Best-selling author Dannah Gresh wants to get the word out that those who choose sexual virginity should be respected.

Gresh—a sexuality educator whose books have sold nearly a million and a half copies and whose latest title, Get Lost: A Girl’s Guide To Finding True Love (WaterBrook Press), released last month—spoke March 16 before an audience of 900 at Penn State University on the topic of "tolerance for virginity."

Retail sales increased in April as consumer confidence was boosted by strengthening employment data, increasing housing prices and a record-breaking stock market. Retail sales rebounded last month compared to March, which saw the first monthly retailing business decline since October 2012.

Core retail sales—excluding autos, building materials and fuel—increased 0.6% seasonally adjusted and increased 3.9% unadjusted year-over-year in April, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). Including those categories, last month's retail sales rose 0.1%, U.S. Department of Commerce figures showed today.

"In the face of higher taxes and sequester, consumers provided the economy a bit of a reprieve this month," NRF President and CEO  said. "Despite colder spring weather and an early Easter, consumers shopped in April, demonstrating an inherent resiliency even as the economy faces serious headwinds, including stagnant job and wage growth."

NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz called the retail sales increase "encouraging news."

"However positive, retail sales and consumer spending in April may not necessarily translate into a stronger or healthier second quarter," he said. "NRF continues to forecast moderate sales growth for the year."

Book and music, sporting goods, and hobby stores' sales increased 0.5% seasonally adjusted month-to-month, and rose 4.5% unadjusted year-over-year, NRF said.

Kathy Herman's Not by Sight, the first title in the "Ozark Mountain Trilogy" series (David C Cook), debuted at No. 10 on the Fiction best-sellers from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA), tracking sales for the week ending May 4, according to Pubtrack Christian data. The novel was released May 1.

The Top 20 General best-sellers were: 1. Jesus Calling, Sarah Young, hardcover (Thomas Nelson); 2. Jesus Calling, Young, large print deluxe (Thomas Nelson); 3. Jesus Calling, Young, women's edition (Thomas Nelson); 4. Jesus Calling, Young, deluxe (Thomas Nelson); Heaven Is for Real, Todd Burpo (Thomas Nelson); 6. Jesus Today, Young, hardcover (Thomas Nelson); 7. The Harbinger, Jonathan Cahn (FrontLine/Charisma House Book Group); 8. The 5 Love Languages, Gary Chapman (Northfield Publishing/Moody Publishers); 9. Crazy Love, Francis Chan (David C Cook); 10. Battlefield of the Mind, Joyce Meyer (FaithWords); 11. One Thousand Gifts, Ann Voskamp (Zondervan); 12. Not a Fan, Kyle Idleman (Zondervan); 13. Follow Me, David Platt (Tyndale House Publishers); 14. The Duck Commander Family, Willie and Korie Robertson (Howard Books); 15. Nearing Home, Billy Graham (Thomas Nelson); 16. Unglued, Lysa TerKeurst (Zondervan); 17. Boundaries, Henry Cloud, John Townsend (Zondervan); 18. The Guardian, "Home to Hickory Hollow" No. 3, Beverly Lewis (Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group); 19. Jesus Is, Judah Smith (Thomas Nelson); and 20. Gods at War, Kyle Idleman (Zondervan).

The Top 10 Fiction best-sellers were: 1. The Harbinger; 2. The Guardian; 3. Jennifer: An O'Malley Love Story, "O'Malley" No. 1, Dee Henderson, (Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group); 4. The Chance, Karen Kingsbury (Howard Books); 5. When Jesus Wept, "The Jerusalem Chronicles" No. 1, Bodie and Brock Thoene (Zondervan); 6. Damascus Countdown, "The Twelfth Imam" No. 3, Joel C. Rosenberg (Tyndale); 7. Truth-Stained Lies, "Moonlighter" No. 1, Terri Blackstock (Zondervan); 8. Redeeming Love, Francine Rivers (Multnomah Books); 9. Home Run, Travis Thrasher (David C Cook); and 10. Not by Sight.

The top five Bibles were: 1. The Story, NIV, deluxe, hardcover, New International Version (Zondervan); 2. NIV Thinline Bible, navy bonded leather (Zondervan); 3. KJV Pew Bible, black hardcover, King James Version (Zondervan); 4. Adventure Bible for Early Readers NIrV, hardcover, New International Reader's Version (Zonderkidz); and 5. ESV Gift Bible, coffee, imitation leather, English Standard Version (Crossway).

B&H Publishing Group President Selma Wilson has appointed Amanda Sloan acting vice president of marketing. Mary Katharine Hunt, who previously held the position, will join Justice of Mercy International as executive director of operations June 1.

Sloan came to B&H as marketing manager of trade books in 2010, and headed promotion efforts on New York Times best-sellers The Vow by Kim and Krickitt Carpenter; The Resolution for Men by Stephen and Alex Kendrick with Randy Alcorn; The Resolution for Women by Priscilla Shirer; and Reshaping It All by Candace Cameron Bure. Sloan was previously national marketing manager for LifeWay Christian Stores, the retail division of LifeWay Christian Resources, B&H's parent company.

