We are excited to start the year praying for the world’s most influential marketplace, and we are so thankful that you’re praying with us! We are calling 2013 the YEAR OF THE HOLY SPIRIT because we are expecting Him to do incredible miracles in our hearts and lives and in the hearts and lives of industry professionals! We know that great things are coming this year, so let’s PRAY…
SUMMARY:
• Pray for filmmakers and actors during this awards nomination season
• Thank God for HPN being represented at the ATMC event in Florida
• Let’s keep praying for The American Bible Challenge game show
• We praise God for His provision for HPN at the end of 2012
• Pray for Christians outside Hollywood to embrace people inside Hollywood
• Pray for Stephen Colbert, who has gone through great loss in his life
• Pray for the Sundance Film Festival, from January 17 – 27, 2013 in Park City
• Pray for Dick Wolf, Producer of Miami Vice, Law & Order and The Church
• Hollywood is noticing the growing number of believers who go to church
• Please pray for the family and friends of Frank Pastore, who died last month
• Let's pray for Charlie Humbard, the President and CEO of GMC
• Let’s pray for our industry pros to be hungry for God and to seek Him
• Pray with and for the HPN Twin Cities Local Chapter Director, Heidi
• Pray for HPN member, Rene, in Sacramento, who’s going through a tough time
• The National Prayer Committee is gathering this year in Hollywood
• Industry pros: join us for an Experiencing God seminar by Claude King
• HPN member, Jozanne Marie, is opening her one woman show, Beautiful
• The Next Film series offers classes for filmmakers of all disciplines
UPDATES:
• Continue to pray for filmmakers and actors as their films and jobs are being nominated by the press, the guilds and the Academy of Motion Pictures, for the many upcoming awards shows honoring the films of 2012. This is the most confusing time of year, as people feel completely crushed or unnaturally elated, based on how their film or work was seen by their peers. For the list of recently announced Oscar nominations, click
(http://www.hollywoodprayernetwork.org/crm/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=389265&qid=948927).
• Last week, our HPN Atlanta Local Chapter Director, Cassandra Hollis, represented HPN at a large annual SHINE event that was sponsored by ATMC (Actors, Models & Talent for Christ) in Florida. It was a great success, and Cassandra tells us, “I had a real sense of being a missionary in the field of entertainment. It was a great time of fellowship, and my presentation went well. I was at peace and had an intimate dialogue about the need for more Christians to pray for industry professionals.” We thank God for these opportunities, for AMTC and for Cassandra. If you would like to be a prayer partner/intercessor this year with an entertainment industry professional, email Lisa at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
• Let’s keep praying for The American Bible Challenge (Thursdays at 8:00pm ET/PT) as it goes into its second season on GSN (Game Show Network). In its first season, the show brought in the network’s highest numbers in its 17-year history with 1.7 million total viewers for its series premiere and over 13 million total viewers during its run. The success of the show has hit digital and social platforms with the launch of The American Bible Challenge Game for iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle and Facebook, with an amazing 8 million+ game plays and 500,000+ users. It’s a phenomenon that a Bible game show would be such the hit! And not only does the show ask historically and Biblically compelling questions, but the contestants all share their back stories, which include many stories of faith, and they all give ALL of their winnings to the charity of their choice! For more information, click
(http://www.hollywoodprayernetwork.org/crm/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=389266&qid=948927).
PRAISES: We praise God for His provision. He was so faithful to provide all of HPN’s end-of-the-year financial needs, and we thank all of you who donated as well. We can’t thank you enough for your vision for the media and for your support of HPN. We couldn’t do it without you! Whether you are a long time giver or you just joined our giving team for the first time, we PRAISE GOD FOR YOU!
REQUESTS:
• Let’s start the year with the prayer that more Christians outside of Hollywood will have a heart for the people here in Hollywood! If the hearts of the Christians outside of Hollywood melt, then they will pray more and have more compassion for the people on the inside, and we will see miracles happen to industry professionals! Softened hearts will also break the barrier that has kept the Church and Hollywood divided for so many decades. May the Church have love and compassion for the Nation’s culture-creators so their lives will change, then their content will change, and then our culture will change! This is a yearlong prayer request!
