Pastor Mike Nodland of the Christian Fellowship Church in Vining, IA.

Have you wondered what 2023 will look like? If only we could look through a scope and see. Would we be disappointed?

I got a refractory telescope years ago. Setting it up in our living room, I aimed for the sky through our front window, but everything was a blur. Adjusting, I tinkered around with various lenses, trying to make out what I was looking at, but everything was a blur.

Eyeballing the direction of the scope, I began to get something! It was kind of green, kind of whitish, but definitely not the blue sky! What was it? Finally, I found the right lens with just the right focus, and bingo–the image came in sharp! It was a squirrely-looking, shriveled leaf in my neighbor’s yard!

And was that blurring into focus my annoyed neighbor pointing back at me through my telescope lens? Uncertain how to explain this indiscretion, I folded up the scope and retreated to the basement. Upon second thought, I got fiber tape out, wrapped the scope up soundly in a box, and stored it on a high shelf… forever!

Here’s a thought: What are you focusing on in 2023? Health? Wealth? Peace? How about focusing on Jesus? Is He in focus, or just a blur?

Mike Nodland, pastor

Christian Fellowship Church, Vining, IA