We have arrived - Inverness

On the flight over, I was thinking that I am now heading towards the final chapter of my life and I want to finish well, both physically and spiritually. So, of course I looked at the scriptures to see what that means. In 2 Timothy 4:10 Paul mentions Demas. And He said, "Demas, having loved this present age, has deserted me." Under the threat of persecution and the daily pressure of caring for all the churches, Demas abandoned his calling. He was seduced by the pleasures of the world. He ruined his own testimony. He did not finish well.

There are numerous examples in scripture of others who did not finish well. Even the church at Ephesus, the most privileged, influential, and well-taught church, grew cold and apathetic. In Rev. 2:4 Jesus spoke to them through the apostle John saying, "But this I have against you, that you have left your first love." Their love for Christ had grown cold and they failed to keep their hearts focused on Him.

The examples make it very clear that there is a very real danger that someone who has lived and served Christ faithfully for most of his life might grow lazy, careless, fatigued or lukewarm in the faith, and then stumble to the finish. Living the Christian life faithfully is not more trouble-free the older we get. Sanctification doesn't come any easier with advanced age. The number and intensity of the fiery darts the evil one aims at us don't diminish. The obstacles we face don't get easier to overcome, and scripture warns us, "Let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall." 1 Cor. 10:12

This has given me much to think about, but my time on this airplane is ending, so I will continue to ponder this and see where the Lord leads me. One thing I know is that I want to aim for that incorruptible crown, to run to win, and to finish well. At the end of my life, I want to be able to say what Paul said to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:7-8: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith." Ok, enough about that. After an 8 hour flight to London, a change of planes, then a 2 hour flight to Inverness, and a 20 min bus ride, we arrived.   

Flying into London

Wembley Stadium is the national stadium of England and the home of English football.

With 90,000 seats, it’s the largest sports venue in the UK and the second-largest stadium in Europe. 

Iconic and internationally recognised as world class, Wembley hosts the biggest and best events, including: the 1966 World Cup Final, the nail-biting action of EURO ’96, the 1948 Summer Olympics, and the 2015 Rugby World Cup. 

It’s dramatic looking too. In fact, the striking 133-metre tall arch is the world’s longest single span roof support structure and is visible right across London. Plus, there’s a sliding roof to protect fans from the elements.

As we were waiting to board the plane to Inverness in London, a lady approached us who was confused about where to go. She was from Canada and her shirt said, “CANADA, we are not for sale”. She asked if we were on holiday and where we were from. When we told her the US, she said I’m sorry and proceeded into a diatribe about all the problems in Canada caused by Trump and how they DID NOT want to be the 51st state, blah, blah, blah. Then she said she didn’t want to offend and Kody said well you did. She just kept digging herself into a deeper and deeper hole and we were saved by the boarding announcement. Whew!

Flying into Inverness

The Moray Coast

Departing the plane in Inverness 

The gorse is blooming all along the roads. Jo Anne I’m sure you remember all the gorse walking from St Bees on the England C2C. Apologize for the reflection in the bus window. 

Inverness is commonly known as the capital of the Highlands. It is a thriving city on the River Ness and dates back to the 6th century when King Brude built a Pictish fort here. Modern-day Inverness owes its success to the shipbuilding that began during the 17th century. Through the 20th century the population doubled and now thrives on tourism. 

The city's charm lies in its lovely riverside setting with tree-lined avenues on each bank and the elegant Greig Street Bridge, a suspension footbridge, connecting one side to the other. However, the most beautiful part of the river is at Ness Islands. The islands are connected by footbridges from either bank and are managed as a city park with the Great Glen Way passing through the middle. The blog background photo is one of the bridges (photo taken in 2016). It will be an amazing finish on our final day of the GGW and is the area Jo Anne and I walked in 2016 on our Heritage Walk (the reason the GGW went on my bucket list). 

We are staying at the Fraser House, situated on the West Bank of the River Ness, for the next two nights. It's a 5 minute walk to the city center and renowned for its big Scottish breakfast (we'll find out more about that day after tomorrow) and incredible view of the river.

View from one side of the room

And view from the other side 

After checking into the Inn, we walked around exploring more of the city and stopped for pizza at Black Aisle Pizza. Most of the ingredients are grown on their property and organic. They have gluten free, dairy free vegetarian, you name it.

Kody had spinach, balsamic and goat cheese

I had venison sausage and mushroom 

The restaurant was very crowded so we joined a young couple at a large table. They are from Wisconsin and on their honeymoon. We enjoyed visiting with them and they asked what the secret was to the longevity of our marriages. It was an opportunity to plant a seed as we both know that the secret is commitment to each other and to God, with Jesus at the center. 

People from the UK have been so friendly and kind. We were standing in the que to get on the bus from Inverness airport to city centre and a lady in front of us said she had a pass for 5 to take the bus and they were only three so we could get on with them for free. It was a lovely thing to do and we took her up on it. 

Tomorrow we are off to the Isle of Skye with Donald (our tour guide) and the forecast looks great! The weather today has been magnificent! I told Kody I think it’s the first time I’ve ever flown into London when it wasn’t rainy and dreary. 

All I can say about the stats for the last two days is sitting, sitting, sitting. So glad that part is done for now and we can enjoy moving about. 

Should have amazing pics tomorrow from the Isle so more then…

It’s not a very good sunset photo but is about the best I’m going to get tonight.