Carrots meet cubits as VeggieTales builds an ark filled with fun, adventure and important lessons about trusting God in Noah’s Ark, its first Bible-themed production in more than four years.

Starring Wayne Brady and Jaci Velasquez, along with Larry the Cucumber, Bob the Tomato and a whole crew of Veggies, Noah’s Ark will be available March 3 on DVD and digital download.

The GRAMMY-nominated and multi-Emmy® award-winning host of one of TV’s most famous game shows, Let’s Make a Deal, and star of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Brady brings to life Noah’s son Shem, who first questions, then learns to embrace, his father’s direction from God. Christian singer, actress and radio host Jaci Velasquez co-stars as Shem’s wife, Sadie.

“Saying ‘yes’ to VeggieTales was a no-brainer—my daughter’s a fan and I love the music and messages,” says Brady, who performs seven original songs in Noah’s Ark. “The best part is, Bob and Larry are down to earth and they never let the ‘I’m a global Veggie superstar’ thing go to their heads.”

In Noah's Ark, Shem and Sadie return home from their honeymoon to find that Noah (played by Pa Grape) has begun, at God’s direction, to work on a massive ark, which his wife Naamah (played by Madame Blueberry) and sons Ham (played by Larry) and Japheth (played by Bob) are helping construct before the start of 40 days and 40 nights of rain.

But Shem doesn’t understand Noah’s unshakable faith in God, particularly when animals start arriving two-by-two—while the rain is nowhere to be seen. When the deluge does come, Shem begins to understand Noah’s determination to preserve humanity’s future … and the importance of trusting in God.

“Every parent searches for entertainment that’s both wholesome and imparts valuable life lessons, and with Noah’s Ark, VeggieTales serves up a delicious dish on both counts,” Velasquez said. “ The story, the music and the visuals are perfect for the entire family.”

Noah’s Ark also features a brand-new “Silly Songs With Larry” segment, in which Larry dons a safari outfit as he goes on a quest for a gigantic, golden egg.

Less than three weeks after the DVD and digital download release of Noah’s Ark, the VeggieTales excitement continues when five all-new episodes of VeggieTales In The House, the hit animated series, debut exclusively on Netflix—bringing the total of VeggieTales In the House episodes to 15 as the series continues its first season.

Greg Thornton, a 1981 graduate of Moody Bible Institute and senior vice president of media for Moody Global Ministries, was named the 2015 Alumnus of the Year by Moody’s Alumni Association.

The award was announced at The Moody Church during the Feb. 3 evening session of Moody’s Founder’s Week conference. The annual award honors a graduate who has “demonstrated loyalty to the Kingdom of Christ through honorable character, ardent service and accountability to the Word of God.”

 “Moody is proud to honor Greg,” said Nancy Hastings, executive director of Moody’s Alumni Association, who presented Thornton with the award. “We are deeply grateful to the Lord for Greg’s commitment to proclaiming the Word of God through his role with Moody’s media ministries, as well as in his own personal walk with Christ. He is a very gracious man whose gentle spirit exemplifies a deep love for the body of Christ and faithfulness in serving his Lord and Savior.

“Greg’s dedication is evident in all he does and it’s our prayer that his ministry will continue to bear fruit for the glory of God.”

Thornton enrolled at Moody Bible Institute intending to become a pastor, but he quickly realized that he instead wanted to combine ministry and business. He graduated in May 1981 and began his career at Moody Press (now Moody Publishers) on June 1 as advertising administrator.

Within a year, he was promoted to advertising and sales promotion administrator, and by 1985, to director. In 1992, he was promoted to vice president for Moody Press, and in 2011 became senior vice president of media for Moody Global Ministries, overseeing Moody Publishers and Moody Radio.

“Greg is a man of integrity, and his work ethic and commitment to excellence in every aspect of his job serve as a Christlike example to everyone,” said Dr. Paul Nyquist, president of Moody. “Because of his leadership, our media ministries are equipping more people around the globe in the truth of God’s Word than ever before in Moody’s history.”

Thornton served on the board of the Christian Booksellers Association for many years, and currently serves as the chairman of the board of Media Associates International, a global training ministry that equips and encourages Christian publishers, editors and writers in challenging places of the world.

He serves on the advisory boards of Naomi’s House—a ministry of The Moody Church, which he and his wife, Grace, attend—and Revive Our Hearts, an outreach of Life Action Ministries. Naomi’s House offers hope and healing for women in the Chicago area who have been sexually exploited, and Revive Our Hearts is well-known for conferences and a nationally syndicated radio program of the same name, hosted by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.

A 14-year veteran LifeWay employee, Cossy Pachares has been chosen as the new president of LifeWay Christian Stores, the company announced this week.

He most recently served as associate vice president of B&H Publishing Group, where he led daily operations, including giving direct oversight to publishing and strategic planning. Pachares’ professional experience prior to coming to LifeWay includes various operational, financial, technology and human resources roles with companies in the travel, staffing, legal and oil and gas industries.

Pachares holds a bachelor's degree from Baylor University and is a certified public accountant (CPA).

