Hope you enjoy our newsletters!

January 31, 2025

Brethren and Friends,

Special Announcements:

Feb 11 (Tuesday) – Education Night - Bro. Aaron Walker will be presenting 'A Psychosocial Analysis of Oklahoma Masonic Membership’.

Be A Man!

“There can be no failure to a man who has not lost his courage, his character, his self-respect, or his self-confidence. He is still a King.” – Orison Swett Marden, Inspirational Author, 1850-1924

“A man’s character always takes its hue, more or less, from the form and color of things about him.” – Frederick Douglass, Social-Reformer, 1818-1895

As we all look to develop as men, we must look to the what it means to be a man.

One author known as The Modernist Man, thinks he has found the 7 Rules of Manliness: https://medium.com/@themodernistman/the-7-rules-of-manliness-a89e1ee6ba9

Stand firm in your values
Communicate with clarity.
Take responsibility for your actions.
Pursue your goals with passion
Respect yourself and others.
Be willing to lead.
Learn from failures and rejections.

Those are all worthy goals for men. But it reflects a humanist approach to life because there is no mention of the spiritual side of men.

Some authors propose that men are less spiritual than women because men sometimes categorize anything spiritual as something less than masculine. https://dailymeditationswithmatthewfox.org/2021/10/07/why-are-many-men-out-of-touch-with-their-own-spirituality/

As masons, we devote ourselves to a belief in God. This in and of itself requires that we find our spiritual nature.

Biblically, there are five principles which each man is expected to conform to:

Humility
Control of appetites
Protection of Family
Providing for his family
Leading his family (which would include spiritual leadership)

https://www.gotquestions.org/biblical-manhood.html

Where do you stand? How do you rate your spirituality? Examine yourself and see if you can find anything.

Lord, help us as men to find you and our place in this world. Amen.

Lodge Calendar

Feb 4 (Tuesday) - Stated Communication. Dinner at 6 pm. Lodge at 7 pm.

Feb 11 (Tuesday) – Education Night - Bro. Aaron Walker will be presenting 'A Psychosocial Analysis of Oklahoma Masonic Membership’.

Feb 18 - Stated Communication. Dinner at 6 pm. Lodge at 7 pm.

Feb 22 - Lodge Road Trip – Webb City, MO Lodge #512 – Tri-State George Washington Birthday celebration. Three states, three degrees in one day. Our very own Nate Hopkins will be the Fellowcraft candidate. Save the date. Details to follow.

Feb 25 – Fellowship and dinner at 6 pm. We will practice the fellowcraft degree after dinner.

March 1 (Saturday) – Chili Cookoff – Fundraiser for Rainbow Girls Assembly #74. Starts at 11 am. $10 to eat and judge, $10 to enter your famous chili into the competition.

April 12 (Saturday) – Egg Scramble – 8 am to 11 am – $10 per ticket. Members will be receiving 10 tickets in the mail. Please remit money for your tickets at https://balodge243.square.site or mail a check to the lodge.

April All Month - Fishing Tournament –Details to follow.

April 26 – (Saturday) – Master Builder School. 8 am. (It’s also my birthday, see me for a list of gift ideas. 😊)

May 15 (Thursday) – Sr. Deacon’s Night – Drillers Game - $40 per ticket. Limited seating so buy your tickets now. You may purchase tickets here: https://balodge243.square.site/or send a check to the Lodge.

September - Fish Fry – Date to be determined.

Other Business

Please remember to pay your dues. 2025 Dues Notices are out. You can pay dues at https://balodge243.square.site/. Or mail in your dues to 117 W. Commercial St., Broken Arrow, OK, 74012. Due date is Dec. 31.

For those who are behind in your dues, we do not want to be a financial hardship for you. We will work with you on staying in good standing, but you have to reach out to us. Please contact the lodge office at 918.251.9282 to make arrangements or email us at brokenarrowmasons@gmail.com .

Please note we are making every attempt to keep our meetings to one hour. However, if you attend and the meeting is going long, you can certainly excuse yourself from the meeting at any time.

As always, if you need a ride to/from any of these activities, please contact the lodge office at 918.251.9282.

Sincerely,

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