Changing Times

"SUN 4P" said the sign outside Winners Cardroom, as we pulled in today around 3:53 p.m.  We walked in the door and saw "Crazy Pineapple, 4pm" on a whiteboard to the left.  A few steps later, a seven-day schedule said, "Player's Choice, 4pm."

But there was one big problem.  Today's big Sunday tournament actually began at 2:00 p.m. The final table was down to five players as we walked in.

We knew the schedule had changed - but not until we checked the poker room's Facebook page at 3:20 p.m.  Nothing had changed online, as of late Saturday night.  But we went in hopes of getting into a possible second tournament, following the first one.

"How are you?" the man behind the desk asked.

"I'm confused," we admitted. The man explained they'd decided to try something different, and he hoped enough players would stick around for a second tournament.

The big game ended with a four-way split of the money around 4:15 p.m. A second tournament was promoted on social media for 5:00 p.m., but that's a bit late for us given our current schedule. We went away, and did a little shopping on the way home.

If there's one thing which disappoints us about poker rooms in our city, it's this sort of inconsistency. We've learned to check websites on Saturday nights, if we want to play on Sunday afternoons -- but even in this case, it wasn't good enough.

Thankfully, we serve a God who's not like that most of the time:

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. - James 1:17

God made the sun and the moon (Genesis 1:16) - and with extremely rare exceptions, He's kept them on schedule.  Astronomers can tell you when the sun will set tonight, when it will rise tomorrow and when it will rise six months from tomorrow. There's an unchanging orderliness to that - something believers in evolution can't explain.

"I the Lord do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed." - Malachi 3:6

God's timing of things is trustworthy. But sadly, men tend not to be.

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. - Psalm 118:8-9

Even the best of humans eventually will let you down. We must have faith that God will not - because otherwise, what hope do we have?

The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. - Psalm  145:13b

May you be faithful with your promises as God is with His. And if you have to make a change, please try to spread about it as early as possible. That will be better for all of us.