Evangelist and author Ray Comfort's new online movie about John Lennon, released to coincide with the 32nd anniversary of the Beatles' leader's death Dec. 8, has received more than 100,000 views in four days.

"This is exceptional because this isn't a two-minute clip of grandma's hair catching on fire," said Comfort, producer of Genius. "It's a 34-minute commitment, but it's so fascinating and fast-moving viewers can't look away."

Released Dec. 7, the movie was produced as a companion to Comfort's latest book, The Beatles, God, and the Bible (WND Books).

"Genius is reaching a culture with the gospel through an effective medium; using a fascinating subject—the Beatles, who have crossed generations, selling more than 2.3 billion albums," he added.

Comfort—founder and president of Living Waters ministry and producer of the award-winning, pro-life documentary 180 viewed by millions worldwide—said people will be shocked to learn about Lennon's evolving faith.

Comfort said Lennon made comments such as claiming the Beatles were more popular than Jesus at the group's height because to the artist Christianity in the 1960s was an old, stone church surrounded by a cemetery.

Lennon's hit single "Imagine" "came as a result of a Christian prayer book that someone gave him," Comfort said. "He said 'Imagine' is the concept of a positive prayer. If you can imagine a world at peace, with no denominations of religion—not without religion, but without this my-God-is-bigger-than-your-God thing, then it can be true."

Click here to watch Genius. 

Best-selling author Jon Acuff recently told students at Liberty University what it means to "serve a wild card God." During the Lynchburg, Va., Christian school's convocation Dec. 3, Acuff encouraged students to use their gifts for God's glory rather than assuming that they don't go together, Liberty University News Service reported.

"I don't want you to leave college never daring to dream with God," said Acuff, whose books include Stuff Christians Like (Zondervan) and Quitter: Closing the Gap Between Your Day Job and Your Dream Job (Lampo Press). "I don't want you to leave college with a degree that's just good enough to make you money because that gets empty really quickly."

Acuff said as he traveled across the country speaking at several colleges, he noticed a trend among students who try to separate their passions from the work that God has called them to do.

Acuff blended ideas from Quitter and Stuff Christians Like when he talked about the importance of following God's plan, injecting his humorous observations about Christian culture. He also encouraged students to listen for little moments of direction, ignore "the haters" who criticize and get started with their dream.

"What I've learned [is that] figuring out what you're called to do and what God has put in your heart isn't an act of discovery, it's an act of recovery [and] of rescuing something from your past," said Acuff, whose blog has more than 3.5 million followers. "The world is OK with you being average. But God didn't create average, common or ordinary.

"The only line that we control is the starting line," he added. "We have no control over the finish line. God is going to move your story in amazing ways that you don't have control over."

A Christian novel is credited for helping a homeless man find his family. After author Kathi Macias finished the manuscript for Unexpected Christmas Hero—released in October by New Hope Publishers—photographer and designer Michael Lê was assigned by the publisher to find a homeless man who fit the physical representation of Macias' character.

Lê and his wife, Christine, were in Asheville, N.C., last Christmas when they found a homeless man named Willard Parker who agreed to pose for some photos, said New Hope officials. Parker shared with the couple that he lost his house and lost touch with his daughters and grandchildren. Destitute, Parker told Lê that how he longed to see his daughter, but he had no idea where they were or how that could happen.

When Macias heard the story, she prayed the book's cover would help reunite Parker with his family.

"When he posed for the picture, he told us he was homeless and hoped his photo on the book would help him find his family," Macias said. "It worked! We now know where his two grown daughters and four grandsons, whom he's never met, are, but we need to get them all together for Christmas or as soon as possible. We need transportation money, plus hotel and food and any other expenses. None of the family is able to provide this, so I'm trying to help raise the money to make this long overdue reunion take place."

After Unexpected Christmas Hero was published, Parker's 26-year-old daughter, Amber, saw the cover of the novel online. But the mother of Parker's 2-year-old and 5-year-old grandchildren didn't know where to find him. Driving near Asheville, Parker's estranged wife unexpectedly spotted him walking on a sidewalk and picked him up.

"When I had my picture taken for the book cover, all I wanted was for it to help me get back with my family," said Parker, who has acute leukemia. "It worked, and I'm really grateful."

Amber added: "I'm so happy. I can't wait to be together again. You never know how long you have on this Earth and all he [my dad] wants is his family together."

After a reunion by phone with his daughters, Amber and Rebecca, Parker is now in Toledo, Ohio, but the sisters are eager to see their father in person.

To donate, click here to help Willard Parker reunite with his family this Christmas.

Christian fantasy and science fiction publisher Marcher Lord Press (MLP) has launched a new fiction imprint with Vox Day’s 854-page hardcover novel, A Throne of Bones ($34.99). The company said that the Marcher Lord Hinterlands imprint, or simply Hinterlands, will “house more mature content that some readers may find objectionable.”

“The core MLP readership is conservative and Christian, but many who need Christ will never read one of our regular novels,” said Jeff Gerke, MLP publisher. “A Throne of Bones, which we’re pitching as the Christian answer to George R.R. Martin [author of Game of Thrones, now an HBO series], we can engage fans of secular epic fantasy and introduce them to the gospel.”

The Lausanne Movement, founded by Billy Graham, has established a publishing imprint. The Lausanne Library will be used for core titles which relate to the life and ministry of the movement, which seeks to unite evangelicals to collaborate for world evangelization.

The library started with the publication of Cape Town Commitment Study Edition by Rose Dowsett and Christ Our Reconciler, the formal record of the Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization, held in Cape Town, South Africa in October 2010.

"Christ our Reconciler is a critical book for strategists in the church," explained Julia Cameron, the book's editor who serves as Lausanne's director of publishing. "It gives voice to some of the sharpest thinking the evangelical church has to offer on critical issues facing our generation."

Christ Our Reconciler's contributors include Billy Graham, John Stott, Os Guinness and Tim Keller. Cameron described The Cape Town Commitment Study Edition as "intelligent, theological with searching application questions."

The decision to start a publishing imprint represents the Lausanne Movement's goal to serve the church by providing seminal thinking for mission leaders, pastors, reflective practitioners in the public arenas, students and educators. Lausanne's book publishing will complement the material available on the movement's website.

Gary Davidson will join Hachette Book Group (HBG) as Hachette Nashville’s vice president of CBA sales and marketing.  Davidson will start at HBG on Jan. 7, and will report to Chris Murphy, senior vice president retail sales.

Davidson comes to HBG from Thomas Nelson, where he spent 15 years in leadership roles including senior vice president sales for the largest revenue-producing division at the company and senior vice president and Bible group publisher. During his tenure there, he led teams in winning several industry sales awards.

Micah Carter assumed the role of spokesperson for B&H Publishing Group’s Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) translation, effective Nov. 15.

Carter will focus on educating the marketplace about the distinctive values of the HCSB, from end consumers and retail partners to influencers, including pastors and college and seminary students. He also will assist the Bible development team with publishing strategies for the translation.