Be Prepared...

 Listen here to radio recording. 

Good morning and welcome today’s Thought for the Day on HCRfm entitled “Be Prepared”.

If everything goes to plan, when you are listening to this recording, I’ll be on a train in the Highlands of Scotland, (somewhere near the famous Glenfinnan viaduct featured in the Harry Potter movies) and soon to get on a ferry with my bike and 3 friends.

I’m off to the Outer Hebrides, cycling around 160 miles on 5 of the UK’s most rugged and remote islands. For any trip you need to be prepared, and hopefully, I’ve done enough preparations! I’ll soon let you know!

Preparations have included: buying a new bike (big shout out to all the guys at TAG bikes in Huntingdon Community Centre who have been so brilliant) buying train tickets, getting spare inner tubes, mending tyres, planning a route, packing kit and stocking up on sweets!

One part of being prepared has been talking to people who have done this before, this has included Rob at TAG bikes, Kev at Richardson Cycles, and in fact two regular speakers on Thought for the Day- Alaster Gray who has done loads of cycling, and Clifford Owen who 2 summers ago cycled from Lands End to John O Groats aged 80.

Be prepared. It’s the scout motto. But here’s the thing… you can’t be prepared for everything. Who knows what challenges and changes we may need to face. Hopefully I can share a few stories on the next thought for the day.

I guess it’s the same in life. We don’t know what challenges are around the corner. But you can be prepared as well as you can. And the biggest way to be prepared for this life is to be prepared for the next life.

John the Baptist prepared people for the arrival of Jesus by calling them to turn from their sins. Jesus himself called people to prepare for the day of judgement by coming to him and having their sins forgiven. And wonderfully, according to Paul, ““What no eye has seen,     what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”—  the things God has prepared for those who love him”.

You can’t be prepared for everything. But if you put your hand in Jesus’ hand you can enjoy what God has prepared for us, because he’s promised “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you”.

As Clifford would say, “Mind how you go on the roads”. I’ll do my best. Be prepared! Have a great day.

Charlie Newcombe 27OCT25