A road not taken

Posted on by jactucke

One of my favorite poets is Robert Frost. The way he weaves words and phrases together is just pure magic. If you can’t tell by glancing at the title, my favorite poem of his is probably his most popular, A Road Not Taken. 

We are thrust into the shoes of a traveler who is in a yellow forest. They happen upon a fork in the path: one is well worn, the other has more growth and is aching for some company. Go take a quick read of it here. 

SPOILER ALERT!!! The narrator takes the second road and states their intention of coming back to take the worn one, but knows that they never will. By taking the road less traveled, a lasting impression is left on the traveler. 

This poem is straight up an allegory to our Christian walk. The Bible even says in Matthew 7:13-14 that the way to hell is wide and broad, eluding that it is well traveled but the road to Heaven is narrow and more difficult. 

Take the second road. Yeah, the other way is gonna be easier, but what’s the reward? There isnt one! Sure it can get tiring following Jesus, but the end reward is oh so sweet. 

Galatians 6:9 tells us not to “grow weary in well doing because in due time you will receive a harvest.” Keep walking on that straight and narrow because you’re gonna reap goodness. Is it easy? Nope. But it’s not supposed to be. 

Today’s blog isn’t very long, but it really doesn’t have to be on this subject. Keep your eyes on Him. Stay focused, be encouraged in the Lord and keep fighting the good fight. Stay on that narrow, less traveled path, because, like Mr. Frost said, it will make all the difference. 

Y’all be safe out there. 

When it rains…

Posted on by jactucke

Have you ever heard the expression, “When it rains, it pours?” Well, this particular season of my life has been exactly that. It’s almost been a live demonstration of Murphy’s Law. Just go look that one up when you have time. 

I’m gonna save you the details and abbreviate the happenings. Between extended family shenanigans, vehicular gremlins, and countless other crap…let’s just say the devil has been a giant prick and he thinks he’s got it all figured out. 

Well, he’s wrong. 

We recently finished a series at our church called “The Storms Just Kept  Coming.” You can find it here. At the time, I wasn’t relating much, but you put the Word in You when you don’t need it so that you have it when you do. 

When all this crap reared its ugly head, I was talking to the Wildman and he dropped yet another truth bomb on me. He said, “Well son, don’t let all this get you discouraged. Sometimes, you just need to put it down until you get it  out of your thinking. That may be a couple days or a couple weeks. But it’s gonna be alright.”

I’ve been thinking about the clouds and the rain and forgetting about the One who reigns and brings the promise after the rain. 

For some odd reason I forgot the second part of John 10:10. I focused on the devil of this world and all his fiery darts. We’ve been taught for years that all he wants to do is steal, kill and destroy. But so often we get caught in the rain, we forget that Jesus is the One who brings us life and brings it to us in abundance. 

But why do dark times come with rain? Do we always have to go through it? The Word tells us that simply being Christians, we’ll have hard times (John 15:18-20) and that we just need to keep on truckin. What you are facing is no different to what others of the faith have faced. 

Look at Psalm 23. It says “even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” Did you see that? You may be in the valley of the shadow of death, but it doesn’t say camp out and have a pity party. It says you are going through it. That means there is a light on the other side. Plus, He’s with you the whole time, comforting you. 

To go even further, Romans 8:28 tells us, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” God already has a plan for you outside of the rain. Because you are special to Him as He will never let you down. 

So, despite all of the stuff the devil has been trying to use to get me down, I have the assurance knowing that God’s purpose for me is for good. I just have to dwell on His plan and not the discouragement like the Wildman so fondly reminded me. 

If that is too wordy and you have problem remembering all of those verses, look at it like this: When it rains, HE REIGNS.

Y’all be safe out there. 

Untapped Power

Posted on by jactucke


Every night, we sit down on LG’s bed and pray together. I’ll start it off by praying for the family and healing for everyone who is sick. LG usually chimes in to include family members that we have already listed, just to make doubly sure. Then we end it with a prayer all together, “Dear Jesus, we love you, thank you and amen.”

It’s a time that I look forward to every night, because it’s a chance to see our oldest learning and demonstrating one of our most powerful tools as Believers. There are even times throughout the day where she’ll lay hands on her mom or sister or her puppy and say, “In Jesus name.” I get goosebumps just thinking about the power of God running through my little girl’s prayers. 

It seems so simple, yet so many of us take it for granted. The power of prayer can literally change things and we regulate it to when it’s convenient for us. Or we just tell people, “I’ll be praying for you,” when really the phrase is just a standard reply. 

It’s doesn’t take special words or a certain phrase to pray. You just start talking with God. Just do it. I promise that your prayers will be heard. Not just me, but the Word says it. In 1 John 5:14-15 it says, “And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.”

He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 
Psalm 91:15

Your prayers develop your relationship with God. They create a more intimate atmosphere between you and your creator instead of one that feels like an awkward exchange between exes.

One more story to kind of hammer this in. I was talking with my dad last night after doing a little work. He had a long day of chemo, but the Wildman wanted to know how my day was. We chatted about little things and I told him that we’ve been praying for healing. 

Now this is a man who I rarely saw in church growing up. Most times, the three boys just went with mom and Wildman was at the farm, either recovering from a hard weekend of work or was heading out to work. When we did go as a family, it was only on “special” days. But something happened a few years ago that changed all that; however, that’s not my story to tell. 

Getting back to last night. When I told him we had been praying, he said, “Son, out of everything that has happened, a lot of people have been praying. From Levelland to Holland, folks have been praying for me. Let me tell ya, it’s been working. Prayer has to be one of the most powerful tools that we have as believers. But folks just have to do it.”

I teared up. My pops was dropping a major truth bomb that I never expected. The biggest kicker was the statement “folks just have to do it.” 

Just talk to your God. Jeremiah 33:3 tells us to call unto Him and He’ll show us great and mighty things. Psalm 34:17 says that when the righteous call for help, He hears us and delivers us. He’s there to provide us with the best. He wants to be intimate with you. All you have to do is do it. 

Start that prayer life up. Talk to Him. Pray without ceasing and he will be true to His word. 

Y’all be safe out there.