Never a dull moment

This afternoon, the children were gathered around the table making crafts, which consisted of a cutout of our hands which became a turkey when we decorated it. Mom was using this opportunity to quiz us on how to make a sentence more interesting. One at a time, we each were given a sentence and then told to improve it. We went in age order, so Pip was last. When it was his turn, mom gave Pip the sentence "The baby fell." He gave a bemused look, then blurted out "I picked up the baby!" So you see friends, even with something as simple as making a craft can quickly turn funny when our family is involved. (I think that I am the one that seems to be the common factor... adventures of all sorts seem to follow me... or I follow them)

Some random things that you may or may not know about me

I though of a list of random things about me, most of them are not at all related to one another, but that's the point of randomness, right? OK, here goes...

• I love flip-flops- I literally will wear them all year long
• I love the color combination of blue and brown
• I broke my toe on a kayak- OK, well, actually the kayak dropped on my toe; and for those of you who are wondering, yes it really hurt
• OK, so this one is really weird, and I'm not superstitious or anything, but... I can tell when it will rain because my toe (the one that I broke) and my ankle (the one that I sprained in gymnastics numerous times) will both hurt like crazy right before it rains
• I am a night owl
• I hate making small-talk
• I used to be able to do a full splits with an 8 inch mat on either side, as in, I was doing a full splits and my legs were off the ground 8 inches on either side -Yeah, I know, I think it's disgusting too
• When I was 8 and in gymnastics, I was the state champ. in bars for my age group
• I am a big self-critic
• I am a perfectionist
• I am left-handed
• I can talk in a Donald Duck voice (not super well)
• I mentioned in an earlier post, but I very, very much dislike being the center of attention

Well, if you thought that was crazy, just wait for my post on my odd quirks ;P

Mickells Family Reunion-Day 2

The second day of the reunion (Sat), the some of the guys went golfing (My Dad, Stephen, Sam, Pip and Uncle Jerry went to an Annie Oakley Boom Days event in Southern Pines) and the girls went shopping in downtown Pinehurst and Southern Pines and then had High Tea. Then we all met back at our house for dinner.

L-R: (Back) Me, Aunt Gina, Ms. Trina, Aunt Barb, Mom

(Front) Claire, Hayden, Shea, Haley, Miss B

Me and Aunt Barb

Are these girls related to me? Of course they are!

Doing hair in the parking lot

We didn't get any pics of the boys outings... oh well

Words, words, words

As all of you probably know, your words are very important. James 3:1-10 says this about the tongue,

¹ My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. ² For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. ³ Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. ⁴ Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. ⁵ Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.
See how great a forest a little fire kindles! ⁶ And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. ⁷ For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. ⁸ But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. ⁹ With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. ¹⁰ Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.

Right now, I am reading a book called Relationships: a mess worth making, by Timothy S. Lane & Paul David Tripp. It is a really good book, and I would recommend it to anyone who is striving to have better relationships that are built on Christ. Anyway, I just finished reading a chapter called "Talk" The authors had many good points, so the chapter will be the basis for my post. As I was reading the chapter, I was struck by a few things, viz. That God is the author of language (He speaks the first words in Gen. 1), and we are His ambassadors. So, what is an ambassador? "An ambassador does only one thing-represent. His job is to incarnate a king who is not present. Every word he speaks is directed by the king's interests and will." Quote taken from Relationships: a mess worth making, pg. 73. When I read this, I thought, "Wow...". I mean, I knew that before reading this, but I guess it just really struck home for me this time. Everything that we say is for a particular kingdom. Even in our everyday talk, actually, especially in our everyday talk, we need to make sure that the kingdom that we are pursuing with our words is God's kingdom. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to listen to a recording of everything that you have said over the past week or month? I know I have, and I hope that that would never happen; I would probably be mortified if it did. I once heard a quote, I don't remember by whom, but the quote went something like this, "If your friends knew everything that you say about them, there would be no two friends in the world." Ouch. That hurt. How come it is so much easier to bad-talk someone than it is to encourage them? It's because of our sin nature. It is easier for us to do wrong. But, as Christians, we don't want to stay at the place where we just do whatever is easiest. We strive to grow closer to God by obeying His commands. Another thing that I learned from the book, is that you need to have good communication with others. OK, I already knew that as well, but it also struck home. It is so frustrating to have one of your friends not act the way that you want them to, or the way that you think they should. The easiest thing to do is the get upset and ignore them or say hurtful things to them. I've done both, and it is not the easiest thing in the end. Because then the other person wonders, "Why the cold shoulder all of a sudden?". In their minds, they haven't done anything wrong. See what I mean? Good communication is crucial to a good relationship. It is also important to be able to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15). Look at the last part, in love. Not in anger, frustration, haughtiness, bossiness or attempt to pick out their flaws. We must correct or brothers and sisters in Christ when we see them going astray, but it is fruitless if we do not have the correct spirit. Has someone ever tried to tell you that you did something wrong, in, say haughtiness? Your, well at least my, first reaction is "Who do they think they are? I'm not going to listen to anything they say!" I've actually done that before (I didn't say it out loud, but I thought it), and then I proceeded to walk away all in a huff, just so they knew that I was mad. :) (Just for the record, I did end up going back to that person and apologizing for my pride) I would not recommend doing what I did if someone does not chastise you in love. So, people take things a lot better if you say them with the right attitude. I think that a good passage to keep in your mind is Eph. 4:29-30, which says,

