Common energy forms include the kinetic energy of a moving object, the potential energy stored by an object's position in a force field (gravitational, electric or magnetic), the elastic energy stored by stretching solid objects, the chemical energy released when a fuel burns, the radiant energy carried by light, and the thermal energy due to an object's temperature.
Living organisms require available energy to stay alive, such as the energy humans get from food. Civilization gets the energy it needs from energy resources such as fossil fuels, nuclear fuel, or renewable energy.
(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
I'm not sure if a
little science lesson is the best way to start a book, I've never
written a book before; but it was, in fact, the mention of kinetic
and potential energy that inspired me to start this endeavor.
We all learned about
it back in school, not knowing if it was really going to be that
important or even relevant to life in the future. To my surprise, for
the last ten years in particular, it's understanding has been
critical to my survival. Kinetic energy is pretty easy to recognize, in one way or another, it's moving. But
Potential energy sometimes takes a keener eye to recognize.
Working in a steel
mill for the past ten years, I have learned the importance of
recognizing potential energy. In my very first week there was a horrible tragedy that resulted in the fatality of a
coworker. He had spent over forty years working in the mill and was
four days away from his retirement. It came down to a four inch steel pin, a pin that quite literally stayed the swing of the gate between life and death. The steel pin locked a swing arm holding a massive counter balance in place. For unknown reasons, the pin simply failed; causing the arm that supported the weight to swing down crushing the man between the counter weight and a steel beam. It was a horrific accident that I can never forget.
I almost quit that first week.
Everyone knew about the movement of that arm, and the type of energy that it created as it moved. While the pin restricted the kinetic energy of the arm, it did not remove it's potential energy. In reality, the position in which the arm had been placed actually increased its' potential energy instead of neutralizing it. With the pin no longer restraining the arm that potential energy became, quite literally, life changing.
It was a tragic but very valuable lesson to learn in my first week.
Just because something is restricted or even still, it does not mean that its' potential has been removed. In fact, its' potential may be increasing with each passing moment, until it reaches the point that the force behind the potential becomes greater than that which is holding it back.
Life has often been symbolized by the rush and the flow of a winding river. Following the course of life, adapting to the terrain and to the seasons. At times a gentle stream, and at others, roaring rapids; with an occasional waterfall just to keep it unpredictable. There are dry seasons when the water is shallow, and there are seasons of rain when the banks will overflow. But the river is life, and life is always abundant where there is water.
A river is kinetic energy as it flows, and man, since ancient times, has learned to use that energy. To add that energy to his own, to harness it and use it to assist in his endeavors. The river not only provides life, but it can produce power as well; to those that understand how to harness it.
Prov 18:4
I almost quit that first week.
Everyone knew about the movement of that arm, and the type of energy that it created as it moved. While the pin restricted the kinetic energy of the arm, it did not remove it's potential energy. In reality, the position in which the arm had been placed actually increased its' potential energy instead of neutralizing it. With the pin no longer restraining the arm that potential energy became, quite literally, life changing.
It was a tragic but very valuable lesson to learn in my first week.
Just because something is restricted or even still, it does not mean that its' potential has been removed. In fact, its' potential may be increasing with each passing moment, until it reaches the point that the force behind the potential becomes greater than that which is holding it back.
Life has often been symbolized by the rush and the flow of a winding river. Following the course of life, adapting to the terrain and to the seasons. At times a gentle stream, and at others, roaring rapids; with an occasional waterfall just to keep it unpredictable. There are dry seasons when the water is shallow, and there are seasons of rain when the banks will overflow. But the river is life, and life is always abundant where there is water.
A river is kinetic energy as it flows, and man, since ancient times, has learned to use that energy. To add that energy to his own, to harness it and use it to assist in his endeavors. The river not only provides life, but it can produce power as well; to those that understand how to harness it.
Prov 18:4
The words of a man's mouth are deep waters, a flowing river, a fountain of wisdom.
But where do the deep waters come from? While it is true that some rivers are deeper than others, there is another way to increase the depth and power of any river.
A dam is a barrier that temporarily stops the flow of the river and creates a reservoir, and once the reservoir has filled, the water will crest the dam and the river will continue to flow again, or it may get diverted and flow in an entirely different direction altogether. The kinetic energy of the river basically never changed; but, properly harnessed, the potential energy of the reservoir can be impressively greater. The depth and the volume of the reservoir is simply determined by the size of the barrier that was created in order to contain it.
A man's potential is often increased in his adversity. Some men are more powerful than others, in truth, we were not all created equally. There are those who naturally posses greater intelligence, deeper strength. more abundant resources; but they are the same as those who have less, in the fact that all people, man and woman alike, have their limits. Everyone of us have encountered a time or a situation that we could not seem to find a way through. Time seemed to stand still, progress was halted and the only solution was to simply wait. It is quite often during those times, even without our realization, that our potential is being increased. The dam wall is being made stronger and larger. In our limited view, we see a barrier that is holding us back; but in fact, it is becoming a crucial part of the structure of our lives. Without the dam, we would have remained shallow and quite limited in our power; but through it, we achieve a depth that we would have not experienced otherwise and posses a potential power that is far greater than any single stream could have ever produced.
