Sensing God: Experiencing the Divine in Nature, Food, Music, and Beauty
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- Create Date：2021-04-10 11:52:36
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Joel Clarkson
- ISBN：1641582081
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Summary
So much of our faith is lived out in our heads。 We study the Bible， sit through sermons， pray with our eyes closed。 All of these are good things。 There is a world around us， however， that is crammed with heaven if we have eyes to see it and ears to hear it and hands to touch it。 The goodness of God is waiting for us to taste and see。 The aroma of Christ surrounds us。 In Sensing God， musician and theologian Joel Clarkson points us to a life of faith that is enchanted by the glory of divine craftsmanship， inviting us to practice a faith that is true， good， pure， and altogether lovely。
Reviews
Brandi
，
There is no separating our faith from everyday life。 There is meant to be full integration and experience of Christ in ALL things。 In this book， Joel Clarkson explores what it means to experience with all five senses through music， food， art， community and nature。 It is an easy read， but worthy of rereading at a slower， more absorbent pace。 An enlightening and encouraging call to fully receive and experience all things He has given to us。 I received a complimentary copy from the publisher throug There is no separating our faith from everyday life。 There is meant to be full integration and experience of Christ in ALL things。 In this book， Joel Clarkson explores what it means to experience with all five senses through music， food， art， community and nature。 It is an easy read， but worthy of rereading at a slower， more absorbent pace。 An enlightening and encouraging call to fully receive and experience all things He has given to us。 I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own， freely given。 。。。more
The_J
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Grounding faith into the fundamental senses （Sensation）。 Thus the perception of the world， art and music are keep to faith。 Great use of Tolkien and CS Lewis for structure and insight。 （Perhaps he was just making a late play to get into the Inklings。 The concept of music and the interplay of themes and sounds， if you have a perfect plan and force is coopted into achieving the original goal。
Aaron Smith
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Taste and see the Lord is good。 The sky and all he has made。 I am dazzled by Him。
Kidron Tirey
，
This book has enchanted me in every spiritual and emotive way Clarkson would have likely intended for His reader。 Through his style and use of illustrative literary devices， I’m drawn into a different kind of opportunity to appreciate God。 This book quite fittingly could have had a subtitle that included the words “general or natural revelation” — likening to scriptures such as Romans 1:20 and Psalm 19:1-4 because God’s presentation of Himself （His glory） in creation is part of the told story an This book has enchanted me in every spiritual and emotive way Clarkson would have likely intended for His reader。 Through his style and use of illustrative literary devices， I’m drawn into a different kind of opportunity to appreciate God。 This book quite fittingly could have had a subtitle that included the words “general or natural revelation” — likening to scriptures such as Romans 1:20 and Psalm 19:1-4 because God’s presentation of Himself （His glory） in creation is part of the told story and felt experience of all humans。。 I appreciated the fact that Clarkson did not let this book solely be about marveling at God’s display in creation， however （which still would have been marvelous） but he took the narrative full-circle by describing the deity of Christ and how “Through Jesus， not only has God saved us from the consequences of our sin; in Jesus， the dying heart of a broken universe is being reversed” （Loc 455， Kindle）。 The Gospel message is presented and readers are left with a firm appreciation for sensing the glory of God in their midst， with implications for eternity。 。。。more
Jessica Perteet
，
This book took me a while to read because it is so rich。 I took pages and pages of notes in my commonplace book。 How is Jesus seeking us through the countless sensory contacts embedded in every part of our day？ He attempts to answer this question and does a good job。
Hailey Hudson
，
