Fellowship Church Grapevine

[A drama is acted out prior to the message.  In the drama, a small girl is portrayed as the C.E.O. of her family.  She has a corporate desk, a leather chair, and her own office.  Her parents actually have to make an appointment to see her.  She runs the family schedule based on her activities and her desires.  The parents are simply doing what she wants them to do, rather than being in charge.]

You know, seeing this desk right here reminds me of the corporate scandals that have rocked our culture over the last several months.  Enron, WorldCom, and the others all look great on the outside with beautiful buildings and glowing annual reports, but on the inside they were pretty much packed with lies, deception, and greed.  The bottom line is that most of the CEOs that were leading these companies should not have been CEOs.  They were the wrong people doing the wrong things, in very, very important positions.  Corporate scandals seem like they’re everywhere these days.

Do you know what?  There is another scandal occurring right under our noses that most of us are clueless about.  The corporate scandal I’m referring to makes the Enron and WorldCom scandals seem like kindergarten stuff.  I’m talking about the scandal in the family corporation.

Do you realize that most families are not really being led by leaders?  Most families don’t have the right CEO in the corner office.  Here is how it takes place: a guy and a girl get married, they crank out a couple of kids, and the moment the OB/GYN slaps the baby on the bottom and said “It’s a boy!” or “It’s a girl!” this little miniature sinner looks over the family company and says, “You know what?  I am going to take over this place.  I am going to move Mom and Dad out of the corner office and I am going to sit in this CEO’s chair.  I’m going to call the shots.  I’m going to ride in the corporate jet.

Fellowship Church Grapevine- I’m going to have the stock options and everybody is going to support me.  I’m the executive staff, they’re the support staff, and that’s the way it is.”  And amazingly, unbelievably, parents allow this to happen!  Parents say, “OK, just come on in.  We’ll move out of our office.  We’re the support staff now and you’re the administrative staff.  You’re the executive.  You’re the man; you’re the woman.”