Chapter Six: A Surprise for A.J.
The Road to Transformatia - A Love Story
The Story So Far:
Average Joe (A.J.) has longed to defeat the monster called Fear to reach the kingdom of Transformatia and be granted citizenship by the Gracious King.
On his last attempt, A.J. was soundly defeated by the monster. On his way back to Conformity, he meets a strange man named Noble, who tells him that he can’t quit because he has seen the city from afar and knows that it is real.
Noble tells A.J. about the Archive Room in the local library which holds the key to success in defeating the monster.
After he heals from his wounds, we see that A.J. has found the Archive room and has begun to prepare for a final triumph in his quest to reach Transformatia.
In this chapter, A.J. finds a surprise waiting for him.
A.J. developed a routine.
After work each day, he would hurry home, grab something to eat, go straight to the Archive Room, and stay until closing time.
One day, several weeks after he had started going to the library, there was a surprise waiting for him.
When he asked for the key, the reference librarian looked at him strangely and said, “That man left something for you”.
His heart picked up a beat as she handed him a sealed envelope.
“I don't know what is going on in that room, or between you two”, she said with a hint of disdain.
“It's a heart and mind thing”, he replied with an impish grin.
He turned to go to the Archive Room, leaving her with a confused look on her face.
A.J. quickly unlocked the room and went over to the table. He turned the lamp on and sat down.
Carefully he opened the seal, removed a handwritten note, and began to read.
Hello, A.J. - I knew you would come to the Archive Room eventually. You probably have noticed that I have signed in as much as you have, but never at the same time. That is partly by design as I wanted to observe your level of passion for pursuing this new journey.
I know you have had days of extreme doubt and despair.
Many days, you probably wanted to give up and go back to living a quiet, obscure life.
But the thought of admitting that the reference librarian was right made you determined to press on.
Am I right?
Remember, I have experienced everything you are thinking and all the emotions you are feeling.
A.J. was amazed that Noble could know his innermost thoughts and struggles. He continued to read.
Just before my victory over the monster, I read a quote in a speech given long ago by a great leader named Churchill.
He recounted in an address to a graduating class during a time when his country was on the brink of destruction during a war with an evil enemy:
“. . . this then, is the lesson: Never give in, NEVER give in, never, never, never, never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”
I read that right here in the Archive Room. You can find it in the Biography section. Look for Sir Winston Churchill.
If you are anything like me, then you probably started right from the beginning with the “A's”.
Not a bad strategy, but I would encourage you to periodically pick something from another section.
Many times I have done that and found that the material I chose spoke directly to an issue I was dealing with at that moment.
The main reason I decided that now is the time to write is I believe you are ready to begin reading one particular volume in the Archive which supersedes all the others.
This volume is simply called THE BOOK.
Its guiding principles are so powerful that it should be treated as the standard by which to measure everything else you read.
THE BOOK is considered one book, but it is actually made up of sixty-six smaller books sometimes referred to as letters or messages. The quote I put on the wall for you comes from one of the smaller books, called A Letter to the Romans.
A.J. looked up at the quote on the wall. It had come from THE BOOK.
I know you will find this hard to believe, but in time you will understand – THE BOOK has only one Author, who chose to convey His message through many writers.
This particular quote was written by a man named Paul, who was chosen as one of the Messengers.
Paul recorded many of the smaller books in the second half of THE BOOK, which is called the New Testament.
As you begin reading and studying through THE BOOK, you will find yourself somewhat overwhelmed as you realize that it is impossible to apply the standards set forth to your life.
I would ask you not to give up. Do not let the frustration of not understanding cause you to quit.
I don't know exactly how to explain so you will understand, but let me just say this: THE BOOK is so different from the other volumes in the Archive Room, that there is no comparison.
I know you have been excited as you have been reading, but suffice it to say that your current excitement holds no comparison to the excitement, joy, or even peace you will experience as you read and understand THE BOOK.
A.J. was startled by this last statement as the level of excitement he had experienced so far was almost more than he could bear.
He continued . . .