“I’m humbled to be asked to serve in this role,” Pachares said. “From the time I accepted Christ, God has been using Christian bookstores in my life. They are so important to people and communities.

“I love this ministry. My hope is that my experience and background can be used to further our ministry in communities. There are so many exciting opportunities ahead for us.”

LifeWay Christian Resources President and CEO Thom S. Rainer chose Pachares to help bring closer alignment between LifeWay’s 185 local stores and LifeWay’s purpose of transforming lives with the truth of the gospel.

“We face a tremendous headwind in retail,” Rainer said. “But I am confident in the leadership of Cossy Pachares, because I have seen his work in Church Resources and B&H.” 

Pachares fills the role vacated by Tim Vineyard, who retired in January.

Worthy Publishing has announced that it has signed author Cynthia Ruchti to write its first Christmas novella. Ruchti is the author of the award-winning titles Where the Morning Glory Blooms and, most recently, All My Belongings. 

Ruchti’s honors include awards for both When the Morning Glory Blooms and Ragged Hope: Surviving the Fallout of Other People’s Choices at the International Christian Retailers Show. When the Morning Glory Blooms earned Christian Retailing’s Best award for fiction, and Ragged Hope won Christian Retailing’s Best award for nonfiction. 

“Cynthia’s characters stay with you long after you finish her books. I am thrilled that her first Christmas novella is also the first to be released by Worthy Inspired. She is a wonderful addition to our house of authors,” said Pamela Clements, vice president and associate publisher for Worthy Inspired.

Ruchti’s Endless Christmas novella with Worthy Publishing (December 2015) tells the story of a dating couple who both plan to spend Christmas with the young man’s grandparents. On the way, he proposes, and much to his surprise, his girlfriend says no, forcing them to find a way to get through the holiday with his family.

Endless Christmas celebrates love, family, life and what happens when people realize what is most important.

The deadline for vendors and authors to take advantage of the 2015 Christian Retailing's Best awards Early Bird discount is drawing near. With Christian Retailing accepting nominations for this year's honors until Feb. 24, vendors and authors have until Friday, Feb. 13 to capitalize on the offered discount. 

Companies who nominate by the Early Bird deadline will receive one free product entry for every five paid entries. The nomination fee is $60 per item entered, and companies do not need to send in the physical products they are submitting.

Click here to see the 2015 categories to determine the best category for your product entries, then enter your products by clicking here.

The awards sponsored by Christian Retailing were introduced in 2001 and have been acknowledged as an important way of recognizing some of the most significant, life-changing products in the industry.

Visit the awards website (christianretailingsbest.com) for all the details, including the Official Rules. Email the awards coordinator (Jenny Rose Curtis) at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with any questions.

Several of Barbour Publishing’s titles were named to the Christian best-seller lists for 2014 by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) for fiction titles, titles under $5 and bibles under $10.

Christian Fiction Best-sellers

• No. 1: The Healing Quilt by Wanda E. Brunstetter
• No. 13: The Westward Christmas Brides Collection by Wanda E. Brunstetter, Susan Page Davis, Melanie Dobson, Cathy Liggett, Vickie McDonough, Olivia Newport, Janet Spaeth, Jennifer Rogers Spinola and MaryLu Tyndall
• No. 14: Woman of Courage by Wanda E. Brunstetter
• No. 18: A Merry Heart by Wanda E. Brunstetter
• No. 20: The Christmas Brides Collection by Kelly Eileen Hake, Kristin Billerbeck, Lauralee Bliss, Irene Brand, Lynn A. Coleman, Vickie McDonough, Tamela H. Murray, Colleen L. Reece and Therese Stenzel

  Best-Sellers Under $5

• No. 3: Know Your Bible: All 66 Books
• No. 15: 365 Read-Aloud Bedtime Bible Stories
• No. 16: Hoy, Dios quiere que sepas
• No. 20: How to Study the Bible

  Bible Best-sellers Under $10

• No. 1: Santa Biblia—Versión Reina-Valera

The ECPA monthly best-seller lists are based on the Nielsen BookScan data system and represent the best-selling Christian books nationwide. For more information on the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association and a full listing of all the best-sellers, please click here.

Barbour is thrilled with these achievements and appreciates the hard work of all its authors. For more information on Barbour Publishing and the titles listed above, please visit barbourbooks.com.

New Leaf Publishing Group has hired recent College of the Ozarks graduate Sarah Rice as its new publicist for Master Books and New Leaf Press divisions. Rice Sarah will be handling media requests, communicating with New Leaf’s community of reviewers, and helping with homeschool convention activities. 

Rice said she feels blessed with the opportunity to launch her career at the Northwest Arkansas-based New Leaf Publishing Group.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity and I am so excited to be a part of such a unique company,” Rice says. “I am looking forward to working with our wonderful group of authors and with media professionals within the Christian book industry.”

New Leaf CEO Tim Dudley said of Rice’s hiring, “We are happy to have Sarah on board as we celebrate our 40^th year serving this industry and His kingdom.”