radio spot: hollywood

radio spot idea, with marina and the diamonds 'hollywood' music bed

'Oh oh, I’m obsessed with the mess that’s America
I’m obsessed with the mess that’s America...'

What are you obsessed with? Speaking personally I’d say face book, football, and um, this song at the moment. And while we're about it, where are you looking for happiness? Job? Kids? Second life? Tescos?

'Oh my god, you look just like Shakira
No no, you’re Catherine Zeta
Actually, my name’s Marina...'

And do YOU ever feel people don’t know who you really are, or are just not interested? What if someone did know? Everything about you - and still loved you? Now who was it I was hearing me about who sounded just like that? Oh yeah, Jesus! AND he said he was the way to true and lasting happiness. Crikey. Scuse me while I sit down and let it all sink in.

'Hollywood infected your brain
You wanna kissing in the rain
Oh oh, I’m living in a movie scene
Puking American dreams...' to fade

a happiness of atheists

That's the collective term coined on yesterday's ‘the big questions’ on bbc1, which featured the poser, ‘should religion be more fun?’ Alongside a friendly track suited vicar who meets up with a group of blokes for a pint, go-karting or paintballing, and a loquacious muslim cleric, there was a row of hand-picked atheists who countered the idea that faith should be more partnered with joy. They pointed to examples of child abuse, mistreatment of women etc. Fair enough, but it doesn’t take a phD in dialectics to note that they’re attacking a distortion of religious values and practice, not core truths, of Christianity at least. The 14 feb episode of ‘the bible: a history’ on c4, about women in the bible, was another interesting counterpoint. It highlighted the portayal of strong women in the bible of different kinds of strength, from the guerilla warrior leader Deborah to the quieter, inner fortitude of Mary. Gerry adams’ piece last night is a whole other discussion…

radio spot: empire state of mind

idea for a radio spot, with alicia keys' empire state of mind as music bed:

I love this song. Who wouldn’t want to go to a place where you can feel so inspired? Ok, occasionally I feel like that in the morning, but it takes a strong coffee, and a couple of rounds of ready brek. Sounds amazing doesn’t it? A little taste of heaven on earth. But do I really have to fly across the atlantic to fulfil my wildest dreams? Can‘t I just stay here in Bagshot? You know, I’m sure I’ve heard words like this somewhere before. It’s that apostle bloke Paul in, wait for it, the Bible. Takes a bit of getting your head round, but he says that in Jesus you can be a new creation, and do all things. Blimey, no-one told me that in Sunday school. So I think I might hold off on those tickets to the big apple. Till Christmas at any rate…
www.bigfoto.com/sites/galery/newyork2/newyork22.jpg

ground of confidence?

Be bold, be strong, for the Lord your God is with you. A psychological crutch? A delusion? ‘The power of positive thinking‘. But the irony is, it can only work if you really do believe God is there, if you have confidence in this, and in his promises. If you just think ‘think positive’, your spirit as a reflective being cries out to know why you should be positive. You long for something, someone to anchor your confidence too. The moment you seriously doubt the reality of that solid ground, confidence evaporates. And I believe reality, especially for instance beauty in nature, points us towards the ultimate Ground of confidence.
Will I act as if I truly believe that a being of supreme wisdom and power undergirds me?
I read from mark about the soldiers’ treatment of Jesus. The irony of human power turning against one who was the locus of God’s power. God hidden, in disguise, treated like scum.