St. James was presented with the award--which recognizes artistic excellence in the promotion of Christian values through music, film and the mass mediums of the arts and entertainment--by Robert Schuller at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, Calif., March 18.

According to The New York Times, Obama has had private prayer sessions on the telephone and discussions on the role of religion in politics with Bishop T.D. Jakes, pastor of the The Potter's House in Dallas and author of Before You Do (Atria); Kirbyjon Caldwell, pastor of Windsor Village United Methodist Church in Houston and author of Be in It to Win It: A Road Map to Spiritual, Emotional, and Financial Wholeness (Touchstone Faith); Jim Wallis, president and executive director of Sojourners and author of God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It (HarperOne); and Joel Hunter, senior pastor of Northland, a Church Distributed in Longwood, Fla., and author of A New Kind of Conservative (Regal Books).

Following The Power of One were: 2. Hello Love by Chris Tomlin (sixstepsrecords/EMI CMG Distribution); 3. A New Hallelujah by Michael W. Smith (Reunion Records/Provident-Integrity); 4. My Paper Heart by Francesca Battistelli (Fervent Records/Word Distribution); 5. Speaking Louder Than Before by Jeremy Camp (BEC Recordings/EMI CMG); 6. Over and Underneath by Tenth Avenue North (Reunion Records/Provident-Integrity); 7. Revelation by Third Day (Essential Records/Provident-Integrity); 8. Wow Hits 2009 by various artists (Wow Gospel/Provident-Integrity); 9. God of This City by Bluetree (Lucid Artist/Lucid Artist); and 10. Freedom by Mandisa (Sparrow Records/EMI CMG).

Among those bringing a new face to the industry is a Canadian trio whose made-over Bell Tower Books is trying to reach beyond traditional evangelical circles by opening up a lounge to the local arts community and carrying some popular general market titles like those featured on Oprah Winfrey's TV show.

Big Idea’s 2004 release, VeggieTales: An Easter Carol, has its world TV premiere this weekend on the Gospel Music Channel (GMC). The Easter message inspired by Charles Dickens’ Christmas classic is to be aired April 10 at 7 p.m., April 11 at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., and April 12 at 1 p.m. (all EDT).

Following Uncle Nezzer’s plan to make Easter "bigger than ever" by filling London with plastic eggs, the drama features a music box angel, Hope, voiced by singer Rebecca St. James. The programming is part of a new agreement between GMC and Big Idea..

Retailers, it is time to name your favorite products of the year, in Christian Retailing’s 2009 Retailers Choice Awards. This is your opportunity to vote for the products that you believe made the greatest impact on your life, and the lives of your staff and customers.

Voting also puts you in line to win hundreds of dollars’ worth of nominated products, absolutely free—to sell in your store, distribute or keep for yourself. You could win products such as inspirational mugs from DaySpring or an ESV Study Bible from Crossway. Winners will be selected at random from participating stores.

A new tween series from Zonderkidz aims to offer a positive alternative to the growing volume of dark supernatural offerings for young readers. The first four titles in “The Elijah Project” series release in May—On the Run, The Enemy Closes In, Trapped by Shadows and The Chamber of Lies. Geared for 9- to 12-year-olds, the books revolve around three siblings battling unseen dark forces.

Author Bill Myers said “The Elijah Project” was a direct response to all the supernatural products influencing kids today. “Go to any secular bookstore and look at the alarming percentage of shelf space dedicated to these elements,” he said.