tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17632707969307481092024-03-18T22:09:53.992-06:00Squarework?The opinions expressed here are my own and do not represent those of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Utah, Wasatch Lodge No. 1, St. Andrew's Lodge No. 34, Tintic Lodge No. 9, and or any other Masonically affiliated/concordant and or related body and or organization I may or may not be a member there-of Dude. That's all...Baldmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15094669983069497675noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763270796930748109.post-79399658591797833022016-04-03T19:34:00.000-06:002016-04-03T19:34:15.220-06:00To Divest..I'm in the financial business. I've been in the mortgage industry one way or another for over two decades. One thing I always tell my clients or customers when we come to a block or a problem where we cannot afford something is that, "math doesn't lie". It is what it is. If you cannot afford it guess what you can't afford it. Basically a certain percentage of your income either based on ratios or an algorithm in a fancy computer will tell you if you can or can't afford it. But guess what? Math doesn't lie but then you have water, and electricity and heat and a novel one A/C. Pay those out on top of your house payment and guess what you're broke. So let me ask you why do we the same with our Temples and Fraternal Halls? Why do we expect that we can turn something around we have never really thought about, thought through or managed. Let me tell you after 20 plus years in the mortgage business let me tell you a secret you already know. 95% of the folks out there have no plan for retirement. So these folks our well meaning friends are paying the bills on our temples and lodges. And let me tell you a secret you already know we have no plan on how to save our buildings. We have ideas, we have speeches we sell things, we try and we mean well but the patient is dead, sorry guys. We invest more money in crumbling mortar I guess because we are Masons. If we invested half of what we exhort for rents and invested that in the Fraternity we wouldn't have a membership problem. In my small jurisdiction if you spent your "already funds" on rent you'd have enough left over for meals, books and drinks and you wouldn't touch all of what you collected and that doesn't include joining fees. Lodges would be flush. And so would your masonic experience. Please think about it.
Thats all.
S&F,
JL PMBaldmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15094669983069497675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763270796930748109.post-36148063881675485442015-03-09T15:12:00.000-06:002015-03-09T15:12:26.536-06:00Consolidation Part 2This post has nothing to do with fixing the health of a sickly lodge. Things live and die. Some lodges have buildings and some have none. This isn't about buildings.
It is about what is good for the many and not the few. I agree if 7 people show up month after month for 50 years and trade places yup that lodge functions. But it doesn't.
It is not about ego, pride or money. It's about love. Do you love the building, your lodge? I'd say you love Freemasonry and your Brethren. Yup mergers don't always work.
It is the devil you know or don't know. If they aren't coming now but paying dues yup that lodge functions, doesn't it? Nope.
That's all..
JL PM
<a href="http://www.utahgrandlodge.org/gl-orations/john-liley/oration-2007-13.html">Read Here..</a>
<a href="http://www.utahgrandlodge.org/gl-orations/john-liley/oration-2007-14.html">And here..</a>Baldmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15094669983069497675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763270796930748109.post-48185057267651902602015-03-08T21:38:00.001-06:002015-03-08T21:38:12.659-06:00Squarework?: Consolidation<a href="http://squarework.blogspot.com/2015/03/consolidation.html">Squarework?: Consolidation</a>Baldmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15094669983069497675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763270796930748109.post-26223724169196190682015-03-08T21:35:00.001-06:002015-03-08T21:35:52.949-06:00ConsolidationI'm going to start writing about this subject in many varied ways as I see it in the fraternity. I do not expect you to agree. I though now have an eye for a few things based on my experiences and positions I have held.
So consolidation. I find I want to spend more time doing the things I want to do. Memberships in more than one Blue Lodge becomes difficult in the competition of my time and dollars. I find my time best served in my Mother Lodge and my job has been done in the other lodges where I passed on what I was taught and now its somebody else's time to shine, excel or not.
Also I am a proponent of thinning things out streamlining and saving money. That means if you have the membership of 100 years ago you should right size your fraternity. I have had to do this in my career over the last 3 years and it wasn't fun. You have to cut out the fat, waste and bullshit. Those who fight for the sake of fighting gotta go. If you push water uphill you just get wet.
We have too many buildings. They cost too much. My money holds up crumbling mortar that is racing me to see who dies first. The building or me. We make budgets in our personal life and we do not run our homes like the fraternity. Stop spending your inheritance on crumbling mortar its not a Ferrari it won't appreciate.