• Pray for Stephen Colbert, who has gone through a tremendous amount of loss in his life and yet has chosen to have a great attitude. A quote he has on his computer reads, "Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God." As you're praying for Stephen, read his full story HERE.
• Pray for the Sundance Film Festival, from January 17 – 27, 2013 in Park City, Utah. It is one of the year’s biggest film festivals where filmmakers, distributors and marketers all gather to see what’s available to pick up for the new year. Please pray for the filmmakers to find the Lord there, for the distributors to be moved by God when choosing what films to buy and for the audiences to be discerning in their choice of films to embrace. And may the Christians there have a beautiful, eternal impact on everyone they encounter. For more information about Sundance, click (http://www.hollywoodprayernetwork.org/crm/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=389268&qid=948927).
• Pray for Producer Dick Wolf (Miami Vice and Law & Order) and his new show coming out, currently titled The Church. Dick has been controversial in how he represents Christians on his shows, so we want to ask the Lord to melt his heart and reveal to Dick His unconditional love and not the stereotypes that come from people who have been hurt in the past by someone in the Church or in the name of God. HERE’s an editorial with insight on how to pray for Dick Wolf and his upcoming show.
• Hollywood is noticing the growing number of bold believers who are church-going industry professionals. Pray for the strength and depth of faith for the community of Hollywood Christians. May we all find one another and build unity, support, prayer and love. Read a fun list of "Hollywood Churches"
(http://www.hollywoodprayernetwork.org/crm/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=389270&qid=948927).
• Please pray for the family and friends of Frank Pastore, who died last month in a tragic accident in Los Angeles. Frank was the host of the Frank Pastore Show on KKLA and a passionate supporter of our Christian community in Hollywood. Frank’s wife, Gina, especially needs our prayers during this time of loss. For more on Frank, click (http://www.hollywoodprayernetwork.org/crm/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=389271&qid=948927).
• Last month, we prayed for I Forgive You, a new show on GMC. This month, let's pray for Charlie Humbard, the President and CEO of GMC. Charlie has been with GMC for years, and as a Christian, he wants to expand the channel to meet the entertainment needs of all families across the country with films, TV shows and other quality entertainment. May we ask the Lord to give him wisdom, discernment and favor as he builds this cable network. For more about GMC, click (http://www.hollywoodprayernetwork.org/crm/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=389272&qid=948927).
• Let’s pray for our industry pros to be hungry for God and to take time to hear His voice and sense His direction. We're all too busy here, either working or trying to find work, and we need to take time to sit quietly in God's presence. The hardest thing for us, as artists, is to seek God in solitude! Henri Nouwen says it best:
“It is a great advantage to have a room or a corner of a room…reserved for the discipline of solitude…There we dwell in the presence of the Lord. Our temptation is to do something useful - to read something stimulating, to think about something interesting, or to experience something unusual. But our moment of solitude is precisely a moment in which we want to be in the presence of our Lord with empty hands, naked, vulnerable, useless, without much to show, prove, or defend . . . Although the discipline of solitude asks us to set aside time and space, what finally matters is that our hearts become like quiet cells where God can dwell, wherever we go and whatever we do. The more we train ourselves to spend time with God and him alone, the more we will discover that God is with us at all times and in all places. Then we will be able to recognize him even in the midst of a busy and active life. Once the solitude of time and space has become a solitude of the heart, we will never have to leave that solitude. We will be able to live the spiritual life in any place and any time. Thus the discipline of solitude enables us to live active lives in the world, while remaining always in the presence of the living God.” Henri Nouwen
Thank you for starting out your new year with PRAYER! We are praying that the Lord encourages you and gives you the desires of your hearts this year!
The Resurrection is a major motion picture that will tell the story of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the events of the forty days that lead up to his ascension into heaven.
News stories about The Resurrection Project:
• http://www.christianpost.com/news/the-resurrection-hollywood-producer-aims-for-gods-sequel-to-the-passion-72127/
• http://mobile.wnd.com/2012/11/passion-of-the-christ-sequel-looking-for-you/
More information about the project: http://myresurrectionproject.com/deals/the-resurrection-project/
Executive Producer – David Wood
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Let’s pray that the Lord would be glorified in this effort to portray His resurrection. Pray for unity, wisdom and provision for the planning team and for David Wood who is coordinating this effort.
