CHUCKLES FROM DOWN UNDER

An old guy was out driving when he accidentally drove into the back of an expensive sports car. The furious car owner jumped out and demanded he pay him $10,000 cash immediately to cover the repair costs.

The old man answered, “I don't have that kind of money, but I'll ring my son who trains dolphins. He'll know what to do.”

When the man's son answered, the angry car owner grabbed the phone and yelled, “Listen here, dolphin trainer, if you don't bring $10,000 before 15 minutes is up, I'm going to beat your father to a pulp!”

Exactly fifteen minutes later, an enormous jeep pulled up and ten men wearing camouflage gear got out and wrestled the car owner to the ground.

Meanwhile, the son said to his father, “Dad, I've told you a hundred times, I train NAVY SEALS, NOT dolphins!”

Courtesy of Alison Kelly

You know how they throw the ball into the crowd after they win a game?

That's not allowed in bowling.

I know that now!

This past March I had the good fortune to spend a frigid Sunday morning spaying heifers for the quarter circle shedding water, down spear connected, slash ranch. It is always energizing and refreshing to spend quality chute time with young,

County Road 58

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

ambitious, trend-setting producers like the Mollahan family. Our spay project came to a close about 11:30am, just in time for bowed heads, a word of thanks, and a traditional country lunch topped off with apple crisp and whipped cream. We said our goodbyes as I did a final pre-flight inspection of the chute tie downs, ball, and hitch. Almost as an afterthought, I asked Ty if it was closer to go south to Akron or north through Sterling to get back to Brush, Colorado. His response came as a total surprise. He boldly exclaimed, “Neither!” He described in great detail a short cut that would knock off 20 miles and 30 minutes from my trip home. Being a lifelong Colorado native, I had convinced myself I knew every short cut, back road, and cow trail in Morgan, Logan, and Washington Counties, but I was apparently mistaken.

First thing, I was to head south one mile to County Road 58, then turn west for three miles to the cedar row at the old Otis highway. Then eight miles west to the dead-end T road. As part of his instructions, he cautioned of a dangerous blind four-way intersection on a steep hill a couple of miles before the turn. At the turn, I was to proceed two miles north to County Road 60 by the site of the historic Summit Springs Indian Massacre. Then turn west past the Don Koester place to Highway 63 (the old Akron highway). Finally, go five miles north to Atwood and Interstate 76 west to Brush.

Ironically, the Koesters were some of my dearest friends back in my Northeastern Junior College (NJC) days. Back in the day, we used to shoot pool and spotlight jack rabbits every Friday night. The bounty was $0.25 a rabbit. Ammo and college beer money, right? During my two-year tenure at NJC, I never took the opportunity to venture east of the homestead. It was a revelation to finally know what was east of the old bright red Koester calving barn.

Since my college days, I have been fortunate to learn that the Heavenly Father mysteriously and methodically connects dots in our lives but always in a time of due season. My wife Jan says the design is always in the detail. So true. God is the Master of design and detail.

That sunny March Sunday afternoon, I had no idea that church service was about to be held on that lonely dirt road in the cab of my F-250. I suddenly became acutely aware that I was again about to experience another revelation on life’s sobering journey. Patience, persistence, perspective, acceleration (time regained and reclaimed), and restoration are part of the blueprint. For me, gaining 30 minutes and saving 20 miles was to be real-life tangible proof, highlighting the principle of acceleration and restoration. In that moment, several personal real-life examples came to mind. In the tornado of 2017, Jan and I were markedly devastated, discouraged, and broken. It seemed like everything we had worked for all those years had been pretty much destroyed and would never be the same. Certainly not in the immediate future. Eighteen months later, God miraculously restored what the locust (tornado) had eaten (Joel 2:25-26), plus He added the double portion blessing mentioned in the book of Job (Job 42:10). Though our experience was depressing, emotionally debilitating, and seemingly hopeless, today all the details of the disaster are a blur. One of our darkest nightmares is now a trophy to God’s goodness (acceleration and restoration).

