Today I am reviewing
Purposeful Design: Understanding the Creation by Jay Schabacker at
Purposeful Design.
Jay Schabacker, once part of the Apollo Moon Program, has created a visually stunning (a perfect coffee table book!) book that goes over the scientific principles that run our world in such a way that is compelling and easy to understand. Mr. Schabacker provides evidence that a loving God was purposeful in this incredible design.
He takes the time to describe in detail how exact the earth is (it's tilt, rotation, etc.) and how this never varies. It is unchanging and precise. He explains how the seasons work and just how important each one is to our survival.
My children were intrigued by the section on the water cycle. 71% of the earth's surface is covered by water. If it was higher, there would be too much rain and extreme floods. If it were less, there would too much desert and not enough rain. Everything is so incredibly precise and it all points to an intelligent and compassionate Creator.
The book quotes Albert Einstein saying "The most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible." Einstein knew that the "rules" of nature do not and have never changed. Just the fact that there are these rules at all is a miracle in and of itself. Schabacker tells us in the book that the second law of thermodynamics says that "the energy for useful work si (and always has been) decreasing with time." If your child spins a top, it will slow down and stop eventually. That is illustrative of this law. What keeps the earth, planets, and moon moving and at the same constant speed and velocity year after year?
He also discusses the perfect tilt of the earth at 23 1/2 degrees. Could something so perfect have happened by chance? There are so many benefits to our earth's exact tilt-- our seasons and the changing the sun's rays in how they hit the earth's atmosphere. If it was a 0 degree tilt, we would have no seasons. Seeds wouldn't germinate, insects wouldn't be killed off in the winter (thus causing extremely high mortality rates due to insect infestations), etc. How abut a 50 degree tilt? Did you know that portions of the earth's atmosphere would get extreme "seasons" with heat of the sun 24 hours a day for up to half of the year. It is truly mind boggling how precise, exact and perfect a 23 1/2 degree vertical tilt really is. :-)
Another feature I loved is the
downloadable curriculum that includes a workbook for students and a teacher's answer key. The teacher's guide also has certificates of completion to give to the students after each chapter. There are discussion questions, crossword puzzles and lots of other supplemental materials, including memory verses that make it all come together for your child, no matter what age they are (the book is geared to all ages)- from youngsters to high school and adults.
There is so much fun in this book, too. It isn't all boring science "facts and figures." There are questions answered like "Have you wondered how fish swim?" and "How does ice float?" One of my kids' favorites was "Our Purposeful Designer has a sense of Humor," especially the Piglet Squid that is the size of an avocado. He sure is funny looking, isn't he? :-)
There are sections on the human body, the human cell, stars, sea life and more! Mr. Schabacker says in the introduction of the book why he wrote this book and I think it is so worthwhile to repeat here. He said, "I have written this book because I have a passion for others-- how they are doing and how they are thinking. And, I wish everyone would have an immensely positive view of themselves, of this world that we are in, and of others--mostly because of the understanding of our own astounding and loving creation." Wow.
You can have this wonderful book for only $18.95, and if you request, Mr. Schabacker will autograph it for you. My kids think it is incredibly "cool" to have a NASA Apollo enginner's autograph in his book. :-)
Click on the graphic below to see what my colleagues on the Crew had to say about this book:
Don't miss a thing!
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