3 Proven Lodge Retention Strategies Every Worshipful Master Needs
Motivating new brothers to return to lodge is a nationwide challenge.
Bull’s talks about Freemasonry are legendary. He delivers powerful, carefully-considered Masonic presentations with the passion and delivery of a street preacher.
No slides. No notes. No net. Bull speaks from the heart in a wildly engaging extemporaneous style that pulls your members into an idea.
If you’re looking for well-researched, peer-reviewed presentations that leave your lodge in fevered discussion for weeks afterword, hire Bull.
HOW DO YOU ENGAGE YOUR LODGE?
Is there some way to reach brethren without using Power Point?
There is. Instead of cramming all of Freemasonry into a 45-minute slide show, try just talking from the heart. From experience. From deep and thorough consideration of the subject. Bull builds his talks out loud, using the classic rhetorical structure preferred by orators long before AI ever existed.
Bull delivers a rousing essay about a single idea, working from the broadest entry-point down to the clearest, most concise expression of the concept—often stated in fewer than five words. But not from notes, not from 3×5 cards. No two deliveries of a presentation are the same. The talk he gives to your lodge is one-of-a-kind.
Bull is fully engaged in his subject and has researched and tested his idea against his team’s ruthless battery of logic, rhetoric, and grammar. These talks are carefully constructed, precisely tuned, and delivered in a voice like a cannon. Nobody sleeps. Nobody’s on their phone. They’re locked-in.
The discussion which follows may seem out of control and loud, but Bull manages it like a pro connecting participants’ thoughts to the underlying precepts of the presentation. The afterglow from such a presentation can last for weeks.
help your lodge reclaim what's real.
Loud. Inspiring. Hilarious.
Bull’s appearances are not performances. He is authentic and warm, suffused with good-natured Past Master energy, ready to tell a wild story or run a workshop with generosity, inclusiveness, and kindness. (Mild profanity is optional.)
Actionable. Practical. Unforgettable.
A useful field-guide to naming, wrangling, and finally subduing one's passion—and why we are directed to do so.
One Sheet
Hilarious Take on Esoteric Studies
An argument for Masons to relieve themselves of the distress of rabbit-holing into the tragic wreck of esoteric scholarship.
Details
Gen-Z is lonely. We can help.
The upcoming generations of masons are suffering from an epidemic of isolation. Is our fraternity their best bet for making it through?
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Abject Failure Abroad.
Camel hate. Blasphemy. Jet Ski abuse. Machine guns. The awful truth about the pyramids. Getting naked with Michael Jackson. Rat soup in Madrid. The Morgrom Splaternackle Choir.
One Sheet
A step-by-step guide to finding your life's purpose
and why you really, really have to. From a leaky inner tube in a La-z-River, on a Thursday at 4pm, Bull was enlightened—and it was uneventful.
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Public Speaking for Maniacs.
How to turn a single piece of paper and a cheap pen into a bombtastic public presentation. How to speak extemporaneously.
One Sheet
is bull the right masonic speaker for your lodge?
Are you worried about f-bombs?
Bull’s style is raw and real. For professional or traditional lodges, he keeps it strictly clean; for festive boards, the gloves can come off if you choose.
However, though there might one, or two (or ten) they aren’t the point. Colorful language is indicative of Bull’s extemporaneous style, proof that even he doesn’t know exactly what he’s going to say.
Only that what he does say is genuine, worthy, and memorable.
Will Bull Match your vibe?
The Problem: You took the East with grand plans to bring real “Light” back to the lodge room. Instead, you are currently drowning in a sea of unread Grand Lodge circulars, debating the electric bill, and watching the brethren slip out the back door the second the minutes are approved. You need an education program that actually works—and you need it to require zero extra prep time on your part.
The Fix: I don’t do boring, dry-as-dust history recitations. My presentations are built specifically to break the “stated meeting fatigue” and give your officers an easy, plug-and-play framework to keep the momentum going long after I leave.
What Your Lodge Gets:
• Active Engagement: High-energy, storytelling-driven presentations that get the side-benchers talking and leave the room wanting more.
• The “Pen & Paper” Blueprint: I teach a proprietary, analog method for building powerful extemporaneous speeches using just a single piece of paper and a pen—perfect for training your next line of officers to speak with confidence.
• Actionable Retention Strategies: Practical insights focused on lodge member retention, turning casual attendees into active participants.
Let’s save your second and fourth Tuesday nights. Click below to look at available dates and bring a dynamic, hassle-free education program to your next stated meeting.
The Problem: You are the Lodge Education Officer, which means the Master handed you the most critical job in the line—and the hardest one. You are tasked with providing “Masonic Light” every single month. But whenever you stand up to deliver an education piece, you are met with a wall of blank stares, clicking cell phones, and brothers checking their watches. You don’t want to just read another encyclopedic paragraph; you want a program that actually clicks with the guys sitting on the benches.
The Fix: Bull Garlington doesn’t lecture at a lodge. He tells stories that connect with them. His programs bridge the gap between heavy Masonic philosophy and practical, everyday life. No dry academic papers—just high-impact, off-the-cuff storytelling designed to spark immediate post-meeting discussion at the festive board. Is it scholarly? Hell yes. Is it accessible? Also yes.
What Bull Brings to Your Lodge Room:
- Zero Slides, Pure Connection: Bull speaks completely from the heart, without notes or slides, modeled on classic rhetorical presentation styles that command a room’s attention.
