great architect

MY GPS

For those of us who lack the sense of direction and are too proud to ask “WHERE AM I ” this should provide some amusement and cause for reflection. It is titled “My GPS” and was created by M.W. Bro. Mike Saunders Grand Lodge of Washington F&AM. in 2008.

About a year ago I broke down and bought myself a GPS device for my car. What a Godsend. You see I am terrible at directions. You would not believe the number of hours that I have spent in various cities and towns throughout our state trying to get to a Lodge building, church, community center, or some other building where I needed to be.

Although I would never dream of setting out on one of these journeys without directions, which were usually a map and turn-by-turn directions from Mapquest, invariably there would be a street sign that wasn’t clearly marked, or a fork in the road that I was not expecting. When one of these happened (and they always did) I would have to make a decision about which way to turn, whether I had gone too far or not far enough, and at what point was I going to admit that I was LOST.

Now when I am going somewhere, not only do I have the map and directions, but they are located where I can clearly see them, AND there is a nice lady that tells me where to turn, how far to go, and when I have arrived at my destination. Even more amazing, when I do make a mistake, she tells me something is wrong and helps me get back on track, so I am once again headed in the right direction and the effect of my error is minimized. This like I said, it’s a Godsend.

Life is a journey. We start off with a destination we hope to arrive at. Although the specific destination to which each of us is traveling is individual and personal, there are a few points that are pretty common.

We want to be happy, we want to make a positive difference in our communities, and at the end of our lives we want to be embraced by the Great Architect of the Universe and given a seat of honour in his Grand Lodge. But our journey is not very simple.

The road we are on is not straight and will not take us directly to our destination. We need to make many turns along the way and we will encounter several forks in the road.

Having a map and good directions are critical. We receive these from our families, our education, and our faith in God.

We, as Masons, have another advantage, a GPS, if you will, provided in part by the Three Great Lights in Masonry. But the most effective component of that GPS is our Brethren. They stand at every corner, intersection, and fork in the road to point us in the right direction. If we should make a wrong turn, they are there to whisper in our ear, reminding us of where we are trying to go, and guiding us back to the correct route. And while we are making those corrections, they defend our character if anyone should question it.

You see, the most important benefit we have as Freemasons is the Love & Fellowship of our Brethren.

Our various rituals, ceremonies and symbols, as powerful and effective as they are at imprinting on our minds all of the moral lessons of our Craft, are not nearly as significant to our successful journey through life as the love of our Brethren, working together to strengthen each other, their families, and their community.

That is truly a GODSEND. M.W. Bro. Michael Sanders

The End of the Road Is But a Bend in the Road

When we feel we have nothing else to give

And we are sure that the “song has ended”–

When our day seems over and the shadows fall

And the darkness of night has descended,

Where can we go to find the strength

To valiantly keep on trying,

Where van we find the hand that will dry

The tears that the heart is crying–

There’s but one place to do and that is to GOD

And dropping all pretense and pride.

We can pour out our problems without restraint

And gain strength with him at our side–

And together we stand at life’s crossroads

And view what we think is the end,

But GOD has a much bigger vision

And HE tells us it’s ONLY A BEND—-

For the road goes on and is smoother,

And the “pause in the song” is a “rest”

And the part that’s unsung and unfinished

Is the sweetest and richest and best—–

So rest and relax and grow stronger.

LET GO and LET GOD share your load,

Your work is not finished or ended,

You’ve just come to “A BEND IN THE ROAD”

From Someone Cares by Helen Steiner Rice

Think , Act….. Live

Would you rather be right or Happy” Tom Crum

“What make men and women great is their ability to decide what is important,

and then focus their attention on it” Goethe

“Without a plan, it doesn’t really matter which way you’re going Lewis Carroll.

Have a wonderful day & God Bless.

Norm

THE WEARING OF MASONIC RINGS

I received the following piece quite recently, on this subject, and it is my pleasure to share it with you.

There are numerous answers to this age-old question. The simplest interpretation is that you wear it with the symbols facing you to remind yourself that you are a Mason, and wear it away from yourself to show the world that you are a Freemason.

Going one step further, if you wear the ring so that you can read the “G” then you are reminding yourself of the tenets of Masonry and of your obligation to remain within the points of the compasses and the due bounds of Masonry. If you wear it so that others can read the “G” then you are telling them to remind themselves of the tenets.

Some say that the ring should be worn with the point of the compasses toward the wearer because this is the only manner in which you will be able to view the square and compasses unless you are a presiding or Past Master. So when you look at your ring, the square and compasses are situated the same as when you approached the altar, a constant reminder of how those three great lights were explained in the first Degree. Upon becoming the Master of the Lodge, the ring should be turned, as it is now your obligation to employ and instruct the Brethren and remain within the due bounds of Freemasonry.

To an engineer, the square on most rings is “ internally calibrated”—meaning that is intended to measure the squareness of the interior rather than the exterior walls of a building.. Thus, he who wears his Masonic ring with the points outward is announcing his intent to determine if the world around him is square. One who wears the ring with the points inward is more interested in determining whether he himself is square, remembering the Biblical admonition “Judge not lest ye yourself be Judged”

A less common explanation for wearing a ring with the compass points out is that it is an external symbol of our internal qualities. One Brother suggested that he sometimes turns the compass’s points toward him, when he is angry, to remind him of the use of the two valuable instruments.

One word of caution: Do not assume that the way a Brother wears his ring should be interpreted in the same way you wear yours. He may wear his “Points Out” for exactly the same reason you wear yours “Points In”.

So the only correct answer to this question is:

PROUDLY, MY BROTHER AND WITH PLEASURE TO YOURSELF and HONOUR TO THE FRATERNITY.

Author unknown

My GPS & The Bend in the Road

MY GPS

For those of us who lack the sense of direction and are too proud to ask “WHERE AM I ” this should provide some amusement and cause for reflection. It is titled “My GPS” and was created by M.W. Bro. Mike Saunders Grand Lodge of Washington F&AM. in 2008.

The End of the Road Is But a Bend in the Road

Think , Act….. Live

Wearing Masonic Rings