“I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you.” – Joel 2:25-26a

And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. – Job 42:10

I also thought about the 15 years I felt I had wasted in a pointless job working for the telephone company parable and in college. For years, it seemed I had given up so much while everyone else was moving forward with their lives. I felt stuck and left behind. Looking back, what I thought was a pointless job paid for my entire college education and taught me real-life diagnostic skills that I have used my entire career. As it turns out, the principles of troubleshooting a broken telephone apply to diagnostics and medicine. That investment of preparation in college and a perceived futile job has accelerated me to the core of the best profession on earth, doing what I love every day with friends like the Mollahan family.

When you belong to the Creator of the universe, you learn that in due season there will be acceleration, restoration, and a bountiful harvest. A few examples of this spiritual principle are found amid difficult times of divorce, adverse health, perceived wasted years in the wrong career, broken relationships, addictions, loneliness, loss of loved ones, loss of a job, and the list goes on. Challenges and loss are part of life, but advancement always comes in that due season and you never come out the same. God always restores his children back to their place and purpose. He brings beauty for ashes, life for death, peace for unrest, and promotion in the face of our mistakes. 1 Peter 5:10 says, “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” God’s Kingdom always connects the dots of design. Hold on, you are only one conversation, one phone call, one acquaintance, one relationship, one friendship, one hour, one day, one week, one year from God’s joy, peace, abundance, prosperity, and restoration. Stand firm!

Digging Deeper

What comes to mind when you hear the word “restore”? For the guys, an old classic pickup or vintage tractor might readily come to mind. For most ladies, the word restore or restoration might evoke thoughts of remodeling the kitchen or bathroom or of reupholstering their favorite but worn-out chair. The list any of us might have for restoration projects is likely endless. Restoring involves renovating or returning something back to what it was originally and is an everyday event, especially for those involved with agriculture. Rural folks might be the very best at mending, repairing, and rebuilding.

Surprisingly, restoration is a major theme in the Bible and is mentioned 133 times (NASB). The key difference is that Biblical restoration goes way beyond the standard definition. “The biblical meaning of the word ‘restoration’ is to receive back more than has been lost to the point where the final state is greater than the original condition ” 1 Restoration in the Bible includes not only material things, but people and, in some situations, time itself.

Considering the above Biblical definition, who or what was impacted and exactly how much was lost or damaged? The short answer is “all of creation” (man, animals, the environment) and “everything”. In theological terms, this complete trainwreck of all of creation is known as “The Fall of Man”. The result of Adam and Eve choosing Satan and his lies over God, His perfect plan, and absolute truth. As a result of their decision, God cursed all of creation resulting in Adam and Eve dying spiritually at the very moment they partook of the forbidden fruit. Physical death, which would follow later, was also part of the curse. Adam and Eve went from living in Paradise to total ruin, resulting in the loss of their close and personal relationship with God. This resulted in a change in their leadership and the new management was brutal and had a terrible compensation package. Trouble and suffering were to be the new normal for all creation and earth itself.

If we were to stop here, the situation for all of creation looks hopeless. It appeared that Satan had won; however, God was not about to be outsmarted by a being He created. His blueprint for such a rebellion had been present from the beginning as He sent Jesus to restore what Adam had lost. As you have likely heard, the repair came at a very high cost.

Man is the only aspect of God’s creation that was fashioned in His image (Genesis 1:27). Of all of God’s incredible creations, man is His masterpiece. Because of sin, we all became damaged goods. Therefore, restoration is needed by all to return us to our original intent or “image”. As one author stated: “In thinking about restoration as something needed only by those who stumble, we miss out on the full picture. The full picture is that restoration is God’s heart, and God’s plan, for all of us. We are all targets of God’s restoration. We are all in the middle of His restoring work in our lives.” 2

The pinnacle of restoration is demonstrated when we become followers of Jesus Christ. In this instance, He forgives us of our sins and restores the spiritual life within us as well as the promise of an eternal physical self. The relationship with God that Adam lost is now possible again. People who have gone from spiritually dead to spiritually alive (“born again”) are noticeably changed in their attitudes and actions. Heaven has replaced paradise lost and believers are restored to their original intent and condition.

Other personal examples of God’s work of restoration may be seen in His healing of our sicknesses and disease. It may show itself as a hopelessly broken and dead marriage that returns to life, even better than before, or as a fractured relationship with a loved one that is healed after not speaking for years. God may well restore your financial situation from disastrous to overflowing. The possibilities are endless.

