- Motto of group called DOORMATS, which stands for "Dependent Organization of Really Meek and Timid Souls"

"He wants to see me right away?" Joe said, goose bumps rising on his arms. "Yeah, he left this big note taped to my computer screen," Joe’s secretary Alicia said. "I saw it first thing. Couldn’t miss it. Like the pink paper, too. He must have gotten in here before dawn." Joe looked at the big sheet of pink paper his secretary was holding. It was signed "Ernie." Ernie was Joe Ralston’s new boss. Although they met two weeks ago when Ernie started, Joe had little interaction with him since then. In fact, Ernie had had little interaction &emdash; at least by what that term is commonly known to mean &emdash; with anyone. He was either poring over company policies and documents while holed up in his office, or he was walking around making notes of everything, like a school kid on a field trip. Occasionally he would interrupt someone to ask a question, then return his nose to his notebook where he scribbled God knows what. Joe figured he was just trying to get a lay of the land before becoming more pro-active in managing the department. Perhaps today was the day he chose to be more pro-active. "Pray for me," he said to Alicia, as he gathered himself for the trek to Ernie’s office.

Joe’s request to pray for him was not an idle one, nor a figure of speech. He had been a Christian for ten years &emdash; ever since his wife decided that she no longer wanted to be married to a middle manager who would rather coach baseball than work the extra hours necessary to become the company’s fifteenth vice president. She left him suddenly, with a note on the kitchen table and four young children asleep in bed. He had been devastated. But with the tireless and loving help of several faithful Christians, one of whom happened to be his old boss, he was led to Christ, and with the grace of God, he survived. Now he led a bible study at work and church, and had even led Alicia to Christ two years ago. Perfect his life was not, but he loved his job, his family and his service to Christ. But there was something about this note, about these circumstances, that told him his comfortable life was about to be shaken.

"Sit down, please sit down." Ernie Tewell said to Joe, raising to shake his hand. He smiled uneasily at Joe before beginning to speak. "Joe, as my office manager, I want you to implement several changes around here. I have written them all out and you can get started with them when we finish," he said, handing him several pieces of pink paper. Joe glanced at the papers. There were lines and lines of single-spaced type. "But before you head out, there is something I want to change about your work habits. I notice that you arrive late every Tuesday morning and leave early every Wednesday night, and I have been told that it has something to with your church. Well, church is fine for those who need it, but I will not have it affecting what we do here. So it stops now. Also, I know that you been using company conference rooms for some kind of church worship thing here Friday nights . . ."

"They’re bible studies," Joe said, interrupting Ernie, "and they’re after hours and strictly voluntary." Ernie leaned back in his chair and let out a big sigh. "Listen, I am not like your old boss. This department will be number one in the company when I‘m done. I don’t care if people pay to come to your little revivals. They stop, understand?" Joe nodded. He feared saying anything he might regret. He could taste his anger in his throat. When he left Ernie’s office he looked closer at his assignments. Among his tasks were to eliminate all family photos on desks, ensure that all computers ran the same colors (a design custom-created by Ernie), and ensure that employee bathroom breaks are limited to "off-peak" times. With pink papers in hand and a heavy weight on his shoulders, Joe retreated to his office.