It’s finally time to say goodbye to 2021. It’s been a long year, a hard year, but a good year. I will try to summarize the highlights here.
Starting out, during the first three months I concentrated on work and building my strawbale shed. The strawbale walls, especially the stuffing, required much more time than I had expected and didn’t leave time for much else. Looking back now, though, it was a good experience.
In February, I decided to take up learning the Oboe. I had been wanting to learn an instrument that I could carry around with me for a while. I looked at Violins / Violas and Guitars but finally settled on the Oboe for the time being. It has been a challenge but I can now play simple tunes and hymns fairly well. It’s a beautiful instrument and I really enjoy it!
In early April I traveled (first time since the start of Covid) to Texas for a Christian retreat north of Dallas. It was engaging time and I plan to return again next year, Lord willing.
In late April we said good-bye to an aunt who went home to be with the Lord. It was a sad experience, even though we are once removed, but we know she is happy and in the presence of the Lord. Shortly after the memorial service, I flew out to Ohio for the wedding of one of my good friends. It was exciting to see him off to a new future with his beautiful bride! I was very happy for him.
Over the summer, I spent most of the time working hard on my property. I installed the septic system and then began work on the utilities (gas, water, electrical) in late July. I ultimately co-located the utilities in a single two-foot-wide trench that stretched nearly 600 ft from the utility pole across the house pad and up the hill to the water tank. It was a heavy undertaking and, while mostly completed by the end of September, it was only recently inspected and approved, so the back-fill is still in-progress as I write this. (Update post to follow soon.)
In October, I traveled with work to North Carolina for three weeks. It was a good trip and the weather was beautiful. I drove a few hours north to visit family in Virginia after finishing my tasking and spent several days. It was good to catch up and spend some time together after not having been there for several years. I also got a chance to visit Polyface Farms again and spend some time observing their operation.
The last two months of the year have been relatively uneventful. November was mostly tied up with Coronavirus mandate concerns and working thru the issues presented from that. It has caused a somewhat challenging time but I know and am confident that God has a plan for me in it. The rest of the time was spent trying to catch up on the utility installation from September, pouring the pad for the booster pump and pressure tank, and get it ready for inspection.
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Lastly, on a different note…over the last five months I’ve prayed especially that God would help me to gain a godly perspective of Covid and how we should live in these uncertain times. I’m beginning to think that 1st Peter 4:7-8 is a good outlook for me during this time: “But the end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgement and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins” (NASB95). If it was the last times when Peter wrote that, than our response now should not be different. Shouldn’t it?
There are many voices competing for our time and attention but God wants our focus to remain on him, in spite of the circumstances. It is true that there are issues in the world – big issues. While we should be aware of them, we need to not let them occupy too much of our time. We should be careful to live our lives as sanely and soberly as possible, encouraging community in our spheres of influence, to encourage each other, do what we can to live normally, and prayerfully let God handle the rest. It does not mean that we do not observe or prepare (to the extent that the situation / prudence warrants), but our preparation should be less about us surviving than trusting and glorifying God.
Those who care for something else more than civilization are the only people by whom civilization is at all likely to be preserved. Those who want Heaven most have served Earth best. Those who love Man less than God do most for Man.
C.S. Lewis, essay “On Living in the Atomic Age“, 1948
As chaos continues to unfold around us (morally, culturally, as well as sometimes literally), I think it is imperative that Christians seek to live lives that show the reality of who they are and what Jesus has done for us. Jesus is the answer! He alone can lift us up and set us free. True, life is never perfect and there still will be difficulties or shortcomings with our witness, sometimes very serious ones, but those are not the measure of the Christian. We are children of a risen King! As we begin a new year, it is my prayer that we Christians grow more and more in that reality, regardless of our circumstances.
Before I close this year out, I want to share a few links that have been helpful or encouraging for me over the last year or two.
A few websites that I frequent:
Inspiring Shorts:
- Jesus Christ is the King of Glory
- God Your Father Is Not Ashamed of You
- It Will Cost You Everything
- Hearing of Christ Makes a Man Want to Repent
Funny Shorts:
Some songs I have come to appreciate over the last 18 months:
- I Asked the Lord that I Might Grow
- God Moves in a Mysterious Way
- What Have You Done, Lord?
- The Secret Place
Happy New Year! Wishing God’s peace and blessings on you in 2022!