Anything the Clarkson family does is wonderful。 I preordered this book and I was not disappointed！ Joel talks about how we can use our senses to see God incarnate in the stuff of the world — like music， food， and nature。 The points he brought up blew my mind and really helped me understand sacraments and the incarnation in a new way。 A must read for any creative and/or any Christian。 —“What if what you are seeking is hidden in plain sight all around you？”—“Evil， no matter how profound or widespr Anything the Clarkson family does is wonderful。 I preordered this book and I was not disappointed！ Joel talks about how we can use our senses to see God incarnate in the stuff of the world — like music， food， and nature。 The points he brought up blew my mind and really helped me understand sacraments and the incarnation in a new way。 A must read for any creative and/or any Christian。 —“What if what you are seeking is hidden in plain sight all around you？”—“Evil， no matter how profound or widespread， is never an equal and opposite balance to good。 The days of death are numbered。”—“We needed more than to simply be told that the light was real; we needed to experience it。”—“We are destined for redemption。 Music assists us in comprehending the joy of what our finite， flawed minds cannot yet understand。” 。。。more
Rachel Clark
，
I enjoyed reading this book。 It is not particularly insightful but it is full of great reminders and steeped in the tradition。
Mariale & Pieter Dros
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Sensing God is a beautiful， refreshing and encouraging book。 I really like how Joel Clarkson encourages the readers to not just get to know God intellectually but aslo to experience and worship Him with all if your senses through music， art， food， nature， community。 This is a book everybody in my family will truly enjoy。 Love it！
Teresa
，
Much of this book was excellent and encouraging！ Due to family members that don't like to be hugged or touched and are picky eaters， it made the chapters on touch and feasting a little hard to relate to for me。 Much of this book was excellent and encouraging！ Due to family members that don't like to be hugged or touched and are picky eaters， it made the chapters on touch and feasting a little hard to relate to for me。 。。。more
John Dembeck
，
Rich and poetic language in this book about engaging our senses in experiencing God。
Krista Mc
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While it was a challenge for me to connect with the author and his writing （partly due to reading an ebook format instead of a hard copy）， there were some chapters I enjoyed very much。 Chapter 1 was beautiful and wonderful， and set me up for the rest of the book。 Chapters 4 and 7 were stand-outs to me， and I loved the journal/thought prompts found at the end of every chapter。 These will give me some opportunities to interact with what I read。 I did experience struggle at times to understand wher While it was a challenge for me to connect with the author and his writing （partly due to reading an ebook format instead of a hard copy）， there were some chapters I enjoyed very much。 Chapter 1 was beautiful and wonderful， and set me up for the rest of the book。 Chapters 4 and 7 were stand-outs to me， and I loved the journal/thought prompts found at the end of every chapter。 These will give me some opportunities to interact with what I read。 I did experience struggle at times to understand where the author was going--perhaps I am not academic enough to grasp it--but what I did grasp， I enjoyed。 。。。more
Michaela
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I loved this book。 The content is excellent， as is Joel Clarkson's narration of his book （I listened to the audio book）。 It is a veritable feast of ideas and thoughts as an introduction to how we might use our own senses to develop our relationship with God。 I liked the format of the book， especially the 'common senses' sections at the end of the chapters， which gave practical ideas to help with learning。 It is a book that gives a sound theology about 'sensing God'， but also gives a lot of space I loved this book。 The content is excellent， as is Joel Clarkson's narration of his book （I listened to the audio book）。 It is a veritable feast of ideas and thoughts as an introduction to how we might use our own senses to develop our relationship with God。 I liked the format of the book， especially the 'common senses' sections at the end of the chapters， which gave practical ideas to help with learning。 It is a book that gives a sound theology about 'sensing God'， but also gives a lot of space to encourage our own thinking and different ways to explore how we can deepen our faith through using all of our senses。 I also discovered some great new music I hadn't heard before。 I really enjoyed this book。 。。。more
Kaylee
，
The vast majority of this book was beautiful， inviting and engaging。 Joel has the ability to paint pictures with his words in a delightful way。 I marked so many quotes as I read， especially enjoying his description of communion and feasting。 And then there were parts that felt like an academic analysis of music and writing that was dry and a bit difficult to wade through。 I can imagine many will read those parts and thoroughly enjoy them， therefore enjoying Joel's book to the fullest but I wante The vast majority of this book was beautiful， inviting and engaging。 Joel has the ability to paint pictures with his words in a delightful way。 I marked so many quotes as I read， especially enjoying his description of communion and feasting。 And then there were parts that felt like an academic analysis of music and writing that was dry and a bit difficult to wade through。 I can imagine many will read those parts and thoroughly enjoy them， therefore enjoying Joel's book to the fullest but I wanted to be honest for those readers who may be more like me。 Overall I enjoyed this look at how God uses the senses He has given us to help us more fully enter into relationship with Him。 #netgalley #sensinggod 。。。more