We have too many lodges. We have as many as we do because our membership grew. Why have 6 lodges in a town when you only have membership and funds for three? Your grandparents pass away and so unfortunately do lodges. You move on remember them and carry their memories in our hearts and minds forever. When the lodge across the hall has 40 members show up and yours has 6 its time to think about it.
The worst part of the obvious is that it is obvious. The worst part of not recognizing it is obvious. Think about it.
Ego is the worst mine and yours. Survival is not ego its practical. Check your ego, your pride, your vanity and consolidate or your son or grandson will not join your lodge because your lodge may not make it. Invest in your future now by recognizing your past was bigger than you are now and prepare for a brighter future because you can afford the light and heating bill.
That's all.
JL PMBaldmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15094669983069497675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763270796930748109.post-49108454183259882332015-01-09T17:12:00.002-07:002015-01-09T17:12:33.492-07:00Why don't Masons pay there dues?Now before you go off about stale donuts and stale meetings and no value for your money I mean truly why don't Masons pay their dues?
I have been in the business of calling, cajoling, visiting, persuading and listen dummy pay your dues business for nearly 20 years.
Pay your dues please. 99% pay their dues when you contact them and let me tell you I forgot, life's too busy and oh yeah dues doesn't cut it with me when I saw you at lodge last night, the Reunion last week and in the grocery store the other day. So please pay your dues. This public service announcement has been brought to you by a grumpy PM.
That's all..Baldmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15094669983069497675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763270796930748109.post-43418593877981614872014-10-31T21:38:00.000-06:002014-10-31T21:38:55.117-06:00How do I know if I did my job?I had a conversation with a newer Brother the other day. We talked about many things. We talked about all the things we could do in freemasonry. All the things you could join all the hats you could collect all the jobs you could do and all the places and people you could visit and meet. I guess the question came up with how do you know if you've done right? How do I know if I've done my job. I've been a mason almost 17 years now and have all kinds of titles and have had all kinds of jobs. I thought a minute and took off my 33 degree ring. I have a couple but I usually wear this one. It's the basic one as described in the statutes of the Supreme Council. It's just three bands with no device on it with the obligatory Latin on the inside. A few of my friends have the same design and it's simplicity reminds me of the lessons of that degree and without divulging some secret the simple lessons are service. You are starting over you have arrived where you have started and keep up the good work. So how do I measure if I've done my job. Well the answer to that then became simple if the guy sitting next to me I mentor and teach and learn from myself gets to wear a ring like this some day. Then I did my job. I did it right.
That's all
S&F,
JLBaldmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15094669983069497675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763270796930748109.post-38015329939038514222014-02-12T19:39:00.001-07:002014-02-12T19:39:22.862-07:00Why Scottish Rite?Simply put. Because. That is why you should join Scottish Rite. Not because somebody twisted your arm not because I'm your membership chairman and I twisted your arm. You should because you don't know. Don't give me the bullshit about Mother Blue or I'm working in the Craft Lodge and then when I have Masted my three degrees I'll be along. Let me tell you and I mean it. Scottish Rite is a good thing because of many things but let me tell you why above all its a good thing. Ready? Its a good thing because you Blue Lodge know it all it lets you know in no uncertain circumstances that there is more out there. Remember when you were a teenager and you knew everything then you got older and knew not much and then a little older and maybe a little wiser? Well Scottish Rite is kinda like that. On a Valley level you will meet more Masons outside the confines of your lodge. You will rub shoulders with the same Brothers you know in a different context and you will be presented with more mysteries and secrets that will set you into a tail spin and you will return to your Blue Lodge maybe a bit more enlightened, maybe a bit more curious and maybe just maybe not so cocky that you don't know it all and maybe this Scottish Rite thing opens your eyes like a gateway drug to notes you never heard and lines you never knew. Scottish Rite is a punch in the face, its cold water after a nite of booze and cigars. Scottish Rite is more. More than a joining fee, cap or ring its more light and you were told Brother Blue Lodge you were in search of "More Light". Scottish Rite is solar power baby. Green Energy to the max Bro channeling so much more to your mind.
That's all.
JLBaldmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15094669983069497675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763270796930748109.post-82084545159313931292014-02-11T22:23:00.003-07:002014-02-11T22:23:54.640-07:00Hats, pins, titles and medals..Freemasonry is not a competition yet it asks that it's members work for her rewards. The funny thing is that it asks that you work without the promise of reward, but if you work hard you may be rewarded. So there in lies the rub. Work hard for the fraternity and expect nothing but you will maybe, probably, kinda, sometime be, well, rewarded. You may get a shiny new pin or a medal or apron or a different colored hat. This is where the misguided stray. And when I say misguided not that they came in misguided but that they were misguided. Misguided by those seeking self importance and a sense of pride. Not serving selflessly but self serving. If you work hard you'll get a new pin you know. You'll be Past Master or Past Heigh Priest. Daresay you may get a bump in Scottish Rite and get the unmentioned Red Cap. There are those I call check Mark Masons. It's a play on Mark Masons who are taught to design and make their Mark. A Check Mark Mason joins looses site for "light" and chases titles. Usually because they haven't accomplished much in life or their home life sucks or Mom and Dad were mean to them or they are of that younger generation where everybody got a trophy. So Masonry becomes that thing that place where they can unfortunately due to our lack in numbers, quality and leaders, where they, the under achiever, the uneducated, seek honors, hats and pins over mysteries, memories, friends, companions, skills, stories and secrets. It's sad really that so many of these sorts have come and indeed bounded through the west gate and established themselves and a check list of check marks so they can chase that magic ring and grasp it while riding the carousel of Masonry through the Mystic Camp smiling at the addition of the new pin, sash or badge and not grasping any of it all the while what is really screaming at them. Check.. Its our fault really. We failed them. We promoted them and like "the ring to rule them all" consumed Golum, we didn't see what we promoted and they didn't understand they were promoted as a chance, a chance to see if they could shine. Not promoted for the "next step" not promoted or entrusted for the "next thing" but to be part of the next thing that is a collective, a prosperous self promoting thing where we shine a little brighter because of our selflessness not the sheen of our trophy. Its our doing guys. We need to correct it, not ignore it. Or we are the same that subtly created it so long ago and then we are as guilty when we look down at the post nominals after our name in the program for this evenings event. Once all the checks are met they leave and if they don't get their trophy for showing up they leave and we are still here, still hiding in the darkness of a bright room hidden under a bushel hidden in plain site. Think about it. NPD has more to do with being recognized than being "recognized".
That's all.
JLBaldmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15094669983069497675noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763270796930748109.post-31361944878555791562014-02-10T19:08:00.002-07:002014-02-10T20:26:38.633-07:00Freemasonry is not church..I think that there is a trend among a small group of Freemasons that not unlike those of the past are treating their Freemasonry like Church. I admit that Lodge is a sacred space and I would say more of a formal place, a gathering place, a secret place. Secret as in private, gathering as in together and sacred as in connected. However, the spiritual crowd that is so afeared of organized religion runs to lodge where they can be spiritual and not religious. And what's the first thing they try to do? They try to make it more formal, more rigid, more to their design to replace their religion with "their religion". It justifies in their mind something that I think Freemasonry never was and never has been, a replacement for religion. True its aspects are religious if not a compliment or endorsement of religion but not a replacement. Lodge is not a place to go hide and innovate from their own fear of rules and religiosity, where they do not have to feel the guilt before their God so they can still sleep at night. Thats not what lodge is. It's a fraternity and learning center and friendship maker and Lodge is not one man's definition. Lodge is every Masons definition, not this one man and not you. It's all of us. It's Lodge.
That's all.
JLBaldmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15094669983069497675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763270796930748109.post-31035111481717066262014-01-23T13:10:00.003-07:002014-01-23T13:10:52.770-07:00Who comes here?I was initiated on this date approximately 16 years ago.
Been a great ride so far.
JLBaldmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15094669983069497675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763270796930748109.post-21623296162687229022014-01-23T11:31:00.000-07:002014-01-23T11:31:31.294-07:00Today is a good week.Last week we instituted AMD in Utah. This week we had Keystone Mark Lodge and this weekend wraps up with the Red Cross of Constantine.
These are three groups in Masonry that I really enjoy and love to study. The AMD works in conjunction with some aspects of the Mark. Additionally with RCC all these groups are predicated on membership in the Royal Arch. I love reading degrees and finding gems. It has nothing to do with another pin and especially with another title. It has everything to do with responsibility. the responsibility when called upon to serve and the responsibility and maturity within the Craft to appreciate things when not hurried when not sought and when your peers wish you to come join in the grand design.
That's all.
