The faith-based film Overcomerwill expand to 2,125 theaters this weekend, marking a record and the widest release of any Kendrick Brothers film to date.

Overcomer was in 1,827 theaters last weekend and finished No. 5 when including the Labor Day holiday. It has grossed $20.5 million, according to data at BoxOfficeMojo.com. 

It was made by filmmakers Alex and Stephen Kendrick, whose 2015 film War Room rose to No. 1 but played in only 1,945 theaters at its peak. Their two previous films, Courageous (1,214 theaters at its peak) and Fireproof (905 theaters at its peak) also didn’t expand to as many theaters as Overcomer will. It expanded by roughly 100 theaters last weekend and will add another 300 or so this weekend. 

The movie’s expansion is due to a successful opening weekend when it finished third in total gross and second in per-theater average.

In August, producer Stephen Kendrick said opening weekend was key to its reach.

“If people support it opening weekend, they expand it – more cities, more theaters,” he said. … “If people don’t go see it opening weekend, they’ll take it out of theaters. It’s a big deal what happens opening weekend.”

Overcomer (PG) tells the story of a basketball coach whose hopes for a state championship are dashed when the town’s largest employer closes and his star players move out of town. He is then forced…

A compassionate 6-year-old from South Carolina has used the money he saved for a trip to Disney World to help feed those caught up in Hurricane Dorian.

Jermaine Bell, who is due to turn seven in a few days, used the money he’d saved for a birthday trip to Disney World’s Animal Kingdom to purchase hundreds of hot dogs, chips and bottles of water for those fleeing their homes ahead of the storm’s arrival, instead.

“The people that are traveling to go to places, I wanted them to have some food to eat, so they can enjoy the ride to the place that they’re going to stay at,” he told WJBF. “I wanted to be generous and live to give.”

According to CNN, this unique youngster stood patiently on the highway holding two handcrafted signs in order to get the attention of people driving out of harm’s way – in a day, he served some 100 evacuees.

But Jermaine didn’t stop at providing the frightened residents with physical nourishment, he also offered to assist them spiritually by asking, “want me to pray for you?”

“He actually even prayed for a family while they were here in reference to their house being OK when they got back, so that was really tear dropping,” Jermaine’s grandmother explained.

Jermaine added that he is still planning to “go [to] Animal Kingdom and see lots of lions and have a Lion King party,” after the storm…

Employees of an Odessa, Texas Chick-fil-a took customer service to a whole new level Aug. 31 during a shooting spree in their community that left seven dead and nearly two dozen injured.

As the tragedy unfolded, managers decided to close the restaurant early so employees could go home to be with their families. The employees opted instead to stay with their work-family to show a little kindness. They teamed up with a sister Chick-fil-a to make food for police working a shooting scene that spanned two cities.

“Absolutely blown away by this amazing team of people,” supervisors of the University Boulevard restaurant posted on its Facebook page. “After heartbreaking events in our community today we planned to close early and send our team home to be with their families. As they were walking out of the restaurant an opportunity to feed local law enforcement presented itself and they were given the option to help…not one person said no.”

They joined forces with a store in Odessa Town Center to cook 500 sandwiches and “packaged them with the most joyful hearts and a lot of love.”

The Facebook post included words of encouragement for police and offers of prayers for the community.

“Sometimes light in a dark world looks as simple as a hot chicken sandwich,” it continued. “We just couldn’t be prouder of these helpers and their…

Nearly half of college students believe the national motto, “In God We Trust,” should be removed from U.S. currency, according to a new survey. 

The poll of 1,001 college students found that 45 percent believe it should be removed and 53 percent say it should remain. The survey was conducted for The College Fix by College Pulse, a survey and analytics company.

The Supreme Court this year rejected a challenge to “In God We Trust” on currency and upheld a ruling by the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. In that earlier decision, the Eighth Circuit ruled the motto “does not compel citizens to engage in a religious observance.”

“Placing the motto on money is rationally related to the Government’s legitimate goal of honoring religion’s role in American life and in the protection of fundamental rights,” the Eighth Circuit ruled.

Further, the Eighth Circuit said, “The Supreme Court has long recognized the ‘unbroken history of official acknowledgment by all three branches of government of the role of religion in American life from at least 1789.’” The decision noted that the “[t]he First Congress made it an early item of business to appoint and pay official chaplains, and both the House and Senate have maintained the office virtually uninterrupted since that time.”

But many college students nevertheless want the motto…

NFL quarterback Drew Brees is facing criticism after he partnered with Christian organization Focus on the Family to promote “Bring Your Bible to School Day.”

