.png)
Faith Feeds Book Club | Experiencing God by Jon Sweeney
Experiencing God
36 Ways According to Saint Francis of Assisi
Friday, January 30, 2026 | 1:00鈥�2:00pm ET
听
Join our Faith Feeds Book Club听conversation on Jon Sweeney's听 We will meet the author and hear more about his process and inspiration for writing听Experiencing God.
More about Experiencing God
Replicable experiences of God according to Francis of Assisi, offered on the 800th anniversary of his death.
Never have we needed more to experience God鈥攖o听feel听God. Francis of Assisi was spiritual before anyone used that word, and he was religious in the best ways. We love him because he cut through the paraphernalia to get back to religion where it belongs: working in the human heart, making a difference in everyday life.
Anyone can do the things Francis did, summarized in these 36 ways of experiencing God. Examples offered through anecdote, text, and explanation include:
-听Free captive creatures
- Pray alone in the woods
-听Allow yourself to weep
-听Stand between those who fight
-听Make a cross with your arms
-听Pray Who are you, God? And who am I?
Sweeney introduces each with faithful attention to the original sources and comparisons to spiritual teachers from other traditions, including Thich Nhat Hanh, Roshi Bernie Glassman, Evelyn Underhill, Richard Rohr, and Mary Oliver.
Meet the author
Jon M. Sweeney | Author
Jon M. Sweeney is an independent scholar and award-winning author. His books have been translated into many languages.
He's a popular interpreter of the life and work of Francis of Assisi, and author of more than 40 books including听St. Francis of Assisi听with a foreword by Richard Rohr, and听The Complete Francis of Assisi听used by Third Order Franciscans. HBO optioned the film rights to Sweeney's book on the medieval Pope Celestine V,听The Pope Who Quit.
Jon's been interviewed on CBS News, WGN-TV, Fox News, and CBS Saturday Morning, and by publications online from CNN to Romper. He's a practicing Catholic who also prays regularly with his wife, a congregational rabbi. He loves the church, the synagogue, and other aspects of organized religion. He would never say he's "spiritual but not religious." He is the father of four, three of whom are grown and moved on, and lives in Middlebury, Vermont. In addition to writing, teaching, and giving retreats, Sweeney is editor at Monkfish Book Publishing, editor of听Living City听magazine, and contributing editor for books at .
听听
听
听 听