Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the ARC! A timely book for a world where we are so often “discipled by the internet.” This book is so important in today's world and will help any believer go deeper in their relationship with Jesus. Highly recommend.

I was looking forward to "Experience Jesus, Really", by John Eldredge, as I wanted to deepen my understanding of the Bible and continue to build my relationship with Christ. Psalm 91 is one of my favorite Psalms that comforts me, and Author Eldredge, provided a solid breakdown ot this Psalm that spoke to me. In addition, his advice of "turning your heart towards Jesus", is another point that I can focus on in everyday living. The prayers he offered in the book: meaningful and insightful.
However, I was not fond of the "mystical/mysticism" approach troughout the book. As I am not familiar with Christian Mysticism, I wasn't sure what I was supposed to grasp or take away. It threw me off a bit, as the "mysticism" approach had me considering stars and astrology versus Jesus. I felt that this topic took away from the spiritual connection to Jesus, one would assume, given the title. I had to investigate the definition of mysticism as it pertains to religion. Even with me knowing the definition, comprehending it's purpose based on the book, still had me a bit muddled. The mysticism just didn't fit for me.
Again, this book has some good insights and encouraging points and prayers. Some of which I now incorporate in my daily devotional and prayer time. As it drives home the point " turn to Jesus in everything and always"!

Appreciate Netgalley for this Camp NetGalley read.

There are some books that stick with you long after the final word is read. This is one of those books. Eldridge says we have become have become disciples of the internet not disciples of Christ . This is a wake up call for us Christians who have tilled an uneven ground as we have fallen asleep. The beauty of Eldridge is that he backs up his diagnosis with true and useful prescriptions this is expertly written and well paced '

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for offering me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I have read and enjoyed other books by John Eldredge, so I was interested in reading this one. To be quite frank, I will need some more time and effort and contemplation to wrap my brain around some of the concepts the author introduced, particularly the one about the Christian mystic. I am still not sure exactly what he means by that. One day in the hopefully near future I will go back to this book and re-read it slowly, and ask God to show me just what he wants me to understand about him and how Eldredge expresses it.

Experience Jesus. Really. by John Eldredge is a thought provoking book that helps you build a relationship with Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirt. I really loved some of the prayers that he included to get the ball rolling so to speak. I would highly recommend this book to any Christian who is struggling with their faith and would like a different perspective.

Disciples of the internet or Disciples of Jesus?
How much do I truly seek God daily?
Do I have a child-like Faith?

John Eldredge raises important questions that all Christians should be asking themselves these days. He takes his time walking you through these questions and more getting you to deepen your faith. Eldredge gives you specific prayers and guidelines for how to walk with Jesus, some of them rubbed me the wrong way but I could see the clear intention and love behind them.

Overall, this was a great book for those wanting to deepen their faith and become modern-day mystics.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I remember not too long ago that many conservative, protestant Christians were warning of the dangers of reading the mystics. I'm so grateful the beginning point of the mystics has reached the mainstream. Eldredge has put together a wonderful workbook in the journey to become your own mystic, which is, I believ,e the first step in truly approaching any of the great mystics. Highly recommend.

Experience Jesus Really made me really examine my daily life and encouraged me to get back to the basics of faith. In our world today, it’s so easy to get caught up in the here and now, the little things, and the conveniences we have access to in the busy lives we live instead of going straight to the source - the Lord - for guidance, clarity, and renewal.

I thought Eldredge did a great job pointing out that there’s not a secret formula (like we so often want) to developing a deeper relationship with God and how we really have to go back to the basics and live with childlike faith.

As someone who has a hard time just slowing down, this book served as a great reminder that it is necessary to just be.

I was very curious about this book as several points addressed concerns for our current world: distraction, skepticism, anxiety, etc. John Eldredge typically provides a couple of uncomfortable insights that highlight areas of my faith that need refinement. This book felt slightly different to me. I feel like he may indeed lose some readers with his exploration of mysticism in the modern world, however, those seeking a more profound and deep connection with God may really resonate with some of his thoughts, particularly the prayers he offered. Personally, I got a bit lost when he discussed healing of our younger selves, but he finished strong with thoughts that have me reconsidering how I approach my communion with God and I believe my faith will be stronger for it.

