A federal court granted Hobby Lobby Stores a preliminary injunction today against the Health & Human Services (HHS) abortion-drug mandate. The ruling prevents the U.S. government from enforcing the Christian-owned company to provide insurance covering the morning-after pill and similar contraceptives for its employees. 

The case is on hold until Oct. 1. The federal government must now decide whether to appeal.

Back-to-school shoppers and kids are a focal point from some leading chains this month.

Mardel Christian & Education is holding a one-day Education Sale today, July 18, for online shoppers and its 35 locations, where a $500 Mardel ??gift? card ??giveaway? is offered. The sale features a 20% discount on all education?, ??homeschool? and children's? products.

LifeWay Christian Stores' "Starting Back With Bargains" sale is set for July 19-22, when shoppers can received an extra 15% discount on a regular, sale or clearance item.

Family Christian Stores' "Family Values" sale, currently offered online and the chain's physical locations, offers a 50% discount on select VeggieTales and Adventures in Odyssey products. The sale also features a two for $20 on select DVDs, including Escape (Pure Flix Entertainment) and Hardflip (Bridgestone Multimedia Group).

Berean Christian Stores' Kid's Day is set for July 27, offering discounts on children's? products, snacks, games, crafts and an iPad giveaway.

The annual Standard Lesson Commentary holds two spots on the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) General best-sellers list for the week ending July 6, according to Pubtrack Christian data.

The top 20 ECPA General best-sellers were: 1. Jesus Calling, Sarah Young, hardcover (Thomas Nelson); 2. The Circle Maker, Mark Batterson (Zondervan); 3. Unglued, Lysa TerKeurst (Zondervan); 4. What Happens When Women Say Yes to God, TerKeurst (Harvest House Publishers); 5. Not a Fan, Kyle Idleman (Zondervan); 6. Jesus Calling, Young, large print deluxe (Thomas Nelson); 7. Trusting God, Jerry Bridges (NavPress); 8. Heaven Is for Real, Todd Burpo (Thomas Nelson); 9. The Harbinger, Jonathan Cahn (FrontLine/Charisma House Book Group); 10. Jesus Calling, Young, women's edition (Thomas Nelson); 11. KJV Standard Lesson Commentary, 2013-2014, large print softcover (Standard Publishing); 12. Jesus Calling, Young, deluxe (Thomas Nelson); 13. Happy, Happy, Happy, Phil Robertson (Howard Books); 14. The 5 Love Languages, Gary Chapman (Northfield Publishing/Moody Publishers); 15. Spirit Rising, Jim Cymbala (Zondervan); 16. 7 Men, Eric Metaxas (Thomas Nelson); 17. Jesus Today, Young, hardcover (Thomas Nelson); 18. Captivating, John and Stasi Eldredge (Thomas Nelson); 19. KJV Standard Lesson Commentary, 2013-2014, softcover (Standard Publishing); and 20. Crazy Love, Francis Chan (David C Cook).

The Top 10 Fiction best-sellers were: 1. The Harbinger; 2. Home Run, Travis Thrasher (David C Cook); 3. The Guardian, "Home to Hickory Hollow" No. 3, Beverly Lewis (Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group); 4. Band of Sisters, Cathy Gohlke (Tyndale House Publishers); 5. The Chance, Karen Kingsbury (Howard Books); 6. Crossing Oceans, Gina Holmes (Tyndale); 7. The Quarryman's Bride, "Land of Shining Water" No. 2, Tracie Peterson (Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group); 8. Truth-Stained Lies, "Moonlighter" No. 1, Terri Blackstock (Zondervan); 9. Redeeming Love, Francine Rivers (Multnomah Books); and 10. The Breakthrough, "Precinct 11" No. 3, Jerry B. Jenkins (Tyndale);

The top five Bibles were: 1. NIV Church Bible, navy, large print, hardcover, New International Version (Zondervan); 2. The Story, NIV, deluxe, hardcover (Zondervan); 3. The Story: Teen Edition, NIV, softcover (Zondervan); 4. NIV Adventure Bible, blue, softcover (Zonderkidz); and 5. NIV Adventure Bible, softcover (Zonderkidz).

The semifinalists have been announced for the 19th Annual Inspirational Country Music (ICM) Awards, to be held Oct. 24 at the Opryland's Two Rivers in Nashville.

The event—featuring the added categories of Mainstream Country Male, Mainstream Country Female and Mainstream Country Group/Duo—is part of the 2013 ICM Faith, Family and Country Convention, set for Oct 20-24 at Opryland.

"At this time, more and more mainstream artists are releasing positive-message songs that bring faith, family and country into their music and we felt it to be appropriate to recognize these artists for their efforts in bringing such a message to their audience," said ICM Executive Director Jason Higgins.

In the running for Mainstream Country Male Artist are Alan Jackson, Andy Griggs, Craig Morgan, Darius Rucker, John Berry, Josh Turner, Lee Brice, Scotty McCreery, Tim McGraw and Vince Gill.

Semi-finalists for Mainstream Country Female Artist are Carrie Underwood, Dolly Parton, Faith Hill, Gwen Sebastian, Jamie O'Neal, Lauren Alaina, Martina McBride, Rachel Holder, Reba McEntire and Sara Evans.

