Hey Chris yeah Fred what’s a Mason that’s a really good question Fred you’ve reached the internet’s home for all things masonry join Chris and I as we Plum the depths of our ancient craft from the common gavel to the trout nothing is off the table so grab your tools and let’s get to work this is on the level
We’re back uh for episode number five one two three four five episode five of uh on the level with Fred and Chris um we’re pretty excited man things are rolling here we are uh we are now on to number five I consider that a milestone yeah in podcasting I can tell you right
Now that editing is not easy it’s uh but it’s fun and I like it so but you know what you did make look easy is putting this studio together it’s getting there huh you did a great job with this I’m wondering if our fans I don’t know if we
Have any Mom hi Mom our f um can hear the difference there should be uh a better and better sound quality as the studio comes more and more online which we’re pretty proud of we’re going to call this the Digis sphere studio in Beau sarot even if they can’t hear it it
Feels better it feels better to talk to you in this environment I love it I love it as we said episode number five uh this week we’re going to talk about ways for new Masons to get involved and we highly recommend that new Masons do in fact get involved because that’s what
Makes masonry happen and makes masonry work is getting involved you can’t really be a Mason I’m gonna say this I’m gonna go out on a limb here brother Chris I don’t think you can be a Mason unless you are actively getting involved whether it’s a little bit or whether
It’s a lot you must be involved uh in what masonry has to offer within the walls of the lodge yeah or you’re just not get definitely it’ll uh you have to have gotten involved right to get the lessons out of it right to learn from it
You’ve got to what what do we call it uh working in the Quarry sweating with our brothers in the Quarry yeah man that’s where you learn the trade that’s right that’s how you get better at your trade you do the work and of course now last
Uh last um podcast we talked about how to get the hatchet out of your back from when you’re working in said Quarry symbolically symbolically speaking we do a lot of symbolic work here in masonry uh do talking about conflict resolution between brothers from last week this week again talking about ways for new
Masons to get involved what are some ways brother Chris that a Mason can get involved I think it’s tough for new Masons because they don’t know the system they don’t know you know how to get involved and a lot of the times the brothers that they’re talking to don’t
Really know either so people tend not to get involved when they have the energy and the passion to do so so I think the first way you can get involved as a Mason is to do your work the catechism in the mentoring right even before you’re a Master Mason you can get
Involved just by doing the work showing up for the catechism class personally uh as a catechism instructor I always ask them to call me when they’re alone and have at least five minutes and that arrives at least once sometimes twice a day on the toilet so I always ask for
Them to think of me when they poop as an instructor yeah uh so you can do the work even in the privacy of your own throne room in your home and we that that visual image comes at no cost that’s a freebie for you guys you’re welcome we’ll flush that one down the
Toilet so yeah the catechism and the mentoring and if you’re you know some people have been in a situation like yours where the lodge wasn’t equipped to properly give the mentoring you can still get it yourself you can still seek it out and find it if you want it you
Will I would interject the Grand Lodge has a repository of forms documents and files and anyone can go on there and get the mentor’s manual and read through it on their own even if your Lodge isn’t going to provide you the mentoring or isn’t capable uh so it’s out there you
Can do the work even before you’re a Master Mason and then you know I think it’s it’s always a weird transition when you’ve seen guys go through 6 months at least maybe 9 months of all of this catechism and mentoring and showing up and maybe doing Lodge
Cleanups and some other things with the lodge charity work and then they’re masterm Masons and they get a culture shock because they don’t have that scheduled time anymore with their brothers that they had for so long and they have to figure things out for themselves now um and no one really prepared them
For that right and they’re just kind of tossed into this different world and they start showing up to meet meetings and they’re you know they just spent 6 months memorizing Old English which is really cool and interesting and now they’re sitting in a business meeting talking about if they should spend $5 on
A handle for a microwave or not for 25 minutes it’s a little culture shock for people um and so it it’d be nice if they had somebody that could guide them through that process and make it a little easier on the transition and maybe even have gotten to know them
Enough to say you know where I think you’d be a great fit on this membership development committee or on the charity committee or on the lodge property committee um based on what I know about you so I think it starts with the ritual like everything should in masonry and
From there you have to start asking yourself where can I help or what am I capable of or what are my strengths or what does it look like they’re lacking that maybe I could fill in for them um because chances are you’re not going to have somebody there
