As I am sure all of you know very well, one of the most useful of life’s little dictums is, “Learn from the mistakes of others.” In our own lifetimes, we have been able to personally witness the foibles of our tiny slice of human history as it unspools in living color in an insane 24-hour repeating cycle. So, with all that saturation, you would think we would actually learn from the mistakes of others, like no other generation before us, and thus become perfected masters of our own behavior. The guy staring back at me from my mirror this…
In 2022, the Priory of The Temple Church was preparing to host the 2023 Grand Convent and Investiture and decided to formally ask permission to hold our ecclesiastical Convent services at the breathtaking Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe, in Orlando. Our delegation to accomplish this included me, Chvse. Claudia Chamberland, then Prior and Grand C&I Committee Chair, Her Excellency Chvse. Linda Ross, as well as three very devout and involved Roman Catholics: His Excellency Past Prior Robert S. Miller, Chvse. Margaret “Margo” Miller, and the (then newly knighted) late Chev. Robert “Bob” Sherman, whose…
Yesterday I gave a presentation to the U.S. assembly of a joint project of the International Atomic Energy Agency (ISOE). In one part of it I used the slide you see at the top of this piece titled the “U.S. Department of Angst”. In the presentation I detailed the long worry list the U.S. government was dealing with concerning the occupation of the southern polar region of our Moon. That any government is a “necessary evil” has been frequently lamented by many. Is every government evil? Not all of it. But some of it is unavoidably so. Yet, is any…
According to the historic record, our Templar forefathers of antiquity were not perfect on the battlefield. Indeed, they were not even close to being invincible before their enemies. The historical accounts, although truthfully very incomplete, suggest that they won about 30-40% of their engagements struggling with the screaming infidels on the field of honor. That win-loss number reminds me of my Oklahoma State Alma Mater’s win-loss rate on the gridiron over the past 60 years. So, unfortunately, I have become very used to that statistic… Stepping back, that win-loss rate begs a very obvious question. If the Templar Knights were…
For some reason, the people of our culture have decided that making a resolution on the first day of each new year somehow signifies something more than making a resolution on any other given day. It is lent a mythical power that transcends “less important” promises made to self on the other 364 rotational cycles of our planet. Forbes Health has conducted several surveys on this issue and discovered that every New Year’s resolution has a lifespan of around 3.4 months (on average) before they disappear into the vast landfill of long forgotten promises to self. I totally get it….
Claudia and I wish to extend to you and your family our most heartfelt Christmas greetings with all our love. On this Holy Day of Christ-mass, we pray that you will find the peace that only our Savior can give – who came to us as an innocent babe, wrapped in strips of cloth and laid in a manger. But our Jesus also left this world in the same fashion – innocent, humble and with all our sins laid upon his pierced and broken form. He said “it is finished” at the end, departing this world with our transgressions in…
Remember The Holiday Party! Saturday, 3 January 2026 – at 1:00 – 4:00 PM Dixie Crossroads – Titusville, Florida RSVP by 27 December to Registrar@TempleChurchPriory.org ___________________________________________________________________ As modern Templars and Christians, the Season of Advent and Christmas takes on an acute significance. We cannot consider the profound implications of Christmas without likewise considering the events of two millennia ago in the tiny village of Bethlehem, just 30 miles due south of the gates of Jerusalem. And we likewise cannot forget that the Season of Advent is actually all about the Season of the Resurrection, which took place just outside Jerusalem’s…
NOTE: Claudia and I wish to thank you for your prayers and kind and heartfelt messages of condolences after the passing of my sister Caroline. Nothing prepares one for this kind of loss. But God used it for good, and Caroline is safe and healed in His everlasting arms. There is no better ending to any story than that! “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones.” Ps 116:15 – – – Please also be sure and not miss the Christmas note of thanks from our student in the Holy Land at the end…
Claudia and I wish to extend to each of you precious Knights and Dame Templars, followers, postulants and friends – our most sincere Thanksgiving blessings and the best holiday wishes for this 2025 season. One of (if not the) most powerful run of scriptures expresses this from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” In just 19 words, we learn three commands and then are assured in no uncertain terms that each of these are God’s implicit will for each of us. The third of…
JANUARY 3, 2026 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm (Saturday) Dixie Crossroads – Titusville AFTER the holiday rush is over and AFTER all the fun of the Dysfunctional Family Christmases, on the afternoon of January 3rd of the NEW YEAR, let’s party! Here is the official RSVP announcement created by our very talented Chancellor (and SOON to be Prior VIII), Tom Beaton: Click the link BELOW to download and save or print this invitation: 2025HolidayInvitation Click the link ABOVE to download and save or print this invitation: The KEY WORD here is “RSVP” by December 27th to Margo Miller (Registrar@TempleChurchPriory.org)…