July 2009 Newsletter

Dear HPN members, 

I hope you're having a wonderful summer.  It is SOOOOO hot in LA now.  So, it's a perfect time to go inside in the air conditioning and pray for Hollywood!  There is extra time to pray with all of the reruns on TV, even though the summer blockbusters keep coming out, the matinees start after lunch on most days.  So, here's what you can be praying about every morning this month:

• HPN has been asked again, by a staff member of The Globe, to write a prayer for their paper
• A friend in our community has been wounded by a gunshot while walking down the street
• America has lost quite a few of its celebrities this month. Pray for their families
• Before Farrah Fawcett passed away this month, she made this comment about God...
• The sudden, unexpected death of Michael Jackson makes us understand the need to pray
• Pray for the newly appointed Paramount Film Group president Adam Goodman
• Please pray with us for the people attending and the decisions being made at Comic-Con
• A fake Christian protest march was staged outside the Los Angeles Convention Center
• We encourage you to support some of the wonderful and uplifting films of the summer
• HPN Member Fran, asks us to pray with her for Courtney Love and her current problems
• Pray with us for more women and especially MALE INTERCESSORS to join our HPN
• Please keep the 168 in your prayers for the ability to keep their staff onboard
• Pray with Hollywood Christians every Thursday night as we gather for prayer and worship
• For other upcoming events in our industry, check out: http://www.hollywoodconnect.com/current-events

• HPN has been asked again, by a staff member of The Globe, to write a prayer for their next issue. This time it's for Annette Funicello, who has been struggling for years with Multiple Sclerosis. We're excited that a tabloid is printing a Christian prayer without changing a word. Though we don't all read The Globe, we're thankful that someone there acknowledges the power of prayer and is getting their readers to pray for Annette. The first time we prayed, in print, for Patrick Swayze, they received hundreds of responses from readers saying that they were praying as well. Praise God for His creativity.

• We have asked many of you to pray for a friend from the ACT ONE community who was walking down the street in West LA and got a gunshot wound from a nearby store robbery. She is in stable condition, but has a long road to recovery and has no medical insurance or savings. Could we please pray for the Lord to do a miracle in her life, use this tragedy for His glory and her good and that our Hollywood Christian community will gather around her, helping her to meet her physical and financial needs.

• America has lost quite a few of its celebrities this month. Let's pray for the peace, strength, joy and salvation of the family members, friends and fans of Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Johnny Palermo, David Carradine, Steve McNair, Karl Malden, and Ed McMahon.

• Before Farrah Fawcett passed away this month, she made this comment about her cancer, "I know that everyone will die eventually, but I do not want to die of this disease. I want to stay alive... So I say to God, because it is, after all, in his hands. It is seriously time for a miracle."  God didn't answer Farrah's desires the way she wanted, but since His ways are perfect, let's pray that Ryan and her family will continue to seek Him.

• The sudden, unexpected death of Michael Jackson, and the ensuing rumors and then the clarification of his hoped "conversion" experience, have caused quite a bit of stir in the Christian community. And simultaneously, his millions of fans were left feeling they lost a lifelong friend. This dramatic event, along with his recent controversies combined with warm memories from the height of his career should cause us to ponder the power of celebrity in our society. May we seek Jesus with as much emotion, passion and commitment as the world has sought out a connection with Michael Jackson, through walking past his Hollywood star, attending his memorial service, visiting his home and watching his music videos on YouTube. God wants us to put Him as our first love. It has to start with us!

• Newly appointed Paramount Film Group president Adam Goodman has made his first major acquisition with a deal for action-comedy pitch, "License to Steal." Goodman reportedly paid seven figures for the script to be written by Shane Salerno.  Let's pray for these gentlemen and the decisions being made on material to be written for upcoming films that are distributed around the world.  It's the world's most influential business, with high-risk and high stakes.  May more and more decision-makers and creators have a foundation in Christ.

• Please pray with us for the people attending and the decisions being made at Comic-Con, as it gears up for it's 40^th annual convention, July 23 - 26 in San Diego. This year's gathering of over 100,000 attendees is already sold out. It's an amazing frenzy of comic book fans, with panel discussions, screenings, comic book sales, and seminars. It's a not-to-be-missed event for the industry, as studios and networks plan to promote more TV shows than ever before at this month's conference.