It’s not Harry Potter right you’re not going to get the Sorting Hat to tell you exactly where to go that’s right yeah because you’re a perfect fit for that thing um so you have to figure it out well I’m thinking um I’m thinking about my own experience um and I talk
About this I say this all the time on just about every podcast so far but I came into the lodge with seven other men um as an enter Apprentice went through degree together we ended up going through all three degrees together as as the seven they call us the Magnificent
Seven I don’t know why well I do know anyway uh and um you know we we were uh we we were pushed through and there’s no other way to say it I I hesitate say I don’t want to I don’t want anybody who was there trying their darnest right to
Get us through there my hats off to Kevin yeah um our our senior Deacon who uh just absolutely stepped up who was your catechism instructor it was our catechism instructor and he took on the seven and did the best he could and he actually he he made some serious
Lemonade out of the lemons he was thrown in a big way all while his wife was in the last stages of her pregnancy yeah uh trying to balance it all so he he impressed me still does he’s a great brother shout out to you brother shout
Out to Kevin shout out to Kevin uh and um he did the best he could but you know there there was this pushing through there was this desire to get us hooked up into all these different things and I’m going to just shout out to another
Brother and that would be uh John schaer who uh I got asked to be involved in the uh to be the chairman of the facilities and maintenance committee only because I’ve been in construction my entire life and it’s a natural fit right yep yeah it was a natural fit and me and another
Brother uh jumped in and did some finished up a project that had been lingering and jumped in it and we impressed the worful master and he was voila you are now the chairman of this and I’m like okay what have I got myself into and then of course what happens and
Everybody who’s been a Mason is nodding their head yes right now another committee another opportunity another person coming up and asking you to join this or that and I remember asking John schaer if he wanted to be on this committee you know the maintenance committee I figured he looked like he’d
Be he’s a smart guy yeah you know and um and and I just really saw that and he looked at me and he said you know what I’m not I’m not jumping into anything right way I want to take my time and kind of think it through and then I’m
Going to jump in the one that feels right and he ended up jumping in with you into development uh the development program and he’s doing a smashup job and that taught me something and that’s the point I’m trying to make he did the right thing now I’m not I don’t regret
Being the chairman of the facilities I think it’s been very profitable for the lodge and myself but take a step back go through your like you said you go through the ritual you go through your degree andard Apprentice um you you do the catechisms the mentoring program do
The work do the work do the work do the work then after the work is you understand what the work is right your catechism um which simply means teaching by mouth word of mouth that’s all that means in masonry teaching By Word of Mouth uh once you go through that you go
Through the mentoring manual with a mentor the manual the Florida approved manual can I say that again go through the Florida approved manual with a mentor it’s laid out really well everything you need to know is in there so well and so simple and it it takes
The ego you know of people who like to hear themselves talk like me out of the equation uh and it it it boils it back down to the basics learn the basics do the work go through the mentoring program then make a decision to get involved in something that is a fit for
You right and then that is really the experience you know of that’s that’s kind of the the EV Evolution if you will of of a healthy way to get involved in masonry as an EA don’t you think I think the John schaer approach is the correct one correct yeah you don’t shout out
John J to say yes to everything uh you will you will burn out um if you just say yes to everything and you might you might wind up doing things that you’re not good at and you might get frustrated by that so it is good to wait for the
Right fit um we should do a better job of identifying you know people’s skills when they come into the fraternity which necessitates that we W get them to slow down wait and think it through while we can help them evaluate where they would be yeah and you’re right some questions
You know questionnaire what do you do for a living what are you passionate about what do you absolutely freaking hate yeah yeah yeah it’s all really good information right yeah that would be helpful yeah and then you you know uh you know as as somebody who’s months away from potentially being the worful
Master of the LOD it’s all about your people and making sure you have the right people in the right places to make the whole go a hell of a lot smoother and to make us all proud in what we’re doing together uh because if you have the wrong people doing certain things
It’s kind of like a cancer it starts to spread everybody the negativity and it can go downhill pretty quickly so I think in a from a leadership perspective knowing your people and their strengths and their weaknesses is where you got to start well I think that that’s another
Podcast but uh the the absolute importance of of leadership uh within uh you know the executive branch or whatever is absolutely crucial call the elected officers the executive branch executive branch the elected officers uh that leadership uh solid Direction focused leadership is is the difference between a lodge that is going somewhere
