Listening Hands: Eavesdropping on the Sound of Life by Martin Schleske

Martin Schleske is one of the best violin makers in the world. He has studied both the art and the science of instrument making and blends those areas together to create impressive instruments played by top performers. He is also a person of great faith, someone who thinks deeply about his craft but also about how making violins can inform faith life.

Those two parts of his life, his work and his faith, come together in the interesting and thought-provoking Listening Hands. Translated from German by Janet Gesme, the eight chapters represent essays on various aspects of faith. He writes, “For me, listening and writing are forms of prayer. As a violinmaker, I struggle with the wood and its limitations. I struggle with what is lacking in the sound, my handiwork, my limitations, and countless other surprises. But words are different. With words, I struggle with the truth.”

Schleske’s writing is rich and this book has many places where I found myself stopping to reflect on what he wrote, some of it comforting (“I am not searching for God but with God. There is a difference. We do not get lost while searching about because God has sought us out”) and some challenging (“if you don’t leave the fight limping, you must not have wrestled with God”). Listening Hands is a rare journey with a master craftsman and a brother in Christ who has much to teach. (Eerdmans)