S&F,
JLBaldmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15094669983069497675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763270796930748109.post-54319967079237355702012-02-21T16:20:00.002-07:002012-02-21T16:23:54.742-07:00Started my new job last weekWell out as Grand Master and in as VP of Mortgage Lending of Cetic Bank in SLC, Utah. I'm grateful for the position and more excited than I can tell you. I enjoy a challenge. Its going to be great.<br /><br />That's all.<br /><br />JLBaldmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15094669983069497675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763270796930748109.post-71340363575017899992012-02-14T15:01:00.002-07:002012-02-14T15:03:58.775-07:00Successful Completion to a Great YearI just recently completed the year as the Most Worshipful Grand Master of Masons in Utah for 2011. It was a great year, a complicated year, a challenging year and a rewarding year. I am so grateful for all the help and am so proud of the Brethren of Utah. Maybe now that I have time a bit I can write down some thoughts, etc...<br /><br />That's All.<br /><br />JLBaldmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15094669983069497675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763270796930748109.post-33867402767275352712011-02-25T15:21:00.002-07:002011-02-25T15:27:02.614-07:00Elevator Speech...“Who are the Masons and what is it that you guys do?” <br /><br />This question is often asked and we as Masons have “an elevator speech” which is a small concise explanation of Freemasonry that can be delivered in about 30 seconds to one minute or in about the time it takes to share an elevator ride with the stranger who just asked the question. <br /><br />Freemasonry is not a secret society as you might of heard but it is a private organization that does have some secrets of it’s own. <br /><br />Freemasonry is not a religion but it is an organization where every member must have a belief in supreme being of their own choosing. <br /><br />Freemasonry is not a charity but it is an organization that sponsors charity namely here the Masonic Foundation of Utah that awards nearly $250,000 a year in local grants and scholarships, The Scottish Rite Foundation of Utah that assists children with speech impediments and learning disabilities and of course we are all so well aware of the Shriners Hospital for Children. <br /><br />And finally Freemasonry is not a volunteer organization but it is an organization where it’s members voluntarily bind themselves together to make themselves and the community around them a better place.<br /> <br />This is who the Masons are and this is what we do in Utah.<br /><br />This quick talk given by John C. Liley, Jr. Most Worshipful Grand Master of Masons in Utah at conclusion of the Installation of Grand Lodge Officers for 2011.Baldmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15094669983069497675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763270796930748109.post-53809392809989336372011-02-25T15:20:00.000-07:002011-02-25T15:21:23.374-07:00Grand Master-elect Speech February 2011Most Worshipful Grand Master, Most Worshipful Past Grand Masters, Distinguished Guests and Brethren All :<br />Good Afternoon. <br /> In 2008, I stood before this body as Grand Orator and told you I was excited about Utah Freemasonry. Today, once again, I tell you I am still excited about Utah Freemasonry, for right Now is the Time, and This is Still the Place, and a Masonic Renaissance is happening right here, right now, in this place.<br /> This past year we had positive growth in membership and I believe we will continue this trend. Think about it: Di you know that we have a lodge that for nearly ten years in a row has put up double digits in raising Master Masons and those new Masons are ten years younger than our statewide average age of 60. We have another lodge that for the first time in nearly 20 years raised 23 Master Masons, having worked almost every week last year. We had an Accelerated Class with 52 new Master Masons. Brethren, this does not even account for all the other hard work accomplished throughout our jurisdiction by the other 27 lodges with a total of 140 new Master Masons raised. This is 55% increase over last year. I was told the other day that Lasal Lodge in Moab had over 23 Brethren in attendance at a regular meeting. They told me this weekend they checked their records back to the 1970’s and they have never had that many Masons in attendance before. Ever. This is from a lodge that was thought was all but extinct just a few years ago. Brethren, we should be proud and we should be excited! <br /> Men want to be Freemasons and the Grand Lodge of Utah is answering the call. We are seen on local television and heard on the radio. With the Meet-up Groups where potential candidates can meet us, with Facebook Pages, with websites and with plain old flyers tacked on bulletin boards around town, we have let our own little corner of the world know we are here and if a man meets the requirements, he may be able to join our ranks as a Utah Mason. <br /> Please don’t get me wrong. Numbers themselves don’t mean progress, but the numbers show the results of our hard work, and that surely is progress. We now have the responsibility though to keep these new Masons engaged and help them be part of our Masonry.