Purposeful Design {Book Review}

Purposeful Design Review


Jay Schabacker of Purposeful Design wrote Purposeful Design: Understanding the Creation to be an uplifting book that connects the specialness our everyday life to the ingenuity of our Creator God.

Designed for all ages, it is described as "a coffee table book." We brought the book with us on our trip to Steamboat Springs for the Feast of Tabernacles. We had a beautiful condo and the book did make for a beautiful coffee table book! I liked being able to leave it out for anyone to enjoy and read to the children from the couch. It has beautiful photos and illustrations and was interesting to read.


Purposeful Design Review
Contents:

  • Chapter 1 – The First DayThe Foundation of it All and What Keeps Things Going?

  • Chapter 2 – The Second Day ~ Creation of the Atmosphere and Water and Quenching the Thirsty Earth – The “Rain Cycle”

  • Chapter 3 – The Third DayCreation of the Dry Land and Vegetation and The Importance of Vegetation and Plants to Humans

  • Chapter 4 – The Fourth DayCreation of the Sun, Moon, and Stars and Many Benefits of the Sun, Moon, and Stars

  • Chapter 5 – The Fifth DayCreation of the Birds and the Fish and Why the Birds and the Fish were Created

  • Chapter 6 – The Sixth DayCreation of Land Creatures and Humans and The Amazing Uniqueness of the Human Being

  • Chapter 7 – The Seventh DayThe Sabbath is the Day of Rest

Price: $18.95 (25% off the retail price of $24.95 and includes a free bonus Young Explorer’s Club Curriculum)

"Why do we see the same side of the moon every night?" is asked in the first chapter. My kids were curious and listened intently.

The book goes through each day of Creation using Bible verses, photos, illustrations, tables, charts, diagrams, quotes, text, and more.

Each created thing has a specific purpose and the book helps us to appreciate the intricate design and that everything points to our Creator God.



I love how author Jay Schabacker asks, "What If?"
"What if our tides were not perfectly designed by God, as they are now—the moon a perfect size and distance away from earth for the just right gravitational pull and tides?"

Our book was also thoughtfully and personally autographed.

While it is a beautiful book, there were a few things I didn't like, such as the following:
"The camel also provides its human keeper with milk and meat. The Creator thought of everything!"

While the camel is amazing, the Bible actually says that God did not create the camel for milk and meat:
"The LORD spoke again to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them, “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘These are the creatures which you may eat from all the animals that are on the earth. ‘Whatever divides a hoof, thus making split hoofs, and chews the cud, among the animals, that you may eat. ‘Nevertheless, you are not to eat of these, among those which chew the cud, or among those which divide the hoof: the camel, for though it chews cud, it does not divide the hoof, it is unclean to you." Leviticus 11:1-4

Ironically, he goes into detail about how a cow chews its cud right after this, and leaves out that this is an important design factor that makes the cow clean for us to eat.

I also think he left out important connections regarding the design and purpose of the 7th day Sabbath.

I think liberties were taken to make connections between the usefulness of God's creation, but overall, Jay Schabacker helps us see that every plan has a designer and a purpose and this gives meaning and purpose to our life.

Read excerpts from the book to see more!

Young Explorer's Club Student Workbook is also available to accompany the book. It is designed to increase children's experience, understanding and comprehension as they explore each chapter. Each lesson has illustrations from the book, Bible verses for study and reflection, writing prompts, comprehension questions, exercises to get your child thinking about what they learned, illustration prompts, and a closing prayer prompt.

Connect with Jay Schabacker on Facebook and visit Purposeful Design to learn more!

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2 comments

  1. LOL! I mentioned the same thing about the camel in my review! It's such a beautiful book. Did you use anything from the downloadable curriculum pack?

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  2. Yeah, I think other uses could have easily been tied in. I didn't use the student workbook. I actually printed the whole thing, but it seemed like too much writing and I just wanted to enjoy the book (especially since I brought it to the Feast to read).

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