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CELL PHONES VS. BIBLE...
Have you ever wondered what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phones?
What if we carried it around in our purse or pocket?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we turned back to get it if we forgot it?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?
What if we gave it to kids as gifts?
What if we used it when we traveled?
What if we used it in case of emergency?
This is something to make you go...hmm...where is my Bible?
And unlike our cell phone, we don't have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill.
All Masons and Eastern Stars ,we need to "Keep" the Unity & Love "Stronger!!! God Bless
Well it seems that I havent written in a while so I will update. I have completed a semester of college (Mineral Area College... Go Cards!) My Major is in Applied Sciences ( My Associates will be for a Paramedics Licence.) So here I am attempting (for the 3rd time) the NREMT (National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians.) This is a VERY difficult test, and no matter how hard I study it seems out of reach. I think very positively about testing, but have yet to pass. In closing if any of my brethren out there are EMT's or Paramedics or know someone it the field that could assist me with my studies I would be greatful. Thank you and please have a wonderful day.
In all the rich symbolism of Ancient Craft Masonry two symbols, or symbolic themes predominate. One is the search for light, the other is the labor of building. The source of light is the Holy Bible, the grand representation of the builders art is King Solomon's Temple.
Searching persistently and building carefully, the candidate travels slowly toward the East. As he pursues his quest for light and more light and still further light in Masonry, he learns by the way to use the working tools of the stone craftsman, until, at last, he finds himself portraying the Character of the greatest of all legendary builders, the Master Architect of King Solomon's Temple. Searching and Building, Light and the Temple, -- the two dominant Masonic themes are distinct but not separate, complimentary rather than supplementary.
The Temple in the Masonic ritual is almost, but not quite completed; the allegory rises from a physical to a spiritual Temple: "A house, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."
But the search and the labor for complete illumination are not completed by the candidate within the Lodge. Light is revealed, and the sacred source of all light is clearly indicated, but regardless of any spiritual symbolism that may be hidden in our Masonic Ceremonies, the unending search, and the labor toward perfection, once begun in the Lodge, must continue with the initiated Mason, not only within the sanctuary of the Masonic Temple, but also among the larger world, and for all the days of his life.
Philosophers tell us that time is a river, and that books are boats. Many volumes start down that stream, only to be wrecked and lost beyond recall in its sands. Only a few, a very few, endure the testing of time and survive to bless the ages that follow.
As Masons, we pay homage to the greatest of all books -- the one enduring book which has travelled down that river from the begining of time, and which is freighted with the richest treasures that any book has ever presented to humanity.
My Brethren here is a Book whose scene is the sky and the dirt and all that lies between. A Book that has in it the arch of the heavens, the curve of the earth, the ebb and flow of the sea, sunrise and sunset, the peaks of mountains and the glint of sunlight on flowing waters, the shadow of forests on the hills, the song of birds and the color of flowers.
But its two great characters are God and the Soul, and the story of their eternal life together is its one, everlasting, romance.
It is the most human of books, telling the old forgotten secrets of the heart. its bitter pessimism its death defying hope, its pain, its passion, its sin, its sob of grief and its shout of joy... telling all, without malice, in its Grand Style which can do no wrong, while echoing the sweet-toned pathos of the pity and mercy of God.
No other book is so honest with us, so mercilessly merciful, so austere yet so tender, piercing the heart, yet healing the deep wounds of sin and sorrow.
My Brother, take this great and simple Book, white with age yet new with the dew of each new morn, tested by the sorrowful and victorious experiences of centuries, rich in memories and wet with the tears of multitudes who walked this way before us... Lay it to heart, love it, read it, learn what life is, what it means to be a man; aye, learn that God hath made us for himself, and unquiet are our hearts till they rest in Him. Make it your friend and your teacher and you will know what Sir Walter Scott meant, when, as he lay dying, he asked Lockhart to read to him... "From what book?' asked Lockhart,
"...and Scott replied: There is but one Book!'
I created this site for our chapter last week, but I feel something is missing. Feel free to explore, leave comments, and offer suggestions. Also, I'd love to visit any sites from other Chapters world-wide. It great reading about contributions and the impact we're all making on society. I always sign guestbooks to show support!
Siempre, Tammy
Dears Brothers and Sisters
Chers Frères et Soeurs
About 3 centuries ago, the firsts masonic Lodges decided to unite themselves in England into a Great United Lodge.
Il y a environ 3 siècles, les premières loges maçonniques décidèrent de s'unir en Angleterre en une Grande Loge Unie.
Nowaday, masons are spreads around the world, as if their "Babel tower" would have crumbled down.
De nos jours, les maçons sont dispersés de par le monde, comme si leur "Tour de Babel" s'était écroulée.
We've got now 9 years to re-unite what is spread. Should we ? Can we ? Will we ? There is no rest for workers..
Nous avons à présent 9 ans pour rassembler ce qui est épars. Devrions-nous le faire ? Pouvons-nous le faire ? Le ferons-nous ? Pas de repos pour les ouvriers...
Colonel Sofi
Long Live The Republic !
