop culture of America and most of the world. News has come our way insisting that social networks such as Facebook prompted, organized, and carried some of the uprisings in the Arab world.


Owing to my advanced age I can remember the days before computers were everywhere. Freemasonry was one of the original social networks long before the marvels of today's computer age became so prevalent. Freemasonry provided a means for networking and building social acquaintances and friendships with like minded men. Freemasonry still provides that old fashioned face to face social networking which has been effective through generations.

We learn from many of the younger men who are joining our fraternity that they have done research regarding our organization and in many instances know more of our history than we do. However, the one thing which seems to be a common thread with these young men is that they are intrigued by our history and tradition and are seeking to belong to something with like minded men. They realize that there is a whole new world of social networking beyond the glare of their computer monitor.

........thus was man formed for the social and active life, the noblest part of the work of God

Worthy Grand Patron

Brothers one of our own has been duly installed as the Worthy Grand Patron of Eastern Stars of Michigan. WB Lenzy Lewis was recently installed as the Worthy Grand Patron. I had the pleasure of attending a gala reception for WB Lenzy and his counter part Nancy Martin.


I was in attendance along with several brothers from Mt.Morris Lodge #535 and also saw several brothers from Ancient District #20. It was indeed a very nice evening. The highlight of the reception was Nancy's sister
Mary Jo.....she could easily become a professional stand up comic....she was hilarious and was enjoyed by all those in attendance.

Again congratulations to the team of Martin & Lewis !!!!

Masons make no secret of a desire for new members - Washington Times

Masons make no secret of a desire for new members - Washington Times


This is a very interesting read.....just click on the link and check it out for yourself.

Brother Pilgrim

The Duke...John Wayne after being raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason 1970 in Tucson,  Arizona

To Lead or Not To Lead ???

Some of you who have been around for a long time can remember that getting into the "line" or getting into the moving line of officers one would often be put on a waiting list. I joined the craft in 1983 went into line in 84 as a steward and spent two years as a steward. Then JD, SD and so on. By the time I reached the east I had been in a variety of positions in the lodge and pretty well understood how things worked.

Fast forward 28 years and things in most lodges are quite different. Owing to the reduced population in the area and the much busier lives everyone leads we have situations where it is not uncommon for a brother to get into line at the JW position or higher. This often leads to brothers lacking the needed experience to effectively lead the lodge in growth not only in new members but also meeting the needs of the existing brothers and financial health of the lodge.

We are learning that the younger brothers coming in are not actually wanting a watered down version of Masonry. They are here because of our history and heritage and want that Masonic experience which our forefathers had. Also PGM Bob Conley has spoke to us many times that the new brothers are looking to "belong" to something with other men like themselves, opportunities for family, and opportunities to be an active part of leadership and learning leadership skills.

Fortunately for us our Grand Lodge is rolling out a new Mentor program. The intention of the program is that each lodge will have trained mentors in place to help the new members become familiar with our traditions and to lead them to becoming an active part of the lodge.

We need to adopt the philosophy of line officer leadership that when we put a brother in the Junior Deacon position we are actually putting the future Worshipful Master in line. Unfortunately this is a difficult task in most lodges. There are no waiting lists and we have done a poor job of preparing new brothers for the line. With our re-dedication and the new Mentor Program we can surely overcome this challenge and grow our fraternity.

Three Times the Charm??

As we move closer to December and Installation season I can't help but reflect where we are as a fraternity and how we got here. Thinking back to my DeMolay days, our job was to pull chairs for the various Masonic installations. I remember vividly pulling chairs for WB Howard Durbin's installation and the Flint Masonic Temple was packed to the rafters, probably 400 people in attendance.

At that time GM employed thousands of people, the Flint Masonic Temple was home to 5 Masonic Lodges, 3 Eastern Star chapters, Chapter, Council and a huge Commadery. 2 Jobs bethels, DeMolay, Ladies Shrine, Amaranth and probably others that I can't recall.


Also, we had vibrant lodges in all the outlying areas along with York Rite, Eastern Star, DeMolay and Jobs.

So here we are today. This will be my third time as Worshipful Master and my Junior Warden is a Past Master. The Flint Masonic Temple is now home to 2 lodges, 1 Eastern Star, no jobs, no Demolay and the York Rite bodies are still meeting but the numbers are not there.


We still have many lodges in the surrounding areas....but we travel from lodge to lodge doing the work. As WB Carl Davis maintains we have consolidated already.....we meet in our seperate buildings for our regulars and travel all around the county doing the work. My question is do really need all the lodges we have? Our area does not have the number of people it used to have....we are maintaining these buildings working our heads off to support brick and mortar and then we travel to do the work.

Don't get me wrong....Genesee County or Ancient District 20 is alive and well and is a huge base of Masonic activity for the state but could we be more effective if we only had say 5 lodges? 1-north, 1-south, 1-east, 1-west and 1-central ......who knows I know I don't but we need to look at some options.....everyone is extremely proud of their lodge and it's heritage and rightly so.....as we travel this installation season think about this and think about what is right for the fraternity and the craft.

Lighten Up

Now for something completely different

This month is election time for most lodges
Congratulations to all the officers elect for
the upcoming Masonic year !!!!

Justice

 

 Justice as divine command

Main article: Divine command theory

Justice as a divine law is commanding, and indeed the whole of morality, is the authoritative command. Killing is wrong and therefore must be punished and if not punished what should be done? A famous paradox called the Euthyphro dilemma essentially asks: is something right because God commands it, or does God command it because it's right? If the former, then justice is arbitrary; if the latter, then morality exists on a higher order than God, who becomes little more than a passer-on of moral knowledge. Some^[who?] Divine command advocates respond by saying that the dilemma is false: goodness is the very nature of God and is necessarily expressed in His commands. Another response is that the laws and moral principles are objective and self evident in nature. God embodies these laws and is therefore neither higher nor lower than the law. He sets an example for the good people among men to follow His way and also become an embodiment of the highest principles and morals.

Justice as natural law

Main article: Natural law

For advocates of the theory that justice is part of natural law (e.g., John Locke), it involves the system of consequences that naturally derives from any action or choice. In this, it is similar to the laws of physics: in the same way as the Third of Newton's laws of Motion requires that for every action there must be an equal and opposite reaction, justice requires according individuals or groups what they actually deserve, merit, or are entitled to. Justice, on this account, is a universal and absolute concept: laws, principles, religions, etc., are merely attempts to codify that concept, sometimes with results that entirely contradict the true nature of justice.