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 2007 Newsletters
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Minnesota River Valley Lodge #6 August 2007 Volume #9, Issue #08 "Issued with the Permission of the M.W. Grand Lodge of Minnesota"
From the Master’s Desk, I send August
greetings to my brothers and friends, the next stated is September's and
the last meeting of the 3rd quarter. With more than a
couple of important plans on our trestleboard, I am already feeling the
constraints imposed by time.
It is my intent as master to remain flexible and open to suggestion, as
I call the lodge to focus on 4 trestleboard items in my time remaining. _________ The 1st item is
Future Lodging. It is the
critical issue. Some progress has been made as it involved only
discussion. (Build or
Buy, with rental property or Rent.)
This has been the easiest step. We now move to the
objective, the assembling of data. We must have facts and numbers if we
are to eventually vote on the best workable approach to housing.
I emphasize "housing," a shelter.
Wrapped tightly into this consideration is another difficult
consideration. We need to
determine a location for our shelter as we are distributed over a broad
area. Brothers who wish to
provide leadership, come forward at the next steering committee.
Brothers who wish to assist with a particular approach also come
forward then and, together begin working to prepare facts and numbers
for presentation the following month either through a professional or
from their own study group.
In November the Financial Committee has been asked to present its
objective data. __________
The 2nd item is our E-Commerce website.
It may influence the subject of Future Lodging.
Unfortunately we have no real numbers, just projections.
Where does it stand? Steering
Committee subject #2. __________ The 3rd item is the
3rd Degree Proficiency.
Brothers, this was going to be the subject of my article but as you can
see it has had to share this month's space with other subjects, thus I
will try to be concise. Every society first
builds itself and then breaks itself.
Every schools history books shows governments and countries
decline and become weak from within, allowing outside invasion to end
it. Freemasonry is the
world's oldest society and I submit it has lasted precisely because it
has known itself well down through the centuries. To not require a new
master mason to learn the 3rd Degree proficiency allows him a false
assumption that he yet knows the lessons of the degree.
After all he has witnessed the degree being performed and has
heard lodge talks. He knows
it right? This kind of input may result in skewing the actual lesson
because he has not learned it precisely.
If another mason hearing a skewed remark was not armed with the
knowledge of the real work, the new master mason's misinformation would
stand, may spread to his friends and over time the Craft would no longer
quite know itself so well at least in that particular lodge.
Consider this example from one of the bodies I belong to.
A brother was overheard to say it is his duty to chasten a
brother who is in error. The
work does not say that. The
brother had converted the actual duty "to give gentle counsel in a
brother’s ear" a healing act into a divisive act he "learned" he was to
chastise his brother. This
is no small thing. You have heard the adage that a little knowledge is a
dangerous thing, right? To
not learn the many lessons of the 3rd degree by the proficiency weakens
us, as we cannot correctly internalize what we do not know.
What is worse is to internalize what we just think we know. A brother's slip of
the tongue is all that was, you may think, perhaps.
But it serves to illustrate.
Many such slips would redefine our Craft and install
misinformation over time.
Consider this tendency of lodges today to not insist on the 3rd Degree
proficiency with our serious membership decline.
Declining membership causes many lodges to propel brothers to the
East simply because the lodge lacks members and options.
This is a 1, 2 punch to the entire Craft.
Our ancient brethren structured our Craft in such a way that a
brother would travel 7 years (chairs) to become master of his lodge
learning well the work along the way and the skills required of him to
give good and wholesome instruction.
To have officers who have not proceeded the full 7 years up the
line from Jr. Deacon to master, may be unavoidable for many lodges for
years to come. But every
lodge can be sure that it has educated its brothers with the lessons of
the 3rd Degree precisely by having him learn the exact meaning of the
lessons by the exact wording of the proficiency. As it addresses the
3rd Degree proficiency the Grand Lodge of Minnesota does not dictate
when the proficiency must be done but that it must be done.
