I apologize for the awkward and clunky clues... I tried to make them sound as natural as possible, but still be entertaining... The constraint was keeping the verse in order as you read the clues from top to bottom [1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 13 NIV]
Also, this is the second time in a row I fudged grid size requirement... Last month was technically a 10x11 and this puzzle is technically an 11x10... Forgive me please
Nicely done without cluttering the fill. I knew there was something going on in the clues but I did not look at the list in its entirety to piece the verse together. Smallest nit that you included the answer in the clue for 20D
20D"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is ___"[----]
Ho-___ ([KIND] of reaction to a really boring movie)
7A
___ ___ up (enjoyed something [NOT] a little, but a lot!)
9A
Critic that is full of [ENVY] about you just enjoying your life
11A
Sedative-hypnotic drug that you should [NOT BOAST] about abusing
13A
Tricked into being [NOT PROUD] of your own country as a prisoner of war, perhaps
14A
Small British islands that sound like 8 8 8 8 (this is [NOT] a good clue sorry, I've brought [DISHONOR] to myself)
15A
Like challenging puzzles, riddles, and [OTHERS] that are tough to crack
16A
Like Spanish wine that is [NOT] sweet
18A
Instruments useful for jotting down notes to [SELF]
19A
Like the six months of winter in Antarctica (Why am I [SEEKING] to make this harder on myself by including a callback to an earlier contest theme?)
21A
Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon ___ (Hope you're [NOT EASILY] annoyed by a second callback clue... just in case you want a different clue: it's the brand of toilet paper I use)
22A
She and Adam ate the forbidden fruit and [ANGERED] God
Down
1D
Classic game consoles with hits like Pac-Man, Asteroids, and Space Invaders (just pure fun that [KEEPS NO RECORD OF WRONGS] unlike Santa with his stupid list... putting me on the naughty list year after year ugh!)
2D
Fills with fizzy bubbles, making soda [NOT] flat
3D
Flower used in herbal teas (what a [DELIGHT]!)
4D
Most merciless, as [IN EVIL] punishments
5D
Beehive State residents, one often [REJOICES WITH THE] Jazz
6D
You need to put money in them when parking on some NYC streets (but [TRUTH] be told, I don't have to when driving my Parks vehicle... benefit of working for the city I guess?)
7D
Swedish pop group with lots of songs that are [ALWAYS] bound to be crowd-pleasers at karaoke ("Take a Chance on Me" and "Dancing Queen," for example)
8D
Material that [PROTECTS] canned food from going bad for a long time
9D
___ Mulan (Chinese legend that the Disney film "Mulan" was based on... a brave girl who [ALWAYS TRUSTS] in herself and [ALWAYS HOPES] for the best when she took her ailing father's place in the army by disguising herself as a man)
10D
"Sanford and Son" comedian, whom Jamie Foxx [ALWAYS PERSEVERES] in memory as he chose his surname to honor
12D
2
17D
More than [NEVER], less than twice
18D
Rose who was caught in a gambling scandal and regarded as one of baseball's greatest [FAILS]
20D
"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is ___"