And a lodge that is staying where it’s at because uh you know a lack of leadership um always creates a void of confusion yeah and from that void of confusion comes striving and positioning jockeying and all of the bad blood uh that boils up because there’s no
Leadership a guy at the top masonry was based on a guy at the top there’s a guy on the top people for one reason for one year for one year there’s a guy at the top and a good guy on the top is not only going to set his his men up for
Success he’s going to set up the next year guy for Success he’s going to help formulate this fiveyear program you know if every worshipful I don’t know how we got off on this tangent if every worship m a good one would put forward a five-year program all he’s really
Putting together is a one-year program on the front side because every year he comes in he’s just adding to that next year and then that way you have a cohesive movement of leadership that runs forward that is in a perfect world I don’t I don’t see that and that’s
Another podcast for another day that is a good one we should add to the list we definitely want to add that to the list but today we’re talking about ways that new Masons can get involved so let’s uh let’s talk about well there’s an obvious way the most prominent way that most
People do is they get in the line right in the line yeah you can appoint me to somewhere and I’ll get in the line I’m bowing my head right now as you intend to do that you’re going to get in the line I am not currently in the line nor do I currently
Have plans to be in line but as soon as what’s that saying men plan God laughs and God laugh plan all you want man man directs his steps but it is God who directs the heart that’s I think that’s the proverb Solomon’s proverb there somewhere in Proverbs anyway uh
That’s a whole different book uh yeah getting in the line I mean absolutely that is a way but again let’s talk about the progression right so cism mentoring doing the work um you know there’s a reason there’s a reason why that was much better when you I did that locked
In there yeah I did that for a fact I’m a professional turned into Barry White Let’s Get It On oh Barry White yeah yeah back to the 70s no Back to the Future um the getting the CATE I’m a landmine of rabbit holes I hope you realize that you’re constantly trying to sidestep them like what are we talking about here no no you
Love it I love it our fans are wondering where the hell they are but that’s okay that’s all right we’re back on track here’s what I’m saying do the work uh catechism mentoring you know there’s a reason why we call it working tools the working tools of masonry do the work yep
All right I’m I’m recapping here do the work uh learn the rituals understand and learn the rituals go to other lodges and uh and participate that’s a big one that’s a big one man just I I learned so much going down to Venice Lodge here in here in Venice Florida uh and watching
An EA degree as an EA and it just absolutely 10 xed my proficiency along the way and everybody who’s amazing knows this and it’s really important to get the EAS there because they don’t know where to they don’t know where to find them they don’t know I did not know
That there was an EA I did not know that there was a a a district calendar yeah online I found the district calendar on there was all the EAS I I started going to them they need help knowing where those are because you got to get EAS to
Other lodg is to see the ritual you got to get the fellow crafts there Master mases we have to go we have to see them we have to experience that that’s all part of ways of getting involved right I think even once you’re a newly made Master Mason you definitely need to get
To other lodges absolutely you’re going to learn what they’re doing that maybe your Lodge isn’t and you could bring back and Implement if you saw something awesome or maybe you can see something that worked horribly and uh the next time it comes up you’re there to say hey
Brothers I saw this and it didn’t go so well when I was visiting whatever Lodge plus visit a lodge and see if they don’t ask you to help yeah no that’s right going to happen that’s right you visit a lodge outside yours and they’re going to
Ask you to help so you’re going to get involved just by visiting guaranteed uh and you’re opening up you know these are people that as you if you do get into the line you will progress through the years and the chairs together and now you’ve got like a
Mastermind group that you can bounce things off of and work through or help each other with interpersonal issues you may be having right as you go through the line but I think uh getting in the line is the biggest one uh because once you’re in the line it’s all you’re
You’re going to have plenty of work for it’s a seven-year Progressive line so so seven-year Progressive line to me that sounds like there’s seven different chairs right that you’re going to go through what’s chair number one the junior Steward okay and the senior Steward work together with the junior
Warden in preparing meals and taking care of the craft outside the LOD room all right let me go let me go Basics bot bottom Basics okay so uh Junior and senior Stewart sit left and right to the senior Deacon to the junior warden in the South yeah the junior Warden sits in
The middle there oh Junior warden’s in the South sorry my yep sorry that was my fault I knew that I totally choked on that anyway so right so uh junior Warden uh in the South yeah to his right senior senior Stewart has left Junior Stewart right all right in the West in
