Editorial

Steve Cole

Welcome to the third edition of Artisan. You are not alone. There are more of us than you will ever know. We’re a network involved in the most important and influential industries on our planet today. God placements! 

Over 4,000 copies of Artisan are being sent out. By the time you read this Mastermedia and Hollywood Prayer Network will have hosted the first ever Media Prayer Breakfast in Beverley Hills, bringing together leading cultural influencers in America. People involved in media and arts in LA, Cape Town, Nashville and Sydney, to name a few, are also coming together to support one another and pray. To find out more visit the websites of the organisations (listed on the unity page in this publication).

We are hopefully holding an Artisan prayer event in collaboration with all the Arts Media organisations/ churches in New York during Spring 2005. The vision is to see hundreds of people from our industries coming together in unity to worship God, hear what is going on and pray for one another and for the industries in which God has placed us. I want to ask everybody, regardless of where you live in the world, to consider joining us at this prayer event in New York to stand in unity before God, praying that He would come and heal our land in media, arts and entertainment (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Prayer is the key to change and as representatives of these industries we surely have a responsibility to do what God calls us to do. For those in the UK who haven’t filled in a network card please do so or send an email giving details of your name, address, email address, telephone number, occupation and name of company you work for if applicable.

People have asked how Artisan is funded considering the thousands of publications that are distributed around the world. The answer is ‘I haven’t got a clue!’ God has miraculously provided up to now and each publication is a huge step of faith for us. We are desperately trying to find a sponsor who will come and partner us in financing the distribution of Artisan, but in the meantime we are reliant on the generosity of the recipients of Artisan to fund the £24,000 / $42,000 that we need per year. To make this process easy you can use Worldpay on our website to make a contribution to Artisan online. If just half of the recipients of Artisan gave only £3 or $5 dollars every time they received a publication, we would cover the costs. We would so value your support in this way.

This edition focuses on the issues of Image and Self Promotion. If you want to respond to these articles then I would be interested in receiving any views, which may then be posted on the site. In response to Fraser’s article in the previous edition I received a letter from an artist grappling with similar questions and challenges. He quoted a prayer from the monk Thomas Merton, which I think is relevant to many of us. ‘Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end.

Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and will never leave me to face my perils alone.’ You are not alone.

Love to you all,
Steve Cole