Christian Film Database, the most extensive database of Christian Movies,” has released its annual Top 100 Christian Films on CFDb for the year 2014.

The Christian film industry enjoyed a banner year in 2014, according to CFDb owner Annelie Rudlaff.

God’s Not Dead starring Kevin Sorbo, Shane Harper, David A.R. White and Dean Cain topped the list. Click here for the rest of the list of the Top 100 Christian Movies for 2014.

“What a great year for Christian film 2014 has been,” Rudlaff said. “We are looking forward to 2015 as an even better year for faith-based movies.”

Even though the Top 100 list is for the year 2014, these encompass the most looked at pages on Christian Film Database. As a result, popular films from the past, as well as films that haven't been released yet are included.

”Besides the annual Top 100 list, CFDb is your resource for all things Christian film, including news, reviews, interviews, bio pages, e-books, and helpful information and tips for those in the Christian Film Industry,” says Roger Rudlaff, founder of CFDb.

For more information about CFDb, please visit: Christian Film Database.

Max Lucado wrote Before Amen for many reasons. There is one, however, that stands out.

“I hope readers close this book convinced that God will help them pray and that prayer matters,” Lucado told Biblegateway.com last fall. “God invites us to pray, and when we pray, it affects the future. It impacts the direction of our lives. It even impacts the direction of history. And, it certainly impacts the condition of our hearts.”

Since its release in the fall of 2014, Before Amen has certainly made an impact on the Christian community. Family Christian Bookstores thinks it has, recently naming Before Amen its 2015 Book of the Year.

A New York Times best-selling author, Lucado has sold over 120 million books printed in more than 54 languages. Other books Lucado has written include: Grace, You’ll Get Through This, Grace for the Moment, Life Lessons and God’s Story Your Story.

In Before Amen, Lucado joins readers on a journey to the very heart of biblical prayer, offering hope for doubts and confidence even for prayer wimps. Distilling prayers in the Bible down to one pocket-sized prayer, Lucado reminds readers that prayer is not a privilege for the pious nor the art of a chosen few, but it is simply a heartfelt conversation between God and his child.

With one million people gathering Wednesday evening in Times Square New York to ring in the New Year, and with millions watching on TV, a new Answers in Genesis video billboard was placed near the Square’s famous dropping ball.

The 15-second digital board reminded Americans of the religious freedoms they enjoy—whether they hold to the worldviews of Christianity, atheism, Judaism, and other belief systems—and must be defended. In addition, the billboard prominently displayed the Cross of Christ.

The digital video board aired for seven minutes per hour each day, December 30 through January 1—including during the final minutes of 2014. Millions of TV viewers watched the ball drop on Wednesday evening—signaling the start of the New Year—and had an opportunity to see the new video.

“I am thrilled that the Cross of Christ was seen in the most-watched place in the world on this day,” AiG President Ken Ham said.

The video board is located above the CNN sign on Broadway, between 46th & 47th Streets in Duffy Square. The video was posted to take advantage of the massive

crowd in downtown New York City on New Year’s Eve in addition to the large television audience.

On January 2, the same video appeared on a different digital board in Times Square: seen above the Disney Store (also on Broadway), between 45th & 46^th Streets.

Beginning January 5, the video will appear on digital boards in cities like Washington, D.C. (7th and G Street), and Boston, Massachusetts.

The latest billboard campaign by AiG is helping draw attention to religious liberties under assault in America. The efforts by secularist groups to remove Crosses, Nativity scenes, and Ten Commandments displays from public places—and attacks on AiG’s Ark Encounter project—are intensifying. The need for Christian groups and churches to preserve their First Amendment rights has never been greater.  

“The nation's Founding Founders predicted that a future government would be tempted to infringe on religious liberties,” Ham said. “That’s why their very first amendment was to establish a safeguard for religious expression, as they inserted the ‘free exercise clause’ for religion for the new nation. Sadly, that freedom is being chipped away today by atheists and other secularists.”

Find out more about the new boards at www.AnswersInGenesis.org.   

Raptor 6, a fast-paced, intriguing novel set in modern-day Afghanistan and written by Ronie Kendig and published by Barbour Publishing, has been awarded the Christian Manifesto’s 2014 Lime Award for Excellence in Fiction in the Mystery, Suspense, and Thrillers category.

In book one of Kendig’s The Quiet Professionals series, Raptor 6, the special forces Raptor team, a group of specially trained soldiers, set out on a mission to hunt down cyber terrorists who have stolen secrets via U.S. military computers.

Kendig, an award-winning author and national speaker grew up an Army brat and married a veteran. They now live in Northern Virginia with their four children, a Maltese Menace, and a retired military working dog. For more information on Kendig and her Rapid-Fire Fiction, please visit www.roniekendig.com.

The Lime Awards are decided on by the Christian Manifesto’s Fiction Team that consists of a group of diverse individuals from all over the world. The team tallies up the number of five-star reviews given in that year and then narrows it down to one winner in each category.

Other Lime Award winners for 2014 include:

• Huckleberry Hill, by Jennifer Beckstrand (Amish Romance)
• One Realm Beyond, by Donita K. Paul (Children’s, Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction)
• Kept, by Sally Bradley (Contemporary Fiction & Romance)
• Thief of Glory, by Sigmund Brouwer (Historical Fiction)
• Captured Love, by Jody Hedlund (Historical Romance)

For more information on the 2014 Lime Awards and more Lime Award winners, please visit http://bit.ly/1wwf5Wy.

Sandra Crouch, sister of legendary gospel singer Andre’ Crouch, says that her brother was taken to the hospital this past Saturday to address “some serious health complications that have arisen.”

Crouch, 72, has faced numerous health issues over the past few years including various forms of cancer and congestive heart failure. He was rushed to the hospital in October 2013 due to an episode related to his diabetic condition. Sandra Crouch is asking for continued prayers for her brother.

“At this time, Andrae’ is being attended to by a medical team, and we are so grateful for their wonderful care,” Sandra said. “We are also so grateful for the many thousands of people around the world who are praying for Andrae’ right now. We ask for your continued prayer that Andrae’ will respond positively to the medical attention being given to him at this time, and that he will fully recover from this current health complication.’

A gospel legend, Crouch has enjoyed over 50 years in the music industry and has won several Grammy and Dove Awards. He was also inducted into the Gospel Music Association’s Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1998.

Andrae’ and Sandra Crouch serve as pastors of New Christ memorial Church in San Fernando, California.

There will be no Christian Retailing Update on New Year’s Day, Jan. 1. CR Update will resume Monday, Jan. 5.

In the meantime, we invite you to click here and read the free digital edition of Christian Retailing’s December issue.

Bob Phibbs, known as the “Retail Doctor,” has gathered his best retail blog posts of 2014.

Phibbs’ advice focuses on such critical retail topics as behaviors that push customers away, why closing techniques are dead in retail sales training and why your competitors have more business than you do.

Click here to read Phibb’s roundup.