The west you’ve got senior Warden correct to his right Junior Deacon Junior Deacon to his left Marshall right and most loges that’s true in the East worshipful master to his left chaplain to his right senior Deacon senior Deacon and somewhere up there you got a treasur
And secretary in our lodge there to the left and the far left and then our organ is organist is to the right so that’s kind of the the layout All The Lodges are a little different or no are they all about the same uh technically the treasure and secretary are supposed to
Sit on opposite sides of the master but in some lodges it’s not feasible like ours we have an organ and no room so they all they both sit at the same table together that’s right that’s right now just for those of you know we’re not giving away any secrets here if you come
Do a tour of our lodge the person giving the tour will explain all of the the way the seating RS and what those positions hold but um so in the line Junior uh junior Stewart yeah that’s where you start and then Senior steart and then you’ll progress to the Junior Deacon and
Then the senior Deacon those are all appointed positions so the worful master every year appoints those chairs with people and then you’ve got elected chairs which is the junior Warden the senior Ward and the worful master the secretary and the treasure MH and those are elected by The Craft by a by a
Majority of the craft every year they change every year so you get in one chair uh your job is to do the work of that chair and start to learn the work of the chair in front of you so that next year you can hit the ground running
Uh do the work of that chair and start learning the chair in front of you so you’re talking about a never ending process uh well it’s ending at some point six seven years if you do it properly uh but at the end of that Journey you’ll know a hell of a lot
About the in workings of a blue Lodge in Freemasonry you’ll know a hell of a lot about the digest of masonic law in the State of Florida there’s nothing that’s going to beat that practical application of this stuff that you get working through the chairs plus all the
Challenges and working with people and trying to convince hundreds of members that what you’re doing is the right thing for the lodge going to get the political side as well as the work part and the ritual you know that’s all rolled up through working through the chairs in Freemasonry so that’s the
Single biggest way you can get involved as a new Mason is to let somebody know you’re open to it yeah just just that you wouldn’t take it if it was offered to you and and here’s the thing that I was thinking about while while you were saying that I was thinking about you
Know I went to uh Venice Lodge uh the first visit I did uh was as a Master Mason was down at the Venice Lodge and they the master the worshipable master opened up uh a lodge of Master Masons and the man knew everything by heart with such
Authority with such ease it was it was it was more like watching a man on a professional actor in a theater just absolutely just killing it and it was wonderful to watch and and what we’re saying here is that that man started yeah as a junior Steward and and the
Beauty of this system is this if you start there every time you do your part you’re hearing every other part right so then you move up to senior Stewart You’re again hearing you’re you’re doing your part and you’re hearing every single part move up again up again up
Again every time you go through that line seven years later you better be yeah well you will be as the guy who’s who’s been there hearing and doing this stuff for that long you uh you got it down man and I just I just found I just
Found myself Desiring so much to to be able to do what that man was do and even even you Chris when I see you as as senior Stewart um SE as senior Wen I’d be senior Stewart any day yeah sorry there’s no going back sorry brother and
To listen to to how you do it and you have a a command of it nobody’s perfect I mean no nobody’s doing any of this perfect I I I was being a bit um over the top there with the the worshipable master at uh Venice at Venice L I’m sure
He’s good he’s good very good though but again you you do the same thing you have a command of it um I’m thinking of right worshipful heart out there shout out uh he just has such a command of it now he’s been doing it for 20 I forgive me
Brother it could be 30 yeah years and um and and again the only point I’m trying to make is that getting you know getting involved in the line um has a facet of masonic education to it that you just can’t that that you just you just can’t
Get away from you you you live it yeah you’re part of it man and I I just find that part exciting so I’ve already done senior Stewart twice I sat in in EA degrees correct in EA right in EA degrees and in a meeting didn’t you and
In a meeting yeah correct so I’ll probably start there if I do start is where I’ll start uh and once I’m the kind of guy I’m like you CHR once I’m in I’m in going the whole way I want a 110% to be out on the table every every time
Yeah that’s right uh because it’s a finite amount of your life that you’re dedicating to this and when I look back I want to be like I did the best I could have done at that time of my life and that place I was at I want to leave it
All on the table and in the process of that you’re doing a lot of work yeah that’s right yeah so you won’t have you won’t be wanting for ways to get involved once you’re an officer in the lodge uh which is why I say it’s a big
