Sensing God: Experiencing the Divine in Nature, Food, Music, and Beauty by Joel Clarkson is a book so full of the loveliness of God. Having heard this author's beautiful original music, I expected this book to be just as full of beauty. I was not disappointed. Mr Clarkson does an excellent job elucidating how God and His touch can be seen in many different ways throughout every day life. Even in the smallest, most mundane things, God's beauty can be observed. Read this book when you need encouragement, to remember that God is near. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

What a delightful gift! Anything the Clarkson family writes is truly wonderful, and Sensing God did not disappoint! I love this quote especially, which illustrates much of the book: "The grand ocean of glory in the wide universe trickles down into everything we experience day to day."

Ultimately the question is answered... Did God give us our senses so we could enjoy him more?

Yes, Clarkson's answer is a resounding yes! As the simplest acts can be the holiest where we witness God's grace, we are also engaging our senses within: sharing a meal, listening to music, walking through the park.

"Taste and see that the LORD is good" takes on new meaning once you read these words. The gospel is visible, tangible, touchable....I appreciated how he talked about getting our hands physically dirty, with the dirt God created./// engaging our senses with nature and especially in gardening.. To physically experience the glory of our God and at the same time, make that encounter "a testimony for a broken world that is desperate for restoration." By fully engaging your senses, you learn how to truly worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

Here are a few more of my favorite quotes which illustrate the beauty within its pages:

"Every sensory experience provides us a different way to engage with this artistry... And God has gives us our five senses to engage in that experience."

"When we behold Jesus' beauty through the sensory points of contact in the world around us, it begins to change our hearts."

Highly recommend! Thank you, Joel Clarkson, for a thought-provoking read Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital copy to review!

The writing was flowery and cyclical, but the message got across fine. I did take issue with some of the fine points but it was a good enough read. A solid prompt.

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.

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.

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!

What a gorgeous book! I stayed up past midnight to finish it - something I normally reserve for novels. It's extraordinary and the exact thing I needed to read right now. It's a beautifully written, deeply sacramental ode to the majesty of creation (including us) and the glory of the Creator. It's a lyrical, pastoral (in both senses) exhortation to let the immanent point us to the transcendent and vice versa. Joel Clarkson has given us a gift. I cannot recommend it highly enough.