Tags: unite
Those Men Who Wear Those Mason Rings by Michael R. Strampe
Past Master: Lake Lodge #189
F&AM Milwaukee, Wisconsin
The Men Who Help My Dad Each day,
They Wear Those Mason Rings,
A Square and Compass Set in Gold,
The Praise of Which I Sing.
My Dad, He Hurt His Back, You Know,
One Cold and Wintery Day.
He Slipped and Fell Upon the Ice,
The Insurance Would Not Pay.
And Since That Time Those Rings I See
On Hands That Help Us Much,
With Mowing lawns and Hauling Trash,
Each Day My Heart They Touch.
They Even Built a House for Me
Amid Our Backyard Tree,
Where All the Neighbor Kids Would
Play with Laughter Full of Glee.
My Mom She Cried from Happiness
That Time the Masons Came,
To Aid Our Family in Distress
Without a Thought of Gain.
And When I'm Big, Just like My Dad
Of This It Must Be Told,
I Want to Wear a Ring Like His
A Square and Compass Gold.
Long Years Have Pasted Since When
My Dad Was in That Plaster Cast,
And Since I Swore That Solemn Oath
Which Unites Us to the Last.
Tags: freemasonry
This group is for individuals interested in joining the Imperial Cushite Order, Ancient Grand Lodge of Khamet and for those just seeking knowledge and have knowledge to impart. Also to inform of the activities of the Grand Lodge. We ask folks to be patient we are an organization that has just started, but have been in the works.We are known also as Cushite Master Builders, However we claim no descent or charter from any Grand Lodge of Craft Freemasons, Grand Lodge of England, etc. We respect there rights and landmarks, We have no Hiramic legend although we know and understand the true meaning of such. We honor the ancient Africans of the Nile valley and all of africa as the original authors of the FreeMasonic thought and teachings. As we invite all Masons and Eastern Stars to become Members and those that are not Masons and Stars. No Masonic Grand Lodge should bar there members from becoming members of this order because it is not in violation of Craft Masonry or its bylaws, etc. Barring a Mason from this Order is like baring a Mason from the Elks or Odd Fellows. As stated all of that symbolism is about our ansestors anyway. In our order none of your Masonic maxims have been breached. This is a serious teaching fraternity in the true history of our ancient empire. The ancient hamites,Kushites,Moors,etc. are the true founders of civilization.Women and Men are accepted on equal footing. This was and is honored in secret, the highest and most learned among Master Masons. Most of this can be revealed in a detailed look into the history of the Craft and the Knights Templar. TEXT: African Origins of Freemasonry by Zachary Gremillion.
Join the Imperial Cushite Order
Applications for the Imperial Cushite Order will be accepted.
However, we request sincere brothers and sisters. And request that
the person be mentally sound. And also no weird people with strange
weird doctrines. We do not accept Blacks that are followers of occult
traditions of Alister Crowley, A.E. Waite, the Order of the Golden
Dawn,Some Rosicrucian orders, nor do we accept occult Magick/Magical
organizations. These order are super perversions of the ancient
traditions and sciences of our ancient people. Also we do not accept
any forms of extremism be it Islam, Christianity, Hebrew Israelites,
Kemetic,Moorish,etc. We expect canidates to open mind and intelligent.
We accept Freemasons and non-Masons from all jurisdictions. This is
not Freemasonry in the Anglo Saxon tradition and have no ties to them
what so ever. We claim no authority or regularity from any
Freemason's Grand lodge in Europe, America or any where in the world.
We do not claim any of there degrees and landmarks. Therefore, we
cannot be mistaken for masonic organizations or other so called
clandestine. There their irregular and clandestine labels dont apply
to us. However, we do recognize that the teachings and origins of
their Masonic Order were derived from the original Black people of
Africa and Asia.
We are not a secret society, we have no secret grips, signs, and
passwords. All these are allusions to the truth of true origins of
the Freemason from the ancient original people be they the ancient
Hebrews or Egyptians
for more information contact
Zachary Gremillion
telephone number
504-481-2423
Tags: freemasonry
I am intersted in known if anyone even visits this site? the chat section is not working, and I can't just check out boards and articles? what is up here?
Hi all,
My name is Marty Russell Woodcock, hailing from the greatest place on Earth - Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada! I was born in a small mining community in the Rocky Mountains in Grande Cache Alberta. I am married (since 2003) and have two beautiful daughters. Aislyn in 4.5 and Danika is almost 1.5. I am a graphic and web designer, waiting to go back to school for more graphic training. I just recently became a FreeMason, and am an EA. I am soooo glad I joined the Brotherhood finally. I am a member of the Assiniboia Lodge No. 49. As far as my faith, I follow the old Druid path of Danu. I have many interests like hunting, woodworking, history, and loads more that I will discuss later in other blogs. That should do it for now. Talk to you later my Brothers and Sisters.
