The New Year

This post is going to be quite a departure for me, as it isn't about politics or Barry Manilow, but rather about me.

I've been reading a book written by James Farrell called "The Hidden Christ". Among the lessons pointing to Christ are a few that have hit home to me.

The first was in the introduction when James talks about how the story of Noah and the Ark have a very deep and personal impact on each of us today.

"And we see in the flood not only the end of a sinful generation but the predicament of spiritual death that we all face unless we accept the invitation to board the ark - leaving behind whatever else might have seemed important or enticing, and submitting to every requirement of passage."

Keep in mind that only Noah's family was saved, which also has importance in that only those who take upon themselves the name of Christ and become a part of His family will be saved from a final death, a spiritual death.

The other lesson that has hit home for me is from the book of Exodus. The story of the Exodus isn't just a story of Isreal being removed from Egypt, but also having Egypt, with it's worldly enticements, removed from the hearts of Israel. This includes us today. How are we failing to become a true Zion because we are caught up with worldly pursuits? This, by the way, also includes cliques that Ward's can get into sometimes. You know, where people have to dress a certain way or do their hair or makeup a certain way in order to be considered "cool".

I've taken a look at how my life has been over the past few years, and I'm not happy with it. Right after Decker died, I was on this spiritual high, until reality hit, along with the grieving process, and a lot of that came crashing down. I'm not at that level that I was back then, spiritually speaking, and I miss it. I want to get back to that.

In order to do that, though, I need to get Egypt out of my Israelite heart. So, the last few days I've been doing some purging. Not just taking the garbage out of the house, yes I've been doing that. Not just cleaning up my home, although I've been doing that. But getting rid of some of the things that have been a distraction and a way for me to cheat and keep Egypt in my heart where it should not be. So, I'm making some changes, and I've already started.

I've finally gotten the Star Wars magazine subscription cancelled (and found a young man in my Ward who would love to take them off my hands).

I've cancelled the subscription to Manilow.tv, and have no plans on renewing my fan club membership. I've not removed my profile from the message board, as I've made some wonderful friends there, but I do plan on visiting it a lot less.

I've also stopped the subscription to ldssingles.com and have removed my account. This is because I wasn't meeting anyone who was interested in me, unless you count some strange men who are divorced, don't go to Church and don't hold a recommend who have been checking out my profile. Why these guys are on this site when no self respecting woman in the Church would settle for someone like that is beyond me, but there you have it.

This is just the beginning of my purging and purification process, and I know I'll fail on several occasions throughout the year. That's why we have repentance.

How grateful can we be for that? I know I am.