One for new Masons that want to get involved but there’s a lot of other things they can do if they’re not ready for that kind of commitment in their life yet uh you could like we you talked about committee work yeah that’s a great way to get involved I enjoy it I’m the
Chairman of the uh maintenance uh facility and maintenance um and we we set up a couple we made we’ve made some changes and did some things you know um ran it through the craft and got got it approved and and uh and really enjoyed it you know we had a cleanup day we
Worked on the backyard a little bit and got some guys out yeah and we’re doing it again next month and so yeah it it but you set the pace in the Committees right like it’s a little slower paced you can take your time generally a
Little bit more yeah um and and you can kind of set your own goals and and Achieve them as you see fit so it’s maybe a little bit lower slower paced for someone that’s not ready for the diving off the deep in into the officer line at Freemasonry yeah well it’s it’s
Like the difference between playing guitar at home by yourself and playing in a band you know because the band doesn’t stop for you it doesn’t stop the song keeps going whether you’re you know doing it right or not you know so that’s kind of the difference right plus you’re
Chairing a committee you could just be on a committee and have even less stress and L right just help out when when you’re available to help out in that committee uh so you’ve got charity work is another way that you can get involved I know that Freemasonry is not a charity
Necessarily uh but it is one of the principal tenants of our profession uh one of the Seven Virtues Of A Mason is Charity charity that’s right so it’s uh and that does doesn’t mean just giving money to something right uh the way we like to do charity and Freemasonry is by
Investing our time into something or someone and the process of giving the most valuable thing to the human race to another which is your time is true charity and it extends past us yeah that’s right into eternity that’s right and that that you know that word charity um the it’s from the original
Greek which is fetto which is where you get falo fetto stop that fetto oh okay very similar it well Philadelphia the city of what the city of brother brotherly love that’s what that word is that’s a brotherly affection or love so when we say charity as one of the one of the important
Tenants of Freemasonry it is it is love for fellow man it is the the giving of oneself for the benefit of another that’s that fjo love that we that we as Masons strive for do we hit it every time no not not not always but we
Certainly strive for it long as you keep trying that’s what matters yeah that’s right and eventually if if we get involved right uh and and plug into the mission uh of what masonry is attempting to do first and foremost to better me that I might better a brother and
Together as brothers we might better our community yeah who have thought right wow what a Content uh that’s that’s really the that’s the Hallmark and it really ties in greatly to what we’re talking about uh today you know ways that you can get involved you know here’s here’s a way that has really
Impacted me about getting involved and that is that I I’m able because of my work I’m able to show our our our stated meetings um at at the mighty 147 Serv of Florida uh is is on the the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month well I
Made a commitment told my wife up front she was good with it that I’d be there at 5:30 every Tuesday for the entire year uh and that has made a huge difference for me I’m always there I get there early and I kind of just hang out
You know Randy’s usually there he’s our treasurer secretary secretary sorry sorry Randy sorry Randy and yeah he doesn’t want to be stay secretary yeah stay secretary and uh but uh it just it just going there and going inside sitting down in the fellowship hall uh going and
Sitting alone uh inside the lodge uh which I feel is a real privilege to be able to do and just reading you know my red book or going through something or reading the blue book and uh it’s if you’re not able to do that I understand
But if you are able to come down and find some time to just be in the lodge whenever possible it is worth it as amazing I don’t know why it just kind of ties you to the building oh I’ll I’ll tell you why you’re sitting in a
Building you’re sitting in a room and all around you are the symbols of masonry right yeah and they’re talking to you the whole time yeah it’s so true so they’re talking to me the whole time and I’m you know any moment I have I’m kind of glancing up usually looking
Around and thinking about him while I’m there plus the ritual itself is talking to you just the ritual ceremonial opening and the closing you know there are things in there that put me in the right frame of mind to be in a meeting yeah and at the end that put me back
Into a frame of mind to go out into the world so it’s like preparing you to be there and to take you know some of what you got out of it back into the world with you just from the symbols and the ritual and I think there’s also
Something you know once you’ve done this for a while you’ve been in like uh 100 degrees or stated meetings uh there’s something meditative about sitting there and everything’s happening exactly the way that you know it’s going to happen for something safe and comfortable it brings peace uh I can
Have the craziest day at work uh and and maybe even outside of work and you know I’m in the lodge and I’m frazzled but once that ceremony starts and I’m sitting there and those symbols are talking to me everything kind of comes back into a sense of balance yeah in a way