This is my strong word LABYRINTH. Can anyone tell me what you think of this word as far as dealing within our Organization, Chapther or Lodge. And I will post my thoughts after. Thanks
looking in the dallas are for a house to be a part of
Tags: help
It always seems that just when you gotten back into the swing of things and everything seems good, boom something goes wrong. For me its something that really didnt surprise me, my job has required me to work swing shift ( work when I am needed) I work 40 hrs a week so I cant complain because I know there are others out there who are not working right now and for that i am grateful. Its just I enjoy being active in my lodge as well as with my family and it seems that I am constantly at work during lodge meetings (which totally sucks because I was just made chaplain and I really need the practice with the prayers, I can only study so much on my own) and I seem to be exhausted most of the time when I am at home. Other than that things are going fair. If you dont know, I just came home from Iraq a month ago and it seems that maybe I need more help readjusting than I thought. I find myself happy one minute and totally pissed of the next with a short period of depressed and tearful (I only say this openly because I know I can trust my brothers not to judge me) to follow. I am at a loss, I am not the sit on a couch and express myself type of person, I am usually able to take care of my problems myself (which I thought I was doing until my fiance asked me if everything was ok, which lead to a long conversation with a bit of the afor mentioned emotion) I know that many of you have been overseas and I just want to know if any of you have come back feeling similar things and what you did to "fight back." Thank you very much for your assistance.
Reading Masons and Those Who Don't Read
I suppose there are more Masons who are ignorant of all the principles of freemasonry than there are men of any other class who are chargeable with the like ignorance of their own profession. There is not a watchmaker who does not know something about the elements of horology, nor is there a blacksmith who is altogether unacquainted with the properties of red-hot iron. Ascending to the higher walks of science, we would be much astonished to meet with a lawyer who was ignorant of the elements of jurisprudence, or a physician who had never read a treatise on pathology, or a clergyman who knew nothing whatever of theology.
Nevertheless, nothing is more common than to encounter Freemasons who are in utter darkness as to every thing that relates to Freemasonry. They are ignorant of its history. They know not whether it is a mushroom production of today, or whether it goes back to remote ages for its origin. They have no comprehension of the esoteric meaning of its symbols or its ceremonies, and are hardly at home in its modes of recognition. Yet nothing is more common than to find such socialists in the possession of high degrees and sometimes honored with elevated affairs in the Order, present at the meetings of lodges and chapters, intermeddling with the proceedings, taking an active part in all discussions and maintaining heterodox opinions in opposition to the judgment of brethren of far greater knowledge.
Why, it may well be asked, should such things be? Why, in Masonry alone, should there be so much ignorance and so much presumption? If I ask a cobbler to make me a pair of boots, he tells me that he only mends and patches, and that he has not learned the higher branches of his craft, and then he honestly declines the offered job. If I request a watchmaker to construct a mainspring for my chronometer, he answers that he cannot do it, that he has never learned how to make mainsprings, which belongs to a higher branch of the business, but that if I will bring him a spring ready made, he will insert it in my timepiece, because that he knows how to do. If I go to an artist with an order to paint me a historical picture, he will tell me that it is beyond his capacity, that he has never studied nor practiced the compotation of details, but has confined himself to the painting of portraits. Were he dishonest and presumptuous he would take my order and instead of a picture give me a daub.
It is the Freemason alone who wants this modesty. He is too apt to think that the obligation not only makes him a Mason, but a learned Mason at the same time. He too often imagines that the mystical ceremonies which induct him into the Order are all that are necessary to make him cognizant of its principles. There are some Christian sects who believe that the water of baptism at once washes away all sin, past and prospective. So there are some Masons who think that the mere act of initiation is at once followed by an influx of all Masonic knowledge. They need no further study or research. All that they require to know has already been received by a sort of intuitive process.
The great body of Masons may be divided into three classes. The first consists of those who made their application for initiation not from a desire for knowledge, but from some accidental motive, not always honorable. Such men have been led to seek reception either because it was likely, in their opinion, to facilitate their business operations, or to advance their political prospects, or in some other way to personally benefit them. In the commencement of a war, hundreds flock to the lodges in the hope of obtaining the "mystic sign," which will be of service in the hour of danger. Their object having been attained, or having failed to attain it, these men become indifferent and, in time, fall into the rank of the non-affiliates. Of such Masons there is no hope. They are dead trees having no promise of fruit. Let them pass as utterly worthless, and incapable of improvement.
There is a second class consisting of men who are the moral and Masonic antipodes of the first. These make their application for admission, being prompted, as the ritual requires, "by a favorable opinion conceived of the Institution, and a desire of knowledge." As soon as they are initiated, they see in the ceremonies through which they have passed a philosophical meaning worthy of the trouble of inquiry. They devote themselves to this inquiry. They obtain Masonic books, they read Masonic periodicals, and they converse with well-informed brethren. They make themselves acquainted with the history of the Association. They investigate its origin and its ultimate design. They explore the hidden sense of its symbols and they acquire the interpretation. Such Masons are always useful and honorable members of the Order, and very frequently they become its shining lights. Their lamp burns for the enlightenment of others, and to them the Institution is indebted for whatever of an elevated position it has attained. For them, this article is not written.
But between these two classes, just described, there is an intermediate one; not as bad as the first, but far below the second, which, unfortunately, comprises the body of the Fraternity.
