2021 Review and Favorites
Hi there everyone! I thought it might be fun to review my year a little and to share with you some of my favorites from 2021…maybe you would enjoy some of them too!
Favorites
This year, the Lord gave me Jeremiah 29:11 as my special verse for the year. Of course, I had no idea how meaningful this verse would be for me this year, but in the midst of uncertainty, and at times, confusion about God’s working, it has reminded me again and again to trust in Him! He has a perfect plan for my life. Verses 12-13 have reminded me to seek Him with my whole heart.
My devotional for this year was My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers, and it’s been a real challenge and blessing. It seems as if the Lord always directs me to the perfect devotional for each year, and I would highly recommend this one if you’ve never read it. I’ve continued my personal study of Philippians this year, and spent quite a bit of time in the Psalms. What a blessing!
My favorite song for this year. Now, that’s a hard one; I have so many favorite hymns! But the hymn “Jesus, Lover of My Soul” has to be high on the list for this year! I’ve also enjoyed listening to Abiding Radio. I love listening to their sacred and instrumental selections.
My favorite book that I read through this year was Shadow of the Almighty: The Life and Testament of Jim Elliot, which I reviewed here on the blog. A couple of others that I read and loved this year were Called to Serve by Kent and Amber Brantly (missionaries in Liberia during the Ebola epidemic), The Five Silent Years of Corrie Ten Boom by Pamela Rosewell Moore, and Nests Above the Abyss by Isobel Kuhn, which I did a book review about here.
My favorite website to visit is probably SetApartGirl from Leslie Ludy’s ministry for women. Although I don’t completely agree with everything, overall the inspiring articles on the website have been such an encouragement (she has a great podcast, too).
Speaking of podcasts, this year I discovered Voice of the Martyr’s weekly podcast. Hearing firsthand the stories of those who have suffered for Jesus will take your breath away and make you examine how surrendered you really are to Jesus!
My favorite place to shop this year. We now have a Hobby Lobby about half an hour away from where we live, and I absolutely love that store! It has yarn, fabric, home decor, crafting supplies, jewelry-making supplies, a great drawing/painting section…and Christian music playing in the background as you shop! I’ve also done some shopping on ThredUp, an online thrift store. They have great prices and sales! Although I’m generally nervous about ordering clothes I’ve not tried on, I had really good success with what I ordered from them this year.
My favorite recipe from this year is another hard one to choose. I have had a lot of fun baking and cooking, trying new recipes! Recently, I made chicken thighs and rice with an herb rub on the thighs. I cooked them in our cast-iron pan for a few minutes, and then transferred them to the oven.
We went on several vacations this past summer, all of which were enjoyable (except for the one when I ended up in the ER)! My favorite had to be a short, local camping trip around Labor Day. We were able to really just relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery…and we had a little adventure with a wind storm that made for good memories!
Highlights from 2021
Highlights from my year included the birth of a new niece, a great missions’ conference at our church, getting my driver’s license (try #2!), family vacations and get-togethers, and starting this blog. I also was relieved to finally have a diagnosis for why I have times of feeling pretty sick…polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
Now, how about you? Was there a special Bible verse, hymn, book, or Christian website that the Lord used to encourage you in 2021? How about your favorite new recipe or place to shop? What made your year especially memorable? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
With Love,
