(Blog Disclaimer: All information, links and photos from Hollywood Prayer
Network. Re-posted here for informative/educational purposes only.
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Dear HPN members,
This
is a month to give thanks to God for who He is, for all that He gives,
and all that we are, because of Him. Would you join us in praying for
Hollywood with an attitude of great thanks? God has been doing so many
amazing things in our industry, and we want to be full of thanksgiving!
SUMMARY:
• We want to PRAISE GOD for two recent HPN events!
• Thank God for the current TV shows that are dealing with solid Biblical themes.
• Thank God for the Bible studies and prayer groups happening in Hollywood.
• I want to apologize for HPN's prayer request last month about horror films.
• Pray for the decisions made at American Film Market (AFM).
• Pray for Caren Bream in her last month on staff at HPN.
• Pray for Tina Fey and Amy Poehler who are co-hosting this year's Golden Globe Awards.
• Pray for Steven Spielberg, director of the Daniel Day Lewis film, Lincoln.
• Pray for the people who are in the limelight.
• Pray for the Lord to touch the hearts of the people here who don’t believe in Jesus.
• Pray for the employees of Universal Studios who are being laid off.
• Pray for Bob Iger & Disney for their recent purchase Lucas Films for $4.05 billion.
• Pray for upcoming film releases and TV specials airing during the holiday season.
• Thank God for the Twin Cities HPN Local Chapter’s weekly prayer meetings.
• The Greater LA Agency on Deafness wants our help in donating small toys & cookies.
• HPN wants to help the hurting and displaced artists from Hurricane Sandy.
• Check out our list of upcoming events. There is a lot happening in our community!
THANKS:
• We
want to PRAISE GOD for two recent HPN events! We had an amazing prayer
night last Tuesday for industry professionals, and the Lord showed up
powerfully. He encouraged, healed, strengthened and empowered people in
ways that many hadn't experienced before. Then this past Sunday, we had
an afternoon event to share our vision with some wonderful industry
insiders and outsiders, and we were so grateful for the way the Lord
showed up in that place. God is truly moving in Hollywood, and we are
VERY THANKFUL!
•
We want to thank God for the current TV shows dealing with solid
Biblical themes. Though HPN doesn't recommend these series to everyone,
we do want to thank God that the writers and producers are seeking
deeper issues, and we want to thank God and ask Him to use these shows
to bring people closer to Him. Boardwalk Empire is a powerful morality tale. A recent episode of Parenthood was dealing with solid Truth. Copper has honorable characters, and Blue Bloods
depicts a strong Catholic family who says Sunday dinner prayers in
almost every episode. Recently, all of these TV shows have presented God
in a
positive way and represent honest Christian
values, though they are not all family shows. God is reaching out to the
late night TV audience and we thank Him for that.
•
Let’s thank the Lord for all of the Bible studies and prayer groups
happening in Hollywood. Some of the larger groups meeting are Tinseltown
Ministries, Hope4Hollywood, Artisan and Hollywood Ministries. There are
also many home studies and smaller prayer groups that meet all over the
city every week. It's a miracle to know that Christian industry
professionals are gathering for prayer and Bible study almost every day
of the month, and we want to praise God for that! If you lead a study or
prayer group that you’d like us to know about,
email info@hpnemail.org, and we’ll add you to the growing list. For a list of the active ministries in town, click HERE.
UPDATES:
• I want to
make an apology regarding HPN's prayer request last month about horror
films, and I hope those of you who disagree with me will hear my
heart. I was approached by a few people I respect greatly about their
concern with the wording of that request. And after re-reading it, I
agree that in my desire to express my concern for the un-redemptive
exploitation of evil in some films, I failed to express my support of
Christians reaching the horror film audience through their work in that
genre. I also sounded very negative, instead of pointing out the
positive. My commitment when I started HPN 11 years ago was to NEVER
pray AGAINST anything, but to only pray
FOR people and FOR God to work miracles in and through our culture,
through the media. I’m sorry that request broke that commitment.
All horror films deal with evil. Yet some deal with a Biblical perspective of evil, like the ones made by the people we know. There
are wonderful believers in our industry who work in some of the
toughest genres of the business, and HPN supports, encourages and prays
for every one of them. We believe they are working right where they need
to be and that they are approaching the genre with truth, integrity and
wisdom. Some solid members of our community are working in horror
films, soap operas, edgy films and controversial TV shows, and we thank
God for
them and their call to reach the people who would never work on family
fare, or the audience that would never go to “family
films” or watch “family programming.” I can say with confidence that
every Christian I know who works in what some Christians call
“questionable” areas of the entertainment industry are actually making
an eternal difference. God is using them in powerful ways, in the lives
of their co-workers and through the message of the stories, and they are
fulfilling a God-given purpose. There is only pure darkness when there
is no light present!