Thanks to those of you who were able to pray with us for our recent Middle East trip. Colleagues and I met with senior church leaders in four countries of that region about developing a regional strategic prayer focus that will connect people of prayer across the region and Christian traditions. The Lord surely answered and we had great favor with open doors and hearts in every place. Along with the evangelical leaders in each country, we met with the office of the Ecumenical Patriarch in Istanbul and the Coptic Orthodox Pope, a major bishop and several priests in Egypt. In Jordan, the Director of the Middle East Council of Churches and others strongly urged us to move ahead with the prayer initiative. In Lebanon, the Armenian Orthodox Catholics, the Catholic Cardinal and Archbishops from Catholic and Syrian Orthodox churches all were positive and encouraging, saying that they would support this prayer effort. Two radio interviews and a TV appearance enabled us to get the word out more widely to many thousands of others.
The overwhelming consensus was that the both the church and prayer leaders we consulted are not only extremely grateful to have the international prayer movement focus special prayer on their region, they would also like to come together themselves for a Middle East prayer assembly, probably later this year. Please pray for this possibility. Here are some other key prayer concerns that we ask you to take on with us:
We will focus on different countries and prayer concerns for this region throughout the year, but to kick things off this month here are some key general concerns we hope you will focus your prayers on:
1. That Christian leaders will value prayer and the unity of His Body and be able to come together for a Middle East prayer assembly.
2. For many more Muslims to continue to encounter Jesus in their visions and dreams and for Christ’s people to boldly and lovingly share Him with them.
3. Peace in the conflicts that are raging in various nations of the region, especially in Syria where tens of thousands have lost their lives and 4 million of the 20 million population have become refugees within their country, in Lebanon, Jordan and other places. They need the international community to care and provide badly needed supplies since they are suffering acutely during the winter cold. Pray for them and these humanitarian efforts to be abundant and effective.
4. That Christians will not choose to emigrate as many have done, but will stay to serve and be His witnesses.
5. That the younger generation will arise and carry out the mission the Lord has for them.
6. For the peoples of the region to accept one another as brothers and for forgiveness and justice to prevail, especially in the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict which has caused violence by fundamentalists and radicals to surge.
Thanks for your prayers for a change of atmosphere in what is probably the most challenging of all regions on earth.
We know that the unity of all followers of Christ, be they Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant, is on the heart of the Lord. It was the last prayer He prayed for His disciples and for us who have come to faith centuries later. The Apostle Paul also strongly urged that we maintain the unity of the Spirit and not allow divisions to destroy it. Unfortunately, Christians in general have allowed themselves to be split into tens of thousands of denominations (over 30,000 when I last checked). Evangelicals are some of the worst offenders, often attributing their divisions to doctrinal or biblical reasons when it is usually about personalities and control. We have so many little “popes that have a quest for religious power!
God is greatly blessing such united prayer efforts as we experienced at the World Prayer Assembly, where Christian leaders and intercessors from 86 countries and all three Christian traditions prayed together. Now in Indonesia, where this unity continues to grow, the Muslims are scared that they will lose the nation and its young people to Jesus Christ. They claim that 2 million of these youth are leaving Islam for Jesus every year. (See the YouTube video “Save Maryam” made by concerned Muslims). There may be some other factors at work, but I would especially attribute this to the atmospheric change in the nation caused by Christians across the denominations uniting in prayer. Jesus in His prayer of John 17 said this would be the result—the world believing if we are one.
I have just been in the Middle East meeting with senior Evangelical, Catholic and Orthodox leaders about a possible Middle East prayer assembly. All of them were warm, welcoming and gracious men and women of God with whom we prayed and felt a kinship of spirit. In Egypt, the prayer movement leaders come from all three traditions and they pray together every Monday, affirming what they have in common- faith in Jesus Christ amidst a sea of threatening Islamism.
