In Whom Do You Put Your Trust?

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

                                                                 Steven L. Harrison, PM, FMLR

Photo by Bill Bradford, Gray Lodge #329, Houston, Texas

     The candidate, as instructed, knelt at the altar.  In front of him in the east, the Worshipful Master stood at his podium and asked a question we have all been asked, "In whom do you put your trust?"

     Silence.

     Having encountered similar hesitation before, the composed WM rephrased the question, "In whom do you put your spiritual trust?"

     After another long pause the candidate finally answered, "I guess I put my trust in myself.  If you are trying to get me to say I put my trust in God, I can't. I don't believe in God."

     Another period of silence followed.  Still composed and carefully assessing the situation, the Master asked, "Would you please repeat what you just said?"  The candidate repeated his answer.  Standing before a hushed and stunned Lodge, the veteran Master knew exactly what he had to say next, "Brother Senior Deacon, you will escort the candidate to the preparation room."

     Freemasons believe in God; and we take it seriously.  It's not just lip-service.  We tolerate all religions, but hold a belief in Deity as the single non-negotiable requirement to becoming a member.  No exceptions.  And no exception was made that night, either.

     Epilogue: This incident took place early in March, 2013, at Brotherhood Lodge #269 in St. Joseph, Missouri, with my good friend Dennis Vogel presiding.  The Missouri petition is very clear in stating that the candidate holds a strict belief in God, but this candidate signed the petition anyway.  The investigating committee covered the issue of belief in God with the candidate; and the candidate very skillfully crafted a satisfactory answer.    The question in Lodge, however, "In whom do you put your trust," doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room... as the candidate discovered.


~SLH

Steve Harrison, 32° KCCH, is a Past Master of Liberty Lodge #31, Liberty, Missouri.  He is the editor of the Missouri Freemasonmagazine, author of the book Freemasonry Crosses the Mississippi, a Fellow of the Missouri Lodge of Research and also its Senior Warden.  He is a dual member of Kearney Lodge #311, St. Joseph Missouri Valley of the Scottish Rite, Liberty York Rite, Moila Shrine and is a member of the DeMolay Legion of Honor.

A Builders Adventure or Just Playing with Legos

by Midnight Freemasons Contributor

Bro. Robert Johnson 32°

So there I am, strolling the aisles of Toys R Us with my three sons, all of whom are 6 and under. The excitement of toys and the never-ending same repetitive question, “Can I get this?”,  echoing through out the store and the answer always being something along the lines of “Your birthday is right around the corner, not today.”. However I do have a soft spot for my sons creative energies. Sometimes I will let them buy those dreaded, pointed, bone crunching, midnight snack ruining, put another quarter in the swear jar and the bane of my bare feet, LEGO'S. 

WM of Lego Lodge #1 Illinois

Well, I found out early on that one of my sons really doesn't enjoy Lego's to much except for the actual Lego people. And you know what? They sell “Mystery” packs where there is a type of figure in each one that you open and assemble. You could get a goblin, a wizard, a police man etc. So this was right up my sons alley. By the way his name is Emmett. So Emmett opens a few of these “mystery” packs and inside there is this checklist of all the different minifigures. As I look over it I am immediately struck by one in particular. It is the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde figure. He had this top hat and a tux on. I suspect your beginning to know where I took this. 

So after some dollars spent, I managed to buy quite a few of these minifigure packs and assembled a Lego Freemason. I used the legs, torso and white gloved hands of the butler, the gavel from the judge, the top hat from the Dr. Jekyll Mr. Hyde and then had to fashion an apron out of a piece of paper. It looked good. I posted pictures of it on Facebook, people were going crazy asking where they could buy it. I had the un-pleasure of letting them know it was a venture in cannibalizing my sons toys.

Then, after the excitement dwindled, my son asked me “Where is the Lego mans lodge?”. It was an eyebrow raising question certainly. So I did the only thing a dad would do. I set out to build a Lego lodge room. I ventured to the Lego website and downloaded their CAD software which lets you design anything you want with Lego's in a real virtual space. And I did it, I built a Lego lodge. It was not easy, having to find pieces to make things look right, altering things ever so slightly and other times having to forgo a few details because they simply just would not work. 

