APPRECIATE CHICK-FIL-A DAY

Initially there was some confusion about the event when former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's call to celebrate "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day" first went out.  He said "Wednesday," which could have been 7/25 or 8/1.  I went to both and also checked things out on the "counter-protest" day.  I also texted invitations to about 50 friends and family, and invited another 60 or so on the Facebook page dedicated to the event. When I checked, about 140,000 had pledged to go and another 1.1 million had been invited. I heard on the news that the page received over 20 million hits.

Huckabee was clearly motivated by the smear campaign against Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy. In an interview with the Baptist Press Cathy affirmed his company's stance on same-sex marriage and donations to anti-gay groups.

"We are very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that…We know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles."

Cathy further elaborated on his viewpoints.

"I think we are inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and say ‘we know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage’ and I pray God’s mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to define what marriage is about.”

Governor Huckabee rightly said that Dan Cathy was being "smeared by vicious hate speech and intolerant bigotry on the left."

"No one is being asked to make signs, speeches, or openly demonstrate. The goal is simple: Let’s affirm a business that operates on Christian principles and whose executives are willing to take a stand for the Godly values we espouse by simply showing up and eating at Chick-fil-A on Wednesday, August 1. Too often, those on the left make corporate statements to show support for same sex marriage, abortion, or profanity, but if Christians affirm traditional values, we’re considered homophobic, fundamentalists, hate-mongers, and intolerant…"

Various personalities, including some prominent politicians from Washington, Chicago and Boston denounced Cathy's stance and some even went so far as to say they'd oppose establishment of a Chick-fil-A restaurant in their city.  (One later recanted after a popular outcry against this statement.) What would be the public reaction if one of these banned Amazon, Coke or Home Depot from their city for supporting the perversion of marriage homosexuals are trying to force on this nation? (Maybe God will have a say in this! Remember how the tornado in Joplin last year hit Home Depot and missed Lowes?)

While all that was going on in the nation at large, I decided to see how things were going in the booming micropolis of Longview in the piney woods of East Texas.  Normally I prefer burgers, but a chicken salad would be a healthy change for me.

I arrived late in the evening and had to park in the nearby Wal-Mart parking lot because all three parking lots at the store on Loop 281 were full.  The drive through line wound completely around the building and out onto 4th Street!

Getting closer, I looked through the windows and saw that the building appeared packed.  As I entered, I passed a man wearing a fire department shirt.  I asked him, "Excuse me sir, are there any fire codes being violated here?"  

He just smiled at me and kept on walking.

Inside I was struck by both the density of the crowds and the noise.  It wasn't the rough, loud noise of a sports crowd, but a loud, happy, celebratory noise like a party.  People of all ages wound in double lines from the counter to the doors and beyond.

At the counters, busy Chick-fil-A employees were taking and filling orders.  It was a little slower than normal, so people had to wait for their orders.  These stood to one side an waited for their names to be called.  When a name was called out the customer stepped forward to the applause and shouts of those nearby. A few seemed a bit embarrassed by the commotion, but most went along with the exuberance.

It was clearly a historic moment and I was happy to be part of it.

When my turn came I ordered a salad and waited for my to be served.  

During the wait in line, I had the opportunity to talk with some of my fellow Chick-fil-A supporters.  One was the youth pastor of the First Baptist Church of Overton. Though the church is 25 miles away, he didn't mind coming all the way to order just ice cream.  He explained with a smile, "My daughter likes the ice cream."

There were also several teenagers ahead of me in line.  Emily, 16, explained that she was from the 1st Assembly of God in Longview.  They come here each week after their regular midweek service.

It just amazed me that despite record crowds, the restaurant didn't run out of food, even late in the day. Though the firm kept a low profile about the event, it appears they did plan well for it. Good management all around!

I was glad to do my part.  Besides, the salad tasted good! :)

********************************************************************************

Epilogue: I went by on the day the opposition had called for a counter protest.  It looked quiet and normal to me. Need more be said?