<br /> No longer shall we sell a false bill of goods. No longer should we fail to Deliver on the Promise. <br /> If we promise Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth and a new member is brought into a lodge of bickering, tired redundancy and sub par degree work, how can we expect that new man to stick around? We must practice what we preach; we must learn to subdue our passions; we must think outside the box. <br /> We must Deliver on the Promise of Freemasonry.<br /> There are a few concepts I would touch on that I have observed in my time as a Mason, followed by a few principles in which I believe.<br /> Men want shorter, streamlined, productive meetings. Nobody wants to sit in a 3 hr business meeting discussing nothing.<br /> Men want their ideas to be heard and not casually discounted just because they are a new member or because the idea has been tried before. New eyes can see new opportunity.<br /> Men want varied Masonic education that both edifies and is practical in their everyday life. How else shall we make good men better?<br /> Men want polished and well honed degree work. Our ritual, when done artfully, is the well cured mortar of our ancient Brotherhood.<br /> Men want dedicated time to be fraternal and not just ceremonial. Sometimes Brethren it is just fun to “hang out with each other”.<br /> And...<br /> Men want to work in our quarries, they do not join to sit on the sidelines with idle tools watching others do the work. <br /> I believe that the Grand Lodge of Utah is the chief Ceremonial and Administrative body of our jurisdiction. However, the power to make change lies with the delegates you elect, your Past Masters and your Grand Lodge Officers. Change comes from you my Brethren from within your Lodges. <br /> I believe that untapped talent within the Lodges has the new and innovative ideas that can propel a lodge to new heights.. <br /> I believe that the membership of a Lodge can solve most of their own challenges. <br /> I believe it is the responsibility of a Grand Lodge to disseminate the best practices of this jurisdiction to all the lodges of the state and it is then Grand Lodge’s job to coordinate and propagate these shared ideas. <br />and lastly...<br /> I believe our focus as Utah Masons as a whole should not alone be on our “membership”, but on the needs of the individual member.<br /> <br />Let me now outline some of my priorities this year. <br /> The majority of our Grand Lodge visitations will be on the regular stated meeting nights of the lodges. This to avoid another night out of your busy schedules. The visitations on regular stated meeting nights will be a Mason only event in most cases, with no formal dinner. The visitations where more than one lodge may be called together or which take place outside of the Wasatch Front may have a meal and if so, our ladies will be invited. <br /> An Accelerated Class will be offered if requested by a minimum of five lodges as per our Grand Lodge Code.<br /> Each Lodge should consider at least one “renovation or beautification” project to their facility as a new part of the Master Builder Program. Just one thing Brethren: paint a wall, mow the lawn, pull the weeds, put up a sign..<br /> We will continue the Statewide Masonic Open House to again raise local awareness of Freemasonry and to garner donations for the local and Statewide Utah Food Banks.<br /> We will continue to foster the relationship we have as Master Masons with the appendant bodies, impressing upon our membership the strength that these relationships create and cement within our Masonic Family Statewide.<br /> We will host the Rocky Mountain Masonic Conference on the 14th, 15th and 16th of July 2011, where we will offer the hospitality for which we are so well known for in the Intermountain West. This three day event will showcase the best practices of our adjoining jurisdictions, include lectures from world renown Masonic Speakers, and culminate with a ritual presentation from Keystone Mark Masons Lodge, a Masonic body which was not created by a Grand Lodge or a Grand York Rite, but by a few excited rank and file Masons-- Change comes from you my Brethren. <br /> In closing I am thankful to be a member of Utah Freemasonry, and as a Utah Freemason and soon to be Grand Master I am thankful that most of our challenges are quite small. So that When we decide to make a change; when we decide to rise above the fray; when we decide to step up to the bat, the chance, the chance, that together “we” can knock the ball out of the park, is almost certain. <br />I thank you in advance for your help Brethren, as together “we” The Household of the Faithful “Deliver on the Promise of Freemasonry” in 2011.Baldmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15094669983069497675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763270796930748109.post-63554662336859362952011-02-02T22:35:00.002-07:002011-02-02T22:41:46.658-07:00Almost Worshipful?The funniest title I've heard. We're almost there Grandpa. Seems surreal, seems just like yesterday, seems weird, seems like I'm driving a car that looks like mine but was the wrong one in the car park, seems though with a little help from my friends everything will be alright. That I think it means it's ok.<br /><br />:)<br /><br />That's all.<br /><br />JLBaldmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15094669983069497675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763270796930748109.post-88998777425184382602010-11-03T13:13:00.002-06:002010-11-03T13:17:29.226-06:00Still relavant...from 2007"Freemasonry Why Men Join and Why Men Leave?"<br /> <br />Most Worshipful Grand Master, Brethren, Ladies and guests Good Evening.