Pub Date Jan 12 2021
you can get it here: https://amzn.to/2NrTrZQ
I confess I came to this book because of the last name. Yes, you know, the Clarksons (Sally, forever and ever, and now I'm growing fond of Sarah too, because of her books) are like an institution in a certain kind of spirituality with an artist's soul. Sighs. But Joel, the musician brother, was the one I still needed to get to know a little more, and I was intrigued precisely because of the music, because as you know I have two musician sons, and while for you he might be "the slightly more unknown one in the family," I wanted to give him his due attention. And what an introduction he made.
Sensing God is a book that smells good. Seriously. Literally, because it talks about incense, food, music, art... But also metaphorically, because its pages have that rare quality of making you breathe deeper as you read. He learned well from his mom... who makes you feel like you're sitting beside her drinking tea in London from a luxurious porcelain set, while chatting about art and books (fantasy: traveling with Sally all over Europe and listening to her talk about everything she would surely tell me). Or like Sarah, who makes you feel what she's living.
The premise is so simple it seems obvious, but it's not: our faith often lives only in our heads. We study the Bible, we listen to sermons, we pray with our eyes closed. All good things. But Joel reminds us that God also speaks to us through what we touch, smell, taste, and hear. Because if He gave us five senses, it wasn't so we would ignore them in our spiritual life.
The book explores music, nature, food, art, fasting, touch, celebration. Each chapter is like a window opening to a room where you didn't know you could enter to worship. And at the end, there are questions called "Common Sense" (a play on words between "common sense" and "shared sense") that invite you to bring what you've read down to earth.
What I liked most is that Joel doesn't write like someone lecturing from a podium, but like a warm musician friend inviting you to listen to a melody he has already heard (yes, maybe I'm biased because of our love for music at home). There are moments where you can tell he obviously has theological training, but it never becomes academic to the point of annoyance. In fact, a review I read said the book sometimes feels like "a thesis," with many quotes and references, and that when Joel speaks in his own voice is when he shines brightest. I agree. His personal anecdotes are gems. Although I do value the quotes and referencesM they show me he also did his "homework" as a writer.
That said, if you're someone who needs a step-by-step action plan, this is not your book. Joel doesn't give recipes. Which I applaud. He invites, he suggests, he opens doors. And that's good, because the topic lends itself more to contemplation than to a checklist.
A moment that marked me: when he talks about how fasting is not just abstaining, but a way of "cleaning the windows of the heart" so we can see clearly again. That metaphor is lovely. Meditate on it.
In summary: Sensing God is a book for when your faith sometimes feels dry, for when God seems more like an idea than a presence, for when you need permission to enjoy a sunset or a good meal without guilt, knowing that He is there too.
If you're someone who lives in your head (like all of us sometimes), this book will bring you down to your body. And it will remind you that the gospel is not just for understanding, but for savoring, for touching, for dancing. Or as the psalmist says: "Taste and see that the Lord is good." Joel Clarkson gives us back that tasting. We need... I need to grow in ENJOYING.
Confieso que llegué a este libro por el apellido. Sí, ya sabes, Los Clarkson (Sally, de toda la vida y ahora encariñandome con Sarah, por sus libros) son como una institución en cierto tipo de espiritualidad con alma de artista. Suspiros. Pero Joel, el hermano músico, era para mí era el que me faltaba conocer un poquito más y me intrigaba precisamente por la música, porque como sabes tengo 2 hijos músicos y si quizá para tí sea "el poquito más desconocido de la familia" yo le quise dar su debida atención. Y qué presentación la suya.
Sensing God (que traducido al español sería algo así como "Percibir a Dios" o "Sentir a Dios") es un libro que huele bien. En serio. Literalmente, porque habla de incienso, de comida, de música, de arte... Pero también metafóricamente, porque sus páginas tienen esa cualidad rara de hacerte respirar más profundo mientras lees. Aprendió bien de la mamá... que te hace sentir que estás a su lado bebiendo te en Londres de una vajilla lujosa de porcelana, mientras platican e arte y libros (fantasía irme con Sally de viaje por toda Europa y escucharla hablar de todo lo que seguro me diría) o de Sarah, que sientes lo que está viviendo.
