Stuck like Chuck

Posted on by jactucke

The last few days, it’s been raining here in West Texas. And when it rains, it gets muddy. 

Not just any old muddy, oh no. That’d be too easy. It’s the deceiving, looks like it’s solid but really it’s quicksand kind of muddy. The kind of mud they write songs about, only this time the songs aren’t about joyriding and slinging it up on the sides of the truck. They are of doom and gloom. 

While trying to traverse the muck the other day, my boot got stuck. The squishy mess enveloped my steel toe and it slipped right off. So there I was, hobbling on one foot, trying not to get my dry sock all muddy. 

When I finally was able to stabilize myself and slide my foot back into my boot, I realized something. There are so many people who get caught up in the muck and mire of life, that they don’t even bother trying to get out. They feel so helpless and messy. 

Now the muck and mud could be a number of things: a rough job, financial hardship, family dysfunction, sickness, unforgiveness, depression, etc. I could go all day with more examples, but it is time to get on with it. For some reason, you’re stuck and you feel hopeless. 

But right there, right in your hopelessness…is where God will lift you. In Psalm 40:2, the Word says “He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay; And he set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.” 

He wants to pull you out of your mess, out of the destruction that the devil has afflicted you with, and set you upon a firm foundation. He wants to establish your steps and set you back on your race. 

You were never made to dwell in the pit, despite what the devil or the world has told you. You were never meant to live in the darkness and in the muck. You are a child of God. 

After that verse, it says something even more encouraging. In The Message translation, Psalm 40:3 says “He taught me how to sing the latest God song, a praise-song to our God. More and more people are seeing this: they enter the mystery abandoning themselves to God.”

When He pulls you out of your mess, He teaches you a new song. A song of praise and abandonment to Him. We should sing that song continually. Over and over again so that we are constantly reminded of His grace and His mercy. Not just grace and mercy, but His complete love for us. He saw you and when you cried out, He came and set you upon a firm foundation of faith. 

Bethel sings a great song that really reminds me of this “new song of praise” that God teaches us. You can find it here and I suggest to take the time to listen. The verses talk about His faithfulness and how He just makes us whole. 

You father the orphan; Your kindness makes us whole; You shoulder our weakness; Your strength becomes our own. 

No matter how hard you try, you aren’t going to be the one to right your ship. You aren’t going to just pull yourself up by your own bootstraps and get out. If you do, you’re just gonna get right back in the mess again. You have to submit. 

I want you to know that no matter what you are going through, no matter the pit you have ended up in, that God is ready to pull you out, set your feet upon a rock and give you a new song to sing. All you have to do is cry out to Him. Humble yourself, let go of your bootstraps and allow Him to work. I promise that He is faithful to do what His Word has set forth. 

Thanks for the read, y’all be safe out there. 

The weight of the world

Posted on by jactucke

There’s this feeling that I get sometimes. It feels like pressure. A weight bearing down right on the back of my neck and it trails off into my shoulders. It’s a stinging and burning that comes from bearing a heavy load. You know what I’m talking about?

It’s like your whole world is just resting right on top of you and if you make one false move, everything will just topple. Kind of like King Louie holding the Monkey Palace up on the old Jungle Book cartoon. This one:


There are lots of things that can do this to us, but stress is the common denominator. It brings worry and all sorts of mess that can really jack you up. I know this all to well…because I’m a fixer.

I see a problem and I try to fix it. It becomes my responsibility to remedy the situation, in my mind of course. By having this mindset, I add a whole bunch of unnecessary weight to my shoulders; therefore, adding unnecessary stress.

Roughly a month ago, I developed an oh-so awesome case of the shingles, which is brought on by stress and lack of rest. Numerous things were happening that caused this: a new baby, a rough doctor’s diagnosis for the Wildman, other family shenanigans, and the list just keeps on going. 

The shingles eventually went away with meds and reduced stress, but in the back of my mind…it lingered. I thought I let go of things, but I really didn’t. But today, when I accidentally hit play on my iTunes, things made sense. 

This song came up. It’s a worship song by Hope Church . The words hit hard and it made me look at the whole chapter of Psalms 55. Look it up here and let’s go through it. 

Basically, David is having a rough go of it. It seems like nothing can go right. He says things like, “My enemies shout at me (v.3)” and “Fear and trembling overwhelm me and I can’t stop shaking (v.5)”. He’s facing some major hate from all sides. 

