February 27, 2009 - A LITTLE LEVITY

As I was driving to a Masonic meeting earlier this week, it occurred to me that I haven't prepared an official Worshipful Master photo yet for the Lodge. As you know, I tend to break with tradition in order to spice things up a bit. Consequently, I started to think about what I could do differently this time around, maybe a nice Hawaiian shirt, something featuring my trademark cigar... And then it hit me, a mug shot. The next day I took a couple of pictures of myself holding a sign (which actually represents my Grand Lodge number). Here it is:



I then e-mailed it to members of the Lodge and asked for their opinion of my new Worshipful Master photo. I received an avalanche of e-mails from the Craft who thought it was hilarious. No, I do not want to use it as my official photo, but my intent was to introduce a little levity into the Craft and get them to loosen up a bit, thereby encouraging participation. And I think the photo produced the result I was looking for. If I can get people to come to Lodge because they believe it is fun and interesting, then I have fulfilled an important mission as a Master. But if they believe they are going to hear and see the same tired old thing over and over again, then I'm convinced participation will drop off.

The Worshipful Master ultimately sets the mood of the Lodge. If he is boring and lethargic, then the Craft will act likewise which isn't exactly conducive for stimulating attendance, participation, or encouraging new members. My photo may appear to be a bit silly, but the Craft didn't see it coming and enjoyed it immensely. I'm told there is a new sense of confidence and enthusiasm in the Lodge. Hopefully such stunts contribute to it.

I guess my message here is simple: If you're the Worshipful Master, believe me you are being watched by the Craft. Don't appear to be too doom and gloom. Try to lighten things up a little bit. You may be pleasantly surprised by its effect on the Craft.

Until next time.

All the Best,
Tim Bryce, PM, MPS, MMBBFMN
timb001@phmainstreet.com
Dunedin Lodge No. 192 F.& A.M.
http:/www.dunedin192.org/
Dunedin, FL, USA
"For the Good of the Order"

February 25, 2009 - WORD PROCESSING

We held our second session for training in the use of the PC. Whereas our first session in January was aimed at the basics of the PC, now we turned to Word Processing. I used a laptop plugged into an overhead projector. Here is the outline of my session:

A. File Formats - .TXT, .ASC, .DOC, .PDF (Adobe)

B. How to "Find" files on the computer, including the use of the asterisk (*)
as a wildcard variable in the search argument.

C. Association of files to pertinent programs.

D. Review of different Word Processing packages available on the computer.
- DOS/Text Editor, Notepad, MS Write, MS Word, Lotus WordPro, Wordperfect, and
open source products.

E. Use of the Clipboard.

F. Common Commands - Edit, Search (Find/Replace), and Assigning the Printer

G. Setup - Fonts, Sizes, Justification, etc.

H. Use of keyboard - Page Up/Down, Backspace, Delete, Arrows

I. Advanced

1. Adding graphics - import/insert and paste from clipboard
2. Use of Spell Check
3. Converting to an HTML document (create web page)
4. Creating a PDF document

Comments from the class seemed to indicate session was helpful in terms of clearing up some basic confusion over the use of such programs.

Next month: Introduction to the Internet.

Until next time.

All the Best,
Tim Bryce, PM, MPS, MMBBFMN
timb001@phmainstreet.com
Dunedin Lodge No. 192 F.& A.M.
http:/www.dunedin192.org/
Dunedin, FL, USA
"For the Good of the Order"

February 25, 2009 - FESTIVE BOARD FOLLOW-UP

I thought I would share the following e-mail I just received from one of the Brothers who attended Monday's Festive Board:

I just wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed the dinner and the speaker last night. My wife was very impressed with what he had to say. She is very involved in our church and has taken a lot of heat about me being a Mason. When she heard that Norman Vincent Peal was a Mason, her ears perked up. Now she is loaded for bear the next time one of the pillars of the church gives her grief about me being a Mason. She understands what Masonry is all about, but a lot of people just think we are a cult with all of our secrets. Anyway, she really enjoyed herself, and told my daughter, that she missed a good program.

This is one of the reasons why we are holding these sessions. Thanks for the input.

Until next time.

All the Best,
Tim Bryce, PM, MPS, MMBBFMN
timb001@phmainstreet.com
Dunedin Lodge No. 192 F.& A.M.
http:/www.dunedin192.org/
Dunedin, FL, USA
"For the Good of the Order"

February 24, 2009 - TROUBLE

Last night I attended a Stated Communications of a Lodge in our district who is experiencing a serious problem. Last year's Secretary is charged with embezzling approximately $9,000 from the Lodge. This was discovered as part of the Lodge audit they recently performed (which is why I am a big proponent of Lodge audits being performed on a routine annual basis).

