First Principles

Perhaps the training of an engineer is proving indispensable in this endeavour. While the words are given to me, they naturally pass through my subconscious (a filter) before emerging on the read page. The interpretation (filtering) which I apply draws heavily on my belief in construction from first principles and fundamental truths. Among these, that the Word of God is God-inspired, infallible, and is a source of multiple levels of revelation according to the inclination of the Spirit of God and the prepared heart of the recipient.

Some important first principles that I have observed, in no particular order here:

• The rule of threes. God often executes His will in 3 acts. Humans reflect this in their creative writing and music, too (e.g. the typical 3-act structure in the stories told by plays, novels, opera)
• The establishment of signs and portents in the stars for interpretation by man
• The myths of most major cultures which have survived for a long time (e.g. those of Native and aboriginal cultures) tend to have some basis in ancient truth on the major issues (e.g. creation, the spirit world). They are like corrupting savoury fruit (sweet to make it palatable to the hearer) wrapped around a kernel of historical fact
• Many successful pieces of creative fiction are set in a time of change.Things are changing around the protagonist(s), and the "what happens next" page-turning instinct happens because the reader wants to know how the character's motivations will conflict with the changes in the world around them