Some
Christians harshly judge the horror film genre, yet they don't realize
that the people who go to horror films are often faced with tough life
questions that others don't ever deal with. These films address
questions about how to handle real evil, how to understand the reality
of evil and horror in the world, and what they believe about the
spiritual realm. And the Christian writers are presenting those
questions with truth. So, I want to apologize to my friends and any
other people whom I offended by my misworded request. I did you and your
work a
disservice, and I want you to know that I am thankful for the important
part you play in the Body of Christ.
Please
pray that we, as the Church, can support God’s people who work in
tougher areas, embrace these difficult issues, and seek God when pushed
out of our comfort zone. We will be more effective and loving in the
world if we support all the parts of the Body. Here are two respected
articles I recommend on the spiritual issues of horror films, written by
and about two friends in our community. For an interview with Scott
Derrickson in
Christianity Today, click
HERE. For a theologically rich apologetic of horrow by Brian Godawa, click HERE.
• Pray for the decisions made at the annual American Film Market (AFM) in Santa Monica, CA, Nov. 1-8th. AFM’s 
partner,
The American Institute (AFI) had a large festival of new International
films as well. The AFM is the largest gathering of filmmakers,
distributors, marketers, buyers and sellers in the world. Many films
were bought and sold that week. Would you pray that the deals that
continue to be made are for films with
themes of truth, beauty, hope and joy, and that the Christians involved
will bring integrity and honesty to the ongoing negotiations and
contracts. For more info, click HERE.
REQUESTS:
• We have big news from HPN: This is Caren Bream's last month officially on staff at HPN. After five years of dedicated
service and incredible love, she is moving on to do more producing and
ministry on her own. She has been an invaluable part of HPN, and we want
to thank her for pouring her life into this ministry and ask God to
bless her richly as she launches out on her own, trusting Him for her
next step. Would you pray for her in
this transition and ask the Lord to lead her, guide her and encourage
her every step of the way? She will stay an active part of our community
and our ministry, though now as a leader in her own right. We look
forward to all that the Lord has in store, both for Caren and for HPN.
Lisa and Karen are holding down the HPN fort and anticipating a great
future for all of us! You can tell Caren that you’ll miss her by
emailing: Caren@hpnemail.org.
•
Pray for Tina Fey and Amy Poehler who were just announced as co-hosts
of this year's Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 13th. Tina and Amy are both
talented comedians, and we ask the Lord to lead their writing, their
performing and their life choices as they make the world smile. For more
info, click HERE.
• A great film of the season is
Lincoln, starring Daniel Day Lewis and directed by Steven Spielberg. Steven’s films reflect
his own life journey, and this film in some ways reflect his
relationship with his own father.
Let’s pray for Spielberg, Lewis and other creative professionals to be
able to understand that their own personal spiritual journeys start with
the relationship with their parents. It’s easier
to embrace our heavenly Father if we were able to embrace our earthly fathers. And, we have to heal the relationships with our own fathers before we can expect to fully love God, our Father. For a great interview with Spielberg about his father and Lincoln, click HERE.
• Pray
for the people in the limelight who have a much more difficult lives
than many on the outside realize. Here is a comment from a friend whose
child is a celebrity in the industry: "Hollywood is a lonely place, and
fame and success is a lightening rod. Because I know you are praying, I
don't feel so alone in our struggles." Would you lift up the high
profile people who appear to have the “perfect life” but are really
struggling in ways that are much deeper than we imagine? Also, we want
to keep praying for Justin Bieber and
his mom, Pattie, for they need the Lord to guide them, give them wisdom,
and carry them through difficult decisions.
• Pray for the Lord to touch the hearts of the people here who don’t believe in Jesus or are angry with God, and stir them 
so
they cannot rest until they find the unconditional love of Jesus, their
Messiah. There are so many hardened hearts here because of
disappointment, divorce or despair, and only the Lord
can soften them so that they are able to be open to Him.
• Pray
for the employees in the Feature Film Division of Universal Studios who
are being laid off. Since Universal purchased Comcast, they are now
switching their focus to producing more TV shows than feature films.
Hence they already had one big lay-off and they are planning another one
in January, 2013. Many studio employees, including friends from our
community, have or will lose their jobs at a difficult time of year in
our country. May the Lord give them hope, strength and guidance when
trying to decide what to do next.
