I find myself in something of a dilemma. Who is my audience? I’m not sure.

          I am a dedicated Christian. My life and all I do reflect that. (To be sure you understand what that means, you might want to check out the My Beliefs page.) I want to explore aspects of that faith with and for those who share it. I want to encourage others of like mind with my anecdotes, uplift them with insights and challenge them with the Word. I want to, as Hebrews puts it, “spur one another on to good works.” (Heb 10:24)

          But I also have what I think is a somewhat unique gift (or is it a curse? ). I am able to understand, sometimes even relate to, the objections or arguments against believing, against living this separated lifestyle we Christians are called to embrace. (Or at least I understand some aspects of those objections. Even I find it almost incomprehensible how anyone can choose to not believe in anything spiritual.) I also want to dialogue with them, I want to reason with them, I want to introduce them to the Truth. (He is my Best Friend, after all. I want everyone to know Him as I do. Or at least to a little better why I want to honor Him.) Even beyond that, though, is the fact that dialoging with non-believers will challenge and quantify my own faith. What good is my faith if I can’t articulate to a dissenter in such a way that she at least sees a glimmer of my perspective? And in so doing, I fulfill my destiny, to be light and salt to those around me. (Mt 5: 13)

          There is my dilemma. Who do I talk to? Do I create different blogs for each audience? Or talk to both, and risk alienating one or the other by some of my posts? It’s a dilemma.

          My life, my ideas, everything about me tends to merge and combine and synthesize differing personalities, ideology and practices. This harmonizing and integrating theme runs throughout my entire life. It’s there in my childhood, when I was arbitrating fights between cousins. It’s seen when I was a young mother and I became the catalyst that created a trio of friendship between three disparate women that still thrives, even though we are separated by long distances and family crises. And obviously that same theme is here in my dilemma.

          And, I think, it is the answer to my dilemma.

          Struggle though it may be, I think this blog just might be meant to be a catalyst, as I was with my two friends, that creates (or at least calls for) a friendship, or at least mutual respect, among those who read it. A friendship that accepts, even welcomes differences of opinion while acknowledging a core of absolute truth.

          So while most of my posts may be directly targeting the thinking Christian, I will continue to keep in mind there may be those reading who need a more complete explanation or definition.

          Dealing with Dragons” is an hilarious, almost farcical fantasy that takes place in the kingdoms neighboring the Enchanted Forest. It is a world with knights and dragons, princesses and wizards and all manner of magical creatures and traditions. It is the tale of Cimorene, a princess, the seventh and youngest daughter of the king of Linderwall.

          Cimorene is a princess unlike any other princess in this world. She is not content to fill her head with manners and embroidery and inane traditions. She tries to study magic, or fencing or Latin but as soon as her parents discover each infraction, they order it stopped. None of those studies are fitting for a princess. None of the studies befitting a princess capture Cimorene’s interest. She learns them, but she is bored and frustrated. When a betrothal to a neighboring prince is planned, she resists. She doesn’t want to marry the bubble-headed prince just because it is fitting. Her parents, even her fairy godmother, are adamant. She will marry Prince Therandil.

          As she mulls over the problem, a nearby talking frog offers advice. Run away. Cimorene follows that advice, going to the dilapidated gray house the frog directs her to. There she finds dragons.

          After a rather frightening encounter, smoothed over in part by her princess training, she is taken in by one of the dragons. Her parents can’t complain. Being captured by a dragon is fitting for any princess. It comes with its own frustrations, though. Her father, compelled by tradition, offers her hand in marriage to the knight who can rescue her from the dragon.

          In the midst of hilarious attempts to discourage ever-increasing numbers of knights, including Prince Therandil, from rescuing her, Cimorene stumbles into her own adventure. In the process, she discovers an interesting way to best a wizard, makes several interesting friends and uncovers a dire plot against the dragons.

          This was a fun, whimsical story. I found nothing objectionable to my faith. It was silly and humorous at places, with some oddly jumbled permutations of fairy tale lore, but it was all light-hearted fun, not sarcastic or acrimonious.

          There was a clear understanding of right and wrong and the good guys clearly won the day. There is some light-hearted poking fun at tradition, which some might find offensive, but I thought was handled with just the right touch. Even though Cimorene balked against following tradition and all the”fitting and proper” education she had to endure, there are several times her knowledge and training aided her. There were just as many times she used the knowledge she had gained from her brief time spent studying not-fitting-for-a-princess studies. For me that illustrated the point that, while tradition and proper behavior is important, blindly following said tradition is unwise.