In Egypt, I also met with the new Coptic Pope, a humble, gracious man who is known for his commitment to three things—Jesus, the Bible and prayer. His predecessor, Pope Shenouda, with whom I also met some years ago, knew the whole New Testament by heart. The Coptic Orthodox date from the time the Apostle Mark brought the Gospel to them in the first century and have stood the test of 20 centuries as well as hundreds of years of oppression and persecution at the hands of Muslims. An impressive renewal movement is also happening there at this time led by black-robed priests who evangelize, cast out demons, and heal the sick. They are very impressive servants of Christ!
Through decades of conferring with church leaders of every strand, I have discovered that when we sit down together, and especially when we pray together, walls and stereotypes tend to fall down, and we begin to perceive one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, which is our eternal identity. After all, we are all on a journey both in and towards His Kingdom; we are at different points like different tributaries entering a large river, yes, and all of us now “see in a glass darkly” before we see Him face to face. Therefore, given our flawed understandings and incomplete experience, it does not help Christ’s cause to build or maintain walls of historic division when the Spirit of God wants to dismantle them and do something new in our day!
A plea and prayer request—can we as people of prayer increasingly try to look past denominational labels and differences (they will all be forgotten anyway when we stand before the Lord at the end) and perceive His cosmic purpose in uniting all those who call on His name through the prayer movement? Can’t we reach out to those who come from different understandings and experience of the faith and at least agree to pray together for those things we are all concerned about? Who knows what mighty works of the Spirit would result that would change the atmosphere of nations, regions and our whole world!
May the Lord help us to do what is pleasing in His sight and what makes for both the upbuilding of His Body and the transformation of our world through the united prayer movement.
The Taliban and their allies on both sides are still on the offensive and continue to spread death and violence. The reports are talking about continued strong Taliban activities and an increase of violence…these powerful spiritual forces will not just easily give up. In Afghanistan and Pakistan, much more is at stake, and it will take a strong commitment of many intercessors. Please continue to partner is prayer for this special project and share these requests with others.
1. Please pray that more intercessors from around the world will join us to seriously intercede for Afghanistan and Pakistan at this crucial stage.
2. We still see many terrifying attacks of Taliban against their governments, the Army/police, and many innocent people. Continue to pray that this movement and their allies would be completely thrown into confusion and be crushed. We continue to proclaim the end of this satanic movement.
3. That their leaders would either surrender, give up and stop fighting or that they would be taken out before they spread even more violence and bloodshed. Especially let this happen for their key people like Mullah Omar, Gulbadin Hekmatyar, the Haqqanis and other high-ranking leaders. Pray that the demonic protection these leaders have would be removed and that would be caught soon. That the demonic unity between the Taliban and their allies be broken and that they would turn again each other.
4. That the fear of God to fall on them and as many as possible of their key leaders would be converted to Christ.
5. Pashtun tribal leaders throughout the areas where the Taliban operate would be so fed-up with the Taliban and their allies that they would not allow them to use their territory any more and start opposing them. It happened already in some areas and it should spread out throughout the Pashtun areas.
6. Pray for President Karzai who seems to make compromises with the Taliban and tries to appease them. He is losing the trust of other important ethnic groups, which can lead again to dangerous frictions. During the meeting in Washington the President Karzai demanded from the US government to pull out their troops from villages (where usually the Taliban are) and stop the night raids (where most of the Taliban leaders were caught). This will weaken the NATO Troops in their fight against the Taliban. Also the US gov had to hand over all the Taliban prisoners to the Afghan government. A number of times he released key Taliban leaders. The US gov had to give in to all these demands. Pray that the Afghan president would stop these actions that will brings increasingly distrust from his own people and the western governments that support Afghanistan.
7. Elections are to be held in Pakistan in the Spring. A party very sympathetic to the Taliban and one that promises to bring in Sharia law is popular and predicted to win. Pray for a moderate party to win and one that will rule with justice. PRAY for the right leader to be elected. PRAY that a fanatical, religious government will not take over.
8. Pray for the small population of Christians not to be afraid but to be emboldened by the Holy Spirit to stand up in faith and to strongly pray for their own countries. Especially in Pakistan is a larger percentage of Christians that should be mobilized to pray for their own country. PRAY for the Holy Spirit to stir Christians to pray like never before. PRAY for teams to be able to get visas to Pakistan to join with Christians there. PRAY for protection for Christians (foreign and national).
