Blog Posts - Boones' News....

Prairie Dogs & Community

1/28/2019

What is this prairie dog saying or doing? Please share in the comments!

While discussing a community of prairie dogs that lives near us, someone raised the question of what they look like, and we found the above picture, which amused us immensely. It is possible that it is warning its community of danger, or it could be scolding its young for their irresponsibility! Whatever the case may be, it is undoubtedly engaging those around it in some manner, and is an example to us that we need to engage those in our lives and communities.

Jesus gave us a perfect example of how we are to do this in Mark 3:13-15, "And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons." At this time there was a great crowd following Him, but He did not choose to tell or explain to them everything He taught, as He explained later to His disciples in Mark 4:11-12, And he said to them, "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that 'they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.'" By doing this, Jesus showed that He was not interested in a large following, but in investing and pouring into the lives of a few people whom He loved.

We have the opportunity to invest in the lives of those around us where God has placed us, whether it is our family, our friends, or a writing community! May we be willing to expend our time and energy to encourage and bless those who really matter in our lives, not to seek or please the crowd.

"When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, 'Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.'"
John 13:12-17

~paisley

(All Scripture quoted from the English Standard Version, and a thank you to Francis Chan's teaching on Mark for much of this inspiration.)

The Rest of the Rope

1/14/2019

The majority of you reading this post are young, you may have recently graduated from high school or you may be in the midst of school. Wherever we are at in life, it can seem like we have an enormous amount of time to write the stories we have planned, and to excel in all that we desire. But the truth is that our lives here on earth are but a speck in view of eternity.

This video by Francis Chan is a timely reminder to all of us that what we do here and now should not be for our own fame and glory, but for the purpose of bringing others to the realization of God’s power and justice, as well as the forgiveness that He offers to all through the blood of Christ.

May you be encouraged and make decisions here in your youth that will impact the world for Christ’s sake!

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.”
Philippians 2:12-18 (ESV)

~paisley

Reflections & Resolve

12/31/2018

At the end of a year we can look back at how our life, family, and walk with God changed. It is an opportunity to see how God worked in us, as well as to set our focus for the coming year. As writers, it is a time that we can see how our writing improved.

I was reminded this past month by the Apostle John of an important aspect in our writing, where he says in John 20:30-31, "Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."

Have we ever thought about why we write or do anything in this life? John tells us that he wrote in order for us to believe in Jesus! Is our writing pointing people to Jesus? Or are we just focused on entertaining others with our witty stories and lovable characters? There is nothing wrong with creating good stories, and while we don't have to make an obvious statement in our books about why we write, it should be the underlying theme of all that we write, and for all of our life.

May we all seek to put Jesus first in all things, and give Him the glory for what He is able to do through us, His servants!

~paisley

Purpose in the Pain

11/19/2018

There are times in our life when it seems impossible to even move forward one step, let alone glorify God and be joyful in some of the most difficult situations. This past summer I have been blessed by a family who, although they had every reason to be angry and discouraged, they chose to be joyful and press on to glorify God.

On May 1st, Mrs. H shared what had happened in a Facebook post:

"I am going to start out this post with how incredibly grateful I am that my husband is alive today. I am so so so grateful that God has spared his life. This morning Mr. H was doing some work on a bridge in Ash Fork, harnessed in when the supports he was tied off to fell. He fell 30 feet. He was flown to FMC where we met him. The amazing...he has sustained no internal injuries, no brain injury (he was wearing a helmet, thank God), and no injuries to his spinal column. The not so amazing...he has broken bones in his face, ribs, left hand/wrist, pelvis, right femur, and both of his ankles/feet. Needless to say he was in a lot of pain, but he can talk to us, laugh with us and he is in good spirits. I cannot tell you how happy I am to have him with us."

Despite the accident that had occurred, this family was diligent in what they had committed to do in studying God's Word and continuing to glorify God by magnifying His goodness to them. Was it easy for them to do this? No, but they made it their aim to have joy, reminding each other to "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:2-4)

Do you ever find it difficult to have joy and to persevere? I encourage to you lean on Christ, because He has a perfect plan for you, even in the trials. He is using whatever circumstance you are in to purify you and to shape you into the person He wants you to be!

