Reflection / Protocol

Lock Out / Tag Out
Lock Out / Tag Out
In heavy industry, a machine that runs indefinitely is a machine that will eventually catastrophically fail. To prevent this, and to keep the machine from killing the operator during repair,... Read more...
The Cut
The Cut
To the untrained eye, the vinedresser looks like an attacker. He moves through the vineyard with sharp steel, hacking away huge sections of growth. Branches that look healthy, green, and... Read more...
Signal Jamming
Signal Jamming
We panic when the radio goes dead. We assume Command has abandoned the post. We scream into the mic and get nothing but white noise. We interpret the silence as... Read more...
The Grinding Wheel
The Grinding Wheel
We crave smooth operation. In our relationships, our workplaces, and our spiritual walk, we believe that silence and lack of resistance are the ultimate signs of health. When friction occurs—when... Read more...
The Dry Crank
The Dry Crank
There is a specific, hollow sound an engine makes when it is out of fuel but you keep turning the key. It is the sound of denial. You think that... Read more...
The Weld
The Weld
We have a weak definition of "unity." We think it means agreeing on everything, holding hands, or just occupying the same room without arguing. We treat love like an adhesive—a... Read more...
The Lumen Limit
The Lumen Limit
We suffer from "high-beam anxiety." We stare into the fog of our future, trying to force our eyes to see five years down the road. We panic because the destination... Read more...
Velocity of Grace
Velocity of Grace
We often view God as a stationary destination. We think of Him as a mountain we must climb or a throne we must approach with perfect protocol. We believe that... Read more...
Zero Visibility
Zero Visibility
We are addicted to clarity. We want a floodlight illuminating the next ten years of our lives. We refuse to move until we can see the destination, the obstacles, and... Read more...
The Intake
The Intake
We act surprised when we stall out. We wonder why we have no spiritual torque, why our patience misfires, and why we have no power when we need to climb... Read more...
The Glitch
The Glitch
We are obsessed with steady voltage. We equate a consistent emotional state with spiritual maturity. When our faith sputters—when we feel the doubt, the anxiety, or the sudden drop in... Read more...
The Extraction Process
The Extraction Process
The Extraction Process "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair." — 2 Corinthians 4:8 The Hydraulic Load We beg God to release... Read more...
Silence Is Not Absence
Silence Is Not Absence
Silence Is Not Absence "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light." — Isaiah 9:2 The 400-Year Gap Between the last words of the Old Testament and the... Read more...
Rejecting Standardization
Rejecting Standardization
Rejecting Standardization "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." — Romans 12:2 The Assembly Line The world is a... Read more...
The 100% Duty Cycle Lie
The 100% Duty Cycle Lie
"He says, 'Be still, and know that I am God.'" — Psalm 46:10 Thermal Limits In industrial specs, a "duty cycle" represents the amount of time a machine can operate... Read more...
Fire Makes You Soft
Fire Makes You Soft
"In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the... Read more...
Low Power Does Not Penetrate
Low Power Does Not Penetrate
"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." — James 5:16 The Noise Floor In audio engineering, there is a concept called the "Noise Floor." It is the... Read more...
Thermal Runaway
Thermal Runaway
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." — Matthew 11:28 The Point of No Return In thermodynamics, there is a phenomenon... Read more...
Hardness Is Brittle
Hardness Is Brittle
"Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ." — Ephesians 4:15 The... Read more...
Guessing is Negligence
Guessing is Negligence
"Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path."— Psalm 119:105 The Failure Point In the shop, "about right" is the quickest way to destroy an... Read more...