And that familiarity uh of the ritual uh is and even from a neurological standpoint your our brains are wired in such a way where going and hearing it again and it being done in the same same way and and the the symbols that it represents and
The the way the Pathways in your mind that it has created as far as good works go and good thinking right thinking right behaving um that reinforcement through through a different gate through the visual you know through through the eye through the ear through the all of
It um we’re wired that way you know and and you know the ritualistic um practices go way back you know in religious history I mean you know if you look at Roman Catholics for instance I mean the rituals there are just endless yeah you know and and it
Was built on that from the first from the very beginning you know they they began to do these the ritual the sacraments the all of it these are these These are these ritualistic things that are designed to every week remind you of who you are and what you’re supposed to
Do right and and that’s what I love about about you know the are we on a tangent yeah we’re on a tangent good one though good one but um yeah but they’re used to it they’re five episodes in now this is normal that’s right yeah we’re still on episode one this has been
Nothing but a gigantic rabbit hole no but let’s uh let’s break back off and let’s just talk about ways yes new Mason ways new Masons can get involved that is the title of our show it is we have talked about some good ways they can get
Involved uh the last thing I think that um you know outside of work is visit in the sick Brothers you know offering transportation for brothers that you know can’t drive themselves is a great way for new Masons to get involved because every Lodge has that every Lodge has that
Situation and often times you know the lodge is run by a handful of people and those people are busy all the time and they don’t have the time to do the things that we should do like care for our sick and infirm brothers that can’t
Make it so it’ be it’d be great if you’re a new Mason and you’re not in the line and you’re not in a committee and you just don’t know how to get involved just go tell somebody hey is there a list somewhere where I can get a call
Some brothers who might need a ride or maybe they’re sick and they haven’t been able to get out of the house and I can I can get the brothers to sign a card and I’ll drop it off for him I think it’s a great way for a new Mason to get
Involved in the lotch yeah I I that that just you know and when you when you wrote it up there um I realized you know I used to I’m an ordain chaplain and I used to do hospital visits and uh gosh nothing there was very few things were
More rewarding uh than going to to visit somebody who I mean their own family doesn’t visit them and I’m not saying about masonry but I’m saying you go in there and you’re the you are a person that came that day to talk to them for x
Amount of time um and it really doesn’t matter you know what what you talk about the fact that you’re there to listen to them and to talk with with them how much more rewarding would it be for me a a a Master Mason newly raised Master Mason
One year in to go visit you know a Mason who’s been one for 45 years right you know who can’t get out but he’s still able to talk about it and I I’m telling you right now brother if you’re out there 45 years at home and I come to visit you we gonna
Talk bring bring a lunch man because I got a few questions few hundred questions oh God they have some stories to tell I’m sure only imagine and it can only it can only just enrich your entire Masonic experience yeah yeah when I was a new master bason I was in this
Situation there was a brief time where I was a Master Mason and wasn’t installed I think it was from October to January had a couple months in there and I got that idea in my head this is what I’m going to do so I went to our worful
Master and said I’d like to know who the oldest member of our lodge is and they gave me his name turns out that one of the officers was a good friend of that guy so he put me in direct contact with him and I scheduled time and I went to
His house he was 98 at the time no kid he had been um in the war obviously he flew you know before there was an Air Force he was in the Air Force right uh air yeah the Air Corp he uh he flew the first uh helicopter in the military wow
With Truman in it oh no kid who was a Mason and he was a Mason at the time man right and just this guy talked to me for hours and he said afterwards you know I never talk about this stuff he gets asked for awards and presentations and
He refuses to do them because he told me he spent most of his life trying to forget this stuff yeah that makes sense but he said you’re a brother and you asked so he went through that painful process uh for me and I got it all on
Tape and I did a little blog about it you know about his life and what a rewarding experience and what a way for someone who’s 98 to feel relevant again uh CU not to feel relevant to be he is relevant yeah like his journey the things he went through
And the achievements he got in masonry as well as in life uh you know I’d like to see more of that i’ like to see Brothers reaching out to brothers and picking their brains and making it more public information for the rest of us so that we can learn from their mistakes
Yeah and be inspired by their achievements and and their victories that’s right and I just think you just inspired me to I’m just I’m gonna do the same thing I’m gonna find out you know if there are any U Master ma or any Masons out there retired you know who