Kim
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This book calls us to engage with the beauty all around us and see the glory and majesty of God。 Full of Scripture， hymns， poetry， Church history， and quotes from Christians throughout the ages， this is a thinking Christian’s book， full of thoughts to ponder。I highly recommend this life-changing book。
Panda Incognito
，
In this book， author Joel Clarkson encourages his readers to join their intellectual knowledge of God with a deeply felt sense of His presence through beautiful and good earthly things。 In the first few chapters， Clarkson lays out his rationale for understanding the role that the senses play in the Christian faith， and even though he does not intend for this to be a comprehensive doctrinal work， he makes a strong case for why Christians should pursue encountering God through their senses， which In this book， author Joel Clarkson encourages his readers to join their intellectual knowledge of God with a deeply felt sense of His presence through beautiful and good earthly things。 In the first few chapters， Clarkson lays out his rationale for understanding the role that the senses play in the Christian faith， and even though he does not intend for this to be a comprehensive doctrinal work， he makes a strong case for why Christians should pursue encountering God through their senses， which are good and designed by Him。 Throughout the remainder of the book， Clarkson addresses different categories of sensory joys， such as experiencing nature， music， beauty， flavor， and human companionship。Seeking BeautyHe shares real-life examples from his own experiences， and concludes each chapter with reflection questions to help readers think about how they have experienced God's grandeur and love through the sense just addressed， and how they can cultivate this more。 This book is great for personal use or group discussion， and because Clarkson draws on writings and traditions from a variety of different denominational backgrounds， Christians of different theological convictions and methods of practice can all find something helpful here。 I found this book refreshing， and appreciated the lack of tribalism in it。 Clarkson does not try to persuade his readers to come around to his exact way of viewing the world， but provides guidance for how everyone can see beauty where they are。I especially appreciated the chapters on touch and on fasting， because Clarkson handles both of these sensitive subjects unusually well。 He acknowledges how "perilous" touch can be， but provides examples from Scripture and Christian history to show how healing， self-giving， and full of dignity meaningful touch can be。 Regarding fasting， instead of promoting it merely as asceticism or a method of exerting control over the body， he conceptualizes it as a way to wash the windows of our hearts， reorienting our senses through temporary denial to see things more clearly。 Although Clarkson deliberately does not provide step-by-step programs for applying these ideas， he helps his readers refresh their views of the senses in holistic and meaningful ways。ConclusionThis is a great book for Christians to read， regardless of their denomination or current level of sensitivity to the world around them。 People who are already attuned to God's divine presence in earthly joys can find this book helpful as Clarkson articulates concepts that are difficult to put into words， and readers who tend to discount the significance of the senses， or who regularly feel distracted from them， can benefit from this book's refreshing and simple challenge to become more aware and invested in the beauty around us。 This book provides an orthodox and heart-stirring view of how significant the senses are to a relationship with God， encouraging readers to embrace the full implications and richness of their God-given humanity。I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Marin Artiga
，