The trouble is, I know all of the parties involved and have known them to be good Masons. I am told the evidence against the Brother is overwhelming, but he maintains his innocence and contends this is all some sort of political payback. This is all very disturbing to me and I'm sure the rest of the Craft at that Lodge.

If the Brother is, in fact, guilty of the charges, I do not know how he could ever show his face in public again, particularly among Masons (I certainly would want nothing to do with him). If the charges are false, then the others are guilty of concocting a grand scheme to remove the Brother. Having known the accusers for a number of years, I cannot imagine them trumping up charges in this manner. As I said, it appears the evidence is overwhelming (although I have not personally seen it).

What bothers me is that I have known this Lodge for a long time, think highly of the members and would like to see this all go away so the Lodge can enjoy some harmony, but I'm afraid this is not to be. If the Brother is indeed guilty, I would hope that he would be man enough to fess up to it in Lodge, and return the money. In turn, I would hope that the Lodge would be lenient on his penalty. But like I said, in all likelihood this will not happen.

As a Worshipful Master I thank my lucky stars that we do not have such problems, and I think it is because we operate the Lodge very methodically whereby such a scenario could never happen.

Until next time.

All the Best,
Tim Bryce, PM, MPS, MMBBFMN
timb001@phmainstreet.com
Dunedin Lodge No. 192 F.& A.M.
http:/www.dunedin192.org/
Dunedin, FL, USA
"For the Good of the Order"

February 23, 2009 - FUNERAL & FESTIVE

It was interesting last night. First, we held a Masonic funeral service for our recently departed Brother, Bro. Warren Bundy (see last posting). By my count, there were 30 Masons present representing Dunedin 192, Sutherland 174, and East Gate 355. The funeral service went off without a hitch and I am grateful to our Acacia Committee for organizing the ceremony. The widow was very much appreciative of our efforts and complimented us on the dignity and respect shown by the Craft. I just wish we could get such a large turnout for all of our Masonic funeral services.

Following the service, we adjourned to a nearby restaurant for a "Festive Board" which is not a Lodge sanctioned event, but more of a gathering of the clan (all Masons are welcome as well as their family, friends, and candidates for the fraternity). Our guest speaker is an old friend of mine who described the reasons why he joined the fraternity, read some Masonic poetry, and reviewed some famous Masons. As in our first Festive Board last month, everyone had a great time, socialized, and learned a little more about the fraternity.

My only concern was that our Festive Boards are becoming bigger and bigger. We were up to the capacity of the room and, if we get any bigger, we may have to find new facilities.

Until next time.

All the Best,
Tim Bryce, PM, MPS, MMBBFMN
timb001@phmainstreet.com
Dunedin Lodge No. 192 F.& A.M.
http:/www.dunedin192.org/
Dunedin, FL, USA
"For the Good of the Order"

February 19, 2009 - A DEATH IN THE FAMILY

Today I was notified of the passing of one of our Brothers, Bro. Warren Bundy, who had been in the hospital since December due to a strange lung problem. Evidently when he ate, the food would go into his lung. He underwent a procedure yesterday in the hospital to correct the problem, but unfortunately he couldn't survive it and he perished this morning. His widow called me to give me the details and she will be wanting a Masonic funeral service for Warren which my Lodge will perform.

This is a painful loss for me personally as I've known Warren for a number of years. We traveled to the Fort Clinch Civil War degrees (on Amelia Island, north of Jacksonville) on more than one occasion, and attended numerous Masonic degrees together. I was fortunate to have him as my Tyler when I was Master of Sutherland Lodge in 2003, and he was to be my Tyler here in Dunedin this year. Unfortunately, we were never able to get him installed due to his declining health.

Warren was an interesting fellow; he was a New York State Trooper, College Professor, and even coached baseball/softball for many years. When I visited him in the hospital recently and mentioned the Pistol Competition being proposed by the SunCoast Masters & Wardens Association, his ears perked up as he wanted to participate in it. He had a great sense of humor and up until a couple of years ago was an avid golfer and cigar smoker. The last time the Craft saw him was at my Festivus Party last December.

Prior to my becoming Master of Sutherland in 2003, I had lunch with three people whose opinion I greatly respected. My intent was to discuss ideas for the future of the Lodge. They were Alan Leverock, Sid Heller, and Warren Bundy. Alas, all three are now gone and I will greatly miss them, but will never forget their words of wisdom to me.

Dunedin Lodge is very fortunate to have a dedicated group of Brothers who can competently put on a Masonic funeral. We call it our Acacia Committee and they have put on numerous such degrees over the years. As far as I'm concerned, every Mason has an obligation to attend Masonic funeral if their cable-tow permits them. It is the very least we can do for our departed Brothers.

Warren was a good man and Mason, and I, for one, will miss him very much.