<br /> <br />The title of tonight’s talk is “Freemasonry Why Men Join and Why Men Leave?”<br /> <br />I want to tell you a story about two Masons. Two men join the lodge because their friend recently becomes a Freemason. They both concentrate hard on their memory work and make it a little competition to see who could finish first. They both receive their Master Mason degree and soon they receive officer appointments in the lodge. Both Brethren excel in their ritual and their Masonic skills but as the years pass by one of the Brothers falls by the wayside. He attends fewer and fewer meetings. He doesn’t attend degree work when he agreed to come. He soon finds himself out of the officer line and soon thereafter we don’t see him at all. He doesn’t answer our calls, and he doesn’t respond to our mail. <br /> <br />His Brother progresses and finds himself one day elected to the office of Worshipful Master, where one of his first duties is to sign the paperwork that his Brother has been dropped from the roles for non-payment of dues.<br /> <br /> <br />Does this story sound familiar to some of you? It is familiar to me. You see I’m the one who made it to Master. I’m the one who is still here. How did we fail to help my Brother or was he doomed from the very start?<br /> <br />At one time both of us had the fire within us that made us both want to be Freemasons. What was it that made one of us succeed and one of us fall away? Did somebody say something? Did somebody not say something? Were we not diligent at our portals and allow someone into our fold that wasn’t ready to be a Mason? Or worse yet should this person never have been admitted into our Fraternity in the first place?<br /> <br />All valid questions wouldn’t you agree?<br /> <br />With all the free publicity the Fraternity has received in the last few years many men have knocked on our doors and many men have gained entry. In our rush for membership have we neglected the basics? It is true some have become viable productive members of our Masonic Family and included their own families in our many appendant and affiliate organizations. Still there are those that join and we never see them again.<br /> <br />The other day I was talking with a younger member of my home lodge and asked him what his member number was on his dues card so to compare to my own. The numbers were almost a hundred digits apart. Mine was issued in 1998 and his some years later. I thought about that a long time and wondered if I could remember all the faces that were represented by those one hundred digits. Some of those faces are in this room tonight, but where are all those other guys?<br /> <br />In August 2005 a survey of the Brethren that had joined Wasatch Lodge in recent years and found out some very important information. Most men joined the lodge because they had a friend already in the lodge.<br /> <br />That was the very reason I had joined.<br /> <br />A fellow that is 18 joins for a different reason than a man of 25. Just as the man of 40 joins for a different reason than a man of 65. <br /> <br />Men in general join our Fraternity to be part of something, they join because they want to work and be busy and they want to have a sense of pride and feel special in their membership a feeling they just don’t receive in the outside world.<br /> <br />For some it’s the friendships for some it’s the philosophies and for some it the charitable endeavors. What we do know is that the experience of the “elusive male bonding” is different for every man and because of that we the established membership should practice caution. Not every body is here for the same reason that you are.<br /> <br />The night I joined the fraternity it was told to me, “you get out of Freemasonry what you put into it”.<br /> <br />Never were truer words spoken. It is often said that in order to appreciate something one must work for it. That is why I think some folks don’t make the cut and some do.<br /> <br />I guess what I’m trying to say here is that we as a Fraternity beat ourselves up pretty bad when we lose someone. We try justify it with the fact that our system is broken or maybe we could have done something more. Is there any real answer? Are these things simply out of our control?<br /> <br />The other important thing the survey pointed out was that at the six to seven year marks some men’s interest begin to wane. Maybe their friends move on or they concentrate their efforts in the Scottish Rite, York Rite, Shrine or outside of the Fraternity.<br /> <br />The truth of the matter is that the fraternity is not a static thing and it ebbs and flows like the tide with gains and losses. And the Fraternity still remains. We should be happy with our positive growth and not so hung up on how big we need to be.<br /> <br /> <br />Freemasonry has a different experience for everybody and maybe that’s why some men join and some men leave.<br /> <br />Thanks for listening and have a good evening.Baldmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15094669983069497675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763270796930748109.post-45666420258001195032010-10-12T13:22:00.002-06:002010-10-12T13:25:14.378-06:00HistoryWe learn from our History. Pick up the "First 100 Years of Utah Freemasonry". All of this happened before and all of this will happen again. The Time is Now....