          The only complaint I really have, and it’s not much of one, is related to the villains. Throughout this book and even the entire series, all wizards are portrayed as evil and deceitful. There is one short section in the last book of the series that intimates there were some wizards not in on the nefarious plots, but it is a minor, almost missed side statement. This seems a bit one-sided and unrealistic, but it fits in this story-world. This same story-world presents most princesses as bubble-headed, dragons as noble, witches and magicians as good (they are different than wizards) and cats as helpful.

          All in all, “Dealing with Dragon” and its companion books, “Searching for Dragons,” “Calling on Dragons” and “Talking to Dragons” are fun forays into the fantasy land of The Enchanted Forest and its neighboring kingdoms.

          This week on Routines For Writers I posted an update of my 9 x 99 in 2009 project. I’m behind, but I’m getting things done. I don’t want to give the same update here, as this is a different blog, with a different focus, but it got me thinking.

          One of my greatest strengths is my flexibility, the way I can adjust expectations and plans on the fly. Recently, though, I’ve seen my flexibility more as a flaw than a strength. I wanted to stay focused and complete some of the many projects I’ve started or envisioned. That was, in fact, the main reason I conceived 9×99 in 2009.

          I think I confined myself too much, though.

          Even as I made that list of 99 tasks, I thought of several others, just as important. I told myself I could focus on those after the 99 days, but I think that was a mistake. I need flexibility. I need to be able to set aside one project that has lost its luster and go to another one, knowing that my interest in the first project will return. That is, in fact, part of my natural creative rhythm. Yes, it needs direction and discipline imposed at times, but it also needs to not be ignored.

          One of those other projects I wanted to work on is this blog. I want to post more often, maybe as often as daily. I need time and ideas, though. Ideas I could find, time not so much. Not unless I ignore my 9×99 in 2009 project.

          I want to write more reviews, but that means reading more books (or at least a fast rereading of them). That again means I need more time. Time I obligated elsewhere when I created that 9×99 list.

          Or maybe I’m deluding myself. Maybe this blog is unnecessary. Maybe I’m just talking to the air and no one is listening. Maybe. That’s possible. But in order to decide, I need to spend some time praying, thinking and clarifying my vision for having this blog. Time I have to “steal” from the 9×99 projects.

          Time I AM going to steal from the 9×99 in 2009 project.

          The next two weeks will be spent clarifying my desire, purpose and vision for this blog. I will compose and post at least a review and a musing each of those weeks. After that time, I will post at least one more musing detailing my thoughts and decisions about this blog. (If there is anyone out there listening, now is the time to let me know. )

          And then I will complete my 9×99 in 2009. Or at least give it a good try.

          The bio on the back flap of many of his books says “Ted Dekker is known for novels which combine adrenaline-laced stories packed with unexpected plot twists, unforgettable characters, and incredible confrontations between good and evil.” This is certainly true of THR3E.

          THR3E begins with a brief discourse on the nature of evil between seminary student Kevin Parson and his academic advisor. This conversation, which sounds boring, is actually quite interesting. Although brief, it sets the foundation for the entire story. “Can man remove himself beyond the reach of evil? Or is he condemned to live a life of evil?” From that first question, the author builds a picture of Kevin Parson, a young seminary student with what is referred to as a bizarre past. Throughout the story, we see him trying to ignore, forget and overcome his past, but events won’t let him.

          Within moments of leaving his advisor, he receives a phone call. The man on the other end demands that Kevin call the newspaper and confess his sin. If he doesn’t, his car will blow up in three minutes. He gives Kevin a riddle, meant to reveal and remind Kevin of the sin and hangs up. Kevin frantically ditches the car in a greenbelt near an almost empty parking lot. A moment later, the car explodes. The ensuing investigation takes 300 pages of non-stop action as Slater taunts and teases and detonates more bombs. With each new event, Kevin is forced to admit and confront another piece of his past.

          In the end, this entire story can be summed up in Dr. John Francis’ response to that initial conversation at the beginning of the book. Man is not condemned to a lifetime of evil, but rather “A lifetime struggle with evil.” Who knew a philosophical and theological question could be so gripping and compelling? No wonder it has been a public debate for millennia. And Ted Dekker’s “THE3E” just made it even more so.