The last rendering I published. 

In the end I wanted to have Lego ship me the parts to build in real life what I built in the CAD software. However this was not possible any longer. They discontinued the project which allowed one to do this in January of 2012. My disappointment was short lived however. After posting screen shots of the Lego lodge, several fans of the show on Facebook began asking me for the creation file which I generated for this since I had announced I did what I could and I would do no more to it. I have no doubt someone will indeed have the means to create this in real life with Lego's by having all the parts already. I cant wait to see what the Brothers come up with. Certainly it will be great.

~RHJ

Sir Knight Robert Johnson, 32° is the editor of the Midnight Freemasons blog. He is a Freemason out of the First North-East District of Illinois. He belongs to Waukegan Lodge No. 78. He is also a member of the York Rite bodies Royal Arch, Cryptic Council and Knights Templar, and a member of the Scottish Rite Valley of Chicago. Brother Johnson currently produces and hosts a weekly Podcast (internet radio program) Whence Came You? which focuses on topics relating to Freemasonry. In addition, he produces video shorts focusing on driving interest in the Fraternity and writes original Masonic papers from time to time. He is a husband and father of three. He works full time in the safety industry and is also a photographer on the side as well as an avid home brewer. He is also working on two books, one is of a Masonic nature.

Something Amazing Was Nearly Lost

by Midnight Freemason Contributor 

Steven L. Harrison, PM, FMLR

     I grew up in Indianapolis.  If you know nothing else about Indy, you know they hold a little party there every year on Memorial Day weekend.  They have dances, dinners, concerts, breakfasts and a huge parade.  Then, to cap it all off, several drivers strap themselves into small jets on wheels and go for a 500 mile Sunday drive.  If you've only seen it on television, try it live sometime.  TV can't possibly capture it.  Imagine standing just a few feet away from the fastest field of race cars anywhere, three abreast — the only major race that starts that way — as they scream by at straightaway speeds nearing 230 mph.  The person standing next to you can shout as loud as possible, but you won't hear.  Your body vibrates in the ruckus so that, in a way, you feel like you're touching the cars.  The scent of fuel hangs in the air... you can smell the start.  When you are there, you are in such sensory overload you don't just watch the Indianapolis 500; you participate.

     Early on, the Indy 500 carved out a place in my brain and took up residence there.  It's a part of me, and this year I will see my 40^th race.  I'm sometimes asked what is the best race I've seen there.  I sometimes answer "all of them."  There is, however, one that stands out.

     That race boiled down to being a sprint to the finish.  Nineteen-year-old Marco Andretti, grandson of racing great Mario Andretti, was leading in what was his first Indianapolis 500.  Veteran Sam Hornish, Jr., who had started on the pole, was running second, but a long way behind.  Hornish continued to close and with  a bit more than a lap left, he caught Andretti and attempted a pass.  It didn't work.  Sam lost momentum and fell ten car-lengths behind.  It was Marco's race for sure.

     For about three-quarters of the final lap, Hornish stayed far behind.  Then he turned on the afterburners.  He came out of turn four two car lengths behind and closed in.  He went right, then left and started to pull alongside.  With 400 feet left in the race, Marco Andretti still led.

     From my seat at the start/finish line, the two cars looked like they were fused together.  Then, gradually, Hornish's car oozed out of the blur.  Steadily, he continued to gain on Andretti.  Then the cars roared past with Hornish ahead by a whisker.

     Sam Hornish, Jr. had won what many analysts call the most exciting Indianapolis 500 ever.

     But that's not what I wanted to tell you about.

