The Pumpkins

One of my favorite traditions Chad and I started the first year we were married was going to a pumpkin patch, picking at least one pumpkin, and then carving it! Here are our pumpkins from this year. Chad carved the one on the left. It is Chibi-Robo a character from a video game. Mine is the one on the right. It is a Koopa Trooper, the turtle like bad guys from the video game series, Super Mario Bros.

The Rain

It has been raining here in the Charlotte, NC area for the past few days. I like the rain! I don't think that too many people can say that. And that is probably why I survived 4 years in the Portland area of Oregon where it rains 6-9 months of the year.
First of all we need the rain here. We have been on water restrictions and the grass has been brown for a long time. I am thankful that God is providing the rain for this area.
Secondly, the fall rain has come to mean so much to me. In Oregon the rain starts between mid September and early October. Fall is my favorite time of the year. I love the drop in temperature and the leaves. The rain brings memories of my fall times in Oregon where my husband, Chad, and I would go to a corn maze with friends and pick out a pumpkin. And once the rain started I knew that Thanksgiving and Christmas were just around the corner! The holidays have always a wonderful time for me. I've always been happy and excited to decorate the house and spend time with friends and family! There's nothing like hot chocolate, a big blanket, friends or family, and a good movie (or game).
One of the knew fall tradition that has started since Chad and I have moved back is sitting outside in the evening in front of the fire...I mentioned this in my last post, "The Father". This has been a good relaxing time with my family.
This rain has been a blessing for this part of the earth and for my spirit! Even though I am not in rainy Oregon I love the memories and look forward to new ones. I simply love the feeling I get each year when the fall season hits. Most people look forward to the summer...but I truly look forward to the fall. I'd say that the fall brings me warm-fuzzies!
I am so thankful for this time of year! God is truly amazing!

The Father

I'm just starting to re-read "Your God is Too Small" by JB Phillips. (If you haven't read it I encourage you to read it and challenge your view of God). This book describes different ways people see God. It is a challenging book because God is a huge God and it is hard for us to fit Him in our finite minds. One of the views is about the analogy of God as our Father. Anyway, this lead me to look at my relationship with my dad and how that relates my view of God as my spiritual Father. I know that my dad is human and therefore, imperfect. I know that God is perfect. So in looking back at how my relationship with my dad has changed and grown throughout the years of my life, I can only see more and more how much he loves me. If my imperfect dad loves me so much, then how much more does my perfect heavenly Father love me. This is absolutely amazing to me because my dad loves me more than I can fathom....so it almost makes my brain explode trying to grasp how much God loves me.
Another thing I started think about while contemplating what this book said and my dad, was how my dad interacts with me. God says that we are to be like children. But He doesn't want us to be immature. My dad held me as a baby...I couldn't do anything for myself. Then he watched me grow and helped me along. I used to need him for so much. Now I need his wisdom and fatherly friendship. I don't think God wants us to stay babies....what kind of relationship would that be? He wants us to grow up so we can have conversations with Him! He wants us to love Him and want to be with Him. My dad and I can now sit on the patio around the chimenea (outdoor fire thing) and talk about whatever. Sometimes we are silent, my dad smoking his cigar and me sipping my tea just watching the fire blaze both knowing the we are together and that's good.
God wants to have a real relationship with us! I'm not positive, but I don't think my dad would want to go back to where I was 2 years old...I think he would miss what we have now. God wouldn't want me to stay a new Christian, He wants me to mature into a strong Christian who converses with Him and strives to learn more about Him. And even just be silent knowing that God is with me and that is good.

The title

I read my friend Kristen's blog. Then I was sitting here, reading "Your God is Too Small" by JB Phillips, and I started thinking. Then I realized I had no one to share my thoughts with. I know I can share them with friends and my husband and my parents. However, none of them are here with me now and by the time I see them my thoughts will be lost in the whirlwind we call life. So I decided that Kristen was smart having a blog and maybe I should follow in her wise ways.
I went to set this blog up and got stuck at the title. I usually can create titles, usernames, etc. for other people, but tend to get stuck when its for me. I called my dad, he always has ideas. He said, "The Lampshade". I paused, confused. He then explained it to me and I thought it was just what I wanted to convey.
Basically, as a Christian I believe that I am called to shine Christ to others. I should be an unshaded lamp, shining so bright that no one can miss it! However, I'm human and the stuff of my life shades that lamp. This blog will have all kinds of posts...posts about Chad, my husband, and my life; spiritual things; probably some frivolous stuff too.
I don't intend on accomplishing anything with this blog. I just want to put things down and hear what others have to say. And maybe to keep friends kept up on my life.