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This year I finally found a way to beat Daylight Savings time.

I get up at 5am each morning, so moving the clock ahead an hour in the spring makes my body feel like it’s getting up at 4am instead. Last year the time change completely wiped me out, and it took several weeks (months?) before I finally adjusted.

I’ve tried going to bed an hour earlier in the past, but that doesn’t work because I don’t fall asleep right away. My body hasn’t adjusted to going to sleep a whole hour earlier, so I lay in bed for an hour, fall asleep at the regular time and still have to get up an hour earlier the next morning.

So I decided to do something different this year.

I took a multi-day approach starting on the Monday before the time change. Monday night I set my clock ahead ten minutes. I went to bed ten minutes earlier than usual and set my alarm for ten minutes earlier in the morning. The ten-minute adjustment was easy to make, and I got up ten minutes earlier Tuesday no problem. Each night all week I set my clock ahead an additional ten minutes and got out of bed another ten minutes earlier in the morning.

In order to stay in sync with the rest of the world, I only changed the time on the bedroom clock. That way all the other clocks including my smartphone and watch all showed the correct time throughout the week. But when it was time to get ready for bed and go to sleep, I only went by the time on the bedroom clock.

So by the time I got to Saturday, my body was already fifty minutes ahead. Saturday night I set the bedroom clock ahead the final ten minutes, set all the other clocks in the house ahead an hour, and I was now fully ready for Daylight Savings Time.

And it worked! I got up Sunday morning at 5am, and it felt like 5am instead of 4am. No extra adjustment time needed.

I realize this tip is too late to help for this year, but if you have trouble adjusting to Daylight Savings Time, I recommend you try this incremental approach next year. I know I will definitely be doing it again.

Related post: 12 Favorite Productivity Principles
 

This Sunday our church participated in the Global Hymn Sing (https://www.globalhymnsing.com) sponsored by the Getty’s and focusing on world missions. As part of Global Missions Sunday we sang both the praise music version and the hymn version of the classic hymn, “Jesus Shall Reign,” by Isaac Watts.

Sunday’s message was called Jesus Shall Reign, taken from Psalm 72, the psalm on which Isaac Watts based his hymn. Here is a brief outline of the message:

1. Jesus will reign in justice (1-4)
   – Jesus shares God’s righteousness (Hebrews 1:8)
   – He will judge the people with justice (John 5:22)
   – He will defend the afflicted and crush the oppressor (Rev 11:18)

2. Jesus will reign forever (5-7)
   – He will outlast the moon and the sun (Rev 11:15)
   – He will bring blessing to the righteous (Rev 7:17)

3. Jesus will reign over all the nations (8-11)
   – He will rule from sea to sea (Matthew 28:19)
   – His enemies will bow down before him (1 Corinthians 15:25)
   – Kings will bring tribute to him (Matthew 2:11; Rev 21:24,26)
   – All nations will serve him (Philippians 2:10-11; Rev 15:4)

4. Jesus’ reign will help the weak and needy (12-14)
   – He will deliver the needy who cry out (Romans 10:13)
   – He will take pity on the weak (Matthew 11:28)
   – He will rescue them from oppression and violence (1 Pet 1:18-19)

5. Jesus’ reign will be blessed and a blessing (15-20)
   – Long live the king! (Hebrews 7:24)
   – May people honor and bless him! (Rev 5:12)
   – May his blessings abound! (Ephesians 1:3)
   – May his name endure forever! (Hebrews 13:8)
   – All nations will be blessed through him! (Gen 12:3; Rev 5:9)
   – May the whole earth be filled with his glory! (Rev 5:13)

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Sunday was the last week in the Ten Miracles of Jesus series. The message was called Praying for More Workers, taken from Matthew 9:35-38. Here is a brief outline of the message:

I. Jesus’ ministry to the lost (35)
      – cf. Matthew 4:23
   A. Jesus went through all the towns and villages
   B. Jesus had a ministry of teaching, preaching and healing.

