the first soup line?

Free breakfast and lunch at Denny's - all across America - from Maine to Malibu... I wonder if they have a Denny's in Malibu?

Left the office to check out our local Denny's response to their national "free Grand Slam" breakfast campaign. Impressive, to say the very least. The place was packed while lines of people waited patiently, in the beautiful 80 degree weather, to be served. Many looked as if they could really use the free meal. Denny's was turning no one away. Smiling employees everywhere- a manager even handing out rain checks... though the skies looked as if they'd never met a storm or had as much as a drizzle pass their way... we took rain checks. Can't wait to go back and get those extra 1,000 calories or so to lug around my middle!


Back in the office- checking the news and reading about millions responding to the free breakfast deal -pictures like this one came to mind. So disturbing. It's one thing to watch the homeless on skidrow line up each week for the meals we serve with Jackets for Jesus. Quite another to watch the neighborhoods around our church empty out and stand in line for a free meal. If I'd picked a soundtrack for the moment it definitely would've been Bob Dylan's "Hard Rain Gonna Fall."

This news item was just above the Denny's story online: "Bailed Out Wells Fargo Plans Las Vegas Junket." The story tells about the 25 billion -that's 25 thousand million- (about a thousand times what Manny Ramirez turned down to play for the Dodgers this year) Wells Fargo took from taxpayers to stay in business- and how they're now planning to take their leaders on an all expense, luxurious week in Vegas. My favorite quote was from Wells Fargo's representative when asked by the press why the junket's still on, he said the: "event is part of the bank’s culture."

Snappy response- I plan on using it next time I go over my credit limit on my Wells Fargo card: "It's part of our family's culture."

Two ways two major corporations are responding in this time of national financial crisis. For the first time, in a long time, I think it'll definitely be Denny's that leaves a good taste in our collective pallet and Wells Fargo... well, I'm afraid they're about to discover that the commercials just aren't true: what happens in Vegas, hardly ever stays in Vegas.

"Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said, “God blesses you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is given to you. God blesses you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied." Luke 6:20,21

blessings for the day,

Eric