<br /><br />That's all,<br /><br />JL PMBaldmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15094669983069497675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763270796930748109.post-17083363950054089542010-10-02T08:20:00.001-06:002010-10-02T08:22:10.162-06:00Masonic Entitlement not mine but a great post....by Tim Bryce,<br />PM, MPS, MMBBFMN<br />“A foot soldier for Freemasonry”<br /><br />A common lament in our society today is that our youth have developed a sense of entitlement whereby they believe they are entitled to a cell phone, a computer, an education, a car, or whatever. For some reason, they believe they have a God-given right to such things as opposed to working and earning them. I also see evidence of this in Masonic Lodges where some young officers believe that by simply attending Lodge and wearing a tux, they are entitled to the next chair in the officer rotation. On too many occasions, in too many Lodges, I have seen such officers skate through their responsibilities and accomplish nothing. They still do not know their ritual work, they still do not capably perform the responsibilities that accompany the office, yet they feel entitled to move up in the Lodge. Actually, such people are capitalizing on those Lodges struggling for membership and participation. The mindset tends to be, “If they don’t like what I’m doing, then fine, I’ll leave and they won’t have anybody sitting in a chair.” This is extortion no matter how you try to rationalize it. If this approach is successful, incompetence is rewarded.<br /><br /><br /> <br />I don’t buy such a scenario and have never voted along such lines. I vote for the person I believe is the most competent to hold the office, not the least, and I’m beginning to believe I’m an anomaly in this regards.<br /><br />In my jurisdiction, there is no real prerequisite for becoming a Worshipful Master other than being a Master Mason in good standing. You do not need to pass any tests, earn any proficiency cards, attend any training, or know any ritual. Heck, you don’t even have to have earned your white leather apron. I have seen quite a few people who have rotated to the East without such qualifications; they just happened to be warm available bodies who can sit in a chair. As an aside, I have never met a person with such a background who was successful as a Worshipful Master. The Lodge simply muddled through his year and stagnated.<br /><br />It is my understanding that in California, there are “District Inspectors” who review the capabilities of the Lodge officers. If they can pass the muster, they can proceed to the next chair if so elected. The point is, before they proceed to the next chair, they must be properly trained and understand their responsibilities. To me, this is forward thinking.<br /><br /><br /> <br />There is an unwritten rule that a Worshipful Master should prepare his junior officers for moving up if they are so inclined. This is why I think Masonic Education is so important, including the development of administrative and management skills. Unfortunately, today’s Worshipful Masters are facing resistance from the junior officers because of the entitlement issue. Frankly, I see Masonic entitlement becoming worse before it gets better. If people are unwilling to step up to the plate and assume responsibility, or are unwilling to put their best foot forward, maybe its time to think about closing the Lodge and moving on to one who has its act together.<br /><br />All we can ask from our Lodge officers is one thing; that they at least TRY. I can assure you they won’t be 100% successful. Undoubtedly they will make mistakes along the way, but you’ll be surprised what can be accomplished simply by trying.<br /><br />Just TRY!<br /><br />Keep the Faith!Baldmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15094669983069497675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763270796930748109.post-15124160909031250632010-08-17T14:19:00.001-06:002010-08-17T14:19:23.223-06:00Committees, committees and committeesGrand Master work can be tedious but it's all good.<div style='clear: both; text-align: center; font-size: xx-small;'>Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.3</div>Baldmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15094669983069497675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763270796930748109.post-85371356934907152812010-04-26T23:49:00.002-06:002010-04-27T00:02:03.009-06:00The Master Mason Charge...Hmm?In my capacity as a Grand Lodge officer I was asked to read the Master Mason Charge in Progress Lodge for their new candidate of the Sublime degree. The words echo in my ears....<br /><br />My Brother: Your zeal for our institution, the progress you have made in our mysteries, and your steady conformity to our useful regulations, have pointed you out as a proper object for this peculiar mark of our favor.<br /><br />Duty and honor now alike bind you to be faithful to every trust, to support the dignity of your character on all occasions, and strenuously to enforce, by precept and example, a steady obedience to the tenets of Freemasonry.<br /><br />Exemplary conduct on your part will convince the world that merit is the just title to our privileges, and that on you our favors have not been undeservedly bestowed. In the character of a Master Mason, you are authorized to correct the irregularities of your less informed brethren; to fortify their minds with resolution against the snares of the insiduous, and to guard them against every allurement to vicious practices.<br /><br />To preserve unsullied the reputation of the Fraternity, ought to be your constant care; and, therefore, it becomes your province to caution the inexperienced against a breach of fidelity.