IN THE CHAT ROOM WITH GOD
Todd & Jedd Hafer
River Oak Publishing
Fiction
ISBN-10: 1589199707
ISBN-13: 9781589199705
256 pages

The format for IN THE CHAT ROOM WITH GOD is both clever and effective. While skeptical readers might wonder how plausible it is to go online for a chat with friends and have God show up on the screen, somehow the authors make it work (and make it fun and informative at the same time).

Brothers Todd and Jedd Hafer set the stage for five teens to chat about life issues in candid style. On occasion, God's screen name appears and the teens do a bit more soul searching while having a direct line to God. The number of young people varies from one online chat to another, which affords an interesting mix of dialogue and vantage points. One of the smoothest ways so far for teens to hear what God has to say on topics such as forgiveness, peer pressure, friendship, purpose and assorted current-day trends is presented here. Example: A teen poses a query, God replies or asks someone else to respond; in every case the exchange is winsome, flavored with wit and humor, while simultaneously providing substantive answers.

Over a period of months, Blake 7, JennSmiles, CrossKrys, A.C.008, Strider 77 and God banter, discuss and delve deeply into faith matters, watching each other's back as their friendships strengthen. Sometimes the conversations get a little tough to take and the teens need time to reflect before responding, while at other times they're simply surface-level snappy comebacks --- but every discussion is worth the read. Mutual respect and understanding seem to thrive in this semi-anonymous setting, allowing genuine transparency and truth to win out. Before the final chat, readers are well engaged in these fictitious teens' lives and will close the book in anticipation of further discussions.

   --- Reviewed by Michele Howe

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