Brothers who were raised in 2002 and on who have not proved up
let us claim this accomplishment for ourselves, and help in the
preservation of our Craft. Help is available. _____________ The Masonic Helping
Hands for Veterans is the 4th priority and we will have a special guest
speaker at the September stated through the auspicious work of Brother
Tom Smith
Mike S WM IT IS NOT WHO YOU KNOW BUT WHAT YOU KNOW
Email Addresses Last Reminder I would like to take this
opportunity and ask everyone to please keep the Lodge informed of any email
address changes that you may have.
With the ever changing world with technology we continue to use
emails and our Website to communicate Lodge events and communications that
need to be sent out. If you
happen to have an email address or a new email address and would like to add
it to our distribution list, please send them to Steve Scheffert at
ska@huntel.net.
I will forward them onto our
Secretary for the database once we have them in our distribution list.
For those that have emails with us, please remember that if your
email stops working and we get error messages back that they are
undeliverable, we remove your email from the distribution list. Thank You, Steve
9 Fast-Acting Motivation Tools You Can Create in 2 Minutes Short on time but still hoping to make a change or two in your life? We've got just what you need. With just a minute or two of your time you can create tools of motivation that are guaranteed to get you moving and keep you going. 2.
Create a personal goal card. Stay Tuned for item #3
next month
The View from the First off I would like to say it is an honor to have this opportunity. I have chosen to write about the ashlar, according to the dictionary an ashlar is, A stone building block, either a rough (unfinished) ashlar or a perfect ashlar, which has been shaped and smoothed until it is ready for use. I once read a story of a
man who asked a famous sculptor whose work he had been admiring, “ How do
you take a rough chunk of stone and make it into a beautiful statue?”
A silly question, of course, but the answer of the sculptor is one to
intrigue Masons: “There is really nothing to it.
All I do is chisel away the stone I do not want and there was the
beauty of the statue. It was
there all the time.” Then there is the woman
who asked a great columnist,
“How do you write all those witty paragraphs?”
He responded, “There’s nothing to it.
All I do is sit down at the typewriter and write them as they occur
to me. The writing is easy, it
is the occurring that is difficult.” I imagine there has to be
some occurring with the sculptor who knocks off chunks of stone in order to
uncover the statue, but isn’t there a Masonic lesson in the story of the
sculptor and the statue? Do we
not take men in the rough ashlar state and knock off the rough parts to
reveal the beauty that was within all the time.
Masonry does not take men for the purpose of giving them new souls.
It doesn’t want them unless under the rough exterior there is
concealed a beauty of character that may be revealed through proper
manipulation of our Working Tools, that may be developed through what
Freemasonry has to offer. We all know our rough state, but through study and
living up to our obligations we will achieve the perfect ashlar we all wish
to be. Submitted by: Brother
Thomas Petersen
KidsID – at the State Fair! Thanks to the following
people for volunteering for the KidsID at the State Fair. Thanks again for making
this such a successful event for the 3rd straight year. --Lew
(JW)
As many of our brothers know, but some may
not, KidsID is a program sponsored and funded by the Grand Lodge of
This program is provided at no cost to
the public. The Grand lodge
loans out the cameras and provides the supplies - Our own WB
BEST OF ALL, IT’S
FUN, AS WELL AS REWARDING!!!
"M Club Lunch" group If you work or live in Downtown Minneapolis ... A number of Brothers who work or live in downtown
UPDATED LODGE ROSTER AVAILABLE An updated lodge roster
current as of August is available to all interested brothers.
It was e-mailed to those with e-mail addresses earlier last week, so
if you do not have an e-mail address, or were unable to read the email file,
please let me know and I will mail you a copy. Also, if you are aware of
any corrections to this list, please let me know.
Mental Exercises As a Mason we are
taught to divide the day into three balanced parts of social, mental,
physical activity and refreshment.
I wish to share some computer activities for both a leisure time
activity as well as a way to keep the mind mentally alert.
Some websites for mental exercise are:
www.sudoko.com for playing
Sudoku
www.jigzone.com for assembling any 8
different pictures into 35 different jigsaw puzzles “cuts”
http://games.myway.com is a website for a variety of games. Spider Solitaire is a
typical preinstalled computer game.
I have found that Spider Solitaire illustrates Masonic restraint.
Just because a card CAN be played early in the game doesn't mean it
SHOULD be played. Sometimes
playing a different suit card early in a run will later block one’s later
success. I also have found
moving cards from the right to the left is frequently more successful then
moving them from the left to the right. Please share any
websites you have found on this or any other topic. Sincerely, Daryl
LEO Corner There was no column in
July, so we will answer the June question now. Why does the Master wear a
hat? A contemporary relic of
the ancient custom whereby the King remained covered under all
circumstances, while his subjects were obliged to uncover in his presence.
The Master therefore wears a hat as a sign and symbol of his authority. The question for August
is: What is a hecatomb? Email -
leo@mn-rivervalley.org Submitted by
Newsletter Articles for the next newsletter will be due by September 12th. You may send articles to me for the newsletter; by any method you desire (email, fax, regular mail, etc…). Articles that are not received by the due date will be held over for the newsletter. We would also like to encourage the other organizations that are affiliated with MN River Valley Lodge #6, such as the Jobs Daughters, Eastern Star, Demolay, etc… to feel free to contribute items to our newsletter and to our Lodge’s Web Calendar. Thank You, Steve Scheffert (news@mn-rivervalley.org) 2224 Birch Circle Blair, NE 68008 Fax: 402-533-8344
September Birthdays
Sept 22
The Chaplain’s Corner
They didn’t know why, they just obeyed
some inner voice. The stories are many, and lead me to believe that there
are angels among us and that prayers are answered.
For he will give his
angels charge of you,
On their hands they will
bear you up,
Yes, I
believe there are angels among us. They may not all have wings (yet) but I
am sure
that we have friends in high places.
I
believe that they have been sent to us by our Lord to give guidance and
help. It is through grace that we are given the senses to see and hear our
angels. However, also through grace, we have been given free will, and we
can choose to heed their guidance or go on our own way. Let me share two
stories with you, both attributed to be real events. The Missionary
A
missionary on furlough told the following story while visiting his home
church in
''While
serving at a small field hospital in
Upon
arrival in the city, I observed two men fighting, one of whom had been
seriously injured. I treated him for his injuries and at the same time
talked to him about the Lord. I then traveled two days, camping
overnight, and arrived home without incident...
Two weeks
later I repeated my journey. Upon arriving in the city, I was
approached by the young man I had treated. He told me that he had
known I carried money and medicines. He said, ''Some friends and I
followed you into the jungle, knowing you would camp overnight. We
planned to kill you and take your money and the drugs. But just as we
were about to move into your camp, we saw that 26 armed guards surrounded
you. '' At this, I laughed and said that I was certainly all alone in that
jungle campsite.
At this
point in the sermon, one of the men in the congregation jumped to his feet
and interrupted the missionary and asked if he could tell him the exact day
this happened. The missionary told the congregation the date, and the
man who interrupted told him this story.
''On the
night of your incident in
The men who
had met together to pray that day stood up. The missionary wasn't
concerned with whom they were; he was too busy counting how many men he saw.
There were 26 men.
The Mother
A drunken
man in an Oldsmobile they said had run the light. That caused the six-car
pileup on 109 that night. When broken bodies lay about and blood was
everywhere, and the sirens screamed out eulogies.
A mother,
trapped inside her car, was heard above the noise, her plaintive plea near
split the air, "Oh, God, please spare my boys!" She fought to loose her
pinned hands, she struggled to get free, but mangled metal held her. Her
frightened eyes then focused on where the back seat once had been, but all
she saw was broken glass and two children's seats crushed in. Her twins were
nowhere to be seen, she did not hear them cry, and then she prayed they'd
been thrown free, "Oh, God, don't let them die!
Then
firemen came and cut her loose, but when they searched the back, they found
no little boys, but the seat belts were intact. They thought the woman had
gone mad and was traveling alone, But when they turned to question her, they
discovered she was gone.
Policemen
saw her running wild and screaming above the noise in beseeching
supplication, "Please help me find my boys!" "They're four years old and
wear blue shirts; their jeans are blue to match."
One cop
spoke up, "They're in my car, and they don't have a scratch." "They said
their daddy put them there, and gave them each a cone, "Then told them both
to wait for Mom to come and take them home." "I've searched the area high
and low, but I can't find their dad." "He must have fled the scene, I guess,
and that is very bad."