This third class consists of Masons who joined the Society with unobjectionable motives, and with, perhaps the best intentions. But they have failed to carry these intentions into effect. They have made a grievous mistake. They have supposed that initiation was all that was requisite to make them Masons, and that any further study was entirely unnecessary. Hence, they never read a Masonic book. Bring to their notice the productions of the most celebrated Masonic authors, and their remark is that they have no time to read-the claims of business are overwhelming. Show them a Masonic journal of recognized reputation, and ask them to subscribe. Their answer is that they cannot afford it, the times are hard and money is scarce.
And yet, there is no want of Masonic ambition in many of these men. But their ambition is not in the right direction. They have no thirst for knowledge, but they have a very great thirst for office or for degrees. They cannot afford money or time for the purchase or perusal of Masonic books, but they have enough of both to expend on the acquisition of Masonic degrees.
It is astonishing with what avidity some Masons who do not understand the simplest rudiments of their art, and who have utterly failed to comprehend the scope and meaning of primary, symbolic Masonry, grasp at the empty honors of the high degrees. The Master Mason who knows very little, if anything, of the Apprentice's degree longs to be a Knight Templar. He knows nothing, and never expects to know anything, of the history of Templarism, or how and why these old crusaders became incorporated with the Masonic brotherhood. The height of his ambition is to wear the Templar cross upon his breast. If he has entered the Scottish Rite, the Lodge of Perfection will not content him, although it supplies material for months of study. He would fain rise higher in the scale of rank, and if by persevering efforts he can attain the summit of the Rite and be invested with the Thirty-third degree, little cares he for any knowledge of the organization of the Rite or the sublime lessons that it teaches. He has reached the height of his ambition and is permitted to wear the double-headed eagle.
Such Masons are distinguished not by the amount of knowledge that they possess, but by the number of the jewels that they wear. They will give fifty dollars for a decoration, but not fifty cents for a book.
These men do great injury to Masonry. They have been called its drones. But they are more than that. They are the wasps, the deadly enemy of the industrious bees. They set a bad example to the younger Masons - they discourage the growth of Masonic literature - they drive intellectual men, who would be willing to cultivate Masonic science, into other fields of labor - they depress the energies of our writers - and they debase the character of Speculative Masonry as a branch of mental and moral philosophy. When outsiders see men holding high rank and office in the Order who are almost as ignorant as themselves of the principles of Freemasonry, and who, if asked, would say they looked upon it only as a social institution, these outsiders very naturally conclude that there cannot be anything of great value in a system whose highest positions are held by men who profess to have no knowledge of its higher development.
It must not be supposed that every Mason is expected to be a learned Mason, or that every man who is initiated is required to devote himself to the study of Masonic science and literature. Such an expectation would be foolish and unreasonable. All men are not equally competent to grasp and retain the same amount of knowledge. Order, says Pope-Order is heaven's first law and this confess, some are, and must be, greater than the rest, richer, wiser.
All that I contend for is that when a candidate enters the fold of Masonry he should feel that there is something in it better than its mere grips and signs, and that he should endeavor with all his ability to attain some knowledge of that better thing. He should not seek advancement to higher degrees until he knew something of the lower, nor grasp at office, unless he had previously fulfilled with some reputation for Masonic knowledge, the duties of a private station. I once knew a brother whose greed for office led him to pass through all the grades from Warden of his lodge to Grand Master of the jurisdiction, and who during that whole period had never read a Masonic book nor attempted to comprehend the meaning of a single symbol. For the year of his Mastership he always found it convenient to have an excuse for absence from the lodge on the nights when degrees were to be conferred. Yet, by his personal and social influences, he had succeeded in elevating himself in rank above all those who were above him in Masonic knowledge. They were really far above him, for they all knew something, and he knew nothing. Had he remained in the background, none could have complained. But, being where he was, and seeking himself the position, he had no right to be ignorant. It was his presumption that constituted his offense.
There are in the United States more than four hundred thousand affiliated Masons. How many of these are readers? One-half - or even one-tenth? If only one-fourth of the men who are in the Order would read a little about it, and not depend for all they know of it on their visits to their lodges, they would entertain more elevated notions of its character. Through their sympathy scholars would be encouraged to discuss its principles and to give to the public the results of their thoughts, and good Masonic magazines would enjoy a prosperous existence.
Now, because there are so few Masons that read, Masonic books hardly do more than pay the publishers the expense of printing, while the authors get nothing; and Masonic journals are being year after year carried off into the literary Academia, where the corpses of defunct periodicals are deposited; and, worst of all, Masonry endures depressing blows.
The Mason, who reads, however little, is it only the pages of the monthly magazine to which he subscribes, will entertain higher views of the Institution and enjoy new delights in the possession of these views. The Masons who do not read will know nothing of the interior beauties of Speculative Masonry, but will be content to suppose it to be something like Odd Fellowship, or the Order of the Knights of Pythias - only, perhaps, a little older.
If this indifference, instead of being checked, becomes more widely spread, the result is too apparent. Freemasonry must step down from the elevated position which she has been struggling, through the efforts of her scholars, to maintain, and our lodges, instead of becoming resorts for speculative and philosophical thought, will deteriorate into social clubs or mere benefit societies. With so many rivals in that field, her struggle for a prosperous life will be a hard one.
The ultimate success of Masonry depends on the intelligence of her disciples.
