A Song for Easter

To me, Easter is perhaps the most peaceful and most reflective of all holidays. It is a time of great joy mingled with overwhelming grief. A time to reflect on the horrible death taken by our Lord and rejoice in His victory over it. It is also a time to reflect on our role in this world as the body of Christ. I think that this Twila Paris song really puts into words the sorrow, the joy, and the beauty of this season.

How Beautiful

How Beautiful the hands that served
The Wine and the Bread and the sons of the earth
How beautiful the feet that walked
The long dusty roads and the hill to the cross
How Beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the body of Christ

How Beautiful the heart that bled
That took all my sin and bore it instead
How beautiful the tender eyes
That choose to forgive and never despise
How beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the body of Christ

And as He lay down His life
We offer this sacrifice
That we will live just as He died
Willing to pay the price
Willing to pay the price

How Beautiful the radiant bride
Who waits for her Groom with His light in her eyes
How Beautiful when humble hearts give
The fruit of pure lives so that others may live
How beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the body of Christ

How beautiful the feet that bring
The sound of good news and the love of the King
How Beautiful the hands that serve
The wine and the bread and the sons of the Earth
How Beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the body of Christ

Daring to Be Peculiar: Deborah Drapper

It's been awhile since I did a "Daring to Be Peculiar" profile, and all of my previous ones have been on people who have been dead for at least 60 years. I now have the opportunity to profile someone who is not only still alive, but is younger than myself. Deborah Drapper is a 13 year old homeschooled girl from Dorset, England. Last summer, the BBC spent almost 100 hours with her observing her life as one of 11 children as part of a one hour program (programme?) for the BBC3. While many people I know would find her life to be fairly normal (homeschooled, no television, large family, etc.), most people in England and the US find it pretty strange.

The film begins simply observing Deborah's day to day life on her family's farm, allowing her and her parents to explain their reasons for homeschooling and their other beliefs. It then follows her as she spends a few days with her older brother at his University. It is here that she gets her first glimpse of what life in the "real world" is like. What is so wonderful about this is that very little of it phases her. She uses every opportunity she has to talk to others about Christ and their need for salvation. Even when she is at a house party with many semi-drunk college-age kids, she still finds time to discuss heaven and hell and the need for grace.

Though I'm sure there was some spin put on this by the BBC, I applaud them for not letting it spin out of control. They ask a few questions, but mostly they just sit back and watch Deborah and her family in action. Though I wouldn't say that I agree with everything that the Drapper family believes, I certainly applaud Deborah for her fervor and boldness in witnessing to others. As her older brother, Matthew, says, she really inspires the rest of us to "...turn it up."

Here is the program (6 parts) via Youtube. There are scenes of Deborah witnessing in the "not so nice" parts of town and as well as parties and dance clubs, so viewer discretion is encouraged.

To learn more about Deborah and her family, you can visit her blog at http://deborahdrapper.com/.

HT: The Rebelution