²⁹ Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Now, to be a proper ambassador to the King, you must have a biblical agenda. Here are three things to keep in mind as you serve God with your talk (These are all taken from Relationships: a mess worth making):

1. Consider the person - The words of an ambassador are always others-centered
2. Consider the problem - The words of an ambassador always address the person's true need of the moment
3. Consider the process - An ambassador seeks to say the right thing in the best way

So, my goal this week (and you are more than welcome to join me in this endeavor, if you want to) is to remember that I am an ambassador, and to remember who I am an ambassador for. That means I really need to guard my mouth, which is not always easy. Oh, like I said before, any and all prayers are greatly appreciated.

Whew! I didn't mean to go for that long... oh well ;)

Mickells Family Reunion - Day 1

Like I said in my last post, we had some family down this past weekend. It was lots of fun. Since you can only post a few pics per post, I will write up a few posts on the family reunion. Anyway, the first day (Friday, the 7th), everyone arrived at Plain Truth Hill Farm, our farm, at around 5pm. We then enjoyed a meal of hotdogs, hamburgers, chicken, chips and salad. It was great to be able to see everyone again, most of them I had not seen in years. The rest of the evening consisted of chatting, me playing harp for everyone (did I mention that I hate being the center of attention?) and a bonfire, which included roasting marshmallows.

Before dinner, the children (and a few adults) played a game of basketball

The adult dinner table

L-R (around the table): Grandpa, Ms. Trina (my step-grandmother), Uncle Jerry, Aunt Barb, Aunt Kathy (you can't really see her... sorry), Uncle David and Uncle John

My cousins, Hayden and Haley, really enjoyed milking my goats

A very productive day

Today was a very productive day for me. I started out by doing some outside chores, then came inside and cleaned up my room. Around 9 a.m., I moved into the kitchen and began to do some cooking for our Mickells family reunion (That's my mom's dad's side). First, I made BBQ beef, then moved on to Pumpkin Muffins. Next, I tackled the Cappuccino Ice Cream, made with my fresh goat's milk. Then, I chopped up some things for tomorrow; we are having everyone over for grilling hamburgers and hotdogs. I did some other cleaning after that, but nothing that requires going into... unless you want the low down on how I wash dishes, not that it is anything different than how other people do it. :) I will try to post some from the reunion, probably next week.

If you are curious as to why I am wearing swimming goggles, I know I would be, it's because I cry so easily when I chop onions. I mean, I seriously bawl, even if I only chop up one. Oh, btw, I just posted this pic because I couldn't resist, this just gives you another reason to think I am weird, not that I mind at all...

My buddy

Pip is my unofficial buddy. We love to do many things together including: reading books, singing hymns, and playing Army Men (Where my men always die). We also have a game where one of us will say "I love you", then the other will say, "I love you more!", then the person who said "I love you" will say "No, I love you more!", than the other will say, "No, I love you more!"; this goes on for a few times until one of us concedes, with reluctance, "OK, I guess I'll love you less". He is also a great helper to mom in cleaning (you have to be very specific in the job that you give him, though). His favorite job is vacuuming.