Albert G. Mackey (published in 1875)
Tags: education
A new friend had one of those boxes on their Black Planet page and it asked three questions in regards, what you would prefer in a prospective mate. The questions were Sex or Communication, Body over Brains and Committment over Money... Many of you who know me from Yahoo 360 already know that I tell it like it is and I don't hold back any punches...I don't take sides whether you are a man or a woman. What's right is right and what's wrong is wrong... So I check off the answers and I couldn't help but make a comment to the questions and here is the following: Most of us do not realize that the most important things in this world can not be touched nor possessed. We tend not to prioritize these unique gifts and for that many relationships do not succeed beyond any level whether its a relationship between mates, relatives, plutonic and even between parent and child. You see I made separated parent and child from relatives, all because this relationship is the ultimate and most intimate among all relationships. The Key to all human relationships is communication.. It is the foundation of the relationship...Once communication dies, the relationship will ultimately die. You keep the communication open there lies the life of the relationship. Sex is something of a physical nature. Sex is great amongst a couple.. Sex is okay amongst two individual for gratifying each other physical needs and there is no doubt about that.. But have you ever been in love and found that the sex was greater? It comes to show you that something of a physical nature becomes more intensed by bringing something of a spiritual or an emotional nature into the circle. Let me ask you a question....You have someone in your life...a great mother or father to your children someone who loves you and understands you more so than anyone else in this world. Suddenly they met their fate that left them not able to function sexually. What do you do? Leave them? Compromise your entire family circle in order to look out for your own needs? So now whats most important sex or communication? Body or Brains? I am not going to be so long winded with the latter of the two questions but I will say this..Both do correlate in the same way as the first question, between sex and communication. Body and Brains. First of all I would like to point out that most people who have brains take care of their bodies. Then there are those with great bodies who do not have that much brains and they tend to compensate focusing on there bodies to rather than consuming knowledge. They also have one fault as well, they tend to live in a shallow world where they feel that their undaunting beautiful bodies will last forever. Let me ask you this what is more appealing, having a deep conversation with some form of intellect or chit chat of the same subject with a booming body over and over again...I had one time experienced the latter...It burned my ears off..I couldn't take it anymore. Now that body isn't booming anymore either. The last one is very simple to answer...What would you prefer a prospective mate to bring to the table committment or money? Hmmmmm? Hard question, not to me....I am an independent man. I prefer my prospective mate to be independent financially and emotionally. However what if you came across somebody who was filthy rich and I am talking filthy rich...and powerful...But however they can not be committed. A committment is one goal each relationship should attain. Being committed to one another gives security in that relationship...If there is no committment people tend to go about there business freely, having affairs freely...And thats a dangerous thing as far as a relationship and of course their health...God did not put us on this earth to casually date, he put us on this earth to marry one another.
Don't let the back door of the Blue Lodge close on you.
Sometimes in life an event takes place and seemingly without much meaning can turn very significant if it's properly pondered.
I met with our two new E.A.'s the other evening to study for their proficiency, when I arrived they were waiting out front of the Lodge(Temple #23 Jax,Fl.). As was an "urban outdoors" woman. She had made a little camp under one of the trees, not much of a camp but a blanket spread out and resting herself. She asked if it was O.K. that she be there for a little bit as she was tired of walking, had been run off from somewhere up the road etc. etc. And in true homeless fashion proceeded to try to engage further conversation.
Being the compassionate man and Mason that I am, I told her just don't mess anything up or litter and go on about her way when she'd rested up. Masons are taught that we are all equal, to look past the outside and be servicable and considerate to all mankind. I felt I excersized that duty flawlessly had I not have been there that night I wouldn't have known she was either all the while trying to break off the conversation and as you may know isn't very easy to do with the homeless folk. I'm sure you've been in the same predicament where you want to be pleasant but go on about your business.
We finally got away from her and I unlocked the Lodge, secured the alarm and we three entered and closed and locked the door with the finger lock from the inside. A finger lock in case you're wondering is one that you set from the inside with out using a key, and as far as I knew none of our members have a key for opening that particular lock from the out side. We went on into the Lodge-Room, as I didn't wish to sit in the dining area and have the afore mentioned outdoorsman knocking to use the bathroom or any other disturbance. I have a lot to teach these two men and a short amount of time to do it.
We studied for about an hour or so and decided to take a smoke break. I figured it best to go out the back door just in case she was still out front, which I found out later that she was. I unlocked the key lock on the back door, and out we went. I noticed a brick sitting at the foot of the door and tried to hold the door open with it so I could keep an eye and ear out on the Lodge, well the brick was too light to hold the door open so I let it close.
Little did I know the the door-knob lock was set to the lock position, again another lock that I didn't have a key to.
Now all of this may not seem like much of a problem, however the back yard at the Lodge is surrounded by an eight foot chain link fence with one gate securely locked and as you may guess, I didn't have a key to that one either! I personally wouldn't have a problem with climbing that fence, however since the front door was locked with a lock that I didn't have a key to, going around front and unlocking the door was out of the question, and my two E.A.'s in thier age and physical conditions, well I just figured if they tried, we might have had to call the ambulance and nothing screams that the day is ruined like the big red truck showing up! On the East end of the yard are some woods and a creek farther down, so we weren't in panic mode, we can get out, I'm a woodsy kinda guy anyhow. But about this time Mike tells me "OK Waco quit with the little B.S. secret stuff and unlock the door let's go in and run through this one more time" He was serious! I had to keep from laughing as I explained to him the magnitude of the situation! And knowing full well that this wasn't a Masonic secret!!! Even when we do get out of the back yard, the Lodge is still not secured properly and in this day and age that's just not good.