Who can’t make Lodge but want to and I’m going to try to reach out to one or two and I’m thinking you know I’m always thinking Chris about uh topics for future podcasts and I think maybe uh one should be we should probably h highlight
Some men like that you know and uh yeah we won’t be able to interview them maybe we will maybe we won’t but certainly do a a bio and talk about the rich history that man right there is a hero I mean a a war hero a uh on top of that he came
Home and probably raised a family he did yeah and and and was you know was involved in masonry so he’s involved in the lives of you know hundreds of men and at 90s something years old man he gives you the testimony about his life man and imparts it to you and then you
Go on to bring it you know to another generation we should definitely try to yeah work that into a podcast I know I know that would be a real winner yeah definitely putting that one on the list and and that was my last topic that I
Could give you on ways for new Masons to get involved all right well if there’s a if there’s anybody out there who has uh an idea or uh um ways for new Masons to get more involved or maybe they have a better system in their Lodge of ident
Ifying people and the strengths that that I like yeah that there are tests you can do for people you don’t want to put people through too many you know written tests even a little uh little questionnaire exactly a little survey what do you want to do what do you not
Want to do kind of ideas but we’re always we’re always uh willing to read emails and comments negative positive doesn’t matter we can take it uh we’re Masons we can take criticism yeah give it to us yeah we’re used to it so yeah send send us your cards and letters and
Uh we more than happy to uh to to respond to any of them uh well Chris you know podcast number five um I’m pretty excited about it me too so we’ll go on to six we’ll go on to seven I didn’t know what to expect from this process
But I’m enjoying it thoroughly I I am too I really enjoy it I I enjoy your knowledge of The Craft and uh I I feel like I’m talking to a man who’s been in it for 20 years sometimes I just because I know that you you have taken the time
Uh in your own life to learn what masonry really is and and I just want to follow right behind you and also learn what masonry is and then share it to this next generation of Masons and that’s you guys yeah whoever whoever’s listening in here get if if you’ve been
In masonry a long time you’ve got something to share get find the EAS find those fellow crafts and get next to them and earn the right to to speak into their lives uh and and uphold our craft and uh and and pass it on to the Next
Generation I got to just tell you real quick before we sign off there’s I’m thinking of this one young man he’s an EA he came into our lodge and he was a mess he was really really needed something in his life a place to go and
You don’t mean that in a negative way because I know he would describe himself that way that’s exactly how he described himself to me and and he’s he was looking for a place because he didn’t know who he was he didn’t know what direction to go to he ended up in a
Place where men are helping other men to learn who they are and what they’re all about and that place is called Freemasonry what a great time for him think about it he’s coming in on the wave of The Magnificent Seven who are just hitting their stride that’s right
And they scoop this guy up and say I know what you’re going through I just went through a two and you know you bring them along into you know a a family now of you know there’s just seven in your group but think of all the
Other guys he’s talking to on a regular basis he’s got dozens of guys now yeah that’s right this this growth this this growth nationally I’m I’m hearing and I’d like to hear more about that I’m hearing that masonry is on an upswing that men are turning to uh masonry
Because they’re looking for something where men teach men they’re looking for mentorship um where there are other men and it it is I think this is America’s last fraternity man unless you’re in college I don’t know if those fraternities are any fun anymore that’s got crap going on over there but this
Fraternity I think is in ending to go back to its roots yeah I think that’s how we continue that upswing you’re talking about because the the people are there and we’re here and we need each other and we fit together the question is going to be do we meet do we rise to
Their expectations or not they’ll stick around if we do and they will not if we don’t so true so it’s up to us every single one of us that are masons in lodges in Florida particularly or outside of Florida to rise to the level
You know you said we got to go back to basics I’m a firm believer in that too if we just do the basics do the work just just offer the mentoring and the education and the catechism and have philosophy discussions and some charity work right just do the basics they will
Stay yeah let and we will grow this fraternity again that’s it let masonry be masonry because uh if it was good enough for General George Washington um I’m thinking uh I’m thinking his version of masonry is where we want to get back to but okay so well that is uh number
Five I am uh again Chris and I want to thank you guys for listening to the end Yes means a lot to us let us know you’re out there uh whatever platform you’re on it doesn’t matter to us just uh send us a note uh give us a thumbs up whatever
Whatever you can do uh because we we’re just really thankful and um all right we’ll end this podcast now and we will see you on number six thank you byebye n
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