- Concision & Craft: He cuts through the fluff to deliver sharp, punchy insights on mastering passions, finding personal purpose, and refining language.
- The Analog Toolkit: He explores how to use intentional, analog tools and techniques to relieve digital overwhelm, a message that deeply resonates with both younger brothers and seasoned past masters.
Give the sideline an education night they’ll actually talk about. Click below to explore available presentation topics and claim a spot on the lodge calendar.
The Problem: You are planning a special event—a Table Lodge, a Festive Board, an annual banquet, or a landmark anniversary. You don’t just want a lecture; you want an unforgettable headliner. You need a published author who can pack the room, command the floor, and deliver a high-energy, side-splitting performance. Most importantly, you need someone who knows how to keep the humor intelligent, mostly clean, and entirely respectful of the Craft.
The Fix: Bull Garlington is an award-winning humorist and a master of live-action storytelling. When he takes the level, his memoirs transform into roaring, fast-paced narratives that completely capture the sideline. He blends sharp, sophisticated wit with the engaging presence of an upscale comedic performer, ensuring your members are laughing from start to finish while very carefully and only occasionally crossing the line into irreverence or profanity.
What Bull Brings to Your Festive Board:
- A Side-Splitting Headline Show: Dry academic papers are left at the door. Bull delivers a high-margin entertainment experience filled with ribald, elite-level humor that celebrates shared human experiences.
- The Post-Event Happening: Bull turns the book-signing table into a hub of genuine fellowship. The brethren don’t just get a standard signature; they get a personalized, memorable interaction with an author who treats every single brother like an old friend.
- A Buzz That Lasts: He provides a premium, literary experience that elevates the prestige of your lodge’s special event, leaving your members talking about the night for the rest of the Masonic year.
Turn your next big lodge event into an absolute spectacle. Click below to explore available dates and bring the full author experience to your banquet hall.
The Problem: Your lodge is made up of corporate leaders, business owners, and driven professionals. They value their time, respect structure, and have zero tolerance for a presentation that feels disorganized or amateur. You want an educational program that offers intellectual depth and engaging humor, but you also have strict standards: no coarse language, no casual irreverence toward the Craft, and absolutely no dense, ungrounded esoterica that puts the room to sleep.
The Fix: Bull Garlington delivers polished, high-caliber presentations designed precisely for sophisticated audiences. He blends sharp wit and observational humor with deep respect for Masonic tradition. There are no gimmicks, no crude jokes, and no tracking into obscure mysteries—just practical, profound insights delivered with executive-level professionalism.
What Bull Brings to Your Lodge Room:
- Reverent Humor: Clean, intelligent wit that keeps a professional audience laughing while fully honoring the dignity of the lodge room and the symbols of the Craft.
- Practical Wisdom over Esoterica: Instead of getting lost in abstract theories, Bull focuses on how Masonic principles apply directly to modern life, leadership, and personal mastery.
- Executive Presence: Drawing from his extensive experience speaking to corporate crowds and professional organizations, Bull commands the room with an engaging, extemporaneous delivery style that respects your members’ time and intelligence.
Bring an elite, professional-grade educational experience to your next meeting. Click below to review booking guidelines and coordinate calendar availability.
Is Bull Available for Your Lodge?
My Go-to Guy.
Bull is my go-to guy when I need a kick-ass presentation. He’s able to stand in front of any sized group, deliver humorous and engaging talks on a myriad of subjects and I’m always asked to bring him back for another talk. Every. Single. Time. Hire this guy. Now.
The Perfect Creative Partner
Creative, capable, enthusiastic, energetic and generous, Chris Garlington is the perfect creative partner. He’s a terrific writer and works beyond the call, presenting ideas, feedback and a much-needed slice of humor to help your projects succeed. His “Analog Attorney” column on our website AttorneyatW...
Outstanding Work.
Christoper created and maintained a campaign web presence and ads for a political campaign. They were outstanding.
Brilliantly funny.
Chris is a warm, informative, and brilliantly funny public speaker. I was fortunate to have him speak to several publishing and author groups/organizations I’m involved with and was so pleased at his ability to combine helpful guidance for writers with humorous stories of his own experiences in publi...
Extremely Enlightening.
My short attention span doesn’t allow me to focus for a very long time, however Bull’s talk made me hyper focused on every word. My only disappointment was that it was too short! I cannot wait to hear Bull again. Extremely enlightening.
About bull garlington
Keynote Speaker. Author. Past Master.
Bull Garlington is an award-winning writer and speaker focused on helping professionals reclaim their authenticity from a digital world that’s trying to eat them alive. His talks do not directly address work-life-balance by paying lip-service to authenticity. These workshops and presentations aren’t a basket of hashtags. They are warm, inclusive, and real.
Speaking for Masonic lodges, non-profits, small firms, major organizations, and private clubs around Chicago, the Great Lakes region, and the US, Bull’s talks consistently deliver a fresh take on the craft, its meaning, and how to live it.
Garlington is a Past Master of Kelvyn-Park Willing Masonic Lodge; a former District Education Officer for the Fifth Northeast District of Illinois; former Senior Writer and Managing Editor for Illinois Freemasonry; and the Librarian of Lux Lunae Masonic Lodge.
Book a Brief Call with Bull:
Schedule a quick fifteen to thirty minute call to see if Bull’s presentations are right for your event.
Loud. Engaging. Hilarious.
BULL GARLINGTON
Corporate Keynotes. Masonic Education. AI Proof.
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