This book is such a gift！ It enlivened my senses with beautiful language and inspiration。 Joel walks through each of our senses and what it means to experience God in every aspect of our embodied lives。 He casts a vision for living in the reality of the kingdom of God restoring and renewing creation right here and now， in our everyday lives！ We get to be a part of proclaiming the goodness of God when we delight in His creation and offer back praise to God who is the source of all glory。 He gives This book is such a gift！ It enlivened my senses with beautiful language and inspiration。 Joel walks through each of our senses and what it means to experience God in every aspect of our embodied lives。 He casts a vision for living in the reality of the kingdom of God restoring and renewing creation right here and now， in our everyday lives！ We get to be a part of proclaiming the goodness of God when we delight in His creation and offer back praise to God who is the source of all glory。 He gives expression to the longings we all have but maybe haven’t been able to articulate before。 “We long for beauty because we long for the one who is the source of beauty and who calls us back to life through the means of beauty in our lives。 When we sin， it is often not that the desire itself is wrong， but rather， that it is not aimed toward the only thing that can satisfy。” “Nature bears the hallmarks of a creator whose cosmos isn’t only orderly: It is beautiful。 It is brought into being—and sustained—by the one who is in the image of the invisible God。 In this sense， it bears the imprint of God’s image in its very form and flow。 This vitality， this beauty， this structure and intention reveals to us something of God’s nature， something of who He is。 And this revelation of Himself through nature is meant to be grasped， to be understood and responded to in praise。 The beauty and the order of the universe is made manifest by the beholding of that glorious expression。 The pinnacle of God’s creative act is element within creation which sums up in itself the whole glorious interplay of the multiplicity of the cosmos beyond it: humanity。 In each of us is the capacity to not only express the glory of creation， as part of the created order， but to offer it back in praise to God as the source of that glory。” I underlined so many passages in this rich little book because they give voice to things I’ve intuitively felt， but never had language to express。 I’m sure I will pick up this book again and again whenever I need a reminder that the glory of God is woven into our world， and I just need eyes to see it， ears to hear it， and hands to touch it！ 。。。more
Leah Hinrichs
，
After reading this book I notice I have a heightened awareness to the way God is relating to me through my senses。 He speaks to us through nature， music， poetry and art。 Reading this book has given me a new outlook on the everyday somewhat mundane tasks of life。 I am noticing the good and the beautiful more。 If you want to grow in your relationship with the Lord and others I highly recommend this resource。
Wendy J
，
Joel Clarkson's thoughtful perspective and reminiscent stories of the impactful childhood he had from a lifegiving family all meld together to give us this beautiful collection of thoughts about God and the beauty He made for us to enjoy。 Joel's writing style is refreshing and thoughtful。 He makes you think and weaves practical realizations in with powerful passages of Scripture to change the way you think about the beauty that surrounds us and the God waiting for us to discover more about Him a Joel Clarkson's thoughtful perspective and reminiscent stories of the impactful childhood he had from a lifegiving family all meld together to give us this beautiful collection of thoughts about God and the beauty He made for us to enjoy。 Joel's writing style is refreshing and thoughtful。 He makes you think and weaves practical realizations in with powerful passages of Scripture to change the way you think about the beauty that surrounds us and the God waiting for us to discover more about Him and His world。 A must read for the entire family。。。。。。 。。。more
Jill
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Especially in the times that we are living in right now this is a very encouraging book。 It encourages us to sense God in the creation that he created。 To experience him with all of our five senses。 I'm part way through and I already give it five stars。 It is really really good and I would highly recommend it。 It's important to experience God and all times of year。 Even in the cold dreary days we can find a way to experience Him。 Especially in the times that we are living in right now this is a very encouraging book。 It encourages us to sense God in the creation that he created。 To experience him with all of our five senses。 I'm part way through and I already give it five stars。 It is really really good and I would highly recommend it。 It's important to experience God and all times of year。 Even in the cold dreary days we can find a way to experience Him。 。。。more
Anna Sangrey Russell
，
