The Cup

by Midnight Freemason Guest Contributor

Bro. Jerry Henderson

Since I have been in the craft, I have seen people from all walks of life. The rich, the poor, the young, different races and religions. But, when it all comes down to it, we are all trying to do one thing, be better.

In my previous post, I mentioned as to how I came about in the craft, which was a lot of networking. Now, I compare brothers in the craft to cups. Some of you may question me as to why I use cups, but follow me and I assure you, it will all make sense.
In the Bible, Psalms 23 Verse 6 states, 

“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over” (KJV).

When the term cup was used, it was referring, in my opinion, to a man. Now, when we see a cup, we look at the outside and might like the way it looks. Some people like mugs, some people like glasses. But, the real thing we look at is the inside of the cup. Is the cup clean? Does it have a hole in the bottom? Things of that nature.  

Freemasonry is the same way. Instead of looking at the outer person, we look at the inside of the man. We don’t care about your tattoos, piercings or anything else of that nature. All we care about is if you are a good man of good morals who is trying to become better. So, if you are interested in becoming a Freemason or you are a Freemason, make sure you have a clean “cup”.

~JH

Bro. Jerry Henderson is a member of St. James Lodge #114 a subordinate lodge of the MWPHGLNY. He is also a member of Abu Bekr Temple #91, A.E.A.O.N.M.S

Masonic Networking

by Midnight Freemason Guest Contributor

Bro. Jerry Henderson

I have been a Freemason for quite some time now.  In that time, I have met brothers from all across my jurisdiction, from NYC to Buffalo. I have also traveled to jurisdictions all across the East Coast and the South.  Also, I have met brothers from the West Coast and Midwest and I will be traveling to see them soon.  I have even met brothers from all around the world, from Japan, to Russia and London.  The way I came into the craft was, in fact, networking.

I have been in NYC since 2007.  I’m originally from Memphis, Tennessee.  When I was 20, I was in church and a mentor of mine, Mr. Davis, was there.  I asked my mom about freemasonry and she told me to talk to him.  I was nervous to talk to him about it, but I knew this was something I wanted to be a part of, so I went ahead and asked him about freemasonry.  We must have talked for about 10-15 minutes about freemasonry and I was excited to hear about the craft!  He then told me if I had any other questions, just to ask him.  I was nervous, but I knew the motto, “2B1ASK1”, so I told him I was interested in becoming a Freemason.  He then requested a petition for me and brought it to me a couple months later.  I filled it out, gave it back to him and forgot about it.  I then got a call about a job in Connecticut and moved.  While in Connecticut, I was still very much interested in the craft, but I didn’t join because I was trying to leave my current employer.  

When I moved to NYC in 2007, I was ready to become a member.  But the main problem thing didn’t know any Freemasons up here in the area.  I left the thought alone for a year, but it kept on bugging me.  So, in 2009, I asked a brother, Bro. Holman, in Memphis about the craft.  He then passed me to a brother in Boston, Bro. Russo.  Bro. Russo came down to NYC and linked up with some brothers he knew.  He gave my info to a brother names Bro. McCoy.  The plan was for me to go into his lodge, but my schedule didn’t allow for me join there.  So, he introduced me to Bro. Revander, whose lodge met my schedule.  Just that networking to get me into the craft, left a lasting legacy on me.  Always remember to travel, as we are traveling men.  

~JH

Bro. Jerry Henderson is a member of St. James Lodge #114 a subordinate lodge of the MWPHGLNY. He is also a member of Abu Bekr Temple #91, A.E.A.O.N.M.S