II. Jesus’ compassion for the lost (36)
   A. When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion on them
      – Matthew 14:14, 15:32, 20:34, 23:37
   B. They were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd
      – Psalm 23; Is 40:11; Matt 11:28; John 10:11; Romans 5:6

III. Jesus’ instructions to pray for the lost (37-38)
   A. Great opportunity and need – plentiful harvest, few workers
      – Matthew 28:18-20
   B. Our great responsibility – pray for God to send more workers into the world to spread the gospel
      – Romans 10:13-15

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Last Sunday’s message from the Ten Miracles of Jesus series was called Power over Darkness, taken from Matthew 9:27-34. Here is a brief outline of the message:

I. Jesus has power over spiritual darkness (27-31)
      – Isaiah 35:5-6; Matthew 1:1
   A. People prefer darkness to light
      – John 3:19-21
   B. Jesus offers light to those who walk in darkness
      – John 8:12; Acts 26:17-18; Ephesians 5:9

II. Jesus has power over the prince of darkness (32-33)
      – John 10:10
   A. Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers
      – 2 Corinthians 4:4
   B. Jesus came to destroy the work of the devil
      – 1 John 3:8

III. How will you respond to Jesus’ miracles and power? (33-34)
   A. Some people are already seeking Jesus
      – Encourage them to come to Christ
   B. Some people don’t know they are captive to Satan
      – Warn them; pray for them; bring them to Jesus
   C. Some people may have hardened their hearts towards God
      – Still pray for them; only God knows (cf. Matt 12:22-32)

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Last Sunday’s message from the Ten Miracles of Jesus series was called Power over Sickness and Death, taken from Matthew 9:18-26. Here is a brief outline of the message:

I. The ruler’s daughter (18-19)
   A. The ruler’s request – respectful and believing
      – Hebrews 11:6
   B. Jesus’ response – cooperative and willing
      – Matthew 7:7-8

II. The woman with bleeding (20-22)
   A. The woman’s approach – secretive and believing
      – Hebrews 4:15-16
   B. Jesus’ response – compassionate and reassuring
      – Psalm 103:13-14; Matthew 12:20

III. The dead girl raised (23-26)
   A. The crowd’s attitude – disrespectful and disbelieving
      – James 1:6-7
   B. Jesus’ response – authoritative and mysterious
      – Matthew 13:10-13
   C. The end result – news of this spread through all that region
      – Matthew 28:18-19

“There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)

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Sunday’s message from the Ten Miracles of Jesus series was called Leaving the Old Behind, taken from Matthew 9:14-17. Here is a brief outline of the message:

I. Everything changed when Jesus came (14-15)
   A. A question about fasting
      – Matthew 6:16
   B. The illustration of the bridegroom
      – Isaiah 53:8

II. The old is incompatible with the new (16-17a)
      – Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:13
   A. The illustration of the unshrunk cloth (16)
   B. The illustration of the wineskins (17a)

III. Your life must change to accommodate Christ (17b)
   A. The change that only God can bring
      – John 3:7; 2 Corinthians 5:17
   B. The changes you make in cooperation with God
      – Philippians 2:12

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Sunday’s message from the Ten Miracles of Jesus series was called Calling Sinners, taken from Matthew 9:9-13. Here is a brief outline of the message:

I. Jesus calls sinners (9)
   A. Jesus calls you as you are
      – Romans 5:8
   B. Jesus calls you to follow him
      – Ephesians 4:22-24

II. Jesus associated with sinners (10-11)
   A. Don’t avoid those who need Christ
      – 1 Corinthians 5:9-10
   B. Be prepared to receive criticism
      – Galatians 1:10

III. Jesus came to help sinners (12-13)
   A. It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick
      – Ezekiel 34:15-16
   B. God desires mercy, not sacrifice
      – Hosea 6:6; Matthew 23:23; Ephesians 4:32
   C. Jesus did not come to call the righteous, but sinners
      – Romans 3:10,23; 1 Timothy 1:15