"For you, O God, have tested us;
you have tried us as silver is tried."
Psalm 66:10
"Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver;
I have tried you in the furnace of affliction."
Isaiah 48:10
"In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ."
1 Peter 1:6-7

~paisley

(All Scripture quoted from the ESV)

Cling to God's Faithfulness!

11/5/2018

A theme that has been apparent in my life has been remembering what God has done in my life and in the lives of those around me. It seems as though it should be obvious and something that I remember, but in actuality, I am prone to focus on myself and my current struggles so that I forget what God has done in the past!

In Exodus 34:6-8 we read: "The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, 'The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.' And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped."

What was Moses' response to God's greatness and His promises? Awe and worship! Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped this God who abounds in faithfulness and steadfast love toward His beloved people! Our God will sustain us each and every day, the days when we excel in our writing and the days when we can barely even write one word. He will enable us to glorify Him and have joy even in the most difficult situations in our life where it appears that we ought to be depressed. When we are struggling to praise Him for the trial, He will bring us comfort, because He has promised in Deuteronomy 31:8 "It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." This great God who has made the world and everything in it has promised to be faithful to us no matter what happens. Even "if we are faithless, He remains faithful-- for He cannot deny himself." (2 Timothy 2:13)

What great promises we have! Let us hold fast to them and to our faithful God, telling of His great deeds toward us with others.

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Matthew 28:16-20

Enjoy this video of my sister, a friend, and I singing Great is Thy Faithfulness about a week ago. May it bring glory to the Lord! (Pardon the video quality, it was taken with a phone. 😉)

(All scripture quoted from the English Standard Version)

Rest in the Lord!

10/23/2018

How often in our life do we take time to be still before the Lord? I know that it is an area of struggle in my life, and today as I was listening to a Keith and Kristen Getty album, one song in particular stuck with me.

"Still, My Soul, be Still," is a reminder that we should not worry about our life, and that God will direct every part of our life. Pondering over this song, I was reminded of a few passages of Scripture that admonish us to not be anxious and to wait on the Lord's timing.

"Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
   fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
   over the man who carries out evil devices!
Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
   Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
For the evildoers shall be cut off,
   but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land.
In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
   though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
But the meek shall inherit the land
   and delight themselves in abundant peace.”
Psalm 37:7-11

"O God, from my youth you have taught me,
    and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
So even to old age and gray hairs,
    O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might to another generation,
    your power to all those to come.
Your righteousness, O God,
    reaches the high heavens.
You who have done great things,
    O God, who is like you?
You who have made me see many troubles and calamities
    will revive me again;
from the depths of the earth
    you will bring me up again.
You will increase my greatness
    and comfort me again."
Psalm 71:17-21

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:4-7

According to these passages, what is the reward or result of waiting on the Lord? Peace! He promises us peace and rest when we rest in His plan for us, trusting in God's purpose for us in every aspect of our life.

Let us then be diligent in what God has entrusted to us, and rest in Him for all that we need.

"Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens,
   your faithfulness to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;
   your judgments are like the great deep;
   man and beast you save, O LORD.
How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
   The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house,
   and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
For with you is the fountain of life;
   in your light do we see light.
Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you,
   and your righteousness to the upright of heart!”
Psalm 36:5-10

~paisley

(All Scripture taken from the English Standard Version)

Our Caring Creator

10/8/2018

The greatness and majesty of our God displayed in His Creation!

This past week we received rain (as well as some snow), and the beauty of the forest when it is wet was visible wherever I looked outside. It is not typically this moist, as we live in a mountain desert, and when we do receive rain it is with a thankful heart to God.

As I surveyed this blessing descending on the earth, I realized that God is showing us in a small way that He loves and cares for His people. It made me wonder, do we show those whom we love that we care for them? How often are we wrapped up in our own desires and cares, thus allowing the people in our lives (and God!) to be neglected?

"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" Matthew 6:25-26 (ESV)

God loves and cares for us, and He manifests it to us in His care of creation and the beauty that surrounds us. Let us worship our Creator and marvel at the beauty that He has given us in creation, and may it be evident in our lives that we love our God and the people in our lives.
~paisley

The Absence of Names

9/26/2018

An enjoyable story by Bethany...inspired by the "The miller, his son and the donkey," a fable traced back to at least the 13th Century.