La premisa es tan simple que parece obvia, pero no lo es: nuestra fe muchas veces vive solo en la cabeza. Estudiamos la Biblia, escuchamos sermones, oramos con los ojos cerrados. Todo bueno. Pero Joel nos recuerda que Dios también nos habla a través de lo que tocamos, olemos, saboreamos y escuchamos . Porque si Él nos dio cinco sentidos, no fue para que los ignoremos en la vida espiritual.
El libro recorre la música, la naturaleza, la comida, el arte, el ayuno, el tacto, la fiesta. Cada capítulo es como una ventana que se abre a una habitación donde no sabías que podías entrar a adorar . Y al final, unas preguntas llamadas "Common Sense" (juego de palabras entre "sentido común" y "sentido compartido") que te invitan a bajar a tierra lo leído .
Lo que más me gustó es que Joel no escribe como quien dicta cátedra, sino como un cálido amigo músico que te invita a escuchar una melodía que él ya escuchó (sí, quizá estoy uy de su parte por nuestro amor por la música en casa). Hay momentos donde se siente que obvio sí tiene formación teológica, pero nunca se vuelve académico hasta el fastidio. De hecho, una reseña que leí decía que el libro se siente como "una tesis" a veces, con muchas citas y referencias, y que cuando Joel habla desde su propia voz es cuando más brilla . Coincido. Sus anécdotas personales son joyas. Aunque yo sí valoro las citas y las referencias, me hacen ver que también sí hizo "su tarea" de escritor.
Eso sí, si eres de los que necesita un plan de acción paso a paso, este no es tu libro. Joel no da recetas. Cosa que aplaudo. Él invita, sugiere, abre puertas. Y eso está bien, porque el tema se presta más para la contemplación que para la lista de verificación.
Un momento que me marcó: cuando habla de cómo el ayuno no es solo privarse, sino una forma de "limpiar los ventanales del corazón" para volver a ver con claridad. Esa metáfora es linda. Medita en ella.
En resumen: Sensing God es un libro para cuando tu fe se siente a veces seca, para cuando Dios parece una idea más que una presencia, para cuando necesitas permiso para disfrutar de un atardecer o una buena comida sin culpa, sabiendo que ahí también está Él.
Si eres de las que vive en la cabeza(como todos a veces), este libro te va a bajar al cuerpo. Y te va a recordar que el evangelio no es solo para entender, sino para saborear, para tocar, para bailar. O como dice el salmista: "Gusten y vean que el Señor es bueno". Joel Clarkson nos devuelve ese gustar. Necesitamos... necesito crecer en DISFRUTAR.
Description
Did God Give Us Our Senses So that We Could Enjoy Him More?
Sensing God is a discovery of Jesus in all of the sensory points embedded into each of us. It shows how the holiest acts in our daily lives are often the simplest: reveling in the beauty of nature; listening to our favorite music; eating a nourishing meal with family. These are potentially heartbeats of a living faith, and when we learn to recognize and respond to God’s goodness in them, it draws us into redemptive participation with Him, the source of all beauty.
Joel Clarkson shares personal stories and paints vivid imagery so that we, too, can taste and see (and hear and touch and smell) that the Lord is good. In our exploration, we meet Jesus, who invites us to enjoy his presence and proclaim his visible, tangible, and touchable gospel. We physically experience the glory of our Creator and at the same time, we make that encounter a testimony to a broken world that is desperate for restoration. We are encouraged to get the good dirt of God’s holy world under our nails.
Together, we will come into contact with the God who reaches out to us with His eternal truth through the goodness of beauty. Will you join the journey? Come and learn how to truly worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
Sensing God is a discovery of Jesus in all of the sensory points embedded into each of us. It shows how the holiest acts in our daily lives are often the simplest: reveling in the beauty of nature; listening to our favorite music; eating a nourishing meal with family. These are potentially heartbeats of a living faith, and when we learn to recognize and respond to God’s goodness in them, it draws us into redemptive participation with Him, the source of all beauty.
Joel Clarkson shares personal stories and paints vivid imagery so that we, too, can taste and see (and hear and touch and smell) that the Lord is good. In our exploration, we meet Jesus, who invites us to enjoy his presence and proclaim his visible, tangible, and touchable gospel. We physically experience the glory of our Creator and at the same time, we make that encounter a testimony to a broken world that is desperate for restoration. We are encouraged to get the good dirt of God’s holy world under our nails.
Together, we will come into contact with the God who reaches out to us with His eternal truth through the goodness of beauty. Will you join the journey? Come and learn how to truly worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781641582087 |
| PRICE | $15.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 224 |
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