This timely book entered the world yesterday。 Simple， slim， yet deeply written， as is typical of anyone from the Clarkson family， it works to connect a Biblical worldview （in thought and mind） to the world of the senses。 It accomplishes its task with grace， brevity， and whole-hearted strength。 I love one of the opening chapter's tricky task to tie the physical to the metaphysical: the use of the 5 senses to write Truth from fingertips to neural byways， its carriage the metaphor。 I love the entra This timely book entered the world yesterday。 Simple， slim， yet deeply written， as is typical of anyone from the Clarkson family， it works to connect a Biblical worldview （in thought and mind） to the world of the senses。 It accomplishes its task with grace， brevity， and whole-hearted strength。 I love one of the opening chapter's tricky task to tie the physical to the metaphysical: the use of the 5 senses to write Truth from fingertips to neural byways， its carriage the metaphor。 I love the entrance of Nature to describe the senses place in a Christian ecosystem。 I love the excursions into the church fathers throughout the chapters。 Theologians through the centuries wrestled with the purpose of the body and noticed the value of the senses。 Joel Clarkson's knowledge and background in music instills the chapter on "Creation's Song" with a musician's rhetoric。 Even the tongue-in-cheek titled "Common Sense" sections at the end of every chapter not only make my inner love of play on words smile， but these sections also immediately launch the attached chapter into a springboard for meaningful and delicious practices to exhibit a Biblical worldview richly through physical means。 A book humble to suggest that it is but the handbook， and the real quest is its very topic， to lay it aside and humbly seek to know in a frail human capacity the richness， justice， grace， mercy， and glory the Divine through the carriage that God has given us: our physical bodies and world。 My only request？ A desire for more。 With such a rich life and knowledge bank， I crave a menu of resources written from this author's experiences and encounters to drape around the senses and help readers like myself practically and pragmatically experience the Divine。 Perhaps a handbook will follow。 🙂 。。。more
Melissa
，
I felt drawn to this book if only for its title because my short time as a gardener has enlivened how I understand scripture。 Thankfully， it was even more of a joy to read on past the first page！ Joel Clarkston shows how each experience of our senses is one more way for us to know and be with God。 I loved this book， and walk forward a better Christian more able to see the glory of God！
Sarah
，
The goodness of God is all around us waiting for us to see。 He woos and draws us if we will take the time to stop and listen！！ I loved this quote from this book: It was not that we created it through our actions; surely the hidden presence of Jesus was already at work in countless sunrises stretching back to the dawn of time。 She simply opened my eyes to recognize it in space and time and respond to it in worship。
Amy
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Having read books by every member of the author’s family， I was wondering how the book would be。 I am very pleased that I did read the book。 The writing enveloped you， helping you understand the points Mr Clarkson was making。 And those points， well， they were wonderful。 It is refreshing to see our path on Earth with new eyes。 So often I can get in a routine with my walk， it is imperative to remember who I am worshipping。 These chapters help bring God to mind， no matter what we are doing。 We can Having read books by every member of the author’s family， I was wondering how the book would be。 I am very pleased that I did read the book。 The writing enveloped you， helping you understand the points Mr Clarkson was making。 And those points， well， they were wonderful。 It is refreshing to see our path on Earth with new eyes。 So often I can get in a routine with my walk， it is imperative to remember who I am worshipping。 These chapters help bring God to mind， no matter what we are doing。 We can learn to worship Him in everything and in every way。 In a world of chaos， how amazing is it to know that we can rest knowing that God is good and He is inviting us into His be with Him。 。。。more
Jennie Moraitis
，
Pour yourself a cup of tea to enjoy this quiet contemplation of a book。 I felt so grateful reading this book about the senses and how they show Jesus in so many varied ways。 I also found myself noting poets and authors I wanted to learn more about as I read。 What an encouraging way to start the year！
ReadingScotland
，
