Rooms: A Novel (13 page)

“Interesting.” Micah nodded.

“God gives us a moral code we must follow,” continued the voice. “We have the choice to follow it or not. When we choose not to follow it, we sin and He forgives. But to live by the heart is a dangerous thing. We were given the Word so we will not be taken in by the deceptions of the heart.”

“I’m not sure you and Archie would see eye to eye on that.”

“Man can be deceived, Micah. The Word can’t. This is why we need to operate from the mind and not the heart. Now if we could come up with a piece of software that could help us do that 100 percent of the time . . .”

The room went silent. Micah stood. “Wow. That is something to give serious consideration to. Let’s figure it out.”

“More tomorrow. It’s late and I’m wiped.”

“Me, too. Talk to you soon.”

“All right, pal,” the voice said. “Sleep well.”

Before sleep buried him, Micah had worked out the basics for the software. He had to tell Rick about it.

CHAPTER 20

Software that would change the Kingdom of God. Rick would love the idea.

On Sunday afternoon Micah walked north on Main Street toward Rick’s gas station full of inspiration. Before he reached the garage, he spotted Rick’s Rams hat as it bobbed above the crowd half a block ahead.

When Micah caught up to him, Rick said, “I was hoping to bump into you today.”

“Really? That was going to be my line.”

“Why, you gotta another house story?”

“No, I’ve got an idea that will revolutionize people’s relationship with God.”

“Really. Gotta hear about this.” Rick motioned them toward the beach, and they turned left at the next corner. Three minutes later Haystack Rock towered in front of them.

“I want to hear your idea,” Rick said as they headed south. “But first tell me about your talk with Julie.”

“Tough. Glad it’s over.” Micah paused. “For a few minutes I seriously considered going back to Seattle for good.”

“The pull of two different worlds, huh?”

“Exactly, which is what gave me the inspiration for a new piece of software.”

“That’s what gave you the idea?”

Micah imagined Rick was staring at him but didn’t turn to find out if he was right.

“That and a few other things . . . but let me describe it.” Micah kept staring straight ahead, concentrating on the gray sand stretching out in front of them.

“If we’re constantly pulled in two different directions, if we’re constantly trying to figure out the right path, why not give people the answers to every situation they ever come up against? I’m going to develop an intricate set of biblical principles to live by based on Scripture. A set of guidelines that will be the heart of the software. You have a problem? A situation where you don’t know what action to take? Plug it into the program, and it’ll give you the right thing to do. Even show you a verse that backs up the answer.”

“You’re serious.”

“Yeah, I’m serious. God has given me talent in the world of software. Maybe I’m supposed to use that ability for His good. It would sell.”

“I’ll bet.” Rick’s face looked like he’d swallowed a slug.

“It would help people.”

“Maybe you’re right. Sounds absolutely wonderful. Stellar. Stunning. Magnificent.”

Micah frowned. “You’re mocking me.”

“No, I love it. With a program like that, who needs their heart? For that matter, who needs a relationship with God?” Rick picked up a piece of driftwood and hurled it into the churning surf.

“I’m not saying do away with God. I’m just saying why not use the wisdom in the Bible and modern technology to systematically point people in the right direction?”

“What about deeper relationship with God? Intimacy with Him? His heart knowing ours. Ours knowing His. Hearing His voice and following it?”

Micah watched two kite surfers launch themselves high enough into the air to become silhouettes against the late-afternoon sun. “God gives us a moral code we must follow. To live by the heart is a dangerous thing. We were given the Word so we will not be taken in by the deceptions of the heart.”

“Who’s been telling you that?” Rick’s voice took on a sharp edge.

A wave of heat passed over Micah’s face. “No one. Just talking to myself about it.”

“Really.” Rick stepped in front of Micah and looked him in the eye. “Just yourself?”

“Yeah.”

Rick nodded, turned, and trudged down the beach. “So we live only by the Word?”

“Man can be deceived. The Word can’t,” Micah said as he caught up to Rick. “We need to follow its guidelines.”

“So what do the Christians all across the world today do who don’t have Bibles? Are they living in less truth than you and I?”

Micah was silent.

“The Word is our foundation. It’s what we test everything against. But during the first fifteen hundred years of the church, there were no Bibles in the homes of the people. Not until Gutenberg invented the printing press. Who led them? How did they know truth?”

“You’re saying we don’t set up principles to live by?” Micah asked.

“I’m saying Jesus is our example and He was never led by rules or set formulas. He was led by the Holy Spirit. Period. And the Spirit rarely did things the same way twice. You can’t plug things into some formula and get the answer. Man would like to reduce walking with God to some rule book of pat answers. But that’s not Christianity. Man has turned Christianity back into Mosaic Law. Don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t swear, and don’t go to R-rated movies. Bingo. You’re a Christian. Most churches use those four unwritten rules to judge whether someone is saved or not. But I don’t think any of those things have a lick to do with true relationship with God. Do you?”

“I’d think more than twice about a guy who smokes, swears like a trucker, drinks like a whale, watches NC-17 movies, and then tells me he’s a follower of Jesus.”

“Me, too.” Rick leaned down to pick up half a sand dollar and slipped it into his pocket.

“You’re just going to let that little contradiction hang in the air?” Micah asked.

