 An Encouraging Word- He Knows My Name
November 30, 2025 Recently in the Wednesday Evening Bible study I lead, we read about how God changed not only Jacob's name, but his entire life in one night of wrestling. We looked at other people in the Bible that had their name and identity changed by God. One that stuck out to me was the Apostle Paul. Originally named Saul, which in Hebrew means "asked for" or "desired". As the devotional says, Saul was an eloquent member of Jewish society. He had the best education, was a Roman citizen, could speak multiple languages. No one was more devoted to the Jewish religion that Saul was. However, when he met Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus, everything changed. Saul, the arrogant strong religious zealot , was reduced to a blind broken man. Within days as he met Ananias and accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior, his entire life changed. God renamed him, rebuilt his identity from the proud strong man named after an Israelite king , to the name Paul, which in Hebrew means "small and humble". God had again changed everything in a moment and began the lifetime work of rebuilding him into a man "after God's own heart". Paul knew that he was unworthy of this great work of Christ in his life. After all, he had been part of the stoning of the Christian martyr Stephen, standing at the edge of the event holding the cloaks of those throwing the stones. BUT GOD, in his endless grace and mercy, chose Saul to become Paul , and to share the Gospel with the Gentiles around the world. The unworthy became the one God saw as completely worthy. That type of work is the miracle of the Holy Spirit. It does not make sense, It does not need to . When the Spirit of God is in it, things change in miraculous ways. Trying to operate without the Spirit of God in our lives is as futile as trying to operate a vehicle without enough fuel. Why would we want to attempt to do it all on our own when the infinite power source is available to us? Most of us do not feel worthy for God to call us into His Service, but through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ, we have been made the Righteousness of God- through Christ Jesus. Shake off the bondage of shame and condemnation. When you are in Christ Jesus, the old person is gone , a new creation is what exists now. Walk in it my friends. He has made you worthy! Scriptures to Hide in Your Heart: 2 Corinthians 5:17 (English Standard Version) “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God .” Songs to Encourage You: Hello, My Name Is (Matthew West) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuJWQzjfU3o&list=RDZuJWQzjfU3o&start_radio=1 El Roi (The God That Sees Me) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA91wDkBgX8 Jesus Messiah (Chris Tomlin) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL7BlrwZHf8&list=RDIL7BlrwZHf8&start_radio=1 You are Loved Beyond Measure! Praying for You This Week! Melissa Boggs Christian Life Academy
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  A Word of Encouragement - Wrestling With God
November 16, 2025 When I was a kid we used to attend a church camp in northern Ohio run by the Mennonite Church. Camp Luz was a summer tradition for our family. I loved going to camp. We had great home-cooked meals. We learned arts and crafts. We had chapel services together around the campfire at night and inside the chapel in the mornings. We took long hikes and in the morning went polar bear swimming in the big pond with the fish and snapping turtles, made arts and crafts, and learned new sports and games. Our cabins had bunk beds and each slept about 25 kids. We would stay up late singing or telling stories, laughing together. When I was in college I went back for a few years and worked all summer at Camp Luz as a counselor, sometimes as a cook, and sometimes as a janitor. When my son Hayden was a freshman in high school we went together for a week to serve as camp pastors. I still remember hearing stories from the camp director of when my dad was a camper and blew up a couple toilets in the bathhouse with cherry bombs! (yes, Don Morgan did this lol!). Ironically , my dad went back and also served at Camp Luz about 30 years ago, bringing his construction crew with him to build a brand new bath house for the camp. I guess that's pretty good restitution for blowing up two of their toilets with cherry bombs in the 1960’s! Camp Luz has remained a special place in my heart for my entire life. When I was a kid I made a decision in one of those chapel services to ask Jesus Christ to come into my life and be my Savior. I still remember that feeling of being a new Christian. It felt like heaven was holding a big Kool-Aid pitcher and was pouring pure joy into my heart from above. It felt like every corner of my heart was being scrubbed clean and made brand new. All I can describe is overwhelming