Mastermedia New York Update...

I continue to be encouraged by what God is doing in the New York media industry. We recently held a dinner for media professionals. It was a delightful evening that touched everyone's heart.

The meeting opened with a welcome and prayer, followed by a presentation by a Technical Lighting Director for a major animation studio. Jon shared a little of his background, and then showed the trailer for the film he's been working on – Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who. Interestingly, the well-known refrain - "A person's a person, no matter how small!"- has definite implications for the pro-life issue.



Next, a 3-time Emmy winning Executive Producer told about his background in sports production, reality shows, documentaries and films. God has been working in his life recently to show him the importance of building good relationships in order to produce quality programs that encourage positive values. Because of the respect he had with the world's top ice-skaters, he was able to make Skating with Celebrities on the Fox network a popular program that broke away from the sleeze often associated with reality shows.

Rob also showed this video, which he produced as a promo for US Figure Skating. It aired on NBC in January. My son, Will, is the voice! Following in dad's footsteps. I'm really proud of him!



The evening honored the recently retired VP/General Manager of one of New York's top radio stations. Bob was one of the original members of our Mastermedia group, and graciously accepted an award commending him "For His Gracious Spirit, Active Participation and Consistent Generosity. A True Christian Gentleman." Bob talked openly about his relationship with Christ, and shared his heart on the great need for responsible leadership in the media.

Our featured speaker for the evening was an Emmy winning television Producer who has worked for ABC, CBS, NBC, Discovery Channel, Court TV and ESPN. He spoke openly about his faith, and how God had been working in his heart to show him that the key to success is not the kinds of programs we work on, but how we draw on God's creativity to make what we are working on excellent. He showed samples of how he was able to include appropriate Christian themes in the content of some of the secular shows he worked on.

All in all, it was a wonderful evening where God was honored, and we were challenged and blessed.

Impacting Students

God continues to work in encouraging ways in the media industry in New York. Thanks for praying!

A few months ago, we had an opportunity to minister to a group of about twenty communications and public relations students from a Christian college who had come to New York to tour the network broadcast facilities and get some firsthand contact with media professionals. We received the following note from their professors:

"Without a doubt, our students considered the time with the men with Mastermedia the highlight of the trip. Time and again they expressed appreciation for both the time given to interact and answer their questions, but above all for the testimonies shared during the time. For many of them they could now see how a Christian could live out one's faith even in a very secular world. Whether it is in a media field or any other field, integrity of life and excellence of work are important and the world will notice. They could see in practical terms how God can use any talent he has given us to practically reach out to the world of darkness in which we live.

Thank you for helping to set up that meeting and inviting the men to participate. Many students commented that the trip was truly a life-changing experience, and since they rated the time with Mastermedia as one of the highlights, you have been a part of that life change. Thanks for your willingness to invest in the lives and growth of our students."

As we gear up for the Fall, please pray that God will continue to work in and through the lives of the people involved in this ministry. Significant opportunities are before us. We need His guidance, power and grace.

Iron Sharpens Iron Attendee Comments

A man who was at the Iron Sharpens Iron conference has posted about my talk on Impacting the Culture! His name is Ray Fowler.

George shared one of the best presentations I have heard on wisely interacting with non-believers within the culture in order to make a difference for Christ. He shared from Proverbs 21:22 how God wants believers to impact the culture with the truth of God’s Word rather than retreat in a defensive posture.

He spoke about how Christians need to be willing to dialogue with non-Christians. In order to make an impact, we need to stay one step ahead of the culture. What is the difference between a leader and a target? A leader is one step ahead of people, while a target is two steps ahead (or more). We can’t change the culture all at once, and so we need to help people take steps along the way.

I am glad he found what I had to say encouraging! You can read his summary of my talk here. He is also posting summaries of other talks from that conference, if you are interested!

Iron Sharpens Iron Follow Up

Well, the Iron Sharpens Iron conference was extremely successful! There were 3,000 men in attendance, which was more than they were expecting! This is Hartford, CT, not exactly the middle of the Bible Belt...

My workshop was on "Impacting the Culture, Changing the World" and was packed, people were "hanging off the rafters". I think what I had to say, some of which is in various postings on this blog, caused the men there to think and challenged them to find God's purpose for their lives.

I was able to sell The World's Greatest Stories, and they sold very well, and I sold out of Ecclesiastes by Solomon! Both are tools that can be used to engage the culture.

The Stories are useful for bringing kids exciting stories that will introduce them to the Bible and morality. Ecclesiastes is focused on telling people who are successful why their lives are still ultimately empty.

Both tools are non-threatening, and yet will encourage thoughtful discussions with non-Christians, and both are available in links on this blog!

Speaking Engagement This Weekend

On Saturday I will be speaking and performing at the Iron Sharpens Iron conference in Hartford, CT! For information on attending, see the details in the sidebar.

I will be speaking on "Engaging the Culture, Impacting the World".

Please pray that God uses my message in the lives of the men attending.

William Wilberforce, An Example of Engaging the Culture

The film released today, "Amazing Grace", is an excellent example of how Christians can engage the culture effectively. The film highlights the life of William Wilberforce, a great man who successfully walked the line of being in the world, but not of the world. Because of his faith in God, he saw the need to communicate God's truth to a society that had little interest in doing what was right, and a great interest in doing what was profitable and expedient.

The film appropriately shows us Wilberforce's motivation for addressing the issue of slavery without being patronizing or hitting the viewer over the head with religion. The secular reviews so far have been very positive, even though the Christian nature of the film is clear!

Let us pray that God will use this film effectively, not only to highlight the life of a great man, but to show the relevance of Biblical Christianity to a society that is not interested in doing what is right.

Kenneth Turan is a reviewer for the LA Times and NPR. You can find his insightful review here.

You can find a deeper discussion of the film and the life of William Wilberforce with director Michael Apted, and Eric Metaxas, author of the companion book "Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery" on NPR's Talk of the Nation here. Eric is a close friend of mine. His book is excellent (it is #24 on the New York Times bestseller list), and gives a fuller picture of the Christian commitment of Wilberforce. I would encourage you to pick up a copy.