Happy 44th, Dad!

On Sunday, we celebrated my Dad's 44th birthday. I am so thankful for my father; I love him so much. I love that I can tell my dad anything and he will always give me wise instruction. I can always count on my dad to make me laugh, at any time, and he always knows just when I need cheering up. My dad and I get along so well, and we have the same way of thinking, so we always know what the other is trying to say or explain, even if mom doesn't ;) Also, we both have an extremely dry sense of humour... that no one seems to get. That's why we love watching British movies. Foyle's War is our current favorite, along with Bleak House and Little Dorrit. All of these are mysteries :) We both are trying to curb our sarcasm... it isn't working so well, since one of us will start, and then the other will feed off of them. We also can get super goofy together, and make really corny jokes that we think are hysterical, and get everyone laughing because we are so crazy and then we are laughing at ourselves so they start laughing too... He also supports me in my vision for my foreseeable future, and encourages me to spend my time wisely. All in all, he is the best dad in the world! I love you dad! Oh, btw, I am not trying to make out that I get along perfectly with my dad and that I have a perfect relationship with him, it's just that I get along really well with him and he's perfect for me.

Note Sam's grumpy face, I have no idea what he was upset about...

Like I said, we have a great relationship... I guess that's why I am pretending to kill him. Actually, that's probably why he's letting me pretend to kill him.

Why, oh why, does it seem like I am doing all of the goofy things in our pictures? "Um, excuse me Grace, if you put two and two together, that means that either you are the one who always does the goofy things, or you are the one who always gets caught doing goofy things." Don't worry, no one has said that to me, it was just me saying it to myself ;)

The reason for my blog title

Only a Sinner

Naught have I gotten but what I received;
Grace hath bestowed it since I have believed;
Boasting excluded, pride I abase;
I’m only a sinner, saved by grace!

Refrain

Only a sinner, saved by grace!
Only a sinner, saved by grace!
This is my story, to God be the glory—
I’m only a sinner, saved by grace!

Once I was foolish, and sin ruled my heart,
Causing my footsteps from God to depart;
Jesus hath found me, happy my case;
I now am a sinner, saved by grace!

Refrain

Tears unavailing, no merit had I;
Mercy had saved me, or else I must die;
Sin had alarmed me fearing God’s face;
But now I’m a sinner saved by grace!

Refrain

Suffer a sinner whose heart overflows,
Loving his Savior to tell what he knows;
Once more to tell it would I embrace—
I’m only a sinner saved by grace!

Refrain

I chose this title for my blog because it reminds me of the fact that I am only a sinner. This fact should always keep us humble, especially considering the word only. I try to remind myself of this fact whenever I tend to be puffed up with pride, which, I am ashamed to admit, is rather often. But there is also hope in this message in that Christ saved us knowing that we were sinners. Also, he saved us knowing that, even after we were saved, we would continue to be, "only a sinner". We fall so short every day, yet God still loves us. I love these verses in the song because, if you really look at the words, you are nothing when you finish reading it. Every vestige of pride is gone. At least for me, I feel so broken and dependent on God's grace and mercy. And if you think about it, this should keep us from being judgmental towards others. Since we are only sinners, who are we to judge others? We are no better than they. It is only God's grace that keeps us where we are in our spiritual walk. So, my goal for this week especially, is to remember this hymn and stay humble, be dependent only on the Lord and not to think that I can do anything of my own merit, and not to be judgmental of others. Any and all prayers would be greatly appreciated :)

A new addition to my animal "family"

This past Friday, Dad, Stephen, Shea and Claire went to Charlotte to pick up a Great Pyrenees, a big guard dog for the farm. When they arrived, they found out that the people also had a female Great Pyrenees for sale. They were selling her at a low price because she had a genetical overbite and therefore was not show quality. So, in true Breagy fashion, they brought home two dogs, when they originally went to pick up one. The female was given to me as a guard specifically for my goats. So now my "family" consists of 1 cat, 2 dogs and 7 goats. I named my dog Mildred, which means "Gentle Strength" (Despite their size, these dogs are gentle... only to friends, though), and I am calling her Millie. Both of the top photos are of Millie.

The one on the left (in both photos) is Titus (The Male) and the one on the right is Millie