love. I knew at that moment that God had done something in my life and that it was only something He could have done. He had made me clean and new. There have been many times in my life where I have had Camp Luz moments, like when I was baptized in my preacher’s pool when I was 12 years old, and when I asked to be baptized again at my church when I was 14. I have felt these close moments with God when I dreamed about my brother Joe who had passed away, when in the dream he told me that Jesus had held his hand all the way to Heaven and that I didn’t have to be sad or worry anymore. I felt this closeness to God when I went through a divorce and God reminded me that if I would just trust Him that He would supply every need my children and I had. I felt this again when my daughter moved out on her own and my two sons deployed with the Army. God reassured me that they would be OK. I felt this when I found out I had cancer almost ten years ago and God promised me He would walk with me through the journey. All of these times in my life I have thought back to those days at Camp Luz- the singing , the Bible stories, the feeling of overwhelming love and joy God poured into my little heart when I experienced His Presence for the first time. Mostly I have thought back to the Bible story that Camp Luz is named after. Luz is the name for a Biblical location where Jacob had met God face to face. Sometimes it is called Bethel. In Genesis 32 , Jacob literally wrestles with God all night long. He refuses to quit until God will bless him. In the midst of this epic wrestling match, God does indeed bless Jacob. Jacob- was a real piece of work- a thief, liar, scoundrel. swindler. God asks him what his name is and Jacob replies, “May name is Jacob”. But God had other plans. He renames him, telling him, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” Jacob’s new name , Israel, means “one who struggles with God but overcomes”. I don’t know about you, but I have had some real struggles with God over the years. I mean some down on the mat ugly wrestling match situations. I have been angry at Him. I have told Him I hated Him. I have cursed Him. I have told him He is not welcome in my life. I have told Him that He does not matter to me. The striking thing is, all the times God could have won that wrestling match with me and been done with me, He just didn’t let go. As I wrestled with my anger, my bitterness, my pain, my unbelief, He just continued to hold on and not let me go. I am realizing now that He was with me as I wrestled with all of these things. He wasn’t wrestling with me to defeat me. He was wrestling with me so we could overcome these struggles together. When I finally decided to lay them down, to give them to Him , to allow Him to be the Victor, He did the thing that doesn’t make sense. He gave me the victory. He gave me the crown. He gave me the wrestling championship belt! He saw me through his eyes, not as Melissa, but as His Precious Child- Overcomer! He gave me the greatest blessing of all- His Presence in my life. Sometimes it is hard for us to put away the old version of ourselves that we used to be. But when we are in Christ Jesus, the past and its mistakes have been wiped away. We are a new creation , given new life in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:17 “ But if anyone is in Christ , he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new is here! (NIV)”. Scriptures to Hide In Your Heart: Genesis 32:22-30 (New International Version) 22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered. 28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” 29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there. 30 So Jacob called the place Peniel,[ saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” Romans 8:16-18 (English Standard Version) 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 1 Corinthians 15:57 (New Living Translation) “But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Songs to Encourage You: In Christ Alone (Natalie Grant) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJgttKAlKmU What I Really Need (Bryan Fowler) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnI464OHysI&list=RDfnI464OHysI&start_radio=1 Carry (Elias Dummer with JJ Heller) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydB_gaYWzOI You are loved beyond measure! Praying for you and your family every day. Melissa Boggs Christian Life Academy Administrator  One of my earliest memories is of being probably 3 or 4 and going to the bank with my mom. I don’t remember much, but I do recall standing in a very long line waiting on my mom to finish her banking. I must have been squirrely, because I kept running away and then running back to grab onto my mom’s pants leg. I think I knew I was not really behaving, but that my mom was giving me a little forgiveness just because I was cute or wiggly or on her nerves a little bit.