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Sunday’s message from the Ten Miracles of Jesus series was called Power over Sin, taken from Matthew 9:1-8. Here is a brief outline of the message:

I. Your greatest need is for forgiveness (1-2)
   A. Jesus provided forgiveness first rather than healing
      – Psalm 103:2-3; Isaiah 53:4-5
   B. We are powerless to save ourselves (as signified by the paralytic)
      – Romans 5:6; Ephesians 2:1
   C. We are saved by grace through faith alone
      – Ephesians 2:8-9

II. Jesus has the authority to forgive sin (3-7)
   A. Only God can forgive sin
      – Psalm 32:1-2, 51:4
   B. Jesus demonstrated his authority to forgive by healing the paralytic
      – Matthew 9:6

III. God’s forgiveness of our sins through Jesus should fill us with awe and praise (8)
   A. The crowd was filled with awe at the healing of the paralytic
   B. The crowd praised God for giving such authority to Jesus
   C. We should be filled with even greater awe and praise for Jesus’ authority to forgive sin – Psalm 130:4; Rom 3:25-26

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Here are the links to all five messages in the Five Candles at Christmas series exploring the various themes of Christmas represented by the five candles of the Advent Wreath. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, and may God bless you richly in the New Year.

Five Candles at Christmas (An Advent Wreath Sermon Series)
1. The Advent Candle of Hope – Matthew 1:22-23
2. The Advent Candle of Peace – Luke 2:13-14
3. The Advent Candle of Joy – Luke 2:8-12
4. The Advent Candle of Love – Matthew 1:18-21
5. The Christ Candle – Luke 2:1-7
 
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Sunday was the fourth message in the Five Candles at Christmas series exploring the various themes of Christmas represented by the five candles of the Advent Wreath. The message was called The Advent Candle of Love, taken from Matthew 1:18-21. Here is a brief outline of the message:

I. Joseph’s love for Mary
   – Matthew 1:18-19
 
 
II. Mary’s love for Jesus
   – Luke 2:6-7, 19, 34-35
 
 
III. God’s love for sinners
   – Matthew 1:21; John 3:16-17; Romans 8:38-39
 
 
IV. Our love for one another
   – 1 John 4:10-11
 
 
Note: Click on the Sermons tab at the top of the blog for this and other messages.
 

Sunday was the third message in the Five Candles at Christmas series exploring the various themes of Christmas represented by the five candles of the Advent Wreath. The message was called The Advent Candle of Joy, taken from Luke 2:8-12. Here is a brief outline of the message:

I. Jesus brings the joy of salvation
   – Psalm 51:12; Isaiah 12:3; Matthew 2:9-10; Luke 1:39-45
 
 
II. Joy leads to proclamation
   – Luke 2:8-12, 15-18
 
 
III. Joy leads to praise
   – Luke 1:46-49, 2:20
 
 
Note: Click on the Sermons tab at the top of the blog for this and other messages.
 

Sunday was the second message in the Five Candles at Christmas series exploring the various themes of Christmas represented by the five candles of the Advent Wreath. The message was called The Advent Candle of Peace, taken from Luke 2:13-14. Here is a brief outline of the message:

I. Jesus brings peace with God
   – Isaiah 53:5; Matthew 1:21; Luke 1:26-30, 76-79; Romans 5:1
 
 
II. Jesus brings peace with self
   – Luke 2:28-31; John 14:27; Philippians 4:6-7
 
 
III. Jesus brings peace with others
   – Matthew 1:20; Ephesians 2:14; Colossians 3:15
 
 
IV. Jesus will bring peace on earth
   – Isaiah 2:4, 9:6-7, 11:6-9; Luke 2:13-14; Colossians 1:19-20
 
 
Note: Click on the Sermons tab at the top of the blog for this and other messages.