<br /><br />To your inferiors in rank or office you are to recommend obedience and submission; to your equals, courtesy and affability; to your superiors, kindness and condescension. Universal benevolence you are zealously to inculcate; and by the regularity of your own conduct, endeavor to remove every aspersion against this venerable institution.<br /><br />Our Ancient Landmarks you are carefully to preserve, and not suffer them, on any pretense, to be infringed, or countenance a deviation from our established customs.<br /><br />Your honor and reputation are alike concerned in supporting, with dignity, the character you now bear. Let no motive, therefore, make you swerve from your duty, violate your vows, or betray your trust; but be true and faithful, and imitate the example of that celebrated artist, whom you have this evening represented.<br /><br />Thus you will render yourself deserving of the honor which we have conferred, and worthy of the confidence we have reposed in you.<br /><br />It's good to read such things and remind yourself and others of such things. <br /><br />I'm glad they asked me.<br /><br />That's all.<br /><br />S&F,<br /><br />JL PMBaldmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15094669983069497675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763270796930748109.post-2979136420026470652010-04-14T15:37:00.000-06:002010-04-14T15:38:05.888-06:00I can't update my website...I don't know why?<br /><br />That's all,<br /><br />JLBaldmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15094669983069497675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763270796930748109.post-46060359312511803172010-02-26T21:47:00.002-07:002010-02-26T21:56:10.312-07:00Wow I made it on Chris Hodapp's Freemasons for Dummies Blog..<a href="http://freemasonsfordummies.blogspot.com/2010/02/thanks-to-affinity-mktg-conference-of.html">Freemasons for Dummies</a><br /><br />Honestly though I love Chris and his "reality look" on Freemasonry...<br /><br />Chris you da man...<br /><br />That's all.<br /><br />JL DGMBaldmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15094669983069497675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763270796930748109.post-28737830826299956122010-02-22T19:29:00.004-07:002010-02-22T19:43:56.895-07:00George Washington's birthday...Today is George Washington's birthday. He our first President the rock that held against the storm in the American Revolution. The Man the Freemason. Today I had the opportunity to attend the George Washington Masonic Memorial annual meeting as part of the Conference of Grand Masters of North America. Today it really hit me. I am priveledged to have been elected by my Brethren as Deputy Grand Master and represent my Grand Lodge in DC at this conference. I was able to speak, make friends, break bread and celebrate Freemasonry. Today was my first visit to the Memorial and it is awesome. Today more so than ever I realize the honor I feel to represent Utah. Today was truly humbling and I wish I had the words to share it with my Utah Brethren. Today Brethren, today..Freemasonry more so than ever has been reafirmed in my mind as something great that brings men of different faiths, ethnicity and country together under one Brotherhood. All I can say is Wow.. I uploaded some of my photos from my iPhone to my Facebook page please take a look at some of the great things inside not to mention the gavel and trowel used by George Washington in dedicating the nations Capitol. Also I posed with my friend and Brother the Author Chris Hodapp.<br /><br />That's all for now.<br /><br />JL DGM<br /><br />PS I do know and recognize I wrote a post call "George Washington is dead, deal with it"....Baldmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15094669983069497675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763270796930748109.post-65220434079336235462010-02-20T18:28:00.006-07:002010-02-20T18:46:30.225-07:00First Day in DC for the GM's Conference...So each year there is a Masonic conference held in a moving location being held in Alexandria, VA this year. The conference is known as Conference of Grand Masters of North America. Grand Lodges are sovereign of each other but since the 1950's this conference has been meeting to keep all the recognized GL's of North America on the same page. <a href="http://www.cgmna.org">Grand Masters Conference of North America 2010</a> I have had the opportunity to attend 2 previous conferences one in Tenn and one in CA. I was asked to speak at the conference in 2006 about community involvement of lodges and the younger Masons perspective. Last year I attended as an elected Grand Lodge officer of Utah and also this year as Deputy Grand Master.<br /><br />Today was a free day and Kelli and I ran all over DC.<br /><br />We started our day at the Capitol Building then down the Mall to the GW Monument where the tickets were unfortunately sold out. Better luck in the next couple of days. We hit the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial and Korean War Memorial. After that we jumped the very convenient Metro and scooted out to Arlington Cemetery. We had about an hour but saw the Tomb of the unknown and the JFK plot. Was really a good day. We ended with Frank and Carol Baker over at Bailey's Pub and grill..<br /><br />Long day but fun.<br /><br />Meetings start tomorrow...<br /><br />That's all.<br /><br />JL DGMBaldmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15094669983069497675noreply@blogger.com0