A place in the queue!

Waiting in a queue is part of everyday life, writes Bert Cargill of St Monans Gospel Hall. The other morning I was told I was number 19 in a telephone queue, and it took half an hour for me to get to where I wanted, a test of patience and resolve!

Queues at bus stops aren’t too bad unless it’s raining and there is no shelter. Airport queues can be very long but at least they move, perhaps slowly. At supermarket check-outs, do you go for the shortest queue, then in frustration find that someone’s problem holds everyone up? The worst thing is when someone jumps the queue and gets the last place available!

Do you know where you are going?

All photos courtesy of Unsplash 

Do you know where you are going?

I’m not asking you do you know where you’re going in terms of what bus you getting on or what is your travel destination? My question is - do you know where you will end up when your life on earth is over?

Your reply could be - I didn’t realise that there were any options, or, I thought that death was the end of the line (I am back to my travel analogies again).

Jesus Christ was known for talking a lot about where He had come from and where He was going when he had finished life on earth. That is a really strange way of talking for the average person. Birth was our starting point and to many, death is the final destination. 

But is it?

I am not talking about reincarnation. The Bible teaches that for all of us (except the Lord Jesus) birth was our starting point. However, the Lord Jesus claimed to have ‘come down out of heaven’ and that he had come from His Father, God. I, for one, believe His claims for a number of reasons. This post is not the place to go into detail to prove this. I created a series of videos one Christmas on this topic. If you want to watch them then click here - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL83f44mqnfq45Vo-nZSr6qzgxM3Hl0lFP.

The Lord Jesus also spoke often about going back to heaven where He had come from.There are a number of references in the Gospel of John where this is recorded. I’ll leave you to read John’s Gospel to see if you can spot the verses where He claims to be going back to heaven after life on earth. To read the gospel online click here https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%201&version=CSB

The Bible teaches that there is life after death. Our life on earth is the place that we prepare for the next life and God is concerned that we discover the truth and get to know Him.

If you want more information please text me (07747 101352) or email me (stepcar61@gmail.com) and I will get back to you

Route 55 - Are you on the right route?

All photos courtesy of Unsplash

Some months ago, a new bus route was introduced on the west side of Birmingham. 

This new service carries the number 55, and it links the southwest suburb of Longbridge with that of Quinton in the west. The most direct route is 6.8 miles. By car it takes up to 20 minutes and to walk about two hours. The best time by public transport is around an hour. 

The 55 bus is neither direct nor quick. In fact, it is one of the most indirect journeys one could imagine. It starts near the site of the former Austin Motor Company factory. The site comprises various retail units, a Further Education College, houses and apartments. The 55 bus seems to head off in the wrong direction, but another major shopping centre is reached by twists and turns around the houses. Beyond, there are the pleasant roads of Bournville Village, created by Cadbury Brothers, beside their famous chocolate factory.

Lifetime Guarantees!

All photos courtesy of Unsplash

In my teens, I bought a stylish pair of sunglasses that sadly became damaged after I headed a football during a break between college lessons. It was a good header, but not for the glasses. You can guess where they were! The shop was out of these frames, but as I liked them, I bought another, cheaper pair and attempted a repair job using the arms from the new ones. However, the screws did not fit properly, and since I had modified the arms to fix the old ones, I ended up throwing both pairs away. Two down!

The next time we played football, I ensured the third pair of sunglasses went safely into the front of my bag before the game. Unfortunately, I only realised that my bag had been taken to be used as a goal marker when one of the ‘posts’ were hit by a particularly hard shot. On inspection, it was immediately obvious that they were beyond repair. Three down.