9. Pray the people in Pakistan will boldly speak out against the Taliban and that the military will also be bold in fighting against the enemy.
10. Pray for confusion in the Taliban’s attempt to establish a headquarters in Qatar or any other place.
Provided by “David” and “Michael”, two veteran ministry leaders who have devoted their lives and ministries to these nations. May the Lord bless, encourage and protect them and their families!
http://transformworld2020.com.s96484.gridserver.com/schedule/; http://transformworld2020.com.s96484.gridserver.com/host/; https://www.facebook.com/pages/Transformed-World-2020-Ihopkc-Global-Prayer-Summit-March-24-27-2013/443647259030766?fref=ts; https://twitter.com/TW2020IHOPKC; http://transformworld2020.com.s96484.gridserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/TWC-2020-Fliers.zip; www.ihopkc.org/tw;
Christians subject to stricter controls, religious freedom violations.
http://www.christianpost.com/news/sudan-threatens-to-arrest-church-leaders-67479/
By Compass Direct News
January 18, 2012
Khartoum, Sudan – Sudan’s Ministry of Guidance and Religious Endowments has threatened to arrest church leaders if they carry out evangelistic activities and do not comply with an order for churches to provide their names and contact information, Christian sources said.
The pressures on Christians come as war in Sudan’s South Kordofan state has led leaders there and in North Kordofan to incite hatred against Christians, with officials in both states calling for holy war against the predominantly Christian Nuba people.
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Each year the poor suffer, children unnecessarily die, and the majority of the world population suffer hunger and unnecessary illness because of improper stewards of our Global financial resources (1 Trillion US$ goes missing each year due to corruption activities! If you want to see what 1 Trillion dollars looks like please take a look at the attached presentation). In Africa $148 Billion US Dollars goes missing that is 25% of our total GDP!
God cares about this, and so should Christians and the Church!
Please pray for:
• Ongoing passion and commitment among our team and our partners to mobilize Christians and the Church around the issues of poverty and corruption.
• We urgently need to get some additional funding in order to continue to pay our staff, meet our financial commitments and continue to develop our toolkits for the Church, Business and Government engagement.
• Please pray for our Press and Partner event in Cape Town on the 11th of March. This will be a significant marker for EXPOSED.
Unashamedly Ethical
The role that God is calling Unashamedly Ethical to play in South Africa and across the globe is critical. More than ever we need Christians to take their place in Business, Government and the Church to establish Godly values and ethics.
South Africa is at a kairos intersection. The governing party and the government are failing the people. It is our privilege to pray for the nation and its servants, and also to support them and where appropriate hold them accountable for the responsibility they bear in governing for justice, peace and provision for all in the nation.
Please pray for:
• Our team of full time and part time workers and their families. Pray for safety, health and provision for their spiritual and physical needs.
• Please pray for the campaign in Southern Africa where we plan to add another 1 million signatories to UE in 2013. This strong base will allow us to engage with Church, business and government in a meaningful and significant manner to see the values of God’s Kingdom transforming and renewing society.
• Please pray for our need of human and financial resources in this campaign. In order to do this work we need approximately R2 million per year.
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Workers inside Libya started a prayer initiative to pray and fast for Libya during the first 90 days of 2013. YOU are invited to join them!
They write:
"Something incredible is happening in the nation of Libya. God is working in an unprecedented way. We are trusting in faith for Disciple Making Movements to start in 2013. We are in an unprecedented time of history in this nation. There are many new workers inside Libya who are committed to pray & fast for the people of Libya for the first 90 days in 2013. Starting on January 1st, and finishing March 31st, would you be willing to join in with us to see this breakthrough happen? You can respond by picking a day in the week or the month that you want to join in this prayer effort and also pass this on to as many people you know to love and pray for Libya!"
Go to: https://www.google.com/calendar
Prayer:
1. Pray that the Lord would protect the local believers from extremists.
2. Pray for stability and a government that would bring law and order without bringing yet another totalitarian regime.
3. Pray for workers to get residence permits more easily.
4. Pray that Arab Christians would be willing and able to get jobs and share their faith.
5. Pray that expatriates who go would be committed to stay after they run into the difficulties of life in the country.
You can read more information to help inspire your prayers by visiting this website: http://pray4libya.net