Alas, my Brother.

Until next time.

All the Best,
Tim Bryce, PM, MPS, MMBBFMN
timb001@phmainstreet.com
Dunedin Lodge No. 192 F.& A.M.
http:/www.dunedin192.org/
Dunedin, FL, USA
"For the Good of the Order"

February 17, 2009 - FREEMASONRY IN ACTION

Last night I visited my old Lodge where I served as Master back in 2003, Sutherland Lodge No. 174. I had come to talk to the Worshipful Master about some joint projects between our two Lodges, including an upcoming outdoor MM degree.

Prior to the meeting, I stood in front of the Lodge smoking a cigar and met a young man who was nervously rehearsing his EA catechism as he was going to be examined that evening. I asked if he needed some help and, saying yes, I then went about examining him carefully. Although he was somewhat nervous, he knew his work well and did an excellent job. As a WM, it was a delight to listen to a young EA who took his catechism seriously.

In talking with Sutherland's Master, he said there wasn't much work planned for the evening's communications, other than the EA examination. He also mentioned, he hadn't planned the Brother's FC degree yet. Since this was going to be one of the Brothers to be raised in our outdoor degree in April, I said to the WM, "Why wait?" Why not put on the degree tonight?, assuming the Brother passes his examination (which he did with flying colors). The Master thought this was a good idea. Consequently, he expedited the Lodge's business, held the EA examination, and set the Lodge at ease to prepare for the degree.

A Past District Deputy who happened to be visiting the Lodge that night sat in the East for the degree and I was asked to handle the SD duties. Frankly, the degree went off smoothly and we passed the Brother to FC in no time at all. Everyone enjoyed the degree and was impressed that we could put on a degree at the drop of a hat. It was definitely, "Freemasonry in Action" (as opposed to waiting weeks or months to get something done). It was a great night which will long be remembered in that Lodge.

Until next time.

All the Best,
Tim Bryce, PM, MPS, MMBBFMN
timb001@phmainstreet.com
Dunedin Lodge No. 192 F.& A.M.
http:/www.dunedin192.org/
Dunedin, FL, USA
"For the Good of the Order"

February 16, 2009 - TALKING TO THE CRAFT & HONORARY MEMBERS

We held our February Stated Communications last Monday night and all went well; a few observations though:

First, we did a fine job opening and closing the Lodge, but I realize we still need some polish in terms of introducing first time visitors, balloting, and making presentations. I'll work on this.

Second, after opening the Lodge in the MM degree, I stepped it down to the FC degree for two Brothers to give back their catechism examination by our Lodge Instructor (who does a great job for us). In order to save time, we have three Past Masters listen to the catechism prior to the communications; if they are satisfied, the candidates do their obligation and token in the Lodge room, where the Craft then votes on for acceptance. This saves us a lot of time, particularly on an evening when we have a lot of work planned. Following acceptance of the examination, I set the Lodge at ease for a few minutes so the Craft can come down on the floor and congratulate our Brothers (both did an excellent job). This is greatly appreciated by the candidates and recognizes their hard work.

Third, starting with last month's communications I've added something new to our meeting routine. Following the opening, I step down to the floor and talk to the Craft directly, kind of like Jay Leno to his audience (although there is certainly no comparison). I welcome the Craft, thank them for coming, recognize the Junior Warden for the meal that evening, discuss sickness and distress, and review the Masonic news of the day so the Craft can stay abreast of Freemasonry. I then close with a joke. My intent is to set the Craft at ease for the evening, yet make them aware of what we're going to discuss for the evening. So far, so good.

Finally, included in our business for the evening were two resolutions to recognize some outside Brothers as Honorary members of the Lodge. To me, I do not believe in handing out Honorary memberships simply because someone has a title. Instead, they must have done something of significance for the Lodge and this, in turn, is a nice way to recognize their efforts. As far as I'm concerned, passing out Honorary memberships without merit discredits the honor and makes it meaningless.

Until next time.

All the Best,
Tim Bryce, PM, MPS, MMBBFMN
timb001@phmainstreet.com
Dunedin Lodge No. 192 F.& A.M.
http:/www.dunedin192.org/
Dunedin, FL, USA
"For the Good of the Order"

February 11, 2009 - OFFICERS MEETING

We held our first regular officers meeting. As you may recall, earlier we held officer meetings to break the ice and establish policy, but this was now our first routine meeting where we discussed the business of the Lodge.

