Remember time change this weekend

 

 

Wow! Can you believe it’s been a year since almost everything shut down because of the coronavirus?! What we thought would be a short interruption in our lives has changed our lives indefinitely. There is no going back to the way things were. Regardless of how the future unfolds, it will never be the same. However, things do seem to be returning to a more normal time. 

Did everyone notice there were no obituaries in last week’s paper? I don’t know if this is the first time this has happened, but if not, it doesn’t happen often. In fact, it seems lately that there have been more than usual. 

It was so great to have inside worship services this past Sunday. I’m sure there are many that felt the same as most area churches resumed inside worship. Looking forward to expanding the services to more normal. 

All the weather lately makes it feel like spring is here. Was the groundhog wrong when he predicted six more weeks of winter? I hope so. I think everyone is tired of being cooped up in the house. Just praying that this won’t lead to an increase in COVID-19 cases and more restrictions. 

Don’t forget the time change this weekend. I was researching to see what year it started in the sixties and discovered it has been around much longer. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 established a standard date across all time zones for daylight savings time to begin and end. Benjamin Franklin in 1784 suggested that getting out of bed earlier in the mornings would save on candles. However, most people thought it more of a joke than a proposal. In Europe during World War I, they began observing Daylight Saving Time in 1916 to conserve fuel. The United States didn’t adopt a plan until two years later. It was abolished after the war. Then President Franklin Roosevelt established “War Time” in February 1942 until September 1945. From 1945 until 1966 localities could establish their own policies. This led to much confusion as there was no standard for when it started and stopped. Travelers could pass through several changes in time just moving across a state. That’s why the Uniform Time Act was established, with a few tweaks since then in start and ending times. The latest thing is the push to get it made permanent year-round either with Daylight Saving Time or to end it. 

Since this is the weekend that time changes, I thought the following verse was appropriate for this week’s scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” This theme continues through verse 8. So, regardless of us setting our clocks forward or backward, God intended for everything to be balanced in life. When you read verses 1–8, there are 14 pairs of contrasting examples of activities. 

Please continue to be in prayer for the sick in our community and to those that have lost loved ones. God knows their names and needs. Until next week, take care and be joyful!

Organizations in the area, as well as churches, I need your events! If your family has some news or an event to share, please contact me. I would prefer text at 334-414-7147 or emails to wardgrand6@gmail.com, but phone calls will be fine, too. If you don’t get me when you call, be sure to leave a message.