Functioning as Designed: Being the Beings the Creator Designed Us to Be

By Donald A. Prue

What do you believe about existence in general and yours in particular?

If you think it’s random and you’re an evolutionary complex dancing to DNA, then read no further. There’s nothing here for you.

However, if you tend to believe that you and the rest of the universe were designed and created by a transcendent being who most likely defies human understanding, then you’ll appreciate the discourse in this book.

Donald A. Prue, a born-again believer, looks to the Bible to explore what it means to function as we were designed. He offers insights on topics such as:

The Christian life as a relational delight rather than a religious duty

Understanding and relating to our Creator beyond emotion and religion.

Belonging to God and becoming like Christ as prerequisite for functioning as designed.

Thinking through the logical consequences of the fact that God designed and created us for a purpose, the author concludes that everyone’s life is infused with meaning.

Join the author as he examines what it means for human beings to function as designed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Aug 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664242777

Donald A. Prue

Donald A. Prue has enjoyed a fifty-year career of service and ministry as a teacher, coach, and administrator in public and Christian education, as a local pastor, as a foreign and domestic missionary, as well as a veteran of the CT Air National Guard. He has lived in five states serving urban, suburban, and rural communities of diverse socioeconomic status and ethnicity. He holds numerous degrees and certificates, including a Ph.D. in pastoral ministry. He is a born-again believer and is married to his wife of forty-eight years, Cheryl. They have three children and nine grandchildren.

Book preview

Copyright © 2021 Donald A. Prue.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means,

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except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of

the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of

people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

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Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English

Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry

of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living

Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale

House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-4278-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-4279-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-4277-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021916433

WestBow Press rev. date: 8/25/2021

Contents

Preface

Part 1: Beyond Emotion

1.   The Premise

2.   The Conclusion

3.   How Do I Know? The Bible Tells Me So

4.   Come Now—Let Us Reason Together

5.   Being the Beings I Am Designed Us to Be

Part 2: Beyond Religion

6.   Becoming and Belonging

7.   WDJT? What Does Jesus Think?

8.   To Do or Not to Do

9.   Agapé: The Way That’s Best of All

Preface

Of the myriad fictional characters I have encountered in literature and on stage and screen over my seven decades, I especially appreciate Mr. Spock, the Vulcan first officer on the original Star Trek starship Enterprise. Half-human and half-extraterrestrial, Spock endures varying degrees of bigotry as he partners with earthlings on a journey of exploration and discovery through an imaginary Milky Way galaxy. Except in very rare cases of extreme provocation beyond even logical Vulcan endurance, Spock’s response is disciplined, cool, calm, and devoid of negative emotionalism. This pagan alien models how to respond to insult and injury with great grace. You’re a better man than I am, Mr. Spock!

As much as I enjoy the occasional diversion into Star Trek’s fanciful vision of the future human condition, present reality demands far more of my attention and scrutiny (and perhaps yours?) at this point in human history. We will consider in the following pages that our perception of reality past, present, and future hinges on whether we believe we are intentionally designed and created beings. Proceeding from the belief that we are, we will wend our way logically to the point that the Bible will be a powerful resource in our consideration of what it means to function as designed. As such, I will from time to time suggest that you stop reading my book and read selected passages from His book. Those who follow that suggestion will experience the greatest adventure in this literary trek of discovering what it means to be the beings the Creator designed us to be.

PART I

BEYOND

EMOTION

1

The Premise

T here is an exquisite agony endured by older baby boomers that has been more acutely felt by us than by any succeeding generation. For me, the torture began in earnest in 1998 when I realized I had no choice but to submit to it if I were to continue to effectively pursue my calling as an educator especially in my role as a Christian school administrator.

I recall the terror of contemplating those first few tentative steps into the forebodingly foreign world of computers. As I slogged my way through the muck and mire of mastering basic internet skills and word processing, I discovered an acronym whose application