The head of the board looked around the room. "How many of you have selected a CEO for a fortune 500 company before?" One hand rose and wobbled a 'kinda.'
"Well, if it helps us get through this, when we're done we'll have something for our resumés."
A spectacled man with poofy earmuffs of white hair said, "I don't know why you guys aren't on board with the Smithson fella! He led a part of Amazon for a while, for god-sakes."
"Amazon isn't a steel manufacturer," the Head of the Board reminded him from the head of the table.
"I still think Mr. Henricks really seemed smart," Another man inserted. "He knew his stuff. Did you hear him talk about the innovative construction he helped engineer for his Hawaii property? And he's only 37!"
The Head said, "I'm afraid you just want an excuse to go back to Hawaii, John."
"I mean," the man replied, "if this really is a stalemate, a beach house could break it for me."
Another wrinkly old voice said, "I don't know whether to be impressed or creeped out by the tech-startup guy who had researched so much about the company. He knew more than I do--any of us do. And about the scandal from the 80's? How had I not heard of that!?"
"Yeah, I didn't even know we used to be called something else." Earmuffs said. "What was it?"
"Reynolds Steel," The Head of the Board replied. "After the family that owned it." Murmurs went around the board room. He continued, "Someone was killed in the locker room and the company's reputation tanked, until the company changed their name. You know what's even crazier, I heard one of the family members claimed to have helped instigate it so the killer wouldn't get the chair. It was the founder's grandson who took on the blame. He knew it was a mental disorder thing and he wanted to help the guy's family.
Heavy silence settled in.
Then someone spouted, "Any of them still around? The Reynolds?"
They all looked around and shrugged. The Head leaned forward and pressed a button, "Margaret, could you come in please?"
A lady with a big cotton ball of hair and strings of plastic gems hanging from her wingtip glasses shuffled in. The Head asked her, "Do you know if any of the Reynolds family is still living in this city, or even the state?
She scrunched her eyebrows and said, "Kale works downstairs."
"Who's he?"
"The grandson," she replied.
Someone interjected, "The same one related to the killing?"
"Oh, everyone knows he didn't do it," she replied. "He was just very close to the fella, and took the blame for him. He's close with all of his employees."
"He's a manager here?!"
"Of course!"
"How come we haven't heard of him?! I would remember that name."
"Well, I don't know! Maybe it's because he isn't all ties and jackets," She glanced at their suits. "And maybe because everyone thinks his name is Kyle."
"Oh, Drillpress Kyle?!" Someone asked.
"Who?!" one of them asked.
The Head of the Board replied, "This Kyle guy apparently caught a drill press which was falling on Sherrilyn--you know her, mousey, always wears those loose sweaters. Well, Sherrilyn had gotten her sleeve caught in the drillpress, which was missing a foot for some reason, and it started to tip toward her. Well, if you've seen this thing you'd know someone would have to have had superhuman strength or something to keep it from falling on her. Anyways, he held it until she could scoot away. He always wears dirty overalls. Big beard."
"That's him," Margaret said, with a glare that ashamed all of them for not knowing the management in the company.
"No way," the man with spectacles muttered, dumbfounded. "He looks homeless, but he's the rightful heir."
"Well, not the way you guys select leaders these days," she glanced down at the man's gold watch, turned around and walked out.
They walked downstairs just as it hit 5pm. People were gathering lunch bags and shuffling past them out the door. They could see a man's salt-and-peppered head, leaning over someone's cubicle. As they got closer they could tell he was teaching a younger employee something on a new computer program.
Then the salt-and-pepper-haired man lifted his head and called to someone on the other side of the cubicles, "Hey Stokes! I know it's 5, but can you get me a model of the new I-55 beam so we can start the forge heating tonight?"
"You got it, boss."
"I'll buy ya Boston Market to take home to that little fam of yours."
"Haha whatever, Reynolds. I'm not married to her yet!"
"Hey since you've asked me to be your minister, I'm considering it done already."
The group of dry cleaned men trailed to the break room to discuss. Then 15 minutes later they filed out onto the greasy factory floor toward Kale, who was tapping at a computer by a car-sized ceramic cylinder. He pecked the "enter" button and turned back toward the office when he almost bumped into the men.
"Well, hey fellas. How's the selection process going up there? Come down for a little tour as a break?"
"No, but thanks, Kale. We wanted to talk to you about something."
"Okay," Kale crossed his arms. This was the first time he looked hardened. They saw steel in his eyes; there was a surprising strength in him.
The Head of the board looked at the others and they nodded. "We'd like to ask if you'd be interested in being the new CEO."
"You know I don't own a suit, right?"
"I think maybe that's what we need," The Head of the Board glanced at the group of suits, uncomfortably wearing safety glasses, standing awkward in a steel factory. "It's a 6-figure salary."
Kale shook his head and said, "That's a horrible way to find a good CEO." He stared at the Head of the Board a little longer and then asked, "You know about the conviction and the name stuff?"
"Most of us didn't even know it used to be called Reynolds Steel. I think it's been long enough."
"Is it because I'm the grandson? That never properly qualified anyone for anything."
"Except that it means you know the company best, and care for it better than anyone else."
He was starting to consider it. But then he asked, "How do you know that?"
The head of the board was feeling more certain of the board's decision. He looked down at Kyle's scarred hands and stained overalls.
"Because out of this whole company you have journeyed with it the longest and the hardest."
---
We can see Jesus as a guy who had three shining years of miracles, teaching, and an epic death. That qualifies him to be studied, at least. But it changes things when we consider he's been around since, and architected the entire balance of, the universe. And since then he has been fighting to save as many people from his enemies as he possibly can. We owe him praise for being the heir to God the father, and fear because he has the power to do miracles. But he has earned our admiration, praise, and devotion because he has fought for our good far longer than has any other being that has ever existed.
Raw Spoon
