 An Encouraging Word- Poppies at the Plywood House May 3, 2026 This winter my father asked me to come look through an abandoned house that was on a piece of property he owned. The house had sat unoccupied for a few years but still had contents inside. We looked through antiques, old books and records, and pulled out a few treasures. I nicknamed the house “The Plywood House”. It was just made of plywood. There was no insulation, no electricity, no running water, no heat source. It was a pretty rough looking structure. The yard was a mess, filled with odds and ends of rusting metal, tires, broken appliances, odds and ends of items. Last week my dad sent me some pictures from The Plywood House. The grass had grown up this spring all around it and the most beautiful California Poppies covered the yard. In the midst of all that property that looked like a total loss and disaster were beautiful glimpses of stunning beauty. That image has stayed in my mind all week. As I have thought of those beautiful pictures, I have been reminded of how God sends glimmers of hope and beauty into our own lives, even during hard and trying times. All may seem lost, the outcome may seem impossible, the brokenness may fill our lives and seem insurmountable. BUT GOD steps in, breaks the chains, sets the captive free, brings salvation, makes a way where there seems to be no way. God has a way of filling all the broken places in our lives with His renewing power and strength. He works in the rubble and ashes, in the places that seem desolate, and brings beauty from what was thought lost or destroyed. I pray you can allow Him to come into your life and heal you , to make you new, to restore you, to bring beauty where there once was nothing but brokenness. Scriptures to Hide In Your Heart: Isaiah 49:16 (King James Version) “ Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands, thy walls are continually before me…” Matthew 28:20 (King James Version) “ (And Jesus said), Lo , I am with you always even unto the end of the age….”. Zephaniah 3:17 (King James Version) “The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing”. Psalm 139:7-10 (King James Version) “ Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven , thou are there, if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me”. Isaiah 63:1-4 (New International Version) “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance for our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations”. Songs to Encourage You: If I Was A Bird (Mission House) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDqZbXXkcw8&list=RDYDqZbXXkcw8&start_radio=1 Peaceful Worship Medley (Is He Worthy, How He Loves Us, As the Deer, Jesus We Love You) (Samuel Jackson-Reed) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm3BiUKYe6Q&list=RDqm3BiUKYe6Q&start_radio=1 You Are Loved Beyond Measure! Melissa Boggs Christian Life Academy Superintendent (photos are from The Plywood House” 
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 An Encouraging Word- The Snow Day I Will Never Forget
April 26, 2026 When I was in 4th grade, we had an unusually late snow storm in the middle of April. We woke up to 18 inches on the ground. Naturally, school was cancelled and my brother and I took the opportunity to go out and play in the snow. We could not find our sleds, so we decided to slide down the hill on our knees. John went first to pack the snow down and then I went. I don't remember feeling any pain, but when I stopped sliding in the snow I looked down and everything around me was pink. Our little beagle dog was whining and sniffing at my leg. I noticed that my pants were ripped and when I pulled them back I was shocked to see that my left knee had been cut all the way down to the bone. I started to panic a bit but knew that I would need to get into the house as soon as possible. I sent my little brother in to tell our mom that I was hurt. Then I managed to get to my feet , hold my leg together, and hobble to the house. It is amazing that I was feeling no pain during all of this. Later I would find that when I slid down the hill on my knees, that I had slid over a broken glass pop bottle that was under the snow. It had cut my left knee on the side, leaving an eight inch gash, several inches deep, cutting through nerves, tendons, and muscles, chipping part of my left knee cap. When I got into the house and my mom saw how badly I was cut, things went into action fast. My mom is an RN, so she immediately had me laying on the ground, leg elevated, with one of my dad's t-shirts stuffed down inside of it to stop the bleeding. The neighbor lady came over to watch my brothers and to help me get into the back of my mom's car. Mom drove me, through all of that awful snow and ice, to Holzer Hospital in Gallipolis, about 30 minutes away. They rushed me back into the emergency room and I remember laying on the table watching the reflection in the stainless steel lights above me, as the doctor stitched and stitched. Hundreds of stitches later, I was wrapped up in a leg brace that was from my upper thigh nearly to my ankle, and ready to be sent home. My dad had called my uncle, Casey Morgan, who worked for the county highway department to snowplow our long driveway. Unfortunately, the driveway was such a mess , the snow plow had gotten hung up in it. My dad came down the driveway, with an inner tube from a tractor tire, loaded me up on it, and pushed me up the driveway. It was a bit of a cold journey as the hospital had thrown my cup up pants away! It took physical therapy and several weeks of recovery for the stitches to heal my leg. There was serious concern that I would have a permanent limp or other issues with my leg, however, I have had no problems at all with it. That is also the only year of school that I had perfect attendance! I was the popular kid in school when I returned from the snow days with a leg brace and crutches. Later , the scar was always the source of an interesting story about the snow day that I will never forget. Looking back on that day, I do not remember being scared. I think that was due to the wonderful take charge presence of my mother. She was terrified ,but I knew that as long as she was there with me, that everything would be OK. I still remember her praying out loud for me in the car during the entire ride to the hospital, and telling me over and over that everything would be alright. Because of her , I was not afraid. Abraham Lincoln once said, " All that I am or every hope to be, I owe to my mother". Not all of us have had the privilege of having a wonderful mother, but I have, and I am forever thankful for her! We all have to walk through scary things sometimes. Things that we have no idea how they will turn out. Sometimes it feels like we are walking through a dark valley trying to find our way out. God’s Word promises us over and over that we are not alone. God has not forgotten you. You are His child. He walks every journey with you. Dig into His Word and listen to the promises God speaks over your life. These words are LIFE! Cling to them. This is how we fight our battles- with the Word of the Lord! Scriptures to Hide in Your Heart: Proverbs 31:28 (New International Version) "Her children rise up and call her blessed..." . Proverbs 3 (New International Version) “My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in. Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed. By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place; by his knowledge the watery depths were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew. My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgment and discretion; they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared. Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”-- when you already have it with you. Do not plot harm against your neighbor, who lives trustfully near you. Do not accuse anyone for no reason-- when they have done you no harm. Do not envy the violent or choose any of their ways. For the Lord detests the perverse but takes the upright into his confidence. The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous. He mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and oppressed. The wise inherit honor, but fools get only shame.” Songs to Encourage You: You Lead Me (Lauren Daigle) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xwQFjx5Er8&list=RD5xwQFjx5Er8&start_radio=1 Meet Me In the Valley (Tasha Layton and Ben Fuller) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c-INcY_gEo&list=RD3c-INcY_gEo&start_radio=1 You are loved beyond measure! Praying for you and your family this week. Melissa Boggs Christian Life Academy Superintendent |
AuthorMelissa Boggs is the Superintendent of Christian Life Academy and attends Good Shepherd Wesleyan Church. 
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