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.
