Over here in the corner, many interesting and mundane pieces of information pass by. I have a habit of reading the writings of my contemporaries in the craft, to see what others are thinking, or doing. Masons from all over the world are taking the time to put their thoughts and such on the Internet. Daily, they write about the craft and their place in it, what they feel about it, what we “Should be” doing, what we shouldn’t be doing.
To be honest, I get excited about a lot of what is written. Two reasons for this:
1. It opens me to the wider world, shows me what others, in similar situations, are doing. It can be inspiring, as well as confusing. Invigorating, as well as frustrating.
2. I write a monthly newsletter. Sometimes I have to fill in the empty spaces.
I can not always use what I read in the Trestle Board. I may agree with what another Brother has written, but honestly feel that printing it would start more arguments then insights. Because it is our Trestle Board, not mine, I don’t take it lightly what goes in here.
But listen, if my article starts on page one then you can easily determine that not a lot came across from the membership for printing this month.
So, here are some articles that have made it to the corner this month:
Time, Attendance and the 24 inch Gauge
from Freemasons For Dummies by Chris Hodapp
Brother Kurt Kurosawa posted an interesting idea on the Masonic Light Forum today. He visited a lodge in the
They have a lesson about the 24 inch gauge which:
"teaches us that all men are gifted with the same good measure of time each day to discharge all their duties in life, as well as for work, refreshment and rest, but they remind each other that a 30-day month contains 720 hours, so that the bare minimum involvement of attending a stated communication, if it consumes 4 hours, would demand of them only half of one percent of their time."
Isn't your lodge worth one half of one percent of your time? Is your lodge worth one half of one percent of your members' time?
Quick Hit #1
From the Masonic Minute.Com, poster anonymous
It was suggested by a Fellow Craft in my Lodge that we hold the Initiation of our next candidate at midnight. Now, I know that most of you are getting your beauty sleep at that point…but wouldn’t that be a hoot?
Imagine getting a letter that says you have to appear at the Lodge on so-and-so Friday night at 11:30 p.m. in business casual attire. You arrive, and everyone there is in a tuxedo or a suit. The whole place looks totally different than the other times you have visited because it is entirely lit by candle light. Even the semi-familiar fellowship hall you were just getting used to has a mysterious glow about it. You are directed to a person whom you already know…the guy that’s going to be your coach…and he says very little to you. At about ten minutes till midnight, the entire group, minus you, goes into the Lodge room. After some time, two men appear carrying long rods and…….
Now, I don’t know about you guys, but this seems like a great idea. Keeping Freemasonry fresh and exciting is one of the best ways to energize and motivate the Craft. The problem is, trying to get a big-enough group of men together to arrive at that hour. I know the younger guys would probably get a kick out of it, but what about the others?
By the Way, Brother Chriss Hodapp – author of “Freemasonry for Dummies” and, “Solomon’s Builders”, will be at Grand Lodge this year. Friday, September 28th at 7:30 PM in the California Room He will be speaking about the architecture and Masonic Philosophy involved in the foundation of the
Kevin