I called our Worshipful Master, yeah "The Big Guy", he came and we discused the happenings. We found a path through the stickers and vines and got out ok, Ted told me he'd find a way to secure the Lodge and not to worry, I went home with my tail between my legs knowing full well the amount of poop I'm going to hear at our next meeting. He later called the Secretary who has a key to every lock known to man, and they secured the Lodge.
So, Where is the significant part of this story? I thought I'd never ask!
All of this could have been avoided if I'd have thought more like a Mason.
I let the door close, even with the rough ashlar there and ready for my will, the "brick" wasn't to keep the door from closing, it was to keep the door from locking.
So many of us come to the front door, go into the Lodge-Room and out the back door and on to other things. However, we are still Masons and are still rough ashlars. If we're not at the Lodge to hold the door open then we'll not be there to keep it from locking.
Each and every one of us came to the front door of our own free will and accord,we knocked and became Masons, in a survey recently done by a fellow Brother 35 Mason were asked "Why did you become a Mason"? 29 answered "To become a Shriner".
Is the shrine a great and noble organization? Oh you bet!! The help they give to the burned and cripple children at absolutely no cost! They visit childeren in local hospitals in full cartoon or clown costumes and entertain the kids, they are some of the most selfless thinking men I know. always willing to give. Yes they are awesome, I can't really come up with words to describe properly the honor they deserve.
The problem is that when a Mason goes on to other things, other appendages for instance, his time gets so thinly spread with other activities and that of family of coarse that he hasn't the time for the Blue Lodge. And in a lot of cases once they pass the Blue Lodge, they don't look back other than staying current in paying dues.
Paying dues and carrying a card isn't what makes a man a Mason. It's showing to the Blue Lodge from time to time to sit in a chair if needed, to give opinions on topics while at labor, to show the new guys coming in that he or they are joining an organization of a lot of men not just 8 or 9 looking for a cheap Monday night dinner.
It's the fellowship, the clasping of hands, the friendly smiles and gleam in another Masons eyes when he sees you, it's the little jokes or ribbing that we all give and get, from brothers young and old. It's the shared companionship that makes a Lodge of Masons, not the building, not the bumperstickers you can put on your car not the card in your wallet, but the Brotherhood.
Fellowship not neccesarily membership is "KEY" to a succesful Lodge, as "Without fellowship there might not be membership in the future"
Remember your Blue Lodge and we Brothers who yearn for your FELLOWSHIP.....
Waco Renshaw
Junior Deacon
Temple Lodge #23 F.& A.M.
Jacksonville,Florida
I greet you Bretnren,
If you see a man who quietly and modestly moves in the sphere of his life; who, without blemish, fulfills his duty as a man, a subject, a husband and a father; who is pious without hypocrisy, benevolent without ostentation, and aids his fellowman without self-interest; whose heart beats warm for friendship, whose serene mind is open for licensed pleasures, who in vicissitudes does not despair, nor in fortune will be presumptuous, and who will be resolute in the hour of danger;
The man who is free from superstition and free from infidelity; who in nature sees the finger of the Eternal Master; who feels and adores the higher destination of man; to whom faith, hope and charity are not mere words without any meaning; to whom property, nay even life, is not too dear for the protection of innocence and virtue, and for the defense of truth;
The man who towards himself is a severe judge, but who is tolerant with the debilities of his neighbor; who endeavors to oppose errors without arrogance, and to promote intelligence without impatience; who properly understands how to estimate and employ his means; who honors virtue though it may be in the most humble garment, and who does not favor vice though it be clad in purple; and who administers justice to merit whether dwelling in palaces or cottages.
The man who, without courting applause, is loved by all noble-minded men, respected by his superiors and revered by his subordinates; the man who never proclaims what he has done, can do, or will do, but where need is will lay hold with dispassionate courage, circumspect resolution, indefatigable exertion and a rare power of mind, and who will not cease until he has accomplished his work, and then, without pretension, will retire into the multitude because he did the good act, not for himself, but for the cause of good!
If you, my Brethren meet such a man, you will see the personification of brotherly love, relief and truth; and you will have found the ideal of a Freemason.
Tags: 2b1ask1
Hey brothers,
My name is Nelson Ariel Rodriguez and i am a member of Branson lodge 587. Mainly i'm on here to meet new brothers from all around and to share some common views, so don't be a stranger and send an invite.
There is no greater freedom than truly realizing the power of
choice coupled with the ability to discard fear. Choice isn't a freedom, it is freedom! It's not a rite you have, because it can't be controlled or taken away from you. What one person can do, so can another...
Once you realize that we are all equal in every way, you will -in turn- realize that we are all capable of the same actions. You'll see that the things you once
thought to be impossible - are not.
