My wife has remarked more than once since we've been in North Dakota that for some reason people around here seem to really like seafood. Now I'm not sure if people in western North Dakota enjoy shrimp and calamari on the whole more than those in other parts of the country (my parents go out for seafood about once a week) but it does seem like fishing is a popular hobby (along with other outside sports) and so maybe there's something to it. What I do know for sure though is that apparently at least people around Bismarck don't mind getting their seafood in an unusual way. I believe its once a week (and maybe only certain times of the year) but a semi-truck packed with seafood parks at one of the gas stations in Bismarck and people line up with their igloo coolers to purchase seafood! A while ago I had read about this in the paper but had not witnessed it in person until this past Sunday while we were in Bismarck. There was the semi and there was a sizeable line of people with their ice-chests waiting for the opportunity to buy up crab legs and salmon fillets...suffice it to say we didn't join them!
Also while we were in Bismarck we saw the new Narnia movie "Prince Caspian." I thought the movie stayed true to most of the storyline of the book (including important aspects like doubting Aslan and the pride of the mice). However, they also added in quite a bit that (as I remember) was not in the book (like the unecessary smooch). All-in-all we enjoyed it and would recommend it to families (though there's a bit of war violence). Definitely read the book or do what we did recently and get ahold of the CDs and listen to it during a road trip.
Lately I have rediscovered the wonders of ebay. As a pastor with a limited book budget (but a much longer book list), I have found some very good deals on this popular auction site that has enabled me to stretch my book budget. But I have also found that it can be a big waste of time. I was convicted both by the wisdom of my wife as well as the words of D.A. Carson's mom in his book "Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor." She said "Work hard and play hard but don't confuse the two." Some struggle with workaholism, I don't. I tend to procrastinate knowing that I can get things done at the last minute (although not nearly as well as if I planned ahead). This includes being easily distracted when I should be concentrating on the work God's called me to. Please pray for me to strive to work hard, not procrastinate or succomb to distraction.
The sermon this week was on Matthew 6:1-18 and was entitled "An audience of One." The main point was that not only are we to pursue perfection in our lives (i.e. avoiding sin) but also in our service to God are we to pursue praising Him and not seeking to receive praise from man for ourselves. The audio is posted here. Please pray for an upcoming church outreach "Worship in the Park" service we're hosting on Sunday 6/22 and wisdom for me in leading a non-Christian couple through pre-marital counseling and then marrying them in October.
By God's Grace, Jeff
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