Most Christians understand the deep importance of Special Revelation （God's written Word， the Bible） to our faith。 In my experience， many Christians fail to grasp the importance of General Revelation （knowledge about God discovered through natural means like nature， music， beauty， etc。） for the strengthening and deepening of their faith。 This book explores the incredible gift that General Revelation is and how we can best enjoy this gift through things like enjoyment of nature， the spiritual asp Most Christians understand the deep importance of Special Revelation （God's written Word， the Bible） to our faith。 In my experience， many Christians fail to grasp the importance of General Revelation （knowledge about God discovered through natural means like nature， music， beauty， etc。） for the strengthening and deepening of their faith。 This book explores the incredible gift that General Revelation is and how we can best enjoy this gift through things like enjoyment of nature， the spiritual aspect of music， the ability of art to communicate， the fellowship that grows through human touch， the heightened sensitivity that comes with a period of denying the senses for a time （fasting）， and then the all encompassing joy and delight of feasting， first with others here on earth， but always pointing ahead to that feast day Christians long for at the end of time。 As an artist and nature lover I can't recommend this book more highly！ 。。。more
Sarah
，
I've been looking forward to this book for months since I first knew it was coming in Fall of 2020。 I have been listening to his music and thought the premise of this book was intriguing。 This is exactly what I wanted。。。*needed* to read right now。 With the world upside down， this book was a comfort。 Always leaning toward finding God in the beauty of everyday things that we forget we're blessed to receive as gifts: nature， good food， conversation with friends （even if it's over zoom！）， music， and I've been looking forward to this book for months since I first knew it was coming in Fall of 2020。 I have been listening to his music and thought the premise of this book was intriguing。 This is exactly what I wanted。。。*needed* to read right now。 With the world upside down， this book was a comfort。 Always leaning toward finding God in the beauty of everyday things that we forget we're blessed to receive as gifts: nature， good food， conversation with friends （even if it's over zoom！）， music， and the joy that simple pleasures like hobbies or exercise can bring us。 In a nutshell， it's a big book of gratitude of God's blessings which fill the senses to bursting！ I'm looking forward to reading more from Joel Clarkson in the future。 。。。more
Pierce Hibbs
，
Joel Clarkson’s Sensing God was a breath of fresh air for me。 It can be easy for Christian readers to lump sensory experience into the category of “flesh” or “things of the world。” This makes our sensory experiences （taste， touch， smell， sight， hearing） immediately suspect when sin is present。 But while senses can be avenues for sin， they can also be avenues for worship。 God， after all， made our senses。 In this book， Clarkson sets out to help us “discover how Jesus is seeking us in the points of Joel Clarkson’s Sensing God was a breath of fresh air for me。 It can be easy for Christian readers to lump sensory experience into the category of “flesh” or “things of the world。” This makes our sensory experiences （taste， touch， smell， sight， hearing） immediately suspect when sin is present。 But while senses can be avenues for sin， they can also be avenues for worship。 God， after all， made our senses。 In this book， Clarkson sets out to help us “discover how Jesus is seeking us in the points of sensory contact embedded in every part of our lives” （p。 8）。 In other words， he wants to help us see how our senses can be roads leading to the glorious beauty of Christ himself。 Our sensory experience， in that way， can play a powerful part in helping us to encounter the triune God’s presence and draw nearer to him in worship。 。。。more
Shelly
，
I'm a firm believer that we each get a unique journey with our Lord。 It's incredibly easy to get caught up in our earthly lives that we forget how we can fully interact with Him using all of our senses。 We can indulge in a life with Him in ways that we often don't think about。 The world has shown us how dark and lonely it can be -- but it definitely does not have to be that way！ Throughout the book， I felt comforted and pushed out of my earthly comfort zone to connect on a much deeper level。 Thi I'm a firm believer that we each get a unique journey with our Lord。 It's incredibly easy to get caught up in our earthly lives that we forget how we can fully interact with Him using all of our senses。 We can indulge in a life with Him in ways that we often don't think about。 The world has shown us how dark and lonely it can be -- but it definitely does not have to be that way！ Throughout the book， I felt comforted and pushed out of my earthly comfort zone to connect on a much deeper level。 This book is packed full of inspiration， beauty， and full of gifts that you didn't know you wanted （or needed！）。I received a complimentary copy of the book for reviewing purposes。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Emily Gibson
，
Joel Clarkson invites us into a more intimate relationship with our Creator by experiencing Him deeply through our senses。 This was such a refreshing and encouraging read， reminding believers that we experience God and His beauty all around us， even when we don’t think we don’t necessarily “feel” His presence。
Tamar K
，