Sally Clarkson
9 min read ⭑
“For me, there isn’t a huge divide between spiritual and secular. Life is sacred, people are a work of God’s art, food is his handiwork, music is created to bring pleasure, stories are to inspire and the art of life all around us is to enjoy.”
QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT
There’s much more to a meal than palate and preference. How does your go-to order at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind the web bio?
There is something about French food that fills me with joy. I am one for delicious, rich or fresh foods — a toasted baguette paired with delectable cheeses and spreads along with buttery, flaky pastries, fresh greens, lavender fries and herb-baked chicken or fish.
Of all the French restaurants I’ve tried over the years, my favorite is in Oxford, UK. Though small, as everything in the UK is, they make the best of the room they have and create a refined, lovely and charming space that I love coming back to again and again. The white tablecloths, elegant flowers decorating the tabletops and gentle music wafting throughout the restaurant make it one of the most wonderful places for me to breathe deeply and take in a quiet moment of restoration with the dear friend sitting across from me.
Jeff Brown; Unsplash
QUESTION #2: REVEAL
We’ve all got quirky proclivities and out-of-the-way interests, but we tend to hide them. What do you love doing that might surprise (or shock) people?
While there aren’t a lot of hidden things about me — I love sharing my life with my online tribe — something I don’t mention very often is my deep love for a tiny mountain town called Breckenridge in Colorado. We only get to go once a year for a short time, but over the years, it’s become an escape for the Clarkson clan. We all look at each other and think: “I can truly, fully, thoroughly rest now.”
We love dropping by the cafés and hiking, but my favorite thing to do is taking a dip in the Jacuzzi and staring up at the vast, bright night sky, taking in the countless glimmering stars as a light mountain breeze whirls by, making the aspens dance.
QUESTION #3: CONFESS
Every superhero has a weakness. Every human, too. We're just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re broken and in this thing together. So what’s your kryptonite and how do you hide it?
Not many things truly bother me, but the one thing that can make me just want to quit life and go back to bed is clutter, especially dirty dishes. As a writer, the beauty, orderliness and quietness of my space is everything to me. I feel it is near impossible for me to function properly when it seems everything is out of place.
Dear friends, my children and their friends come often to stay with my husband and me. When I awaken to piles of dirty coffee cups, crumb-filled dishes, letters, packages, sprawling sheets and shoes and socks everywhere, my blood pressure goes up a little. It’s not that I’m a clean freak, but I have a very tightly scheduled life with deadlines, and so the extra messes make me feel like I will never get it all done. Whenever it seems my house is on the verge of exploding, it makes me wish I could run away!
QUESTION #4: FIRE UP
Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your obsession? And why should it be ours?
Endless ideals still fill my life. At this season of life, leaving a legacy of love and affirmation, taking time to understand people in the context of their life stories, and giving personal attention and a place to belong drive my personal life and my time commitments.
Professionally, I give my time to mentoring — online, personally, and in small groups. Seeking to further develop opportunities to be more intentional about these values is a priority. A sense of place — the roots of home, stability, a place to rest and refresh in a constantly changing world — is another focus of my professional life and writing.
When humans have a place to belong, a people to share within community who will care for them and companion them in life, they are much freer to develop in every area of their lives. The imagination for “place” has been lost in a very transient, over-busy culture. I want to create stories and paradigms for such a place to be pictured, conferences to explore these issues and writings that bring the fullness of creating such spaces alive. A place for our souls to rest. Bringing life and dimension to such places is a part of my continued research.
Bringing life, beauty, color, traditions, meals, conversation, the warm touch that brings comfort is an art of life I want to inspire. I want to show people how important this is to a humane life. A vase filled with fresh flowers, a vanilla-scented candle, warm and lengthy conversations over hot cups of tea and delectable food, great books, movies, music, goodnight kisses, play and the creative dimension will help cultivate rhythms of life that shape a sense of belonging where people are freed to become fully alive. These life artifacts will sustain us through the hardest of times.
QUESTION #5: BOOST
Cashiers, CEOs, contractors or customer service reps, we all need grace flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it's God when it happens?
Early mornings find me with a cup of strong, hot tea, my Bible, a stack of books, candlelight and soft music as I enter into my day with prayer, reading, pondering and journaling. Arising early to protect this time is a life habit.
Daily, I spend as much as my day allows out in nature, breathing in the beauty of God’s design, walking miles at a time. This habit also brings centeredness to my soul. When I imagine the Holy Spirit as a wind that swirls and blows through my life, touching and affecting all as it moves.
My Bible provides the Holy Spirit a vocabulary through which my thoughts are filled with the wisdom of God. Throughout my days, I regularly stop and think, “Holy Spirit, let me see your fingertips in my world. Let me hold the kindness of your voice and truth in my heart. Let your wisdom and words guide what I say, do, and believe as I go about my day.”
