Let Creation Speak!: 100 Invitations to Awe and Wonder by Michael Guillen

Let Creation Speak!: 100 Invitations to Awe and Wonder Reviews

• 
  Stephanie’s Ninth Suitcase

  Synopsis: Each of the one hundred daily “invitations” explores a facet of God’s creation, along with a Scripture and reflection component.
  Disclosure: I received a complimentary ARC of the book from the publisher. Opinions expressed are my own.
  
  Note: Based on a quick Google search, I don’t think I agree with all of the author’s personal beliefs. This review is a review of the title, not endorsement of the author’s personal stances.
  
  Scripture Connection
  The heavens declare the glory of God,
  and the sky above[a] proclaims his handiwork.
  2 Day to day pours out speech,
  and night to night reveals knowledge.
  
  Psalm 19:1-2
  
  As this is a 100-day devotional, there are tons of Scripture references. Psalm 19 is one of my favorite chapters, and Guillen cites verses 1-4 in the first day’s devotion, which introduces the theme of the collection. It’s an invitation to hear what Creation has to tell us about the Creator.
  
  What to Expect
  The book consists of 100 two-page “invitations to awe and wonder.” Each daily portion begins with several paragraphs introducing a neat fact about God’s creation. We learn about miraculous ecosystems, astonishing animals, and even take the occasional plunge into meteorology.
  
  Following the science portion, there’s a reflection section, which draws a comparison to a spiritual/everyday theme. Finally, “The Creator Speaks” cites a specific Bible verse or passage that highlights the concept for the day.
  
  As a note, the book is marketed to non-Christians, as well as Christians. While I would be glad to hear of non-Christians reading, and there are occasional, pointed remarks for such an audience, most “invitations” read from a Christian worldview, and the book reads more like a devotional.
  
  What I Liked
  It is truly refreshing to see science being used for the glory of God.
  
  Generally, my favorite element of each chapter was the essay portion. There’s a lot to learn between the pages of this book, and I think that these miniature essays could prove excellent springboards for further research. In this respect, I could see the book integrating well with homeschool or Christian school curriculum for older students.
  
  I liked that the Scripture portion of each section is called, “The Creator Speaks.” Whether because of an emphasis on intellectualism or do-gooding, the Western church often seems to disconnect God from His role as Creator. (I lament that church services are traditionally held indoors). I appreciate that each day supplies that reminder.
  
  I also appreciated the different designs on each page, corresponding to the subject matter. Day 63, “Surviving in Utter Darkness,” features an inverted color scheme with black background and white fonts. “The Long Haul,” with an essay on albatrosses (who, I learned, will fly for about two years without landing), includes a little image of the albatross. Graphics are small and add variety to the pages, without being full-blown illustrations.
  
  Favorite Essays
  I especially enjoyed reading about math and the Creator (Day 29; the passage makes interested in reading an older title of Guillen’s, Five Equations that Changed the World: The Power and Poetry of Mathematics). I liked reading about marvelous creatures, like the tiny Adélie penguin, a bold and courageous David to predatorial Goliaths. And I was awed by stories of miraculous life and growth in impossible places.
  
  Favorite Quote
  "Because of that, God knows you better than you know yourself. He knows you perfectly—which is both scary and comforting.
  Scary, because he sees right through your public persona and subtlest, cleverest deceptions. Comforting, because even though he sees you the worst possible light, he still loves you and yearns to help you become the best person you can be, the person he made you to be.
  So if you’re hiding from God, please stop. Actively seek him out and start seeing in yourself what God sees in you."
  From Day 53, “Perfect Vision”
  
  Discussion of Reflections
  Each day features a reflection portion, which invites the reader to connect personally with the ideas being explored.
  
  As far as the reflections go, I found some to be “spot on” and particularly meaningful, with the Holy Spirit speaking to me through the reading. There were a number of passages that felt a little bit guilt-inducing, which may have just been my reading (I am very sensitive about teaching that inspires guilt).
  
  Oftentimes, the reflections felt simplistic to me. This may be because the book is being marketed to Christians and non-Christians, so ideas that may feel very familiar to me could be new to another reader.
  