This book has a lot of spiritual insight and information to live a powerful Christian life. The author gives prayers to pray to see the power of God move in your life, however it also gave the impression that if you don't pray "this way," then it's probably not good enough. The prayers written in the book are meant to be helpful, but instead I find them a little overbearing. Thank you NetGalley!!

Experience Jesus. Really. by John Eldredge is a powerful, faith-filled guide to deepening your relationship with Christ in a real, intimate, and life-changing way. This book isn’t just another devotional or study; it’s an invitation to encounter Jesus personally daily.

Eldredge writes with such authenticity and tenderness. His words feel like a conversation with a trusted friend, encouraging, grounded in Scripture, and filled with grace. What I loved most was how approachable and practical this book is. It’s not heavy-handed or overly theological, but instead gently guides the reader into moments of quiet connection, reflection, and spiritual growth.

Each chapter reminded me how near Jesus truly is, and how much He desires relationship over religion. I found myself highlighting passages, pausing to reflect, and feeling genuinely moved.

This is a book I will return to often, especially in seasons where I need to feel His presence more clearly. A must-read for anyone longing to move beyond knowing about Jesus to truly experiencing Him.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a deep dive into Psalm 91. John Eldredge examines how to live in the shelter of the Most High and abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I enjoyed the examples of prayer interspersed throughout this book. I also took a lot from the chapter on morning and evening prayers. John Eldredge gives you alot to think about as you go through the book.

I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed Experiencing Jesus. And I’d recommend this to anyone who is continually seeking Christ.

Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for the free e-copy of #experiencingjesusreally.

I didn’t expect to connect with Experience Jesus as much as I did—but here we are. I’ve read plenty of Christian devotionals that feel more like spiritual pep talks than true encounters with God. This one? It felt different. John Eldredge doesn’t just want you to learn about Jesus—he wants you to talk to Him. And honestly, that shift in posture is both convicting and refreshing.

One moment that really stuck with me was when he encouraged readers to ask Jesus a simple question: “Jesus, how are you today?” At first, I thought—Really? That’s it? But then I did it. And it opened up a moment of stillness and real connection I didn’t know I needed. It pushed me past rote prayers and into relationship.

Another example that challenged me was when Eldredge talked about imagining Jesus walking beside you through past pain. He doesn’t just tell you to move on—he invites you to invite Jesus into those memories. I’ll be honest, that was hard for me. But it also felt deeply healing. The idea that Jesus isn’t just near in theory—but present, speaking, healing, guiding? That’s powerful stuff.

Now, is it a bit mystical at times? Yes. If you’re coming from a super Reformed or strictly cerebral background, you might squirm a little. But even so, I’d say stick with it. It’s not fluff—it’s an invitation to intimacy.

Bottom line: Experience Jesus isn’t about big theological debates. It’s about quiet moments with a living Savior. And if you’re spiritually dry or burned out on “head knowledge,” this might just be the book that brings your heart back to the table.

For Camp NetGalley, I chose the book: Experience Jesus Really written by John Eldredge. Thank you to NetGalley, Nelson Publishing, and author John Eldredge for my free copy to review.

If you are a Christian counselor, I think there's some exercises in here that may help you help others. John starts off the book addressing very real issues that we are experiencing today in our digital world and the negative effect is having on so many. While a few of the ideas seem really out there to me, I found value in other practices. I think the biggest help to me is to go back to a difficult time, and re-imagine the experience as though Jesus was there taking my hand and walking me away.

I'll start by confessing that I am largely a John Eldredge fan. I have read many of his books, so I was looking forward to another one.

Perhaps it is the season of life that I am in or maybe there really is a disconnect, but I felt like this was a book that skimmed across the surface of three books - each of which could have been an incredible and much-needed publication, but staying at the surface level of all of them didn't really tap into my soul the way they teased that they would.

It is a book about the way that the current times (and technology and the Internet) have re-wired not just our brains, but in many ways, our souls. And that is an important conversation that we need to be having. Very important. But as soon as you start to sense that this is the conversation we're going to have and your soul starts to breathe a little bit, the book turns away from it. For several chapters, it isn't even a theme.