I ask God to “blow” through my life so I will be more aware of someone who needs a sweet note sent their way, or another way to offer love to my family, or the best words I can use in my podcast or blog posts. I look to God to affect the way I conduct myself.
QUESTION #6: inspire
Some people divide things sacred and things secular. But you know, God can surprise us in unlikely places. How do you find spiritual renewal in so-called “nonspiritual” activities?
For me, there isn’t a huge divide between spiritual and secular. Life is sacred, people are a work of God’s art, food is his handiwork, music is created to bring pleasure, stories are to inspire and the art of life all around us is to enjoy.
Anything from giving a massage to a weary loved one, sleeping in extra late on a Saturday, watching an artistic and touching movie, eating a delicious meal, giggling with my family at a silly joke, rambling along a path in Oxford, swinging a grandchild high in the sky or the exploring the woods in Colorado, exercising by walking, basking in a much-needed cool breeze on a hot day … I love to see and admire the fingerprints of God all over my day in the traditionally spiritual as well as in the world at large. The whole world is the arena where God enacts his personality.
QUESTION #7: FOCUS
Our email subscribers get free ebooks featuring our favorite resources — lots of things that have truly impacted our faith. But you know about some really great stuff too. What are three of your favorite resources?
I love scrolling through the Instagram posts for Humans of New York. The small glimpses into the beauty of humanity and the universal experiences we all share remind me how vast God’s reach is.
Also, when I sit down for a quiet prayer time, I particularly enjoy listening to a soul-soothing album of strings and orchestra called “Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone.” It instantly gives me peace and centers me.
Lastly, one of my favorite books to return to is “Life of the Beloved” by Henri Nouwen. It’s not a long read, but it’s brimming with simple yet profound truths. And it helps me feel closer to God every time I pick it up.
We all have things we cling to to survive (or thrive) in tough times. Name one resource you’ve found indispensable in this current season — and tell us what it's done for you.
On days when an extended quiet time with God just isn’t going to happen, I enjoy picking up a book called “Celtic Daily Prayer.” It contains Scripture and offers inspiring thoughts and truths to reflect on, so even when I’m not able to enjoy a restful, quiet morning, I can enter my day with Jesus in mind.
“Daily Light” is also a small devotional I travel with that has Scripture for mornings and evenings. These are regulars that accompany me through many of my days.
QUESTION #8: dream
God is continually stirring new things in each of us. So give us the scoop! What’s beginning to stir in you but not yet fully awakened? What can we expect from you in the future?
Over the years, I have invited women from all over the world into my home, around 30 to 40 at a time, for several days to experience friendship, great food, inspirational teaching, leadership training and individual attention.
When I hear the words “Taste and see that the Lord is good,” I want them to experience that personally in my home and then take it with them wherever they go out into the world afterward. To reenact this would mean changing plans and priorities — like turning the ship around. We have to quit some of our commitments to make room to start moving to smaller gatherings that we hope will more deeply minister to people’s need for relationships and modeling. My husband and I are dreaming of new, personal weekends like this to train others in learning to cultivate life-giving messages through writing, a taste of community and discipleship, by experiencing God’s love in our home, or by the gift of cultivating close family relationships as Jesus did with his disciples. All of these would be more personal ways to engage the lives of others.
Finding time to put aside to cultivate more personal relationships apart from online ministry seems difficult in the busyness and deadlines of our lives. But we still long to move to more personal involvement instead of just online message-driven inspiration. To do this, we would have to change our commitments and cancel some of our past activities. The workload threatens us a bit as we move in that direction.
Lives are changed through relationships. Yes, books, podcasts and conferences all have their place in our spiritual growth and development. But they can’t compare to the life-changing power of a God-centered relationship.
That’s why Jesus didn’t just teach crowds. He also cultivated deep, personal friendships with a smaller group. He knew that this group of men and women would change the world — all because of their relationships with him.
This is the real reason ministries like Sally’s are so powerful. It’s not because she has the biggest platform or the most amazing marketing. It’s because she purposefully invests in relationships!
It reminds us of Paul’s letter to the Thessalonian Christians. He told them, “We were glad to share not only God’s good news with you but also our very lives because we cared for you so much” (1 Thessalonians 2:8, CEB).
Who are you sharing your life with? How are you investing in those around you? Don’t underestimate the impact you can have, friend. Remember, relationships can change the world.
Sally Clarkson is the beloved author of many bestselling books, including Awaking Wonder, Own Your Life, The Lifegiving Home with her daughter Sarah, and Different with her son Nathan. A mother of four, she advocates for the influence of motherhood, family and home through her Mom Heart conferences. Her heart is to help women understand God's love in a more personal way and live a satisfying Christian life. Sally’s books and blog can be found at sallyclarkson.com, where she also has a podcast, At Home with Sally and Friends, which has 16 million downloads.
