They are humorous and quick-witted, each with a point that can't be missed. Cartoons at the beginning of chapters capture the style of the text. All is done to reach teens with the call of God to live for Him (vertically), to invite them "to live in a closer, deeper relationship with Him." Hostetler is not hesitant about this invitation to biblical holiness. He makes it especially clear in a chapter entitled "Barking up the Wrong Tree." Vertical living means seeking the Holy One first and foremost, not having some emotional "joy ride." The basic problem of sinful human nature and the holiness God requires is made understandable for teens in the chapter "Holy Moses." Our first response in God's presence is always a realization of His Holiness and our sinfulness. But Hostetler goes on in carefully built chapters to show teens that Christ is the perfecter of our faith and our only means of attaining righteousness.
To-the-point questions ("Word Up") at the end of each chapter make the content appropriate for use with youth discussion groups.
The author is a frequent speaker at churches and conferences and co-author with Josh McDowell of six books. Hostetler and his wife have ministered as house parents to troubled teenagers. He really knows how teens think and talk, and he's not afraid to lay it out straight in their own language.
Jay Graham works with teens in Greensboro, NC.
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