One thread that runs true is that for those who belong to Jesus, some of the greatest wins or successes in our lives have flowed out from some of the lowest and most dismal of times. That is the beauty of restoration –watching God take us from brokenness to significance both in the short term (here and now) and the long term (when we join Him in heaven for all of eternity).

Restoration Hall of Fame

Here are a couple of examples for you to consider.

• Jerusalem/Israel: In 70 AD, the Roman Army completely destroyed the city of Jerusalem. The city was reduced to rubble with not one stone being left upon another (Matthew 24). Many Jewish people were killed during this war and the end result was the nation of Israel was erased. God’s restoration came in 1948 when following the Jewish Holocaust of WWII, Israel became a nation again for the first time in almost 1900 years. Consider the definition of “restoration” where the final situation gains back more than what was lost. Israel’s economy in 2021 was ranked 19th globally and rising. In comparison, Canada was ranked 20th and Great Britain 22nd. Additionally, Israel is a world leader in high end technology, second by most accounts only to the U.S. All of this from one of the smallest nations on earth who has only been around (this time) for the last 74 years. In due season, they went from brokenness to tremendous significance all while surrounded by their enemies.

• The apostle Paul: A high-ranking Jewish scholar, lawyer, and zealot, Paul was active in persecuting the early Christian church and actively sought the imprisonment and death of its followers. In the midst of oppressing the young church, Paul had a life changing encounter with the risen Jesus. His subsequent restoration resulted in a complete 180˚ as he became arguably one of the greatest disciples in history. Of the 27 books in the New Testament, Paul wrote 13 of them (4 of them from prison). If the book of Hebrews was written by Paul, that number would be 14.

The list of God’s work of restoration is endless. David, Job, Peter, and Mary Magdalene all have incredible stories of pain, trouble, and suffering. Their stories also have an encouraging message as all received back more than what was lost and were used by God in amazing ways.

In the story of your life, what chapter are you currently writing? Have your losses exceeded your wins? Which of the two management programs noted above are you presently under? One that offers lies, empty promises, spiritual death, and separation as Adam experienced? Or are you under the one that offers “beauty for ashes” (Isaiah 61:3) where hope reigns supreme and the trials and suffering you experience are replaced in time by abundant blessings, a tangible relationship with your creator, and life everlasting?

References

1 https://www.reference.com/world-view/biblical-meaningword-restoration-436ed0eb2e3b3d0c, emphasis added

2 https://www.fromhispresence.com/restoration-is-gods-planfor-everyone/

Genesis 1:27 (ESV) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. ***

Psalm 51:12 (ESV) Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. ***

John 3:16 (ESV) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ***

Doug Ford, DVM is the owner of Beaver Creek Veterinary Clinic in Brush, Colorado. Doug earned his DVM degree from Colorado State University. Brush, Colorado has been his home since graduating from Colorado State. Doug’s practice has been remarkably diverse over 40 years of veterinary medicine. Dogs, cats, cow/calf, feedlot, two sale barns, and spaying thousands of heifers for grass. The last 20 years of practice has been 50% large western dairies and 50% beef cattle (spaying, cow/calf, and feedlots). In 2005, Doug was given the privilege to become one of the six founding members of PAC. Doug and his wife Jan ranch in their “spare” time. They are also heavily involved in a wetland’s development project on the South Platte River near Snyder, Colorado. Doug’s dad used to say, “Get your grades up. Do you want to grow up to be a ditch digger?” Doug had no idea how much fun it would be to play in the dirt with dozers and track hoes. He feels truly blessed and believes that the best days are yet to come.

Greg Quakenbush, DVM is a 1978 graduate of Colorado State University and spent 16 years in large animal practice in Porterville, California. For 19 years, Dr. Q worked for Zoetis (Pfizer) and was Director of the US Cattle Technical Services team. Since 2013, Dr. Q has worked with the Geissler Corporation assisting in the development of new veterinary diagnostic technologies. Dr. Q enjoys Bible study, shooting sports, fly-fishing, and being a part-time farmer growing citrus and nuts in the central valley of California.