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VWB Greg Stewart Deputy of the Grand Master in District 4 of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Washington for 2003-2005 Mailto: underthetable@earthlink.net 13316 3rd NE |
Working Tools (November 2004)
If you have attempted to repair a computer you may have found it necessary to have another in good good working order to test components or download the proper drivers and software to make the components work. As our technology and lives advance we find it necessary to use more advanced tools and techniques to repair what is broken.
There was an established church in a rural town that needed a new minister because their old one was retiring. The elders of the church contacted the state head of the church, requested a new minister, and a week later hired a suitable replacement.
The next Sunday their new minister gave an excellent sermon and was warmly thanked for the advice. The next Sunday he gave the exact same sermon, and the Sunday after that repeated the sermon. This new minister was taken aside by the elders and. questioned. They asked why he was giving the same sermon every week. His response was, "There is a valuable lesson here and I will continue to repeat it until you start to apply it in your lives." The moral of the story is life's lessons will be repeated until learned.
There was an intense debacle in a Lodge involving the leadership and money. It included name calling, ill feelings, and was tearing the officers apart. The issue was resolved in a way everyone agreed to and settled in a reasonable manner. I'm telling you, this because I was reminded of some of my most basic working tools including the hammer. As a professional technician, I find it necessary to have several different hammers for special purposes. As a Mason I was reminded of my common gavel, I was taught to use it for the more noble and glorious purpose of divesting my heart and conscience of all the vices and superfluities of my life, thereby fitting my mind as a living stone for that spiritual building not made with hands.
My Brothers, do not forget. your tools. The Masonic tools you are given with your degrees are all you need to conduct your life in an upright Masonic fashion. Any other more advanced instruments available for use are simply to make the job easier and, when they break, they can be fixed with these basic concepts.
I have been gathering information from Brothers in my District who are proficient in certain degree skills such as lectures or floor work parts. I have asked the Master of each Lodge to include the spreadsheet with their Trestle board. l have it in Excel and would be glad to e-mail it to anyone on request. A blank copy an be used as a check list for putting a degree team together. I am assembling these sheets in a binder, divided by Lodge, so if there is a need for assistance in degree work you may contact me.
Thanks to both the Deputy of the Grand Master in District 4, and the Masonic Monitor which publishes his articles for allowing us to reprint them. The Masonic Monitor is published monthly (except August) under approval of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Washington. The Masonic Monitor can be contacted at: 6619 132nd Avenue NE, PMB 237, Kirkland, WA, 98033-8627, USA. Phone: (425) 822-4605 - FAX: (425) 822-2535 - Email: masonicmonitor@earthlink.net.