Apparently the line had moved forward while I let go of my mom’s pants leg and ran away , just for a brief bit . I heard my mom say, “Come on, Melissa,”. I ran back and threw my arms around my mom’s pants leg and hung on for dear life, lest I get lost from her. I immediately felt the leg stiffen and when I looked up, I was terrified to see that this person I was clinging to was NOT my mom! It was a grandfatherly looking man with a gray beard. He tried to smile at me but I immediately started wailing. I truly thought that I had been lost. In my little toddler mind, there was no hope for my situation. Thankfully , my mom was only one person ahead in the line and promptly pulled me over to her leg , back to security and safety. I think that I may have even scored a lollipop out of the deal from the bank teller, who felt sorry for me. The Bible tells us , ” Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good,” Romans 12:9 (New International Version). When I was a child, I learned to cling to what was good- my mom and dad, my grandparents. When I grew into a young adult, I learned to cling to what was good- faithfulness, faith, love, hope. Now as a full grown adult, I am still learning to cling to that which is good: perseverance, challenges, salvation. Wait…I listed challenges as something that is good? Can challenges be good? For me, challenges have been very good. They have taken me from fear to faith. They have forced me to step out of my insecurities, my comfort zone, my limited mindset. They have forced me to take a long hard look at my beliefs, my true heart motives, my fears (which are many). Challenges have produced the greatest thing in my life- change. So, yes, I consider challenges in life to be one of the best and greatest things that I have experienced, and change to be one of the most needed! Hopefully this year I will learn to cling to that too. Remember, leave the rest up to God. He has big enough shoulders to carry it all for us ! Scriptures to Hide In Your Heart: 1 Corinthians 10:13 (English Standard Version) “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful , and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” Psalm 73:26 (New International Version) “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 (New King James Version) “And He said to me “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” Songs to Encourage You: There is Hope (CityAlight) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QeF2rhMr6U&list=RDTdqenA8k_GU&index=5 When You Walk Into the Room (Bryan & Katie Torwalt) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Zqg5k_GUx4&list=RDTdqenA8k_GU&index=14 Protector (Kim Walker-Smith) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaZvXrnpSEc&list=RDTdqenA8k_GU&index=29 When We Pray (Alegra Garcia) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DJ3NjA9ZjA&list=RDTdqenA8k_GU&index=36 You are loved beyond measure! Melissa Boggs Christian Life Academy  An Encouraging Word - The Joy of Lost Things
November 2, 2025 (Author’s Note: I started a writing blog about ten years ago to write devotional thoughts and publish them. This one was written in 2018, so you will see references to my kids still living at home. A lot has changed since then. My children are all grown up and out in the world and time has marched on , as it always does. But the Good News in this devotional is still wonderful for today. MB ) When we moved into my grandparent's farmhouse about 8 years ago I found a cute little black teapot just big enough for about two cups of tea. We found it inside of a wall when we were remodeling the kitchen. It was full of little treasures. There were old coins from my grandfather's time overseas in the Navy, and my mother and her sister's little baby bracelets from the hospital, and some old pieces of mismatched jewelry. There was a coin stamped with the name of the coal mine and the miner number for my great-grandfather. The little teapot was stamped “Japan” on the bottom and was from the 1930’s. It was pretty neat to find all of these lost things hidden in the wall! I started keeping watch when I visited thrift shops and flea markets to see if I could find some more antique teapots from that era- probably 1920's-1940's. I would pick one up about once a year and display it on a shelf in my living room. I just enjoyed looking at them and the pretty designs. Last month, my little 4 year old nephew came over to visit for the day. He was showing off his Power Ranger kicks and accidentally knocked down the shelf off the wall. Naturally, there were some tea pots that were broken when this happened. We swept it all up and threw the shattered pieces away. Thankfully, we saved the lid to my grandmother's little black tea pot and I was able to glue it back together. Unfortunately, there was a beautiful jade colored tea pot that I could not find the lid for. I was really sad about this one because it was the first tea