Summertime – and the living is easy (VIDEO)

summertime…
and the living is easy
fish are jumping and the cotton is high
your daddy´s rich and your ma´ is good looking
so hush little baby, don´t you cry

one of these mornings
you gonna rise up singing, then you spread your little wings
and then take to the sky…take to the sky
but till that morning, there´s nothing that can harm you
with daddy and mommy, standin´ by

Shine Jesus shine (MUSIC / VIDEO)

Lord the light of your Love is shining,
in the midst of the darkness shining,
Jesus light of the world shine upon us,
set us free by the truth you now bring us,
shine on me, shine on me.

.

Michael Jackson emergency call released

A tape of the emergency call made from Michael Jackson’s home on Thursday was released today on the TMZ website which broke the story of the superstar singer’s death.

In it, an unnamed male caller is heard asking the operator for an ambulance to come to the house saying Jackson was not breathing or responding to emergency treatment. > more.

Also read / watch:
> Fans pay tribute to Michael Jackson (VIDEOS)
> Michael Jackson at 50 (FOTOS)

foto: wikipedia commons

Iran: Careful What You Wish For

A few readers raised the very reasonable complaint that none of us has blogged about the events in Iran. You’re right. A few feeble excuses: Andrew was in Saudi, Scott back in the U.S. and I was traveling through Lebanon and Syria.  This may come as something of a shock to a few of the commentators, who actually think that I just rip stories out of the Israeli newspapers and re-cycle them as my own, but I actually find it hard, not to mention pointless, to write about things and places of which I have no immediate, first-hand knowledge. Iran is one of them. > read more.

Foto:newsphoto amsterdam,flickr.com

A “Spirit-ual” Puzzle

I’ve been reading N.T. Wright’s book, Surprised by Hope. It’s a fascinating read, about heaven, resurrection and the mission of the church. The premise is that we can’t understand the mission or purpose of the church – that’s you and me – without understanding heaven and resurrection. And of course, heaven and resurrection can’t be addressed without considering the book of Revelation, one of the most fascinating of biblical books. Some years back, I read Eugene Peterson’s Reversed Thunder, the best book I have read on Revelation. > more.

foto: onkel wart (very busi),flickr.com

Iran protests: live (!)

As the Iranian authorities continue their crackdown on opposition rallies, foreign journalists, and the internet, what next for the protest movement? Follow live updates on the aftermath of Iran’s disputed presidential election. > more.

Also read:
> US kept Twitter online for Iranians
foto: steve rhodes,flickr.com

New theolounge.org search engine

You are searching the web ? Something religious ? Try one of our both quality – search – engines, based on Google: in Englisch and German.

> English
(relilounge.com)

> German
(relilounge.de)

Are Arab Leaders Really So Unhappy to See Ahmadinejad Re-elected?

So far most Arab leaders have reacted to the Iranian electoral crisis in typical Middle Eastern fashion: they haven’t. Amir Moussa, the head of the Arab League, took one for the team and made this non-statement statement: “We hope that the next term will witness progress on the relations between Iran and the Arab world and co-operation in establishing peace in the Middle East.” Other than such empty formalities, there has been an awkward silence from most Arab capitals. > more.

Foto: reza vaziri,flickr.com

Decoding God’s Changing Moods

The ancient Israelites got straightforward guidance from Scripture on how to handle people who didn’t worship Israel’s god, Yahweh. “You shall annihilate them — the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites — just as the Lord your God has commanded. > more.

foto: abocon,flickr.com

Who is a Christian? A simple question, with many answers

“Any phenomenon as complex and as vital as Christianity is easier to describe historically than to define logically.” From Encarta’s definition of “Christianity.” > more.

foto: striatic,flickr.com

.

.

.

HOME – A hymn for the planet ( FILM )

HOME is an ode to the planet’s beauty and its delicate harmony. Through the landscapes of 54 countries captured from above, Yann Arthus-Bertrand takes us on an unique journey all around the planet, to contemplate it and to understand it. But HOME is more than a documentary with a message, it is a magnificent movie in its own right. Every breathtaking shot shows the Earth – our Earth – as we have never seen it before. Every image shows the Earth’s treasures we are destroying and all the wonders we can still preserve. > watch film /  read more.

foto: stuck in customs,flickr.com

Dallas Willard argues that we really can know God

Imagine that after a routine checkup, your doctor says, “My hunch is that you have cancer and must undergo extensive surgery.” Would you feel confident going under the knife based on a hunch? Would your confidence grow if the doctor said he had a “strong feeling” or “believed” you had cancer? Obviously not. When the bodily stakes are high, we want to be guided by knowledge—not belief, opinion, or conjecture. Only knowledge gives the doctor’s counsel authority.

Why, then, in matters of the soul are we content to be guided by a faith consisting of deep feelings or inner experiences? > more.         foto: acbo,flickr.com

Obama in Cairo: The Making of a Prophet ?

President Obama’s speech in Cairo a few days ago is the most important address ever given by an American leader about the Middle East. As he told 1,000 people at Cairo University and millions more around the world, everything won’t be solved by a speech. Yet it was an unprecedented reach-out to Muslims and particularly to the Arab world. > more.

Bild: radiospike-photography,flickr.com