The mother
hugged the twins and said, while wiping at a tear, "He could not flee the
scene, you see, for he's been dead a year."
The cop
just looked confused and asked, "Now, how can that be true?
"The boys
said, "Mommy, Daddy came and left a kiss for you." "He told us not to worry
and that you would be all right, "And then he put us in this car with the
pretty, flashing light.”We wanted him to stay with us, because we miss him
so, "But Mommy, he just hugged us tight and said he had to go." "He said,
someday we'd understand and told us not to fuss, "And he said to tell you,
Mommy, "He's watching over us."
The mother
knew without a doubt that what they spoke was true, for she recalled their
dad's last words, “I will watch over you."
The
firemen's notes could not explain the twisted, mangled car, and how the
three of them escaped without a single scar. But on the cop's report was
scribed, in print so very fine, "An angel walked the beat tonight on Highway
109."
One final thought my Brothers. What does this have to do with
Masonry? Everything. Remember
the first three rungs of Jacob’s Ladder, representing three of the important
principals of Masonry: Faith, Hope, and Charity. These are all personified
by angels, with or without wings. As stated in
Hebrews 13:1-2
Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to
entertain strangers,
for by so doing some people have entertained angels
without knowing it.
Please feel free to send me the names of
any of our Brothers and/or their family members, who may be in distress as
we pray to our creator for their comfort and relief. When we think of our
experiences in taking the third degree, we cannot help but remember the
words from Ecclesiastes: “Remember now thy creator . . .”
and please remember those listed below in your prayers. We name the
welfare of our brethren in our petitions because we love them; and knowing
our own need of their prayers, we realize their need of ours.
For Healing and Support
For Thanksgiving
For Comfort
Bro. Buddy Schesso, now residing in Friendship Manor.
For Clara Muralt, who went home on 4/29/2007. She has
now been healed of all earthly pain and distress.
For Bobbie Wiggins (Bro. Schesso’s Sister)
Bro.
Praise God, our Sister Lou Robb, who was recently
in a head-on collision, was not seriously injured. She will require
some time to completely heal, but she will heal.
For the family of Clara Muralt, widow of WB Doc Muralt, who went home
on 4/29/2007. May they receive our Lord’s great love and comfort in
the knowledge we will all be together at the Heavenly Feast.
Bring the help and comfort of our Lord’s grace to our Brother Larry
Wiggins’ brother, Don, in
For our Sister Linda Bican’s brother,
who went
home on
6/14/2007. He has now been healed of all earthly pain and distress.
For our Brother
Timothy Jacobs and his
family at the loss of his father.
May they receive our Lord’s great love and comfort
in the knowledge we will all be together at the Heavenly Feast.
Bring the help and comfort of our Lord’s grace to
For our Sister
Flossie Eidsvold, who completed her
journey here on Earth 7/13, and has now gone home.
She has been healed of all earthly pain and distress.
For our Brother Bill Tuttle and his family on the loss of his
brother Robert Lewis Tuttle who went home on March 23rd.
May they receive our Lord’s great love and comfort in the knowledge we
will all be together at the Heavenly Feast.
Our Brother, Tim Bollinger’s Grandfather is quite
ill. We pray for our Lord’s peace, comfort and grace for Tim, his
family and his Grandfather
For our Brother, I.L. Claesson
Of New Prague, Went home on July 17, 2007. He graced this world for 98
years and was a Mason for 53 years.
For our Sister, Joanne Erickson, whose Husband Ron
went home this past March. May she receive our Lord’s great love and
comfort in the knowledge we will all be together at the Heavenly
Feast.
For Linda and Jeff Bican and family on the loss of Linda’s brother
on June 14th. May they receive our Lord’s great love and comfort in the knowledge we
will all be together at the Heavenly Feast.
For the family of our Brother, I.L. Claesson. May they receive our
Lord’s great love and comfort in the knowledge we will all be
together at the Heavenly Feast.
Be still – and know. . .
2007 Golf Outing Report
List of Upcoming Events:
August
September
Visit the
Lodge Website and view the Lodge calendar for our complete list of events.
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