I was raised as a Christian but the transaction has to be made by yourself - you and God - at some point.
As for dialogue, I think it keeps things moving to cut to the chase.
While writing my first 90 books, I was magazine editor, publisher, book publisher, executive, etc., so I was established in publishing. three of my seven or so books were biographies of sports stars and really opened doors for me in that area.
No life is messier than one in ministry
Gil Thorpe is a great diversion and is to book writing as poetry is to prose.
I love inventing worlds and characters and settings and scenarios.