Following a few more verses of despair and stress, verses 16-22 tell a new story. It turns from despair, to hope and trust. 

“I call to God; GOD will help me. At dusk, dawn, and noon I sigh deep sighs—he hears, he rescues. My life is well and whole, secure in the middle of danger Even while thousands are lined up against me. God hears it all, and from his judge’s bench puts them in their place.”

David trusts that God is gonna have his back. He knows that if he just calls into Him, things are gonna be okay. 

Like in verse 22, it says, “Pile your troubles on GOD ’s shoulders— he’ll carry your load, he’ll help you out. He’ll never let good people topple into ruin.”

How many times have we decided to take it all on our shoulders? Tried to carry the load ourselves? Everyone has! Has it ever worked? Probably not. 

I know it’s easy to just say, “give it to God,” and sometimes we get caught up in it. But that is the honest truth. God is right there, waiting for you to reach out for help. He wants to just take all of that worry and stress right off of you. We just have to call out to Him. 

In 2 Thessalonians 3:3 it says, “But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” With that, and numerous other verses on how God is faithful to His word, why wouldn’t He come and shoulder our burdens?

It is my prayer for you that you take this, read it, and apply it to your life. Thanks for reading. You like it, share it to help encourage others! 

Y’all be safe out there. 

The Impossible

Posted on by jactucke

God loves the impossible. It’s no real secret that He enjoys proving us wrong. Where we say, “It can’t be done,” He just says, “Pshhh, really?” Then a donkey speaks, a prophet beats a chariot on foot, locked shackles and doors pop open with a quick shake of the ground and that’s just a sampling. 

We tend to see our challenges as absolutes. If it hasn’t been done before, throw in the towel because it’s gonna stay that way. Too hard? Our minds travel to the area of sho-nuff and set up camp. 

When the impossible came to mind, it took me back to one of my favorite films, The Empire Strikes Back. 

Now, I have what you call an “obsession” with Star Wars. I can quote each backwards and forwards. My absolute favorite of all is Empire. Personally, I think that it is one of the most complete movies of all time. 

Anyways, when I thought about the impossible, my mind instantly went to Luke training with Yoda. You can see the clip here. Watch it really quick before reading further. 

Luke is balancing and moving stones when R2D2 interrupts the training with worried beeps and buzzes. Their X-Wing had finally slipped completely into the bog. Luke exclaims his dismay just like we would in that situation. How would he get back to his friends? Yoda reminds him of his training and Luke responds with everyone’s favorite line, “I’ll try.”

Isn’t that how it goes though? The impossible stares us in the face and we think maybe.  But what follows Luke’s doubt is my favorite line ever. I’ve used it so many times in so many situations. 

Do. Or do not. There is no try. 

Luke goes to war against his doubt and ultimately, his doubt is greater than his faith. Yoda gives him a long spill on the Force and Luke tells him that he asks the impossible while storming off to sulk. 

Here’s where we get into the lesson. Yoda moves the ship no prob. Luke rushes over exclaiming his disbelief and the little green man says the second best line, “That is why you fail.”

We fail simply because we look at things through the world’s eyes. That’s the standard that we have come to accept. That mountain is too high. The race is too long. But with God…

I know you’re probably thinking I’m gonna reference Philippians 4:13, which is very applicable in this situation, but no! This story runs hand-in-hand with Jesus and the disciples on the stormy sea. 

In Matthew 8:23-27, Jesus and His disciples are traveling across the Sea of Galilee, a storm hits, disciples freak out, Jesus wakes up and says shhh, the seas calm, the disciples freak out, Jesus says, “Where is your faith?”

So, where is your faith? Has your hope been dashed, thus wrecking your faith? Let me tell ya, no situation is too big or small for God to handle. Nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37). You faith in His ability just has to outweigh your doubt. But that’s a lot harder than it sounds. 

Since we live, work, eat, sleep, and breathe in the world, we have to constantly be on our guard. We need to remind ourselves that each day is the day that God has made and we should rejoice and be glad! Lamentations 3:22-24 says that His mercies are new EVERY MORNING. That means every day we get the chance to set the tone with God. By doing that, we align ourselves with Him, therefore giving us the mind of Christ. And His mind is flawless, right? 