     Winning a great race is important; but what is more important is the character of the man.  Born in Defiance, Ohio in 1979, Sam followed in the footsteps of father when he joined  Omega Lodge #564 in 2001.   He is also a member of Zenobia Shrine in Toledo.  Brother Hornish is known on the racing circuit as a spiritual man with deep conviction, and as a fair and clean competitor.  At the end of the 2006 race, he knew that pass he attempted with a lap to go was too dangerous.  He knew it was likely to wreck Andretti, if not both of them and he elected to wait for a better opportunity.  Asked about this in his post-race press conference, Brother Hornish said, "All the wins in the world don't mean anything if you can't be glad about it at the end of the day.  I don't ever want to win a race like that, feeling like I cheated somebody out of the opportunity to win."

     Brother Sam, now a popular NASCAR racer, has been an important supporter of Shriner's Hospitals for Children.  His dedication to the principles of Freemasonry are reflected in the foundation he has established, which continues to support the Hospitals and other children's charities.

     Something amazing was nearly lost in the breathtaking ending of his Indy win.  It reflects the demeanor and Masonic background Sam Hornish demonstrates on and off the track.  In addition to winning the race, he won the Scott Brayton Sportsmanship Award.  In the 100-plus year history of the Indianapolis 500, it is the only time the race winner has won the sportsmanship award.     Acknowledging the fact that in racing the spotlight is on the driver, Brother Sam contrasted that with his work in Freemasonry, “In Lodge, it’s not about one person; it’s about working together with the whole group."  He does that well.

~SH


Steve Harrison, 32° KCCH, is a Past Master of Liberty Lodge #31, Liberty, Missouri.  He is the editor of the Missouri Freemasonmagazine, author of the book Freemasonry Crosses the Mississippi, a Fellow of the Missouri Lodge of Research and also its Senior Warden.  He is a dual member of Kearney Lodge #311, St. Joseph Missouri Valley of the Scottish Rite, Liberty York Rite, Moila Shrine and is a member of the DeMolay Legion of Honor.

Who is High 12 International?

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

WB Gregory J. Knott

     WB Todd Creason and myself recently led the formation of a High 12 club - Illini High 12 Club No. 768 based in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois.  But as we were going through the start-up process, many of our brethren asked, who are High 12?

     "High Twelve International’s founder, former minister, E. C. "Wallie" Wolcott, who was the YMCA’s General Secretary at the time and eight of his business associates who were also Master Masons, met in Sioux City, IA, for fellowship and camaraderie and chartered the first High Twelve International club.  It was Founders #1, chartered May 17, 1921."

"High Twelve is an organization of Master Masons who support Masonic causes with special emphasis on youth support and patriotic events. There are approximately 9,000 members in over 250 clubs nationwide and in foreign countries."

     Brother Creason and I had been working on a Masonic lunch club for sometime and during a visit to the 2011 annual communication of the Grand Lodge of Illinois met Roger Carson, who was the Illinois High 12 Association President at the time.

     Brother Carson helped us work through the chartering process and in June 2012 we officially became Illini High 12 No. 768. Brother Creason is the charter President and I am the charter Secretary.  The club has been growing nicely and has over 40 members at the present time. 

     We have focused on 2 main goals for the club, emphasizing a relaxed informal meeting style and having guest speakers where our members have an opportunity to learn what is happening in our community.  Our speakers have included a college president, county officials, and civic leaders.

     Our club also has worked with the University of Illinois ROTC program to send care packages to troops overseas.

     An additional benefit we have found is that our meetings are a great way to introduce prospective members to Masonry.  Our meetings are open to anyone and several of our members have brought guests that have then petitioned the Blue Lodge.

     I am very impressed with High Twelve and would recommend that brethren that want another avenue for fellowship consider joining a club.  If there isn't a club in your area, start one, it's a relatively easy process and the rewards are large.

~GJK

WB Gregory J. Knott is the Past Master of St. Joseph Lodge No. 970 in St. Joseph (IL) and a plural member of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), and Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL). He's a member of both the Scottish Rite, and the York Rite, and is the Charter Secretary of the Illini High Twelve Club in Champaign-Urbana. He's also a member of the Ansar Shrine (IL) and the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees. Greg is very involved in Boy Scouts--an Eagle Scout himself, he serves the Grand Lodge of Illinois A. F. & A. M. as their representative to the National Association of Masonic Scouters.