  With that said, the book does inspire awe, but for me, that inspiration came through the science passages, not through the reflection portions.
  
  Audience Notes
  Dr. Guillen does a fantastic job of explaining complex concepts in accessible ways. In this sense, I could see a lot of the book working, even for younger readers as a family devotion. With that said, there are some mature elements in the book, such as references to temptations like alcohol, pornography, and OTC drug abuse (Day 84) and an essay about animals “looking for action” (Day 86).
  
  Additionally, subject matter, even when appropriate for all ages, frequently emphasizes adult issues (such as jobs and finances).
  
  For these reasons, although I wouldn’t recommend the entirety of the book for a family devotional, I could see passages being read together as a family, particularly for children who are interested in science.
  
  Content Notes
  Based on the other book I’ve read by this author (Believing is Seeing), Guillen does consider the earth to be millions of years old. I don’t see this idea explicitly conveyed through this title, though there is a reference to five extinctions. (I’m not sure how that idea interacts with traditional Creationist beliefs. Guillen directly references God speaking the universe into existence.
  
  I want to say there’s just one reference to the earth being super old, though I didn’t find it when I went back looking for it. (This idea was more prevalent in the other book I read by Dr. Guillen, Believing is Seeing).
  
  Another element I see in this book, which was also present in the other title I read by the author, is his bold confidence that the reader will be transformed by reading this book.
  
  Do I believe God can use the book in this way? Yes! Do I believe God can use many things in such a way? Yes! However, I feel uncomfortable when an author (preacher, teacher, etc.) makes such bold statements to a general audience.
  
  Recommendation Status
  Based on the book’s diction and content, I would recommend this title for teens and up, as a solo read. However, I could see it used as a curated family devotion for younger ages, with passages selected on the basis of interest and comprehension level.
• 
  J

  A book that explores both the physical world around us and the spiritual world as well. And although the spiritual context is for the Christian at heart anyone of any faith or belief may find it an interesting read for reflection even if they skip the more religious parts of the book.
  
  Let Creation Speak has one hundred sections or "invitations" as the author calls it. This is a page spread in which the invitation number is provided followed by a title provided to the reader for what the focus of the read is going to be. Some of these titles are everyday titles and some of them do reflect the more religious theme of the book with a few examples being Bigger Than Infinity, Shelter from the Storm and Life Support just to name a few. Meanwhile the information that follows focuses on one animal or plant species, natural laws and the universe while encouraging the reader to think how perfect that element of our world was made.
  
  After this are the parts that any non-Christian may want to ignore although I would recommend at least a skim of the ideas connecting both the idea, the natural world information and the Reflection that ties all of it together. This is neatly wrapped up with The Creator Speaks in which a verse or two are provided to the reader who may want to use the book as a biblical study guide.
  
  To this ends the reader will find an index in the back of the back along with lined paper for the reader to take or jot their own notes down.
  
  What makes this book quite interesting to me otherwise is the fact that the author chose to illustrate the book with various individual elements that associate with each page whether a stylistic sun, a forest of pines, stars, whales, or even two pages that presented as black for darkness/night themes.
  
  All in all this is one book that an interesting take on rejoining nature with her Creator and one that I would highly recommend for those who love both subjects so well.
• 
  Flora

  Daily doses of sheer wonder. This is a superlative devotional full of incredible and wondrous facts about God’s creations for adults and older children alike. It is beautifully written by former ABC Science News Editor, Michael Guillen who loves the Creator. Reading a few of the daily entries made my heart happy and my mind full of wonder. What’s more, I loved how the author so cleverly linked the snippets about nature to biblical truths.
  
  For sure, will consider getting a hard copy of this devotional for myself.
  
  5 stars.
  
  I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
• 
  Ginger Hudock

  This is a beautiful book that ties information we have learned from science about our wonderful world to God and the Bible. This would work well as a gift for any Christian with an interest in nature. It also would be great as a family devotion book with elementary or older children.
  I highly recommend as a devotional for any Christian who would like to learn more about our natural world. \
  I received a complementary advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
• 
  Maya

  Invitation to wonder