Duct Tape & Twine

By Dr. Doug Ford, Production Animal Consultation, & Dr. Greg Quakenbush, Geissler Corp.

Iam always amazed by redneck, country innovation and logic at every layer of agriculture. Let me share three examples on my way to the heart of the matter. First, there is the farmer ready to fix anything with a pair of pliers and a piece of baling wire or twine. I recall several years ago being excited when one of my farmer cow-calf clients shared that he had completely rebuilt his cattle working facility. The day of fall preg check I was filled with excitement.

To my surprise, as I drove down the rugged unkept two track road, things did not look any different. The only change was three new 16-foot pine poles (bark on) and 500 yards of recycled florescent orange twine strategically holding the same dilapidated corrals together. With head held high, shoulders back, and a big grin, our barnyard CEO blurted out, “Doc, looks like we’re good for another 10!” (as in a decade).

A second ag wonder is the Hispanic culture. Mexican people are the most ingenious, frugal, and hard-working souls on the earth. I marvel daily at what I call “Mexican MacGyverisms”. My favorite “ism” came one cold January morning while standing under a large radiant heater in the processing barn. As I stood, deep in conversation, I became aware of a steady rhythmic drip on my cap from above. After a minute or so I looked skyward to investigate the annoying intrusion. To my surprise, there was a rotisserie unit mounted 10 inches in front of the radiant space heater. Attached was a long horizontal rod with a perfect line of bacon wrapped dark colored meat. In a moment of complete surprise, I thought, “What the ...?” With overwhelming excitement, Jose said, “Oh jes, Mister Doggie, today we dine on paloma for luncha.”

A third culturally distinct group are the cowboys and stockmen with their incredibly entertaining logic, wisdom, cowboy ethic, colorful descriptive slang, and witty sayings. This particular spring day in April 2020 especially caught my attention. Chris is a loving husband with four of the greatest kids you will ever meet. Three boys and one girl, all polite, intelligent, fine-tuned with overwhelming common sense, truly top hands. As we worked, I asked Chris if he ever had to hone and tune on the kids. With a big smirk and in his Missouri redneck drawl, he replied, “During office hours, all I have to do is give the look, you know the look, but on occasion we have to handle ’er on the ride home.” I instantly reflected to my youth. Back in the day that meant one of many scenarios.

1. “Wait ‘til your father gets home.” (I am sure Dad could not wait to come home and “beat” the kids after a hard day.)

2. Solitary confinement in the form of grounded for life.

3. The guilt trip, you know the one with “Your mother and I are extremely disappointed in you.” (I would rather do the beatin’.)

4. On the occasions when my mouth got the best of me, the remedy was a bar of Ivory soap. I think I blew bubbles out both ends for most of my formative years. Kids today think Tide Pods are a new thing. Mom had that one figured out back in the 50s.

Digging Deeper: Regarding the quick fix...

In the first story, our farmer saw the need for change and improvement but fell short of what really needed to happen. He gave a half-hearted effort resulting in a temporary fix. The analogy for our lives comes when we accept Christ. For me, I knew the working facility of my life needed to be completely rebuilt. Unfortunately, I did much like our farmer friend – a few poles and a little twine. The result was a disappointing and temporary fix. Thankfully, today I am not the same person I was. Through better choices and conviction, I am making progress in the area of spiritual integrity. Today my corral has a much better design and is built on a solid foundation with better materials. It creates voluntary motion and low stress if you know what I mean. The construction process is never ending, but the joy and fulfillment of the journey has been life changing and rewarding.

Most of us have tried “half-hearted efforts and temporary fixes” at one time or another. The reasons behind these “half-way” efforts are many and include a range of excuses from economics, laziness, and indifference to poor attitudes and selfishness. With experience and maturity, most begin to realize that “halfway” or “get by” solutions need to come with a warning label and caution. Not doing things right or to one’s best ability will lead to greater problems or even injury.

We need to diligently guard against halfway measures in the area of our faith. I have heard this situation best described as “give me just enough Jesus so I will get to heaven”. This bailing twine and duct tape approach to the most important decision in life (what to do with Jesus Christ) is not adequate, not even close.

Zeal, passion, and purpose are the foundation of a meaningful Christian walk. Why would you settle for less?

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Colossians 3:23-24 (ESV) 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

Regarding judging others...

It is not our place to judge, and first impressions can be very deceiving. Sometimes a bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate can be a disadvantage to ingenuity, common sense or enjoying fine gourmet pigeon cuisine.

We need to remain cautious in how we evaluate others, and thus first impressions or biases may lead us to easily misjudge. Culture today seems to be overly impressed or even intimidated by those who have achieved high levels of education. While an advanced degree often opens many doors and serves to give immediate credibility, it may not be aligned with reality.

“It is a thousand times better to have common sense without education than to have education without common sense.” -

Robert G. Ingersoll

Common sense and ingenuity are frequently born out of need or necessity. A solid work ethic and respect for others is surely worthy of honor.

Philippians 2:3-4 (NASB) 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

James 4:6 (ESV) But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Regarding the ride home...

So how does discipline and punishment work in God’s economy? Probably the most important thing to note is that for the Christian, discipline and punishment are two separate and different things. This point is often lost or misunderstood, but understanding the difference is important and even encouraging.

The Bible is clear that the Lord disciplines those that belong to Him. Few of us enjoyed the discipline our parents meted out, yet all of us who are now parents know its critical importance. True or correct discipline is based on love and seeks the best for the recipient of that discipline. “Discipline is a corrective action taken to change the negative behavior of the offender.” i

So how do Christians know when God is disciplining us? That is a question with no easy answers, but there are two important things to remember. First, if you are a Christian, you are forgiven your sins, absolutely and completely. However, the negative consequences of your sin have not been removed and the painful results that follow are the result of your poor choices or actions. God in His grace may spare us from some of the consequences of our bad choices and certainly may use it in His disciplinary process.

Second is the concept of punishment. There are many different definitions for punishment but for our brief discussion, punishment is defined as a “punitive action done to make the offender repay the debt they have incurred. ” ii Th good news to remember here is that God put any punishment that we deserved on His son, Jesus. The punishment for sin is death (Romans 6:23) and Jesus paid that price for all of us.

The bad news still remains for those who have rejected God’s payment for sin. That is why in our story about Chris and the kids, you do not want to wait to make a decision about your salvation on the proverbial ride home. The most important decision you will ever make needs to be made before you get in the Dodge diesel dually leaving this life. If you wait until the ride home, it will be too late. Eternity is eternity whether in Heaven or in Hell. Only He knows the day. Be prepared.

Romans 4:7-8 (ESV) 7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; 8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.” i https://applygodsword.com/the-biblical-difference-between-discipline-punishment-and-consequences/ ii Ibid

Hebrews 12:7-11 (ESV) 7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

The following articles have been translated into Spanish: