A Picture of Change: Fraternity's Story in Images

October 17, 2025, Newsletter #120

Dear Brethren and Friends,

Special Announcements:

Oct 25 (Saturday) – Broken Arrow Spooktacular 5 pm to 9 pm. We need candy donated and volunteers for the event. Please be at the lodge by 5 pm. 

20205 Sustaining Member Program is now open: It’s not to late to participate in this years Sustaining Member Program. This is designed mainly for our service exempt and perpetual members to help cover their per capita at a minimum.

There will be four tiers of giving: 

· “Quarter” Club A total of $25, which will cover the cost of a Member’s Per Capita. 

· “Century” Club A total of $100, which will cover the cost of one day’s operational costs of the lodge. 

· “243” Club A total of $243, which helps the lodge remain vibrant and active in our community. 

· “Penta Centennial” Club A total of $500, which goes a long way towards improving our lodge. 

Send a check to the lodge or make an online donation at https://balodge243.square.site/.

Old Mason’s Joke of the Week:

Q: How many Masons does it take to screw in a light bulb?

A: Three. One to screw it in, one to read the minutes of the previous light bulb replacement, and one to sit on the sidelines and complain that this wasn't the way they used to screw in light bulbs.

My Ramblings by W:. Scott A. MacDonald © 2025

10 Things!

What type of wisdom should one man give to another? What advise where you given by your father/mother, grandfather/mother or other mentor? I would love to hear some of your memories on the advise you received that has helped you become a better person. Please send your list to me at scott@alphamac.com. I will publish when I get at least 10 to share.

I found a list on social media that I thought was interesting. They are very masonic.

1. Your word is your bond. If you say it, do it. Integrity is everything.

2. Shake hands firmly, look people in the eye. Respect is earned in small moments.

3. Stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves. Never be the bully. Never the bystander.

4. Gratitude first. Say thank you. Appreciate what you have before chasing what you don’t.

5. Work hard when no one is watching. Discipline is doing the right thing in silence.

6. Service over self. Real strength is using your power to help others.

7. Learn to fight, so you don’t have to. A man who can protect, but chooses peace, is dangerous in the best way.

8. Don’t chase shortcuts. Build slowly, brick by brick. The foundation matters more than the finish line.

9. Honor your mother and father. How you treat women starts with how you treat them. 

10. Carry yourself with pride. Shoulders back, chin up. The world will test you, meet it like a man. 

As men mature, they instinctively require purpose. Men without purpose will substitute short term superficial pleasures.  Viktor E. Frankl identified three sources of meaning. He identified three sources of meaning: 

Work: Creating something or doing work that is significant.

Love: Caring for another person.

Courage: Taking a courageous attitude toward unavoidable suffering.

Frankl called his work Logotherapy. He had three pathways to discovering meaning in one’s life:

· Creative values: Finding purpose by creating a work, doing a deed, or accomplishing a task. This can include creative projects, volunteer work, or excelling in a career.

· Experiential values: Experiencing something or encountering someone fully and finding meaning through that connection. This includes love, human relationships, or appreciating truth, goodness, and beauty in the world.

· Attitudinal values: Cultivating a courageous attitude toward unavoidable suffering. When a person cannot change a difficult situation, they can still choose their attitude and find meaning in how they face their fate. This was the key to survival for many prisoners Frankl observed in the concentration camps.

If you want to read more about Logotherapy, here is a link https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/logotherapy 

Ephesians 6:4: "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord". This verse highlights the father's role in godly parenting, a task also supported by other passages like Proverbs 22:6. 

1 Kings 2:2: "Be strong therefore, and show thyself a man." This is King David's charge to his son, Solomon, emphasizing the importance of strength and courage in manhood. 

Proverbs 22:6: "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." This verse speaks to the foundational nature of early training for a man's future.

Lord, help us to discover meaning in our life through study, fellowship and listening to your direction. In His name I pray. Amen.

Lodge Calendar

Oct 21 (Tuesday) - Stated Communications. Dinner at 6 pm and lodge at 7 pm.

Oct 25 (Saturday) – Broken Arrow Spooktacular sponsored by BA Police Department, 5 pm to 9 pm. The lodge will be passing out candy and popcorn for this annual event. We will be located at the intersection of Main and Commercial. We need members and friends of the lodge to purchase candy to pass out. Also, we invite all masons, OES and Rainbow to help us transport the popcorn from the lodge to our table and help handing out the candy. 

Oct 28 (Tuesday) – Lodge fellowship. Dinner at 6 pm.

Oct 30 (Thursday) – District 12 – Tulsa 71 - 5925 E. 9th St., Tulsa 74112. Dinner at 6 pm program to follow.

November 7th and 8th(Friday & Saturday) – Grand Lodge in Guthrie, OK. Open to all Master Masons. Come and participate in the governance of your Grand Lodge and meet Masons from all over Oklahoma.

Dues statements will be coming out shortly. You can pay your $200 dues by mailing or bringing a check to the lodge or online at https://balodge243.square.site/.

Hope you all have a great weekend. See you at the next meeting!

Sincerely, 

W:. Scott A. MacDonald, Treasurer and Membership Calling Chairman