“Bring Your Bible to School Day” has been taking place every year since 2014 and asks students to “celebrate religious freedom and share God’s love with their friends.”

In a promotional video posted by Focus on the Family, Brees encourages students to participate in the Oct. 3 event, Christian Headlines previously reported.

“Hey guys,” Brees says in the video, “one of my favorite verses in the Bible is 2 Corinthians 5:7, “For we live by faith, not by sight.”

“So I want to encourage you to live out your faith on ‘Bring your Bible to School Day’ and share God’s love with friends,” Brees adds. “You’re not alone.”

But some are criticizing the quarterback for partnering with Focus on the Family, which advocates for traditional marriage, according to CBN News.

Newsweek wrote an article titled: “Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints Quarterback, Records Video Produced by Anti-Gay Group Focus on the Family.”

Out Magazine published one titled, “NFL Quarterback Appears in Commercial for Anti-Gay Extremists,” and Big Easy Magazine wrote, “Drew Brees Records Video for Anti-LGBT Religious Organization.”

“Focus on the Family supports…

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders endorsed abortion to curb population growth during a town hall Wednesday, saying it’s a solution that would work “especially in poor countries” around the world.

Sanders and nine other Democrats took part in a CNN town hall on the climate, but it was Sanders’ comment about abortion that sparked the most pushback from pro-lifers. 

A woman from the audience said in her question to the Vermont senator: “Human population growth has more than doubled in the past 50 years. The planet cannot sustain this growth. I realize this is a poisonous topic for politicians, but it’s crucial to face. Empowering women and educating everyone on the need to curb population growth seems a reasonable campaign to enact. 

She then asked: “Would you be courageous enough to discuss this issue and make it a key feature of a plan to address climate catastrophe?”

“The answer is yes,” Sanders responded. “And the answer has everything to do with the fact that women in the United States of America, by the way, have a right to control their own bodies. And the Mexico City agreement, which denies American aid to those organizations around the world … that allow women to have abortions, or even get involved in birth control, to me is totally absurd. 

“So I think especially in poor countries around the world,” he…

Some areas in the Carolinas could potentially face 15 inches of rain as Hurricane Dorian continues its northward trajectory up the east coast. Dorian pelted Charleston, South Carolina with heavy winds and rain for most of the day on Thursday, the Post and Courier reports. Waterspouts moved onshore near Myrtle Beach and triggered a series of tornado warnings.

As of 10:00 PM Thursday night, Dorian was off the coast of North Carolina with maximum sustained winds of 100 MPH and was moving NE at 13 MPH, Weather Underground reports. While the eye of the storm remains over the Atlantic, tropical-storm-force winds extend over 200 miles from the center and hurricane-force winds extend almost 60 miles from the center.

The Governors of the two states are still preaching caution to their residents. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said Dorian’s arrival could bring “sustained winds up to 100 miles an hour, the threat of tornadoes and a high risk of dangerous flash floods.” Even though the worst of the storm had passed South Carolina, Governor Henry McMaster urged caution. According to the New York Times, he said, “We’re still battening down the hatches. When the wind stops, we still have to deal with the water, because the water’s going to last longer.” 

Dorian has weakened since it brought devastation to the Bahamas. Dorian was at category 5 strength when its forward motion…

Read more in Johnny Cash: The Redemption of an American Icon

Johnny Cash. The Man. The Legend. The Icon. “The Man in Black.” 

For nearly a half-century, Johnny Cash’s inimitable voice and songs provided the soundtrack to millions of American lives. Cash held a special place in our hearts as he was many things to many people: a master storyteller and a world-class embellisher; a drug addict and a social activist; a full-tilt party outlaw who secretly carried a Bible in his briefcase; a committed Christian who was both a sinner and saint; a tortured soul who sometimes pinballed between the two extremes.

In my new book, Johnny Cash: The Redemption of an American Icon, I unearthed many stories about the country music legend. Here are ten quick facts I discovered.

1. He was raised as a dirt-poor child in the Arkansas Delta in the midst of the Great Depression. Like the rest of his siblings, he picked cotton to help support his family. The work was monotonous, dirty and tiring – ten hours a day during harvest season. Cash was so prodigious, according to a childhood friend, that on a good day he could pick up to 300 pounds. 

2. Cash was introduced to music when he was just four years old. He was listening to an old Victrola playing a railroad song, “Hobo Bill’s Last Ride,” which began a lifelong affair not only for music but trains and America’s railway system. Throughout his…