Instead, now, we're talking about mysticism and how to connect to God. At first, this started as a counter to the current times, but the current times dropped off pretty quick and now, we're JUST looking at mysticism. Not as an antidote to what ails us, but just as a good idea and something we should very obviously embrace. But it's all kind of surface level, talking as though the conclusion is a given, not really attempting to convince anyone or even invite them, but just to state unequivocally that this kind of mysticism is good. "Good" is such a hard sale in our current world, when you can't (or don't) show that what you're saying is good actually answers something deep in us that is crying out. Your good becomes just an option in a sea of other options that might also be good.

And then thirdly, we are talking about trauma and how to engage and pehraps navigate or heal trauma, which we all have to some degree as fallen beings in a broken creation. And this, too, is important - we are all looking for those things that put us back together, at least a little bit. But here, too, I found that the discussion was not deep enough to be meaningful. At just the point you find yourself engaging and hoping that he will say more, he circles back and he's onto the surface of one of the other two major themes of the book.

To put it simply, this book felt more like a buffet than a feast - an invitation to pick and choose rather than to dine richly, and I think that's unfortunate. Expanded and focused and intent, I would devour all three of these courses. But nibbling them simply didn't do much for me.

John Eldredge offers a passionate invitation to rediscover authentic, daily communion with Jesus amid a digitally saturated and spiritually fatigued world. Arguing that modern life has discipled us into skepticism and superficiality, Eldredge draws from the Christian mystics to remind us that deep experiences of God are meant to be normal. It’s a soulful, Christ-centered roadmap for anyone seeking more than religious information—someone hungry to actually encounter Jesus, really.

Thank you Camp NetGalley for the ebook.

John Eldredge has written a deep thoughtful book. It has challenged me to grow in my faith.

I came into this book expecting to feel more connected with Jesus or at least have more tools for connection because of spending time in these pages, which didn't end up feeling as true as I'd hoped. While some parts of the book were encouraging, like inviting Jesus to be with your younger self & experience healing there, other parts were a struggle for me. I didn't feel like this book was as much about experiencing Jesus as it was Christian mysticism and John Eldredge's personal experience. It felt contradictory to have him say that experiencing Jesus isn't about formulas, only to have him infer that these specific kind of intense morning & evening prayers are the only way to experience protection from evil. I wanted to like this one but don't know that I'd recommend it. There's some good things, but some less helpful ones too. I'd encourage someone to read Summer Gross' book, The Immanuel Promise if they want more practical tools & connection with Jesus over this one for sure.

Thanks to the great folks at NetGalley I had the chance to check in on the writings of John Eldredge, most famous for his best-selling books “Wild At Heart” and “Waking the Dead.” Eldredge’s spiritual journey focuses on prioritizing emotional authenticity and, as I learned reading this latest work, he believes in the teachings of the great Roman Catholic mystics while preaching the universality of Christian mysticism in us all. In “ Experience Jesus Really” he not only preaches the benefits of a mystic-driven life but also provides prayer templates for that spiritual life journey.
So I read this book with great interest but also great reticence: his extreme focus on the world experiential Christian life (which I am not arguing against) at the expense of a rigorous intellectual and deep Biblical understanding does not appeal to me. However, his thoughtful arguments in favor of a mystical life has caused me to consider a more balanced approach to my Christian growth.

I have SO many thoughts about this book!!

First off—I am curious as to why this book was titled “Experience Jesus Really” when a far more appropriate title would have been something like, “Reclaiming Christian Mysticism” as this is what the entirety of the book focused on.

I’ve read quite a few books written by the Christian mystics that are frequently quoted in this book (C.S. Lewis, Chesterton, George MacDonald, Brother Lawrence and others), so while I’m certainly not an expert, I do feel fairly familiar with this topic.

What I loved: I got a lot out of this book and was really convicted and encouraged by much of it. The whole concept of being a “disciple of the internet” was fascinating. I loved many of the examples given and passages shared.

What made me scratch my head: several chunks of this book felt more than mystical, they felt superstitious. It seems borderline ridiculous to suggest that if my morning and evening prayers don’t cover all the bases then I’ll be opening myself up to demonic attack. Some of the verbiage used in this book also felt ambiguous and was therefore confusing. At times this book felt solid and at other times it felt all over the place, which made me feel apprehensive.

Overall, I enjoyed most of this book and think others will too. I do recommend taking this book with a grain of salt. If you are interested in learning about Christian Mysticism I’d recommend reading some classics from C.S. Lewis instead.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for this Camp NetGalley read!!