I cannot properly express how pleased and honored I am to be able to serve my brothers in District 4 as the District Deputy Grand Lecturer.  It was one of the proudest moments in my Masonic journey when MWGM Steve Almager called me up and offered me this chance to help the craft. I know that I am up to the challenge and I am looking forward to a great year.  Part of my responsibilities is to be the liaison between the District 4 Lodges and our Grand Lecturer MWB Jonathan Andrews. I cannot wait to be sitting with my brothers and work on the craft that sets us apart from other fraternities and enjoy the brotherly love I have come to know throughout this district and the state.

Over the course of this year, I will be traveling to my Lodges and handing out ritual section cards and pins to our members to recognize their accomplishments.  I will also be available to Lodges and individuals to help with putting sections on the books and with improving their ritual work.  I encourage each and every brother to work on their ritual and turn in some sections to earn those pins.  Brothers can also complete sections to help their Lodge earn the Ron Brinkman Lodge Ritual Award which will be reinstituted this year.  Please note that a section turned in for their individual recognition does not count towards the Ron Brinkman Award.

Putting on great ritual for your candidates is not the only reason you should be reviewing your ritual.  It is a great way to learn more about the important moral lessons contained in each degree.  Whether doing ritual work and putting on degrees is or is not your passion, it is important for everyone to know and understand this ritual work.  One cannot practice outside of the Lodge the tenants of Freemasonry if they do not fully understand the great moral lessons contained within it.  I also suggest talking with all your brothers about the lessons contained within the ritual.  It is a truly special thing to see a brother find a part of the ritual that they do not understand and then turn to their brothers for understanding.  Sometimes it leads to a lesson for the brother.  Sometimes it leads to the realization that no one knows and decides that it needs to be researched further, and maybe even turned into a lecture or presentation.  And sometimes it leads to a great discussion where several brothers come together and share their understanding and ideas, knowing that they can safely share their thoughts without fear of ridicule.

One of the items that MWB Andrews has discussed with me and the other DDGLs is that we are to be a resource to help with the education and coordination of ritual, at your request, and that we are to avoid performing ritual ourselves.  I am going to work with each Lodge to see about setting up a communication method so that each Lodge can reach out to the whole district if you need help with filling positions in a degree.  I believe that with proper communication we can all work together as brothers and help our Lodges grow stronger.

Another way our Lodges can grow stronger is by using me as a resource to help your Lodges.  MWB Andrews has changed the DDGLs to hold Lodge of Ritual Instruction and Lodge Officer Training for any Lodge that requests it.  I can give these presentations at a regular communication, so the largest number of Masons are present, or as a monthly program.  These can be tailored to the needs of each Lodge and can be held more than once a year if needed.

I will also be working on setting up a time when all the District 4 Lodges can come together to hold a Master Mason ritual workshop.  These are an excellent opportunity to gain a greater understanding of Masonic ritual, its use within the Grand Lodge of New Mexico, and to see how they can improve their personal ritual proficiency and delivery.

I am very excited to be able to serve each of the Lodges of District 4 this year in helping with ritual training, practice, proficiencies, and sections.  Please feel free to reach out to me with anything you need or with any questions you might have.