Here are today’s dispatches from the crossroads of faith, media and culture.

1.  Rick Bieber on a mission. Mission Pictures International has inked a three-picture production deal with Rick Bieber,  the writer,director and producer of the Golden Crescent Best Film award-winning film The 5^th Quarter. The movies will be co-produced by Mission’s Cindy Bond and Chevonne O’Shaughnessy.

The 5^th Quarter, which stars Aidan Quinn, Andie McDowell and Ryan Merriman, is based on a true story that began with a tragic fatal car crash that took the life of fifteen-year-old Luke Abbate. Wearing Luke’s number 5 jersey, his brother Jon leads his underdog Wake Forest Demon Deacons to the ACC Championship, the most successful season in their 105-year history. The inspirational film was released in theaters last March and is currently available on Blu-Ray and DVD via Fox Home Entertainment.  The inspirational film garnered over a dozen festival awards and has been endorsed by The Dove Foundation.

Speaking about the deal, Bieber says “I was immediately drawn to Cindy and Chevonne’s shared belief that important movies can not only entertain, but teach and hopefully inspire as well…They have been great partners, and I’m very excited about now extending our relationship to include co-producing a new slate of films together.”

In addition to the The 5^th Quarter, Bieber also directed, co-wrote and produced the biopic Crazy, about legendary guitarist Hank Garland. That film stars Waylon Payne (Walk the Line) and Ali Larter (Heroes) and has collected seventeen major festival awards.

 Along with the production of over 30 television and cable movies, Bieber has also produced or executive produced several feature films including Aurora Borealis (starring Josh Jackson, Juliette Lewis and Donald Sutherland), Flatliners (directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Julia Roberts, Keifer Sutherland, Kevin Bacon, William Baldwin and Oliver Platt), Made in America (starring Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Danson), Radio Flyer (directed by Dick Donner and starring Elijah Wood, Lorraine Bracco and John Heard), Hard Promises (starring William Peterson and Sissy Spacek) and The Illusion (starring Michael Goorjian and Kirk Douglas), among others.

Encourage one another and build each other up – 1 Thessalonians 5:11