Little Ellie Eden stood in front of the bookshelf and surveyed its contents. The bottom shelf, affectionately dubbed, “Ells shelf” by her older siblings, held the children’s books that at seven years of age, she now scorned as too babyish. The top shelf held Mummy and Papa’s books—titles such as, Low Calorie Recipes for Anxious Mums, Do It: 80 Things Every Man O’ The Family Should Know, and Biographies Of Everyone We Know Enough About To Make One—that one was pretty thick; Ellie imagined that since it took up about half the shelf it must be about as heavy as Papa’s truck!
   The middle shelf, however, was the one she liked most. Upon it were all the books that her older siblings had written and published. As she gazed at the row of books, an idea began to form in her head: If all her siblings could write books, why couldn’t she, Elliena Eden? It was true that she was only a “lil’ lassie” as Papa called her, but great authors had to start somewhere, right?
   Convinced of this, she fetched a piece of paper, borrowed a pencil from her oldest brother, Thompson, and sat down at the little table by the bookshelf. She took a deep breath, and then began:
   Once upon a time…there was a princess
She almost put a period there but then added,
…with long mustard colored hair.
There. That was an elegant beginning!
   A shadow fell over her paper and she looked up to see that Thompson had followed her in.
   “Whatcha doin’, little sister?” He inquired, looking with some amusement at the sentence on her paper.
   “I’m writin’ a book!” She declared confidently, “Jus’ like you!”
   “Then you’d better make sure you have plenty of characters—too few’ll make it dull,” Thompson advised as he left the room.
   Ellie looked at the two thick books side by side on the shelf, Trouble and More Trouble with “Thompson Horace Eden” proudly emblazoned in gold on the front and side. Then she wrote,
   There was also a King and a Queen and a Knight and a Squire and a cook and a stableboy and a whole lot of other servants.
   There was no way this would be a dull story now, she thought proudly.
   Louise stepped into the room with her feather duster. She dusted the lamp and the windowsill before finally noticing Ellie watching her.
   “What are you up to this afternoon, Elliena?” she wondered, smiling sweetly at the little girl.
   “I’m writin’ a book, just like you!” was the cheerful response.
   “Oh! I’m sure it will be wonderful! Just remember to use descriptive words so that your readers will be able to almost see your characters as though they were real,” she advised, going out to dust the mantle in the sitting room.
   The princess wore very long dresses, so long that her feet were never seen and so no one knew that she always went barefoot.
   That was a good start! She looked admiringly at Louise’s novel, How it Felt to be Kissed by the Wind, then continued.
   The King, her father, always wore a big crown and had a huge nose. Her mother, the Queen, only wore purple dresses and did not usually wear her crown since it hurt her little head she said. There was only one Knight and he wore amor that looked just like…
   She paused, trying to remember what the shiny stuff Mummy used to cover food was called…Oh!
   …just like aluminum foil. The Squire was 16 years old and had brown hair.
   Just as she had decided that that was all the describing she could do, Anna skipped in to practice the piano.
   “Anna, what else should I put into my book?” She asked.
   Anna thoughtfully played a scale before answering, “I think every good book should have music in it.” She nodded toward the bookshelf, “Like Amanda and I’s book, you know, The Waltz of the Century.”
   Ellie gave a quiet sigh. Writing a book was actually pretty hard work; maybe if she had a twin to write with her like Anna did it would be easier…but she didn’t have a twin. Resolutely, she picked up her pencil again, remembering what her Uncle Morgan was always saying: “Perseverance is the author’s best friend!”
   The royal family liked to have balls with lots of violins and pianos playing the music--
   “Ya writin’ a story, Ells?”
   She looked up to see Michell peering down at her though his thick glasses.
   “Yes—I mean no! I’m writing a book, like yours!”
   “Like mine? Well, then you better add some tragedy—ya know, sad stuff,” he added hastily, seeing her blank look, “and, be sure to just give the facts; I find that’s always the best way.”
   Give the facts? What did that mean? She wondered after Michell had left. She pulled his book off the shelf and looked at it. But Drowning in Tears didn’t seem like it would shed any light on the subject. Perhaps making lists was a way to ‘give the facts’ she decided, and went to work.
   But the princess was very sad because of 2 reasons:
   1. Her mother the Queen died very suddenly.
   2. Her father the King fell of a horse and died…a noble death.
   And the princess was also sad because now she had no one to dance with at the balls because her father couldn’t (because he was dead). She cried sometimes, but thankfully she did not drown in her tears.
   “Oh, Ellsie, if you’re writing a book, you must have romance—do you have romance in it yet?”
   Ellie looked up at Emma and shook her head, “Are you sure I need romance?” she wondered skeptically.
   “Oh, yes,” Emma replied, emphatically nodding her head as she skipped out to help Mummy with supper. Ellie watched her bobbing curls disappear, then looked up at Emma’s book. The Prince who Saved a Lilac said the flowing script on the side.
   One day a Prince came to the castle to ask the Princess to marry him.
   Oh dear. What should happen next?
   She hailed Markus, who was passing by the doorway, “Markus, I don’t know what else to put in my book.”
   “Adventure!” came her brother’s enthusiastic reply, “But you’d better finish it quick; dinner’s almost ready!”
   Adventure? What sort? The title of Markus’ book, Dragons and Doorknobs gave her an idea.
   And the princess said, yes, she would marry him, but could he please kill the dragon first? He was very bad and she didn’t want him to interrupt their wedding. So the prince rode off gallantly on his..camel, and tried to kill the dragon but couldn’t until the Knight helped him, (and the Squire helped too), but unfortunately the Squire died as well as the dragon so after they had gone back to the princess they had a funeral for him, (the squire not the dragon), then the Prince and Princess got married and lived happily ever after.
   THE END
   “Time for dinner!” called Mummy.
   Ellie jumped up, and grabbing her paper, slid into her seat at the table.
   After Papa prayed, there wasn’t much conversation until Michell looked up from his bowl of chili and inquired,
   “Did ya finish your story—I mean book, Ells?”
   Ellie nodded proudly.
   “May I read it?” asked Papa interestedly.
   Ellie handed him the paper, feeling quite pleased that she had managed to follow everyone’s advice.
   There was a long silence as Papa put on his reading glasses and solemnly read the story.
   Finally, he spoke,
   “Why didn’t you give any of them names?”

