{"id":8320,"date":"2019-02-06T06:27:54","date_gmt":"2019-02-06T06:27:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/?p=8320"},"modified":"2019-01-29T15:33:55","modified_gmt":"2019-01-29T15:33:55","slug":"waiting-at-the-airport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/50plus\/waiting-at-the-airport\/","title":{"rendered":"Waiting at the airport."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>I was asked recently, \u201cDo you believe in heaven?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As you walk through the airport terminal signs, images, smells and crowds of people carrying their luggage bombard the senses. It can take time to find your way to a seat by the departure gate, after all this is your main goal prior to actually boarding the aircraft for your flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Negotiating your way through the main entrance into the air-terminal can raise the heartbeat and cause some nervousness. The nearer to departure time the more anxiety can increase \u2013 will my plane be there and will I get on it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On going through the entrance one is immediately swamped by information overload.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fast food, the road shack, bites before you go. No thanks! I\u2019m not hungry and have you seen the prices?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2018Check in\u2019 signs: Gates 1-100\u00a0\u00a0>>\u00a0 Gates 101-190  &lt;&lt;  How far a walk is that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Past the perfume, past the sunglasses and leather goods, I already have a watch so past the watches; it looks like check-in is in sight. Pass the bags over to the airline and now find passport control \u2013 it\u2019s back a bit from the way you came. Smile at the customs officer; receive no response. Ticket (electronic or otherwise), yes; passport works \u2013 yes, therefore I\u2019m good to go. I\u2019m successfully through passport control. More duty free, no to whisky, cigars and cigarettes. Yet more food! No to perfume, well maybe just a free blast from the tester, I smell great. Find a seat at the departures gate and wait, but stay alert just in case the plane leaves without you. Is there time to go to the toilet? I\u2019ve just realised that I have more than one carry-on bag and it\u2019s not a computer bag, argh!&nbsp;&nbsp;Will there be room in the overhead locker? Let\u2019s see what happens&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a frequent flyer I can do most of this, with experience on both short and long haul flights it\u2019s a breeze really. But what about after Brexit? Will it still be breeze? Will the breeze blow in a new direction? Not a question that can be answered yet of course, we will simply have to wait to find out. Sometimes external circumstances intervene and the delights of a free blast from a tester are denied. It\u2019s all pressure, pressure, pressure\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So back to where I started: \u201cDo you believe in heaven\u201d? To be honest it\u2019s not something I ponder over very often as it really goes with the territory of being a Christian.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Bibles tells us that Jesus says in John\u2019s gospel Chapter 1 verses 1-4<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cDo not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father\u2019s house are many rooms\u2026 I am going there to prepare a place for you\u2026 I will come back and take you with me.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Becoming a Christian, knowing Jesus and having the promise of being escorted into heaven, sounds pretty good to me. Yes I believe in heaven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And believe it or not, it\u2019s a lot easier than getting on a plane!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Image Credit: John McArthur<\/p>\n<div class=\"linkwithin_hook\" id=\"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/50plus\/waiting-at-the-airport\/\"><\/div><script>\n<!-- \/\/LinkWithinCodeStart\nvar linkwithin_site_id = 897245;\nvar linkwithin_div_class = \"linkwithin_hook\";\n\/\/LinkWithinCodeEnd -->\n<\/script>\n<script src=\"http:\/\/www.linkwithin.com\/widget.js\"><\/script>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.linkwithin.com\/\"><img src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.linkwithin.com\/pixel.png?w=750\" alt=\"Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...\" style=\"border: 0\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I was asked recently, \u201cDo you believe in heaven?\u201d As you walk through the airport terminal signs, images, smells and crowds of people carrying their luggage bombard the senses. It can take time to find your way to a seat by the departure gate, after all this is your main goal prior to actually boarding [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<script>\n<!-- \/\/LinkWithinCodeStart\nvar linkwithin_site_id = 897245;\nvar linkwithin_div_class = \"linkwithin_hook\";\n\/\/LinkWithinCodeEnd -->\n<\/script>\n<script src=\"http:\/\/www.linkwithin.com\/widget.js\"><\/script>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.linkwithin.com\/\"><img src=\"http:\/\/www.linkwithin.com\/pixel.png\" alt=\"Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...\" style=\"border: 0\" \/><\/a>","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":8324,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[319],"tags":[87,97,110,459],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/plane.jpeg?fit=1000%2C572&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7PoLK-2ac","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4115,"url":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/demolition-squad\/hell-part-two\/","url_meta":{"origin":8320,"position":0},"title":"Hell: Part Two","date":"19 April 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"God wouldn\u2019t send good people to hell. Last week, we looked at the idea that there are no \u2018good\u2019 people for God to send to hell: There\u2019s Jesus, and then everyone else. Here we want to look at the idea that God doesn\u2019t send anyone anywhere \u2013 we satnav our\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Demolition Squad&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3228,"url":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/the-welford\/low-sperm-count-boy-part-3-misreading-the-signs\/","url_meta":{"origin":8320,"position":1},"title":"Low Sperm Count Boy (Part 3) &#8211; (Mis)Reading the Signs","date":"24 October 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Upon hearing our story many people are amazed by our faith. I don\u2019t see it entirely that way. As I look back on events that have transpired I see God\u2019s hand at work in a myriad of ways. These are mostly small and the sum of their parts gives me\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Welford&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1101,"url":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/thoughts-from-the-cvm-team\/heaven-is-for-wimps-and-posh-women-part-one\/","url_meta":{"origin":8320,"position":2},"title":"Heaven Is For Wimps And Posh Women &#8211; Part One","date":"10 November 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"What does the word \u2018heaven\u2019 say to ordinary blokes? There\u2019s \u2018chocolate heaven\u2019 which sounds a bit girly and after all, is just a pudding which women especially drool over. Then a lot of stuff about heaven seems to get mixed up with all the romantic hoo-hah around Valentine\u2019s Day, with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Team CVM&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/team-CVM-blog-640x360.jpg?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9902,"url":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/friends-of-cvm\/terminal-damage\/","url_meta":{"origin":8320,"position":3},"title":"Terminal Damage","date":"16 August 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"When I was employed in the building industry, we were made very aware of the dangers of asbestos in buildings. Whenever it was discovered, it had to be removed by licenced contractors using specialist equipment. The alarming thing was that in its day it was hailed as a \u2018wonder material\u2019\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Friends of CVM&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/crossBLOG.jpg?fit=610%2C291&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1145,"url":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/thoughts-from-the-cvm-team\/heaven-is-for-wimps-and-posh-women-part-three\/","url_meta":{"origin":8320,"position":4},"title":"Heaven Is For Wimps And Posh Women &#8211; Part Three","date":"24 November 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"In \u2018Heaven is for Wimps and Posh Women \u2013 Part Two\u2019 I mentioned the way Jesus once told people about hell, using an accessible, \u2018earthly\u2019 place as an analogy. I think he sometimes talked about heaven using earthly \u2018hooks\u2019 in the same way. He said, for instance, there would be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Team CVM&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/team-CVM-blog-640x360.jpg?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":87,"url":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/carls-thoughts\/are-we-nearly-there-yet\/","url_meta":{"origin":8320,"position":5},"title":"Are We Nearly There Yet?","date":"27 August 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Hanging out with my two kids is a blast. \u00a0I love their company. \u00a0They make me laugh, make me think deeply, and I get to eat burgers. \u00a0Travelling places with them is however akin to being strapped into a chair and being made to listen to Chris De Burgh sing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Carl Beech&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8320"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/89"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8320"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8320\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8325,"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8320\/revisions\/8325"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}