• As
Universal cuts back their Film Division, Disney expands theirs by
purchasing all of Lucas Films and their Intellectual Property and
Rights. Let’s keep pray for Bob Iger and the decision-makers, after
spending $4.05 billion, to maintain wisdom and
integrity in their decisions with making the next three Star Wars
films, with marketing, merchandising, etc. May the Lord lead and guide
their steps. For more info, click HERE.
• Please
pray for upcoming film releases and TV specials in the holiday season
as we get more opportunities to talk about Jesus through what’s offered
in our culture’s entertainment. Keep your eyes out for TV Specials,
features and films released on DVD that talk about Christmas. Some new
family films include:
May we take every opportunity to have discussions with friends and family about the true meaning of Christmas.
HPN LOCAL CHAPTERS:
•
The Twin Cities HPN Local Chapter is meeting weekly for prayer, and
they are flourishing. That's great news and we thank the Lord for
Heidi's leadership and the eternal difference they are all making
through their faithful prayers for our industry, their monthly media
missionaries and their Target Redemption Prayers each week. Click HERE for the latest TRP.
OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE:
• The
Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness (GLAD) is requesting our help
in donating small toys and cookies that fit into goodie bags to be
given to 200 deaf children in low income families this Christmas at
GLAD's 29th Annual Holiday Party on Dec. 15th. They also need
volunteers to help stuff bags. If you would like to participate,
please email Rafif Gerrard at rgerrard@gladinc.org or call him at (323) 892-2312.
• Please
pray for the people on the East Coast who have experienced loss or
been displaced by Hurricane Sandy. Many New York artists have been
hurt, artists and musicians have lost supplies, instruments and other
means of income, and many people have lost their homes or their jobs
because of the devastation. Let's pray for the Lord to supply for
these hurting artists. We thank the International Arts Movement (IAM)
who immediately jumped in to help the creative community. HPN has
partnered with IAM in NYC in order to more directly help our East Coast
friends and colleagues. IAM is working with
individuals and local churches and facilitating ways to reach the
marginalized, including non-Christians and non-church going
believers who may be affected by the storm. Would you not only pray
for them as they reach out, but also consider donating funds toward
the cause? You can make a direct difference by giving to IAM as they
reach the personal and spiritual needs of the hurting NYC creative
community. To find out how, click HERE.
IAM encourages artists of any discipline to express your feelings of
these devastations through creating a song, a painting, a video, a
sculpture, etc. IAM will post your work on their site for viewing and
discussion about the struggles artists experience. They encourage you
to do that. For more info about IAM ang the work they do, click
HERE.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
• Christians
are gathering at Dodgers Stadium this Sunday, Nov. 18th with the
event GO2BAT4LIFE! More than 25k people will come together for a
prayer walk around the stadium to listen to the music of Lincoln
Brewster, Christafari, and speakers young and old talk about their
experience with pregnancy. Please pray for this event,
that God will move everyone's hearts to value every life, especially at
the center of Hollywood! For more information, click HERE.
• The
HPN Miami Local Chapter is helping with the March 2013 International
Christian Film Festival. This festival is a great opportunity to
recognize and market Christian films. It covers different categories
of productions, and they would like to invite Christian filmmakers
from all over the world to participate. To find out more info, click HERE.
• For other upcoming events, click HERE.
Have
a very thankful Thanksgiving! And may this month bring you God's full
riches in your heart and spirit, and may you see the miracles and
breakthroughs that we're starting to see more in Hollywood. 
With deep thanks,
Karen, Caren and Lisa
---------------------------------
TIP OF THE MONTH:
What’s the key to loving people to Jesus? HOSPITALITY.
QUOTE OF THE MONTH:
“I
fear the day when the technology overlaps with our humanity. The
world will only have a generation of idiots.” Albert Einstein
VERSE OF THE MONTH:
“For
although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave
thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish
hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise,
they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for
images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals
and reptiles." Romans 1:21-23
Remember
to sign up at Ralphs/Kroger to automatically donate a % of your
grocery bill to HPN, and it's free for you! We actually get quarterly
checks from Ralphs because of those of you who have signed up. To help
our ministry, just click HERE.
And if
you've been considering donating to HPN, please know that we would be
honored to have you join our giving team. We take all of our donations
very seriously, and we are open to our donors with our financial
information. For an end-of-the-year gift, either mail us a check or
give online HERE.
(Blog Disclaimer: All information and links from Hollywood Prayer
Network. Re-posted here for informative/educational purposes only.)