But potential power can remain dormant, sometimes indefinitely. We can often sense it and still not recognize it, occasionally it spills over the edge and causes others to see it in us; but even that does not guarantee that the potential will be fully realized. We all have a kinetic energy, the pace and presence at which we move through life effecting those around us. But to attempt the extraordinary, to do something that would require something greater we often must go through a process of releasing potential. The encouraging part is that the potential is only there because someone saw the future need for it and put in place what was necessary in order to create it.
So how does this become my book?
Like the dams of the past century, there came the realization that the flow of the reservoirs could be directed through a turbine and that potential energy could be combined with the power of gravity to generate electricity. It is the transformation of potential to kinetic where the energy increases, both in its value and usefulness, exponentially.
If I were a river I would not be recognized by a great name. I am as common as a stream on the edge of a field, that few would stumble across as they themselves journeyed through life. I cannot say that I know why, but many years ago, the God that I love began to place barriers in my life. Quite often I misunderstood them and thought that they needed to be removed, I fought against them and even resented them. Yet still He persisted, and all that flowed into me seemed to pool up; for years I felt still, even stagnant. What I could not see was that the dam wall had become large enough for others to begin to take notice. Those with keener vision and more experience began to see my potential. They began to encourage me to look deeper than just the shallow stream that wanted to go with the flow. The dam wall that had held me back for so long was actually the barrier wall protecting my potential.
Writing is my turbine and my reservoir is filled with words. Words that tell the stories of my past, my experiences and my mistakes. The times that I have spent receiving revelation from the Lord and the times that I felt abandoned and in despair, each come to life as I share them through written words. My joy and even my adventures now seem to swirl in an expectation, that as they are shared they will be transformed and transferred into something more than just words. It is my hope that the potential of my words will be combined with the power of my prayers, and produce an energy that will inspire others to seek the means of releasing their own potential.
This is the endeavor that I am about to undertake, and I invite you to join me. It is new to me, and I cannot say for sure where it will lead. But I suppose that potential is often unpredictable, until the moment that it is released.
But where do the deep waters come from? While it is true that some rivers are deeper than others, there is another way to increase the depth and power of any river.
A dam is a barrier that temporarily stops the flow of the river and creates a reservoir, and once the reservoir has filled, the water will crest the dam and the river will continue to flow again, or it may get diverted and flow in an entirely different direction altogether. The kinetic energy of the river basically never changed; but, properly harnessed, the potential energy of the reservoir can be impressively greater. The depth and the volume of the reservoir is simply determined by the size of the barrier that was created in order to contain it.
A man's potential is often increased in his adversity. Some men are more powerful than others, in truth, we were not all created equally. There are those who naturally posses greater intelligence, deeper strength. more abundant resources; but they are the same as those who have less, in the fact that all people, man and woman alike, have their limits. Everyone of us have encountered a time or a situation that we could not seem to find a way through. Time seemed to stand still, progress was halted and the only solution was to simply wait. It is quite often during those times, even without our realization, that our potential is being increased. The dam wall is being made stronger and larger. In our limited view, we see a barrier that is holding us back; but in fact, it is becoming a crucial part of the structure of our lives. Without the dam, we would have remained shallow and quite limited in our power; but through it, we achieve a depth that we would have not experienced otherwise and posses a potential power that is far greater than any single stream could have ever produced.
But potential power can remain dormant, sometimes indefinitely. We can often sense it and still not recognize it, occasionally it spills over the edge and causes others to see it in us; but even that does not guarantee that the potential will be fully realized. We all have a kinetic energy, the pace and presence at which we move through life effecting those around us. But to attempt the extraordinary, to do something that would require something greater we often must go through a process of releasing potential. The encouraging part is that the potential is only there because someone saw the future need for it and put in place what was necessary in order to create it.
So how does this become my book?
Like the dams of the past century, there came the realization that the flow of the reservoirs could be directed through a turbine and that potential energy could be combined with the power of gravity to generate electricity. It is the transformation of potential to kinetic where the energy increases, both in its value and usefulness, exponentially.
If I were a river I would not be recognized by a great name. I am as common as a stream on the edge of a field, that few would stumble across as they themselves journeyed through life. I cannot say that I know why, but many years ago, the God that I love began to place barriers in my life. Quite often I misunderstood them and thought that they needed to be removed, I fought against them and even resented them. Yet still He persisted, and all that flowed into me seemed to pool up; for years I felt still, even stagnant. What I could not see was that the dam wall had become large enough for others to begin to take notice. Those with keener vision and more experience began to see my potential. They began to encourage me to look deeper than just the shallow stream that wanted to go with the flow. The dam wall that had held me back for so long was actually the barrier wall protecting my potential.
Writing is my turbine and my reservoir is filled with words. Words that tell the stories of my past, my experiences and my mistakes. The times that I have spent receiving revelation from the Lord and the times that I felt abandoned and in despair, each come to life as I share them through written words. My joy and even my adventures now seem to swirl in an expectation, that as they are shared they will be transformed and transferred into something more than just words. It is my hope that the potential of my words will be combined with the power of my prayers, and produce an energy that will inspire others to seek the means of releasing their own potential.
This is the endeavor that I am about to undertake, and I invite you to join me. It is new to me, and I cannot say for sure where it will lead. But I suppose that potential is often unpredictable, until the moment that it is released.
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