“The Pharisees were the ultimate followers of principles and rules. Jesus called them whitewashed tombs. Look the right way. Say the right things. Do this; don’t do that! Jesus blew their minds. He said the wrong things, hung out with the wrong kind of people: prostitutes and tax collectors. Ate the wrong kind of food, healed on the wrong day, sat down to dine too many times with the wrong kind of people.” Rick grabbed another half sand dollar off the beach.

“So they branded Him a drunkard and a glutton. A friend of sinners. But He only cared about one thing—setting something free that you abandoned and buried a long time ago.” Rick stared into Micah’s eyes. “The treasure of the Kingdom.”

“And this treasure is?”

Rick leaned in and smiled. “Your heart.”

“Jeremiah says the heart is deceitful beyond all wickedness.”

“Really?”

“You know this, Rick! God forgives us and washes us from sin. But our heart is good? Sorry. Why would David say, ‘Create in me a clean heart’ unless it’s unclean? To describe our hearts as good and pure and holy? It’s just not biblical.”

A wave of anger and concern passed over Rick’s face so quickly Micah wasn’t sure he’d actually seen it.

“You can’t change a man from the outside in. And to transform a son of Adam from the inside out, Jesus must go deep into the core and change the heart. Then the outside will change. It’s called the new covenant. All things, even your heart, become new.”

Micah’s head felt like it was full of molasses. Rick was as convincing as the voice had been the night before. “Let’s say you’re right. How do I change my heart?”

“Allow it to surface. Then invite Him in to do some fixing.” Rick turned to Micah, grabbed him by both shoulders, and smiled. “And guard it with everything in you.” Then he strode back the direction they’d come.

Micah stood watching the kite surfers free themselves from gravity for an hour before he headed back to town.

Pulling into his driveway, he thanked God that Wednesday—Archie day—was only three days away. Rick. The voice. Confusion. Maybe Micah would get some clear direction from Archie’s next letter. He needed it.

CHAPTER 21

Archie time would come early on Wednesday. Micah would make sure of it.

Tuesday night, before crashing into bed and crawling under his navy blue comforter, Micah set his cell phone alarm to go off at 12:01 a.m. Archie wanted him to wait a week before opening each letter? No problem. 12:01 Wednesday morning would qualify as a week. And Micah needed answers.

He’d avoided the voice room the past few days and Rick as well. Too much conflicting advice. He hoped Archie’s next letter could slice through some of the fog filling his brain.

July 13, 1991

Dear Micah,

As children we were told of the Big Bad Wolf and were introduced to the Wicked Witch of the West in
The Wizard of Oz.
In
The Lord of the Rings
Frodo faces the evil Lord Sauron. Luke Skywalker must face his father Darth Vader in
Star Wars.

In every comic book there is a deadly foe the hero must vanquish.

Why does every story contain a villain? Because within yours one will most certainly be present as well.

Satan and his emissaries war against God and His angels, and if we are followers of the Savior, this war is directed toward us as well. While on Earth, villains are set in our path to distract us from the destiny that God has written for us from before the foundation of the world.

Unfortunately I cannot tell you who your villain is. But I can say his goal will be to kill, steal, and destroy.

The target of the assault will always be our heart. And clarity on where the truth lies will be elusive.

Wonderful. Micah tightened the blanket wrapped around him as he sat downstairs in his overstuffed chair in the great room. The low hum of the ocean sneaked through the walls of the house, but it still felt silent in the room. The view out the picture windows was black, the clouds not letting the moon or stars make even the hint of an appearance over the sea.

He put down the letter and let out a sigh. When he talked to the voice, it seemed to be truth. When he talked to Rick, his words rang true. When he read Archie’s letters,
they
seemed full of truth. So where was the sliver of a lie coming from?

Then again, maybe he was Luke Skywalker and his villain was the obvious choice: his dad. Micah continued reading.

At this point, five weeks have transpired in our journey together so my guess is you’ve already met this foe.

Wait. The letter seemed to imply he’d meet his villain during his time in Cannon Beach, not before. Did that rule out his dad?

Micah set the letter down again and stared at the dark-paneled ceiling. It was a strange thought. He’d jumped ahead of Archie already and assumed that this foe would of course look like an angel of light and not like a villain at all. It would be one of the people he least expected. Sarah? Hardly. Archie? Yeah, right. Rick? Impossible.

But then Micah’s talk with Rick on the beach returned to him and he wondered. He toyed with the idea for an instant, then pushed it to the back of his mind. No way. He knew Rick too well. Didn’t he? But if not Archie or Rick or Sarah or his dad, then who? He read on.

I am speculating, but I surmise you will be predisposed to trust this villain almost automatically, that he will find a way into your heart that you would not expect and therefore have not built a guard against.

And of course this person will not look evil, instead appearing as an ally. But, Micah, no matter how he appears or how smooth his tongue, if his counsel does not line up with the Word of God and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, you must not let him into your heart.

Be wary, be cautious. Test the spirits.

Nothing can separate us from the love of God through Christ Jesus.

Archie

Micah glanced at the clock on his coffee table. 12:20 a.m. He was wide awake now. Getting back to sleep would be a jousting match with his mind acting as the lance. A cold shiver raced down his spine. The letter pushed the idea of talking to Rick or the voice further down the list of options. Next step?

Sarah. She never confused him. That’s who he should talk to.

What would she be doing when the sun rose in five hours?