This applies to positive and negative traits of every human.
Vanity is one of the most destructive weaknesses!
Once passed vanity, possibility, growth,
and love are all that remain!
~Knowledge~
Now that the importance of choice has been established, I must go over knowledge. Why? Because freedom is choice - choice is knowledge - knowledge is power - and power comes with responsibility.
For example, we all know that committing a crime will
result in unwanted outcome.
However, the choice to do so is our own.
The example demonstrates the importance of knowledge...
of laws, physical surroundings, and human emotion,
reaction, and psychology. (among a vast many more topics)
When knowledge is at the forefront of any choice being made,
the outcome is predictable. Thus, causing a dissipation of fear, allowing for a conscious choice to be made! ~Use Of Power~
Accountability affords direction...
I have acquainted myself with a great many religions.
(particularly ancient "mystery schools")
The one thing that remains constant in all of time, race, and religion is that human beings have an inherent spiritual desire for 3 things:
1) understanding the nature of deity
2) establishing life after death
3) demonstrating respect through accountability
A great deal of consideration of the 3 common traits
results in a vast understanding of your own desires.
I consider myself a Christian...
(it's a broad statement but,
essential to condensing this blog)
...and hold every word in the Bible as truth.
That being said, I chose to hold myself accountable by the standards, and my understanding of the Bible.
Thus, keeping my power / freedom / choices under control.
The level of control -ultimately- is my choice.
And, thanks to a knowledge and
respect of the nature of God,
I choose accountability out of
love / rather than fear!
~David "Lucky" Wiser~
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Carmen Lynn
Wealth Team of the Palm Beaches
Tags: business
saqssa
El Pensar
La más noble herramienta del Masón es su mente, y su valor se mide por el uso que de ella haga. Atento a todas las cosas, el candidato que aspira a la sabiduría trascendente llega a la realidad en deseo sincero, en meditación y en silencio. Que la. Tónica de la Orden y del ritual sea escrita en caracteres fulgurantes: PENSAD EN MI. ¿Cual es el significado de este místico laberinto de símbolos, ritos y rituales? ¡PENSAD! ¿Qué significa la vida con su cruzamiento del humano parentesco, con el fausto infinito de las cualidades que se disfrazan como para un carnaval de tontos? ¡PENSAD! ¿Cuál es el plan que hay tras de todo esto, y quién el planeador? ¿Dónde mora el Grande Arquitecto y cuál es el tablero en que dibuja? ¡PENSAD! ¿Qué es el alma humana, y por qué el interminable anhelo por ignotos objetivos, a lo largo de senderos en que ha de errar sin compañía? ¿Para qué existe la mente, el alma y el espíritu, y también para qué lo que existe? ¡PENSAD! ¿Hay alguna respuesta? Si la hay, ¿dónde encontrar la verdad? Pensad, hermanos de la Orden, pensad profundamente; porque si la verdad existe, es que la tenéis, y si la verdad está al alcance de toda criatura viviente, ¿qué otra meta más digna por la cual luchar?.
I am Tamika Jackson, Electa for Zorah Chapter #36 OES PHA in Maryland. I saw the light April 2007. My husband is a Mason, 32nd, Shriner, Knight and newly elected Worshipful Master at his Lodge. He is also the love of my life. We are both passionate about masonry and love our PHAmily. We are dedicated to bettering the organization and love to learn more about it. My husband has many, many years under his belt and I am just in the beginning stages and searching for true, unadulterated enlightenment where ever I can find it. I joined this site for networking and fellowship with my fellow OES sistars and brothers of the craft.
I am a photographer and owner of Portraits by Tamika and co-owner of Polly&Meek, a book writing company created by my sister and I. I am the co-author of a wonderful new children's picture book titled Sisters Are From Heaven. I invite you to visit my website at: www.sistersarefromheaven.com or purchase my book at: http://www.xlibris.com/SistersAreFromHeaven.html. You may also visit my photography blog at www.portraitsbytamika.blogspot.com.
I am a ray of light among many and we shine brightly for all to see!
Hello Friends I had posted a blog about an Angel who was called home. Just an update Le Melica Grand Palace started a Scholarship program. It was previously named in memory of the Grand Bathsheba Grandmother The Alberta Scott Hayes Memorial Scholarship. The Grand Bathsheba at our last convention made a motion to change that Scholarship program to the Gail Stevens Memorial Scholarship. It was a moving exprience for all who know Sister Stevens. She was in and out of the Hospital and was able to make one more Convention which she attended in May 2008. In June 2008 Sister Stevens put down her Shield and Sword for the Master called her home. So I'm asking that every Brother and Sister who reads this Blog to please help with a one dollar donation to help us to keep this light shining ever so brightly in Honor of Sister Gail Stevens. Thank for your support. I will be accepting checks, money orders and I will be setting up a paypal account also to make it easier. Remember to write your name, Lodge or Chapter we like to reconize everyone. Thank you! Le Melica Grand Palace thanks you for your support!