"I am so grateful for Amanda and the excellent work she has already done in marketing for B&H," Wilson said. "Our executive staff so appreciates her accepting this role on our team in this time of transition. We will miss Mary Katharine, but know this new role is God's perfect plan for her life."

Hunt, who joined B&H in 2011, spent 20 years combined at LifeWay Christian Resources. While at B&H, she led the recently introduced "Every Word Matters" rebranding initiative, helped relaunched the B&H Kids imprint and refocused the company's marketing efforts for the digital age. A champion of overseas mission work in her personal life, Hunt will remain based in Nashville with her new job, but will also travel regularly to other countries confronting global injustice.

Covenant Group and Parable Group have forged an alliance in the areas of online sales of church supplies, data warehousing services and email marketing.

The partnership is the latest in a series of alliances between the two groups dating back to 2011 and their joint e-book sales solution.

Beginning in late spring, Covenant will provide church supplies content and product fulfillment for Parable's website, www.parable.com. Covenant will also provide Parable franchise stores with its annual church supplies catalog.

Conversely, Parable will provide data warehousing services, including inventory reporting, consumer modeling and targeting services, email marketing and local online display advertising for Covenant member stores via www.covenantgroupstores.com.

"Covenant is a leader in serving church needs and the Parable Group is a leader in data, technology and digital services," said Steve Potratz, founder and CEO of Parable. "Our recent alliance with Covenant honors and respects each company's strengths, allowing each of us to focus on what we do best."

Covenant Group founder and President Chuck Wallington added: "In today's challenging retail environment, it becomes increasingly important to play off one another's strengths for the benefit of member stores in both groups. In addition, it is an excellent model for the industry of how Christian competitors can come together for the mutual good of both."

Covenant Group—the country's second-largest independent Christian chain after Mardel Christian & Education—provides marketing and support services to stores.

Started in 1985, Parable Christian Stores is the nation's largest Christian retail franchise with 25 locations throughout the country.

LifeWay Christian Resources (LCR), the parent company of LifeWay Christian Stores, has launched a film division in response to the rise of faith-based films.

"Because churches are on the front lines of life change in their communities, faith-based films provide an ideal and important ministry opportunity for the church," LifeWay Films officials said. "It is a powerful way to reach people, both believers and nonbelievers, with the greatest story every told—the gospel story of Jesus."

This month LifeWay Films released its first project, Experiencing God, based on the best-selling book by Henry Blackaby and Claude King—first published in 1990 by B&H Publishing Group. The book shows Christians how to know and do the will of God.

The Experiencing God Workbook has sold more than 7 million copies in 45-plus languages, and Experiencing God has been used by almost every Christian denomination, company officials said. The workbook has also spawned dozens of other products, including the recently released Experiencing God at Home book and curriculum; Your Church Experiencing God Together; The Man God Uses; Fresh Encounter; the Experiencing God Musical; the children's book Sammy Experiences God; and the teen book Seven Steps to Knowing and Doing the Will of God.

Retailing for $19.95 at LifeWay stores and LifeWay.com, the film documents three stories, representing the influence Experiencing God has had in more than 20 years.

"We've heard hundreds of stories about how Experiencing God served as a catalyst for someone to make a dramatic life change," King, LifeWay's discipleship specialist, told Baptist Press (BP). "We pray that these three will represent well the influence Experiencing God has had over these 23 years."

A free screening of the documentary will be shown June 11-12 during the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting in Houston. Another LifeWay Films title, Grace Unplugged, slated for theatrical release Oct. 4, will also be shown at the convention, BP reported.

The movie tells the story of an 18-year-old Christian singer/songwriter who performs each Sunday at her church. After landing a record deal in Los Angeles, she cuts off contact with her parents and seems prepared to walk away from her faith.

For more information, visit www.LifeWay.com/Films.

ShopperTrak, the world's largest counter and analyzer of retail foot traffic, has relocated its corporate headquarters into the nation's tallest building. The Chicago-based company and its nearly 175 employees recently moved into the 41st floor of the Windy City's Willis Tower, where it will lease all 52,450 square feet for 12 years.

"We've experienced dramatic growth during the last few years," said Christopher Ainsley, CEO of ShopperTrak (www.shoppertrak.com). "More and more retailers recognize the value of counting shoppers and tapping the immensely useful data we collect and analyze to help inform decisions related to marketing, merchandising and operations. Our much-needed extra space in the Willis Tower will allow us to continue growing as a company and developing new solutions for in-store analytics."

Tracking retail foot traffic in more than 60,000 locations in 90 countries and territories, the retail technology company anonymously counts people, analyzes data and identifies opportunities to increase revenue for retailers, mall developers and entertainment venues. Besides Chicago, the company, which has more than 200 total employees, has offices in San Francisco; High Wycombe, England; Dubai, Arab Emirates; and Shenzhen, China.