• On June 2nd, a protest march was staged outside the Los Angeles Convention Center. It was Christians protesting the release of the new video game by Electronic Arts called Dante's Inferno game, according to the Associated Press. The only problem? It was all staged. Because Christian protests in the past have generated publicity, EA decided to hire a marketing company to create the whole thing. They even created this fake Christian protest website called "We Are Saved," as World Magazine reported. Let's pray that Christians will understand the negative effects of boycotting and not hate non-believers for mocking us, but listen to what they're saying and try to learn from their mocks and jabs. It's most often because they've been hurt by a Christian in some way. May we love them unconditionally so that they have nothing to mock.

• We encourage you to support some of the wonderful and uplifting films of the summer, from the Pixar animated "UP to the MPower true story, "The Stoning of Soraya M," (http://www.thestoning.com/) we are encouraged at the choice of quality films available to the public this summer.

REQUESTS FROM HPN MEMBERS:

• "I've had a 15 years+ prayer burden for rock singer Courtney Love. God put her on my heart in 1994, when her husband Kurt Cobain committed suicide, leaving Courtney and their then 19 month old, daughter, Frances Bean Cobain. I'm sincerely asking you to pray particularly fervently for her during the next few weeks - specifically that the health-sapping stress she's under from substantial, ongoing financial and legal woes may bring her to her knees and into a personal relationship with Jesus.  Please pray that God would make Himself very real to her - and to her daughter Frances, now 16 years old."  For more info click on:  http://www.spinner.com/2009/07/02/courtney-love-blames-malnourishhment-on-financial-stress/?icid=main|htmlws-main|dl2|link5|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.spinner.com

• "Please pray with us for more women and especially MALE INTERCESSORS to join our HPN "I to I" Prayer Partnerships. We have almost 1,100 prayer partnerships but we have male industry professionals waiting for an intercessor to pray for them. Would you join us? Or pass this need on to friends who may be interested." Contact me at: Gloria@hpnemail.org. For more info click on: http://www.hollywoodprayernetwork.org/new/I-to-I

• "Please keep the 168 in your prayers for the ability to keep our staff onboard throughout the summer, giving us the opportunity to follow through with amazing projects and plans. Thank you all and God bless you." John Ware at www.168project.com

• Every Thurs. night at 7pm industry professionals gather for prayer. Will you join us in praying, even if from your home, as we lift up our industry and one another in prayer, and praise the Lord in worship. For more details on all of the Hollywood Ministries, and to pray more specifically for them, their leaders, the current wave of financial struggles and for their eternal significance in Hollywood, click on: http://www.hollywoodprayernetwork.org/hollywood_entertainment_ministries

• On Saturday, July 25^th, Hollywood Connect and The Greenhouse are offering a special seminar on BRANDING with expert Phil Cooke. This powerful gathering of industry professionals will give insight into branding our career, our faith and our lives, in today's culture. For more information click on: http://www.hollywoodconnect.com/current-events

• For a list of the upcoming events in our industry, especially in the Christian community, check out Hollywood Connect on-line at: http://www.hollywoodconnect.com/current-events

"I'm spiritual. I live off the faith that has been instilled in me, that has never left. I've never let a stumbling block actually make me fall... We all go through trials, but not one thing has ever made me question God. I have a great relationship with God. I can talk to him, get mad at him, frustrated with him. But, ultimately, my faith is what defines me."  Jessica Simpson

He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."  Matthew 17:19-21

How To Hold On To Your Job In A Down Market by Michael Levine

1.)   Take on extra work: Tell your boss you would like to do more.

2.)   Make face time: Despite recent technological advancements, showing up at the office still counts.

3.)   Be a self-starter: If something needs to get done, nominate yourself, even if it's not the most enjoyable task.

4.)   Don't skip out on after-work events: Show that you are invested in your career.

5.)   Cut Costs: If you can fly business class, opt for coach. Put a limit on expensive business launches.