You will come to understand that THE BOOK is more than just words written on paper. The words are like they are alive. They speak directly to our innermost being. The Author wrote about this:
“For the word of God is quick (living), and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
You can find this in the smaller book entitled The Letter to the Hebrews, Chapter 4.12.
The word of God?
A.J. was speechless.
All his life he had been taught that the concept of God was a myth, believed by superstitious and weak people who could not get through life on their own.
These people dared to believe there was more to life than the mere existence portrayed by the citizens of Conformity. They were scorned and ridiculed.
And yet, here was this man, Noble, the most confident man he had ever met, referring to a volume called THE BOOK as the very word of God, someone who was not even supposed to exist.
Not only that but somehow it was living. As if it had a life of its own.
Somehow it was more important than every other book. It had the unique quality of being able to discern and know the intents and thoughts of our hearts.
He thought about how Noble seemed to know so much about his own thoughts and feelings.
THE BOOK claimed to even have the power to affect the very physical makeup of a person.
This was incredible.
It went against everything he had ever been taught.
Everything in him screamed to throw the letter away and run from this place as fast as he could.
Yet he sat glued to the chair.
His eyes fell on the letter again. There was more.
I know you feel like running right now. It goes against everything you have been taught since you were born. That is a natural reaction.
But, if you are still reading this, then you know, deep down, that it is true.
So, I'm just going to say it, because you need to get over this shock as soon as possible if you are to go on . . .
EVERYTHING YOU HAVE BEEN TAUGHT IS A LIE!
A.J.'s mind was in meltdown. How in the world could this be?
Did this mean that everyone he knew - his parents, his siblings, his relatives, his friends, his teachers were all wrong? That they all believed a lie as well?
Your mind is no doubt frazzled right now, Noble continued.
Frazzled didn’t even come close.
So, I won't drop any more bombs on you in this letter.
But, I do want to leave you with a couple of thoughts from other places in THE BOOK to read and contemplate over the next week or so.
THE BOOK itself has an index and is organized quite handily.
Now, I know the reference librarian and the sign near the bookshelves said to make sure that everything was put back as we found it, but I have made one small change, which no one seems to have noticed (I don't think they ever come in here, anyway).
I have taken THE BOOK and made a space for it all by itself. You will find it down at the end of the last row of shelves. You can't miss it. There are no other books on the same shelf.
When you find it, there are a few places you should begin reading, which I have bookmarked.
Don't start at the beginning. That will come later.
Regarding the other volumes here in the Archive Room, remember what I told you, that all should be measured against the standard of THE BOOK.
Now, look for the smaller book written by a man named Isaiah and turn to chapter 8.20.”
A.J. walked over to the shelf where Noble said THE BOOK was and brought it back to the table. He found the smaller book written by a man named Isaiah and turned to chapter 8. He read the 20th verse:
“To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”
He turned back to Noble's letter.
“This is extremely important. Everything must be measured against THE BOOK.
There are books here in the Archive Room which are cleverly written and sound wonderful. Many even talk of the seed of greatness within us. All we have to do is grow it to fruition.
“Sadly, they completely leave out any reference to the Gracious King.
They are counterfeit. Stay away from them. They have been written by deceivers who have become followers of the monster, who is the father of all lies and falsely appears as a messenger of light.
On the other hand, there are some great books here that will reinforce the Message of THE BOOK. These are written by great men and women who have become followers of the Gracious King.
So, start with the bookmarks. Read and meditate on these as you have time.
I will check on you periodically. You never know, one day soon I may be sitting right here waiting on you.
In the meantime, I will leave you to ponder this thought:
“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”
Dr. Luke – The Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 17.11, THE BOOK
Your Friend and Fellow Traveler,
Noble
The letter from Noble had completely undone him.
A.J. knew now that his life would never be the same. He was almost numb with shock, yet every fiber of his body tingled with anticipation.
Time seemed to have stopped, so when he looked at the clock, he was surprised to see that it was closing time.
A.J. wasn’t sure how much sleep he would get tonight as his mind contemplated what he would find at the bookmarks.
He could not wait until tomorrow.
Thanks for reading The Talking Pen.
I have met the man you are describing--Noble. He was my father. He and mom gave me my first copy of THE BOOK. And in my story, I practically live in the Archives.