Those vying for Mainstream Country Group/Duo are Diamond Rio, Joey+Rory, Lady Antebellum, Lonestar, Marty Raybon & Full Circle, Oak Ridge Boys, Rascal Flatts, The Farm, The Henningsens and Thompson Square.

In the running for Mainstream Inspirational Country Song are "Changed" by Rascal Flatts; "Be Grateful" by The Farm; "Eighteen Inches" by Lauren Alaina; "Every Storm Runs Out of Rain" by Gary Allan; "I Drive Your Truck" by Lee Brice; "Met Him in a Motel Room" by Gwen Sebastian; "Old King James" by Scotty McCreery; "See You Again" by Carrie Underwood; "Touchdown Jesus" by Tim McGraw; and "True Believers" by Darius Rucker.

To see all of the semifinalists, go to www.faithfamilycountry.com.

Kregel Publications author William R. Cutrer, a professor and staff physician at Southern Seminary in Louisville, Ky., died July 13 from cardiac-related complications suffered during a bike ride. He was 62 and had lived with a heart condition.

Cutrer "touched thousands of lives through his medical practice, seminary teaching and diversified writing career," Kregel officials said.

With Sandra Glahn, Cutrer wrote Sexual Intimacy in Marriage, now in its third edition with almost 150,000 copies in print. He also worked with Glahn to write the Christian market best-seller Lethal Harvest, which explored the promise and peril of genetic manipulation.

As a seminary professor, he wrote The Church Leader's Handbook: A Guide to Counseling Families and Individuals in Crisis.

"Bill was one of the most genuine people I have ever had the privilege to work with," said Kregel Publisher Dennis Hillman. "He was intelligent, insightful, caring and always striving to focus on things that made a difference. His love for God and God's people was unmistakable in everyday life."

In a letter informing the seminary community of Cutrer's death, the seminary's president, R. Albert Mohler, wrote: "He was a remarkable man, and he lived a remarkable life. He touched and influenced thousands of lives and he leaves a great legacy. He died all too soon, from our perspective. We will miss him greatly."

Cutrer is survived by his wife, Jane, three children and six grandchildren. A funeral service was held July 16 at Crestwood Baptist Church in Crestwood, Ky., where Cutrer was a member.

Kyle Duncan, general counsel for The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and legal representative for Hobby Lobby Stores, will go before a federal judge Friday, July 19, to ask for a preliminary injunction in the arts-and-crafts chain's abortion-pill mandate case.

Last month, a federal appeals court reversed a lower-court ruling that had rejected Hobby Lobby's request to temporarily stop enforcement of the contraceptive requirement. The Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling sent the case back to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, which had earlier ruled against the chain's request for an exemption.

"What happens on July 19th, however, will be an even greater milestone in this fight," Becket Fund Executive Director Kristina Arriaga wrote in an email to supporters. "First, it's important to note the conclusions that the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals came to. The court ruled that denying Hobby Lobby the protection of federal laws designed to secure religious liberty just because they are a profit-making business 'would conflict with the Supreme Court's free exercise precedent.'

"In fact, the court found that the heavy fines of the mandate unconstitutionally pressure Hobby Lobby to violate their religious beliefs," she added. "Ultimately, the court concluded that Hobby Lobby has 'established a likely violation of [the Religious Freedom Restoration Act].' "

Arriaga noted that during Friday's hearing, Duncan "will be arguing that it is always in the public interest to protect First Amendment freedoms."

The June 27 decision means Hobby Lobby and sister retailer Mardel Christian and Education may be entitled to an exemption from a requirement in President Barack Obama's 2010 healthcare overhaul (aka Obamacare) to include free "morning-after" and "week-after" pill coverage in their employee health insurance plans.

Oklahoma City-based Hobby Lobby has more than 500 stores in 41 states. One of the tenets of the chain's statement of purpose is, "Honoring the Lord in all we do by operating the company in a manner consistent with biblical principles." The Green family, which owns Hobby Lobby, also runs Mardel stores.

B&H Kids, a division of B&H Publishing Group, has began offering a free complete episode from the "Bibleman" DVD series through a new app for tablet and smartphone devices.

Additional Bibleman episodes can also be downloaded for purchase through the app, "with the goal of expanding the brand awareness and driving sales at retail," company officials said.

B&H recently took over the distribution of the 10 DVDs in the "Bibleman" series, which was previously distributed in the Christian retail channel by Thomas Nelson. Each DVD features two complete episodes that teach children ages 4-8 Bible-based values and virtues.

Available on www.BHKidsBuzz.com and iTunes, the app is part of a larger B&H Kids digital resource strategy, which will include the forthcoming The Big Picture Interactive Bible Storybook and The Big Picture Interactive Bible coming early next year.

"Kids live in the digital world," said Dan Lynch, publisher for B&H Kids. "They are used to content that literally pops off the page, so we are being diligent to meet them in that space with Christian content. Our vision is to help kids know Christ and empower parents to be the guide."

Former TV star of Charles in Charge and Eight Is Enough, Willie Aames starred as Bibleman in the videos from 1995 to 2003, and Robert T. Schlipp took over as the superhero from 2003 to 2011.