Done, Doing, Done

9/24/2018

A few weeks ago I was talking with some friends of mine, and sharing with them some struggles that I was having, and one of them gave me some very wise advice that is encouraging for me to remember, so I want to encourage you with it as well!

She said that she reminds her daughter when she is discouraged is Done, Doing, Done.

Done

As Christians, Christ has done the redeeming work on the cross, to save us from our sins. We do not have to do anything! Christ has DONE it all for us!

Doing

Everything that we are working on in this life is in process. We are not able to come to a complete maturity in our faith here on earth, although we should be growing in our relationship with God. Nothing will be completely finished, and that is okay, especially if we are DOING the Lord's work!

Done

One day when we die, we will stand before the throne of God, and if we have been faithful in this life with the gifts He has given us, He will say "Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master." (Matthew 25:23, ESV) Our master will say well DONE! All of our effort and work will be completed in that day, and God will receive all of the praise, because He finished it!

I encourage you, my brothers and sisters, remember that it is the Lord who has done it all, and rest in Him for the journey in this life to the ultimate completion!

"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."
Philippians 1:6 (ESV)

~paisley

Priorities with Pooh

8/27/2018

Recently, I was blessed with the opportunity to see the movie Christopher Robin with some of my family. As our family enjoys the Winnie-the-Pooh books, I was not disappointed to see these beloved characters in the movie.

The movie’s premise is that Christopher Robin, no longer a little boy with his animals, but a grown man with a family becomes engrossed in his work at a luggage company. As a crisis threatens the company, Christopher's wife confronts him with the fact that their daughter will not always be a little girl and desires to spend time with him. As seen in the trailer, she tells him, “Your life is happening now, right in front of you.” This challenges him to question his priorities. Where will he place his focus?

All of us can ask ourselves the same questions. Is our writing, work, school, or something else our focus? Are we so caught up in working hard now so that we can “relax” later? Are we willing to sacrifice our schedules in order to help out a younger sibling, friend, parent, or grandparent, so that they can know that we love them? Are we willing to go out of our way so that we can truly know and serve our Lord and Savior?

Jesus promises us in John 14:15-21, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” (ESV)

If we love and cherish and put God above all in our lives, He will live with us and care for us!

So press on, my friends! Prayerfully ask God to help you put Him above all in your life!

And in the meantime, enjoy this fun trailer. (Warning: it may pop up ads at the end that are not appropriate or edifying, so do not linger there. 😉)
~paisley