BITS and PIECES
A random collection of news and views
compiled by Frank McClelland for the
Toronto Free Presbyterian Church.
250th Edition – July 6, 2025
TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH EDITION
It was on the 4th March 2020, that the first “Bits and Pieces” was published in the middle of the COVID pandemic. It was not intended to last so long, but here we are, five years later, at #250. I hope you enjoy each page; I know I like putting it together. It’s good for an aging brain to keep active!
Originally, it was meant for the Toronto church only, but now it travels across the world. Should you have friends you think might be interested in receiving it, please contact Elder Jonathan McAnally, and he will add your friend to the church mailing list.
GEORGE MCCONNELL
We are very sorry to bid farewell to our colleague and friend, George McConnell, who died last week. He was an elder of long standing in our Kilkeel, NI, church. George did a monumental work in supporting our missionaries and travelled widely to many countries. His help was greatly appreciated by the missions and he will be missed.
George had a great sense of humour and few of his friends escaped his rapier wit. It was a delight to be in his company. To his wife Jean, we extend our heartfelt sympathy.
GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM
We live at an amazing time in history. The world of modern technology is mind-boggling and today’s spectacular device will be out-of-date tomorrow.
When serving my aeronautical apprenticeship I saw my first computer. That would be about 1955. It was used to do the multitude of wing stress load calculations required in aircraft design at that time. It was a monster, filled a large room, full of large cabinets, complete with flashing lights, whirring wheels and recording tapes. Today a handheld calculator could do the same job.
Virtually every car today is fitted with a Global Positioning System which enables you to travel to any address you type in. It will give you precise instructions about what route to take and what turns to make. I marvel at its accuracy. The more I have used it, the more I realize what an illustration it is for spiritual truth, especially considering the journey from earth to heaven. Let’s see what we can learn.
The GPS communicates with several satellites about 180 miles above the Earth and pinpoints my position, so we are continually being watched by those satellites. If I disobey its commands, or make a wrong turn, it knows and tells me. At any given moment, it knows where I am.
God Almighty looks down from a far greater distance, from Heaven itself. We are told that He watches over the earth “from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year thereof” [Deuteronomy 11:12].
The GPS can see us but cannot hear. The woman who gives the instructions could not hear if we told her she was wrong. But the Lord can both see and hear us. On the Day of Judgment, we will give account for “every idle word” [Matthew 12;36] we speak.
One serious shortcoming of the GPS is that, while it may direct us to almost any place on earth, it cannot direct us to Heaven. I typed the word “Heaven” for my chosen destination. All it could do was to direct me to Heavener, Oklahoma!
Only Jesus can direct us to Heaven, He who is “the way, the truth, and the life” [John 14:6]. The Psalmist [74:24] says of God, “Thou wilt guide me with thy counsel (on Earth), and afterward receive me to glory (Heaven) [Ps.73:24].
I must OBEY my GPS’s instructions if I am to get to my chosen destination. Likewise, we must OBEY God’s instructions to make the journey from Earth to Heaven. Only He knows where Heaven is, and only He can take us there, because He is “the way.’
If I make a wrong turn the GPS will tell me to make an immediate U-turn. In other words, ‘you are on the wrong road.’ That is what repentance is. One moment we are on the ‘broad road” to hell and destruction but when we come to Christ as our Saviour we make an 180 degree turn and head on the right road towards Heaven, When I reach the destination, my GPS tells me “You have arrived”. What a blessing it will be to hear from Jesus, “You have arrived.”
