Mary Barrett was worship leader at Calvary Chapel Merritt Island. In November 2008, God declared that the suffering she had undergone with cancer was complete and called her home.

Mary came to our church (Calvary Chapel Northwest) several years ago, for a “night of worship” on a Saturday night. She also led worship with/for us Sunday morning. I was fortunate enough to be on the schedule that week, so I got to be with her at rehearsal and sing BGV’s for her on some songs that weekend.

Mary also did a handful of songs solo on that Saturday night, including Kathryn Scott’s “Hungry” and Matt Redman’s “Let My Words Be Few”.  At the time, I had never heard either song before.  Since Mary sang other songs that night that she had written, I assumed that these two were hers, too.  And frankly, they should have been.  Both songs — especially “Hungry” — fit her voice so well, it was staggering.  And they also fit her spirit.  When we sang either song later, I always deemed them to be “Mary’s songs” (even after I discovered that she wasn’t the author), and it almost felt sacrilegious for us (or anyone other than Mary) to sing those songs.

The week that I heard that she had died, I was “on”, and “Hungry” was in our set.  Even as we started to rehearse, I felt God lift that feeling of sacrilege from me, and heard Him telling me that He had her singing much greater songs now.

I was reminded of all of this recently at my worship leader’s home.  He and his wife hosted a dinner for all of us, and we sat around and sang afterward.  One of the songs that was picked (”randomly”) was “Let My Words Be Few”.  I immediately thought of Mary, and immediately started to miss her.  It occurred to me how ridiculous this was — I had only been around her for a few hours, while she was a good friend of my worship leader’s family for many years (and probably had known others in the room better than me, too).

Then it dawned on me.  Although she was a wonderful person, the reason that I missed her was how transparent she was as Jesus shined through her.  That’s really why I was drawn to her.  In just a few hours, I saw Jesus very clearly through Mary’s life.

And that’s the kind of person I want to be.

(or It’s getting to where you can’t even caricature stupidity anymore)

Last night, I noted that the Pam and Tim Tebow ad didn’t live up to the apocalyptic predictions that the pro-abortion crowd told us about.  Since they would never admit to being wrong, I suggested a few ways in which they could try to recover  — all of them farcical.  One of my suggestions was that they change course and focus on other things that were “wrong” about the ad — specifically that the commercial advocated violence against women.

Again, I was being farcical.

I’d like to think that millions are reading my blog and that someone with no sense of sarcasm ran with my idea.  But in actuality, it’s just a case of the illogical extreme coming true.

THEY DID IT !!!  The president of NOW actually did it !!!

I am blown away at the celebration of the violence against women in it. That’s what comes across to me even more strongly than the anti-abortion message.

Apparently, you can make this stuff up.

[UPDATE:  One of the commenters over on JT's blog (where I found the link to the article) notes that the Snickers ad with Betty White -- which aired immediately before the Tebow ad -- advocates violence against women and the transgendered.]

Last year, in the month or so leading up to the presidential inauguration, we were told definitively by many (who apparently had the gift of “discernment”) that, in delivering his prayer, Rick Warren would not pray in Jesus’ name, thereby proving the fact that he is in league with the devil, incapable of doing anything good, and beyond even God’s saving power.

Then Rick went and prayed in Jesus’ name.

So what was the reaction of the “discerners”?  Did they celebrate the wide exposure to Jesus’ life-changing power?  Are you on drugs, Mr Spicoli?

Reactions included:

1. Xenophobic outrage that Warren included languages other than English
2. Emphasis on “discerning” interpretation of Warren’s motives behind other parts of the prayer, with no notice of the fact that Warren prayed in Jesus’ name (i.e. not bothering to admit that their prediction was wrong)
3. A select few who actually had the chutzpah to insist (after the fact) that Warren did not pray in Jesus’ name.

Fast-forward approximately one year.

2007 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow and his mother, Pam, were slated to appear in a commercial during the Super Bowl broadcast, sponsored by Focus on the Family.  Despite great potential harm to herself while pregnant with Tim, Pam chose to carry the pregnancy to term rather than have an abortion.

The pro-”choice” crowd of 2010, much like the “discerners” of 2009, were up in arms that Pam Tebow would have the audacity to tell her story of what she chose to do. All media outlets (including sports radio — which I listen to in order to escape political discussion) were giving a lot of play to the alleged controversy.  If we were to believe the pro-”choice” reaction to this ad (which hadn’t aired yet), Tebow himself would be waiting in a back alley with a coat hanger by halftime.

Meanwhile, those with more than 3 brain cells recognized the lunacy of speaking definitively about what was going to occur in the future, and the gross hypocrisy of those who claim to be pro-choice being upset that someone chose not to have an abortion.  Even a self-described pro-choice sports reporter “betrayed” the movement (and her entire gender) by pointing out the stupidity.

Then the ad ran.  Here it is, in all its “controversial” glory:

Frankly, the “Dove Men plus Care” commercial was more overtly about childbirth (it portrayed/described four births, three of which were specifically required) than this ad was.

So the question now becomes, “How does the pro-’choice’ crowd (who only looked like minor idiots before the ad ran) wipe the egg (that’s apparently krazy-glued in place) off their face?”

Even though I’m staunchly pro-life, I’ll throw a bone to this crowd, and suggest a few ways they can recover, based on what we learned from the “discerners” last year.

1. Note the unfairness that Tebow is described as a Heisman Trophy winner, while poor Darren McFadden and Colt Brennan had to go home empty-handed.
2. Focus on other things wrong with the commercial — after all, it clearly endorses violence against women.
3. Like last year’s Holocaust Warren deniers, tell us that the ad was just as you feared, and that it said all sorts of things that it didn’t really say.

Anyone else have any other ideas?