Margo Green
53 S. 21 Street
Wyandanch, N.Y. 11798
Make checks and money orders payable to Le Melica Grand Palace
I HOLD IN MY HAND A LITTLE SCRAP OF PAPER 2 ½ X 31/2 INCHES IN SIZE IT IS OF NO INTRINSIC WORTH NOT A BOND, NOT A CHECK OR RECEIPT FOR VALUABLES, YET IT IS MY MOST PRICELESS PRSSESSION IT IS MY MEMBERSHIP CARD IN A MASONIC LODGE. IT TELLS ME THAT I HAVE ENTERED INTO A SPIRITUAL KINSHIP WITH MY FELLOW MASONS TO PRACTICE CHARITY IN WORD AND DEED TO FORGIVE AND FORGET THE FAULTS OF MY BROTHREN TO HUSH THE TONGUES OF SCANDAL AND INNUENDO TO CARE FOR THE CRIPPLED, THE HUNGRY AND SICK, AND TO BE FAIR AND JUST TO ALL MANKIND IT TEIIS ME THAT NO MATTER WHERE I MAY TRAVEL IN THE WORLD, I AM WELCOME TO VISIT A PLACE WHERE GOOD FELLOWSHIP PREVAILS AMONG BROTHERS AND FRINDS IT TELLS ME THAT MY LOVED ONES, MY HOME, AND MY HOUSEHOLD ARE UNDER THR PROTECTION OF EVERY MEMBER OF THIS GREAT FRATERNITY, WHOHAVE SWORE TO DEFEND AND PORTECT MINE AS I HAVE SWORN TO DEFEND AND PROTECT THEIRS IT TELLS ME THAT SHOULD I EVER BE OVERTAKEN
BY ADVERSITY OR MISFORTUNE
THROUGHNO FAULT OF MY OWN THE HANDS OF EVERY MASON ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH WILL BE STRETCHED FORTH TO ASSIST ME IN MY NECESSITIES AND FINALLY, IT TELLS ME THAT WHEN MY FINAL EXIT FROM THE STAGE OF LIFE HAS BEEN MADE THERE WILL BE GATHERED AROUND MY LIFELESS BODY FRIENDS AND BROTHERS WHO WILL RECALL TO MIND MY VIRTUES, THOUGH THEY MAY BE FEW AND WILL FORGET MY FAULTS, THOUGH THEY MAY BE MANY IT TELLS ME THAT, AND A GREAT DEAL MORE, THIS LITTLE CARD, AND MAKEES ME PROUD YET HUMBLE, THAT I CAN POSSESS THIS PASSPORT INTO A SOCIETY OF FRIENDS AND BROTHERS THAT ARE NUMBERED IN THE MILLIONS.
- AUTHOR UNKNOWN -
Brothers read and then reread this, think on what you read then act on it.
my journey started march 4th, 1970 in fargo,nd. i was adopted my the folks i refer to as mom and dad. my dad was in the air force and stationed in grand forks. we moved to south dakota where my family was from and stayed there until i finished 6th grade. we then moved to jackson,wy. my parents split up and i ended up finishing high school in colorado springs,co. i joined the navy from there in 1988 and spent the first 9 months in san diego and finished the rest of it in philly at the shipyard. i had a daughter while i was in the service. she is now 18 already and out of high school, my how the time flys. i spent several years as an electrician after the navy and then got into law enforcement starting at a county jail, i am now a deputy sheriff back in the county my family started out in. i have been a master mason almost 4 years, i am a noble in the shrine and have gone through the york and scottish rites and am a member of the scottish rite research society.
To my beloved brethren in the light of the divine and most holy of holies.
It has been many years since I was initiated into freemasonry it has taken me all these years to try and understand that which should have been taught to me years ago, unfortunately no one tried to take me aside and help me understand what freemasonry was all about, This I had to do for myself, and what I found has helped me understand, and what it is all about the universe the reasons why and what part do I play in this circle of life. And what of the future.
Freemasonry is dying, and that remains true as long as those people that run it continue to use it as a gentlemen's dinning club, they change rituals where and when they see fit and it suits them, and they have no idea of its origins, let alone its purpose.
The craft deserves to live on, but it has always belonged to men who have dared to achieve, who have sought out a better way forward believing in God's purpose and in science.
The way forward for mankind is and must surly be to continue to seek out and embrace the hidden mysteries of nature and science.
What is Freemasonry?
And why should it be trusted?
My findings are that Freemasonry was an engine of achievement that drove the world from darkness to light; freemasonry was once the achieving society where its members were the great and good, who ran the church, the country, industry, and the armed forces and academia. They were the entrepreneurs and the intelligentsia who made the industrial revelation and who pioneered social and scientific advancement.
In Freemasonry, the heavens are a tapestry upon which complex patterns of celestial meanings were constantly being woven, and how they affect everybody. And how we could draw out their meaning and the power the heavens has over human life.
God and nature are one, every leaf, every green shoot as a word of God.
If there was, any blasphemy or heresy it was what man was doing to the planet earth from which all bounty flows.
Let us dare to achieve so that the craft can go on and be strong as it once was, let the world be in the light of God, and let us understand his blessings.
We should be looking for ways or projects that freemason brothers will be involved in, which will be for the benefit of all concerned including the Craft and society, so that when the cycle of light is here we will all be in its warmth for years to come.
Your brethren
Bassem Sam Halaseh
