Home Run, a faith-based movie scheduled to hit theaters April 19, received "an overwhelmingly positive response" during a recent screening for inmates of the country's largest prison at the Louisiana State Penitentiary (LSP) in Angola, La.

Produced by Impact Productions, Home Run, about an alcoholic baseball hotshot who finds redemption in an unlikely place, features the tag line: "With God, it's never too late ... freedom is possible."

The film won the Best Feature Film and Best Inspirational Film categories of the inaugural Resonate Film Festival during the International Christian Retail Show in Orlando, Fla., last summer. David C Cook released a novelization by Travis Thrasher of the movie with the same title this month.

More than 800 death row inmates watched Home Run in the chapel of LSP, "many of whom fought back tears and were very vocal in their praise of the film and its message," according to organizers of the screening.

"We all live to a degree with what you see in Home Run," said Burl Cain, who has served as LSP's warden since 1995. "It's how we deal with the adversity and what has happened in our lives, or it will carry on into the next generation. We have to break the cycle. This is what we see in prison; we break the cycle. This movie helps us break the cycle."

The film highlights Celebrate Recovery, a 12-step addiction recovery program based on Christian principles that grew out of Southern California's Saddleback Church and is now found in churches worldwide.

Samuel Goldwyn Films in association with Provident Films have partnered in the marketing and distribution of the film. Goldwyn and Provident's previous faith-based movie partnerships included Fireproof, October Baby and Facing the Giants.

Click here for more information on Home Run.

Christian retailers attending HarperCollins Christian Publishing’s sales conference were treated to a special evening with best-selling author Max Lucado and country music star Jimmy Wayne this week in Nashville.

Retailers enjoyed a Southern-style buffet and the opportunity to hear Lucado introduce his next major trade book, You’ll Get Through This: Hope and Help for Your Turbulent Times (Thomas Nelson, Sept. 10), at the “Grace. Hope. Faith. with Max Lucado and Jimmy Wayne” event held Monday, March 4 at the Loveless Barn situated next to the famed Loveless Café. Thomas Nelson has the goal of reaching 1 million broken hearts with the message of You'll Get Through This.

CBA will launch several new initiatives this summer at the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS), including two major outreach efforts by best-selling author Max Lucado and renowned evangelist Billy Graham.

ICRS will be held June 23-26 in St. Louis. Christian stores are expected to have opportunities to participate in the two projects, which are still being finalized and are "expected to include a massive outreach for faith and evangelism," CBA said.

Lucado will be the main speaker of the Worship Him service at ICRS, and his newest book, You'll Get Through This, will be released by Thomas Nelson in September. On Oct. 15, the new subsidiary of HarperCollins Christian Publishing will publish Graham's The Reason for My Hope: Salvation, the centerpiece of a campaign by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association to mobilize millions of Christians.

Another CBA initiative is the Authors Avenue area, where retailers can connect with established and new authors. Meanwhile, the ICRS Film Showcase will highlight new and forthcoming Christian films and DVD releases, while presenting information on the growth of Christian media.

"Christian media has a great opportunity and responsibility in reflecting the values of faith and the spiritual dimensions of people," said CBA President Curtis Riskey. "We want to highlight film media as a critical tool in communicating what Christianity is really about."

Additionally, a special Lifestyle Stories exhibit will present five Christian customer types to highlight how lifestyle merchandising contributes to store environment and enhancing customer experience that cannot be duplicated via online shopping.

The Fair Trade in Action area will spotlight how fair trade and missional products contribute to economic development in countries where people can be victims of slavery, sex trafficking and addictions.

"Christian stores are all about mission and service, and these new approaches to ministry help impoverished people escape social ills, trafficking and slavery through economic development," said Riskey. "As consumers increasingly make patronage decisions based on what the store is about and what it supports, Christian stores are expanding their ministry efforts in local communities and around the globe."

Click here for more information on ICRS.

DaySpring will launch a new line of children’s products this spring that use Crayola Color Wonder Technology. 

“We are pleased to offer Color Wonder technology with Christian content for the first time to the Christian retail market,” said Brenda Turner, director of communications at DaySpring. “Using Crayola tools and technology, DaySpring hopes to inspire children to learn scriptural truths in a fun, creative way. Crayola has a 99% brand awareness and for the past two years has been named the number one brand by moms. We are honored to partner with them on these great new products.” 

Send The Light Distribution celebrates its first anniversary as a management-owned company this month. 

In March 2012, management of STL Distribution North America purchased the distributor from its parent company, Biblica. The buyout was a year in the making. 

With an estimated 75% of companies failing in their first year, and few showing a profit, the leadership of the newly renamed distributor is pleased with the company’s accomplishments.

Dallas Theological seminarian leaves behind a strong spiritual legacy

Howard Hendricks, a longtime faculty member at Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) and prolific author, died Feb. 20 after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was 88.

Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Christian Education and Leadership at DTS, where he taught for 60 years, Hendricks was known to his students as “Prof,” and he mentored numerous well-known pastors, including Tony Evans, Robert Jeffress, David Jeremiah, Erwin Lutzer, Joseph Stowell and Chuck Swindoll. He also influenced authors such as Bruce Wilkinson, best-selling author of The Prayer of Jabez.

“Professor Hendricks will always be remembered as a legend and great leader at DTS, who has impacted countless lives for the kingdom,” Evans wrote on DTS’ Facebook page.

Hendricks wrote 23 books, including As Iron Sharpens Iron and Living by the Book (both Moody Publishers); A Life of Integrity and Teaching to Change Lives (both Multnomah Publishers); The Christian Educator’s Handbook on Teaching (Baker Books/Baker Publishing Group); and Color Outside the Lines (Thomas Nelson). His 1991 best-seller Living by the Book taught students of the Bible the inductive method of studying the Scriptures.

“Moody Publishers, along with the family and friends of Howard Hendricks, are saddened by the news of his passing,” said Greg Thornton, senior vice president of media. “We will greatly miss him, his humor, and especially his tremendous ability to communicate truth through his speaking, teaching, and writing.  We mourn his loss but rejoice in knowing he’s with our Savior.”

Hendricks earned a master’s degree from DTS in 1950, as well as bachelor’s (1946) and doctoral (1967) degrees from Wheaton College. He was on the DTS faculty from 1951 until 2011, when, at age 86, Hendricks said his body would no longer work with his mind.

He served as chaplain for the Dallas Cowboys from 1976 to 1984, and he was a frequent speaker at Promise Keepers events during the 1990s. He also preached in more than 80 countries. 

Additionally, Hendricks played an important role in the development of the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove in Asheville, N.C., where he was a frequent speaker. 

In a 2009 interview with Billy Graham’s Decision magazine, Hendricks said: “I’m not what everybody in the world says is great. I’m just a servant of Christ, that’s all. Once a believer really gets to see what the Lord can do through him or her, at whatever stage in life, they’re going to get excited about getting out there in the battle. It’s all about being a servant of Christ.”

Hendricks is survived by his wife of more than 66 years, Jeanne, four children, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. A memorial service is scheduled for March 2 at Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas.

Christian retailers anticipate receiving a sales bump from products tied to The Bible, a 10-hour TV miniseries that debuted March 3 on the History Channel.

More than 13 million viewers watched the first episode of The Bible, the highest-rated cable show of the year, although the figures fell 800,000 short of the network's record-setting 2012 Civil War drama Hatfields & McCoys.

Best known for producing the TV shows Survivor, The Voice and The Apprentice, Mark Burnett and his wife, Roma Downey, of Touched by an Angel fame, produced the five-part miniseries of major Bible stories, from Noah's ark and the Exodus to the death and resurrection of Jesus, slated to air for five Sundays this month—climaxing on Easter, March 31.

"We could not be more thrilled with this out-of-the-gate success," said Downey and Burnett in a statement. "The world is watching right now, and we are incredibly humbled by the reaction to the series. ... Ultimately, The Bible will be seen and felt by billions around the globe."

FaithWords has released two novels and a devotional based on The Bible: A Story of God and All of Us: A Novel Based on the Epic TV Miniseries; A Story of God and All of Us: Young Readers Edition; and A Story of God and All of Us Reflections: 100 Daily Inspirations Based on the Epic TV Miniseries—all were written by Burnett and Downey. Twentieth Century Fox will release and distribute The Bible on DVD and Blu-ray April 2.

Chuck Wallington, Covenant Group founder and president, told Christian Retailing that he watched the first installment of the miniseries, and "thought it was very strong."

"I'm looking forward to the DVD release, and I thought the [TV] commercial on the book products was strong," said Wallington, who is also owner of Christian Supply in Spartanburg, S.C.

The Bible products' sales have been "slow up to now, but I suspect, this week, we will see a strong pick-up, since the miniseries was such a hit on Sunday," he added. "We are anticipating the DVD being a major release for us, and a strong traffic driver when it releases in early April."

LifeWay Christian Stores, which has gotten behind The Bible among others in the Christian retail channel, is offering a pre-buy sale on The Bible DVD and Blu-ray. The promotion calls for a more than 15% discount on the $49.99 and $59.99 the regular retail price for the DVD and Blu-Ray, respectively.

Karen Grosse, owner of Lighthouse Christian Books in Green Bay, said she was looking forward to watching The Bible on DVD.

"We did not watch it yet because we do not have cable," she said. "We will carry the DVD."

Click here to read a column about The Bible miniseries by Downey and Burnett in the February issue of Christian Retailing.

Click here for more information on The Bible miniseries.