To go even further, if we have the mind of Christ we can push harder and trust that He is able to do exceedingly above whatever we ask or think. Therefore, nothing is impossible. 

Change your thinking. Get rid of what the world says and start filling up on what God says. That mountain will never be too big, nor will the race be too long. 

Y’all be safe out there. 

Hello!?! This is your calling, calling. 

Posted on by jactucke

Have you ever wondered what exactly are doing? I mean, you might have been sitting in line at the grocery store looking at how your grapes are absurdly overpriced and it hits you. Is this what your life has become?

So many people are content with small potatoes. They fall into a job or career that gets them just enough to make it. Or they do something they hate just because it makes them “good money.”

What happened to that book you were going to write? Or that time you were invited to teach that class at church? What about that time God called you to volunteer changing diapers in the nursery?

There are so many times that we decide to walk outside of the calling that God has placed on our lives. The reasons are numerous: it doesn’t make enough money, it’s not comfortable, it just goes on and on. You may have heard His voice so clearly, but you decide to do your own thing. 

Jesse Duplantis wrote it best, “If the suit doesn’t fit, it probably isn’t yours.” Your calling is for you…not for the person behind you or in front of you. JUST FOR YOU. 
The Word says in 1 Cor. 12:18 that “God arranged the members in the body, each one of them as He chose.” That means that He has a call on your life that He has chosen specifically for you. My calling isn’t the same as my wife’s. And her’s isn’t the same as mine. The only part that isn’t unique to each person, is the fact that we are ALL called to minister the gospel to the ends of the earth. How we do that is where our calling falls into place. 

That is where things start to get icky. This is where God gets specific. He’ll say, “I want you to be an armor bearer” or “I want you to speak to the youth.” But too many times we get it twisted and think that we know better than God. That we have “heard” the voice of God. You may have “heard” but did you listen? Did you actually hear what He had to say to you? Or has your pride gotten in the way so much that instead of being a servant of God, you have become a servant of self?

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:1-3 ESV

Take some time out of your busy schedule and have a talk with God today. Ask Him what His calling is for you and your life. Then listen  to His voice. Quiet yourself long enough to actually hear what He is saying to you. Proverbs 18:13 says, “if one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.” 

Thanks for reading, y’all be safe out there. 

Turn the Page

Posted on by jactucke


Well, thank you for your patience over the past week. I have been just a touch busy with the newest addition to our family. Plus, Little Girl decided she wanted to start using the “Big Girl Potty” full time, so we’ve be busy. 

As we put the finishing touches to that chapter of our lives, I’m a little sad. My firstborn is becoming a full-fledged toddler, my second is making her entrance into the world, and my chocolate dog is getting even more gray on his muzzle. I want to hang out right here and just stay in this moment. But I can’t and if I could, it would selfish. 

You see, there will always be different seasons in your life. Different chapters. These chapters signify our growth and maturity as people. Major life events generally signal the end of a season/chapter and the beginning of something new. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 talks in depth about this. 

For some, this is a new opportunity. A chance to start over with a clean slate. However, Some people love the chapter that they were in so much, that they never turn the page. This could be because of heartache, anger, or even good times. 

By hanging out in the past, they delay their future. We think that we know better than God. HE is the one who signaled that chapter’s ending. HE is the one who shifted us another way. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “for I know the plans I have for you.” HE knows where we are going or should go. We just have to trust Him.

Right after that verse, we are instructed to do something that we often skip over. 

“When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen. When you come looking for me, you’ll find me.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29:12-13

If you are having a rough time closing that old chapter of your life, just call unto HIM. Seek HIM. Do that and He will be true to His word. 

Take heart and know that when your old chapter is ending, something new is coming! In Isaiah 43:19 the Word says, “For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” 

God is doing something new in this next chapter. Whether you have been in good times or bad times, He is doing something new! He is literally springing life from the dead ground. Cutting paths through the overgrowth of your life.

So now I can be sad that my little girls are growing up, but I take heart and encouragement knowing that God is going to continue to move in this new season. 

Whatever you are facing right now or whatever you are looking back on, know that God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly over whatever we can ask or think (Eph. 3:20). All we have to do is move forward. Put our trust in HIM.

Thanks for reading and I pray that you have an excellent day! Y’all be safe out there.