Way of the Master Basic Training Course Giveaway

Need to grow in the area of evangelism? If so, take the time to visit the Boundless Line. This morning they announced they'll be giving away one, brand-new copy of The Way of the Master Basic Training Course by Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort. You'll find all the information you need to enter here.

While you're at it, click over to Boundless webzine and read the recent Mentor Series interview with Kirk and Ray.

Audio Adrenaline Extends Farewell Tour

While I'm not personally a big Audio Adrenaline fan, I thought it was worth noting that the band announced plans to extend their farewell tour. I guess saying goodbye is hard to do.

In a recent press release, Hoganson Media Relations stated:

After seeing the excitement from the fans during the fall leg of the Coming Up to Breathe Tour, MercyMe asked Audio Adrenaline to continue touring with them into the spring. "When MercyMe asked us to extend our farewell tour into 2007, we weren't sure what we were going to do," said Audio Adrenaline member Will McGinniss. "We had been planning to end in 2006, and all four of us were busy trying to figure out what we would do after AudioA ended. Tyler and Ben had already found other gigs, but with their blessing, we decided to carry on in the spring of 2007 to be able to see a few more fans one more time."

Accepting MercyMe's invitation, AudioA extends its fall touring with an encore 40-city winter/spring tour that kicks off February 16 in Tulsa, OK and wraps up April 28 at the final farewell concert in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The complete tour schedule can be found on the band's official website.

Cooke Addresses "The Dreaded 'J' Word"

In this month's issue of Charisma Magazine, media consultant and columnist Phil Cooke discusses the issue of "judging." He writes:

The view that we have no business judging other believers has become pervasive in the church today. The truth is, the Scripture from Matthew 7:1, "Do not judge" (NIV), has been widely misunderstood. Did Jesus really mean that we should never judge others?

It's interesting that when you examine Scripture, it's not just the act of judging that Jesus is talking about; it's also our attitude while doing it. Common sense tells us that making judgments is an important part of life. Whom our children play with, what church we attend, where we work and whom we associate with all are judgments.

However, today the culture tries to convince us that tolerance is the highest virtue. "Who are we to judge?" is the rallying cry of deviant behavior, heretical teaching and immoral living. Without proper criticism and judgment, living in real community would become impossible.

The question becomes, How do we judge like Jesus, and how can we be sure that love, repentance and restoration are the standards we use?

He goes on to lay out three guidlines which include:

1. Start with Scripture.
2. Lose the beam.
3. Judge results not people.

It's interesting that under the third point, he speaks of first examining within the church before "judging" mainstream culture. He writes, "The truth is, the church today has it backward. We spend too much time criticizing the outside culture, and not enough time examining the church."

What are your thoughts on this? Do you think there is a place for "the dreaded 'j' word"? Can Christians practice judgment, specifically among themselves, without it falling into the category of legalism?