As with any meeting, I printed up an agenda and followed it throughout the meeting. Basically, it consisted of the following:

A. Treasurer's Report

B. Secretary's Report

C. Committee Reports
- Finance Committee
- Building Committee
- Social Committee
- Acacia Committee (funerals)

D. Review calendar of events for the next two months.

E. Reviewed the Agenda for the upcoming Stated Communications, including pending
business to be voted or balloted upon.

F. Miscellaneous - e.g., we discussed the contents, preparation and distribution of our Trestleboard newsletter.

The benefit of these meetings is that it gets all of the officers on the same wave-length which makes for a smooth Stated Communications next Monday. Problems are discussed and dealt with accordingly. When the Craft come to the Lodge, the last thing they want to hear is some bickering over some triviality, which should be the intent of committee meetings (or these officer meetings). In other words, I believe the officers should have done their homework before going before the Craft.

Until next time.

All the Best,
Tim Bryce, PM, MPS, MMBBFMN
timb001@phmainstreet.com
Dunedin Lodge No. 192 F.& A.M.
http:/www.dunedin192.org/
Dunedin, FL, USA
"For the Good of the Order"

February 9, 2009 - TEAMWORK & BONDING

Last night the Lodge held an Entered Apprentice degree for a new candidate. Everything seemed to go well. Our Secretary sat in the East and I sat as Junior Deacon. I could have done the degree myself but I think it is important to give others the opportunity to practice the work and improve our corps of officers. I am also encouraging our junior officers to learn the degrees. Sure, we have plenty of past masters who can do the work, but if the Lodge is going to progress, it's important that new people step up to the plate.

To my way of thinking, it's not about me (as Worshipful Master), it's about the overall Lodge. I learned this lesson years ago from Bro. Jack Benny, the famous comedian from Waukegan Lodge No. 78 A.F.& A.M. of Illinois. Bro. Benny always understood the importance of teamwork. It was his contention that it was the show that was of paramount importance, not him personally. In fact, Benny was often the butt of many of the jokes. But to him, it was more important that people said, "Did you catch the Benny show last night?" and not "Did you catch Jack Benny last night?" He often offered up generous accolades to his writers, his cast, and his guests. Keep in mind, the Benny program was always highly rated, both on the radio and on television. So I think Bro. Jack was on to something.

Following the degree, many of us went off the property, drank a few beers, and talked about the degree and upcoming events. This get-together was every bit as important as the actual degree itself. The Brothers were able to relax and discuss a lot of ideas for the Lodge. Beyond this, it improved camaraderie and is helping to establish an Esprit de corps among the Brethren. Yes, it is important for me to put in my two cents, but it also important that the Brethren feel their input is an important part of running the Lodge. One of the ideas that emerged from the meeting was some sort of Men's Retreat, whereby we take off for a weekend and do either a canoe trip or camp out. In my opinion, such events are important for Brotherly bonding.

Until next time.

All the Best,
Tim Bryce, PM, MPS, MMBBFMN
timb001@phmainstreet.com
Dunedin Lodge No. 192 F.& A.M.
http:/www.dunedin192.org/
Dunedin, FL, USA
"For the Good of the Order"

February 2, 2009 - OUR 2ND DEGREE (first timers)

We held our second degree of the year, another Fellow Craft, for two EA Brothers. All in all, it went over rather well. Our Junior Deacon from last year wanted to try sitting in the East for the degree which was actually his second time. Last year he had his first chance and did well but was extremely nervous. This time, he looked like he was more comfortable and did an outstanding job. In addition to leading the degree, he also delivered the charge (and was spot-on perfect).

I find it interesting how we get nervous and apprehensive sitting in the East for the first time. But if you know your degree work and know what you are doing, you'll be fine. I always stress to first-timers to stay in control, be patient (nothing happens until the WM makes the call), put your best foot forward, but recognize you will inevitably make some mistake along the way (which you should correct). I also stress that the Master should never apologize for any snafu during the degree, especially if the candidate is in the room. To me, this demeans the role of the Master. You made an honest mistake; okay, kick the ball and move along.

Also this night, our regular Senior Deacon and Chaplain were absent (they had notified me in advance) and I was fortunate to have two good Brothers step up to fill the chairs and did a great job. I was going to take the Senior Deacon's chair but I thought it was more important for others to practice instead. As for me, I ended up as Tiler and had fun teasing the Junior Deacon at the door.

Next up is an Entered Apprentice degree next week and our Secretary, who is a Past Master, wants to sit in the East. We'll have a practice on Wednesday night. Should be fun.

It's also time to start assembling our Lodge's "Trestleboard" newsletter and I have notified my officers accordingly. In the newsletter, I try to make my comments meaningful and avoid saying the same tired thing. Rarely do I talk about what happened in the past (what's done is done). Instead, I tend to talk about the future.

Until next time.

All the Best,
Tim Bryce, PM, MPS, MMBBFMN
timb001@phmainstreet.com
Dunedin Lodge No. 192 F.& A.M.
http:/www.dunedin192.org/
Dunedin, FL, USA
"For the Good of the Order"