The Man with the ax

The Man with the ax

My grandfather, John W. Rucks was a man that trusted God and lived by faith everyday. He preached and pastored in Arkansas for many years. This story is about the trip he took to Winslow Arkansas approx. 70 years ago.

Grandpa Rucks was taking his family to the next place he would be preaching a revival meeting. He really wasn’t sure where they were going, but he told his family, there would be a man coming out of the woods with an ax on his shoulder.

When they arrived in Winslow, they pulled over on the side of the road, and there he was , the man coming out of the woods, and just like Grandpa said, he had an ax on his shoulder.

He approached the man and told him his name, and that he was there to preach a revival. The man was excited and told my grandfather that they were looking for someone to preach and they were ready for revival.. They had a “Brush Arbor” meeting, and several were filled with the Holy Ghost.

I never really thought much about this story, It was told…I believed it…that was that.

Then something else happened that made the story more real to me.

Gary, Mom and myself went to the general conference in Salt Lake City, around 2001 (might have been 2000) Gary went to the business meeting for the preachers and when he came back to the motel he told me about a man he met. Gary said when he sat down at the meeting he introduced himself to the preacher sitting beside him, and told him where he was from. They shook hands and the preacher told Gary that his name was Bro. Hampton and he was from Winslow, Arkansas. Gary began to tell him the story about my grandfather. Then Bro Hampton said to him “ That was my uncle that had the ax on his shoulder” he went on to say that several members of his family received the Holy Ghost during that revival and several in his family were called to preach as a result of that meeting, and he had also heard the same story told through the years. Well Hallelujah !!!!!

My sister (Joy) made this comment:

My Daughter-in-law is the Grand daughter of the Hampton’s. Sis. Leona Hampton is Nicole's Grandmother, she attends our church. I believe it might have been Sis. Lenora's husband's dad who had the axe on his shoulder. I have never talked to Sis. Hampton about that story, but will do so when I return from B.O.T.T.(Because Of The Times) Joy

My Mother made this comment:

My half sister was an eye witness to this story of my family. I was a baby, my sister (Ruth) is gone but the story lives on, what a blessing. God is great.