pot that I found in a thrift shop after I started looking for them. I guess you could say it was my thrifting aha! tea pot. Today we were cleaning the house. My son was cleaning the living room and moved the couch out to sweep and mop while I was on an errand in town. He called me and let me know that he had found the lid to my green tea pot under the couch and that it was unbroken! I was so excited to know that I could put that tea pot back together again- whole , perfect, and enjoy not only looking at it on the shelf, but using it soon to enjoy a cup or two of tea. I was thinking about that today. There is such joy in finding a lost thing. Sometimes it is something small, like a lid to a tea pot. Sometimes it is something unexpected- like finding a tea pot time capsule in the wall of your home. Other times it is something big- like finding your child when they get lost in the store, or locating your car keys when you are in a hurry in the morning. Whatever it is, there is a rush of pure joy when you find it. I don't know if you have ever thought about this...but we are all lost things at some point in our lives, and we dearly need to be found. May I share with you how I was found? When I was about 9 years old I went to church camp in northern Ohio at a Mennonite camp called Camp Luz. I don't remember a whole lot about that week, but I do remember that it was a pivotal point in my life, because it was there that I made the decision to become a believer. I remember praying and asking Jesus to come into my life. It was like someone was pouring pure joy into my heart. I knew right then that something in my life had changed. I experienced that pure joy again when I was a teenager and I asked God to help me have the courage and strength to put Him first in my life and to follow Him all of my days. I know that I'm not much of a person, and in the line up of humanity, I know that I am pretty insignificant. But, I do know that I was lost and then I was found. I believe that the angels in heaven rejoiced that day and that my Heavenly Father did too. I also don't think that we experience the wonderful gift of salvation and redemption so that we can just look good and sit on a shelf like a pretty tea pot or a collectible, like a Boyd's Bear with a tag that says "Christian , #1999". I believe that when God delivers our lives and redeems us that we are supposed to share that with others around us, serving them, caring for them, and sharing this great gift with them too. This world desperately needs to experience the life-changing joy of going from lost to found by the Savior. My friends, we live in a world where people are choosing to do whatever they think is right or wrong. They have no direction , sometimes no care for anyone except for themselves. While we have our children, our grandchildren, our school children in our influence, we have a short time to instill in them what is right and what is wrong. Think on what that Scripture from Romans says, "how can they hear unless someone tells them?". We need to share Christ with those around us. We can give them a wonderful HOPE in this life. Instead of trying to base their personal worth on their own accomplishments, looks, sports, clubs, academics, etc., we can point them to the One who can be their all in all. The only One who can fill the longing in our lives for redemption and acceptance. Share Christ with those around you! Please don't just be the "limited edition Christian " up on the display shelf. Be courageous! Be brave! Help those around you to experience the joy of being a lost thing that has been found by the Savior. It will change our world! Scriptures to Hide in Your Heart Today: Romans 10: 14-15 (New Living Translation) 14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” Romans 10:9-10 (New International Version) “ If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Ephesians 1:13-14 (New International Version) “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.” Luke 15: 3-10 (New International Version) “Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Songs to Encourage You: Take It To Jesus (Anna Golden with Tasha Layton) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY-QdAWMlxc&list=RDIu8t9D1SZys&index=2 Wonderful Counselor (Pat Barrett) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXQxt4gW61A&list=RDIu8t9D1SZys&index=23 Cry of the Broken (Darlene Zschech) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyG76_iIIWg&list=RDIu8t9D1SZys&index=24 Prince of Peace (Josh Baldwin) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfUSiAKnz0E&list=RDIu8t9D1SZys&index=27 If I Got Jesus (Ben Fuller) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p6lgcuZemY&list=RDIu8t9D1SZys&index=27 You Are Loved Beyond Measure! Melissa Boggs |
AuthorMelissa Boggs is the Superintendent of Christian Life Academy and attends Good Shepherd Wesleyan Church. 
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