Smile Up

In the few emails my brother and I have sent to each other (we talk on the phone more than email) Frank has put "Smile Up" as the last thing in the email. I've always liked the phrase. I've used it myself in email and such. But I don't think I really got it until today!
I knew that Frank was saying "Smile up to God", but I think I finally got the significance of it. I was sitting here at my desk at work, no phone calls coming in, and I was reading some friends' blogs. All good things in them. One friend had song lyrics by my brother, Frank. My mind for some reason went to that phrase Frank uses, "Smile Up". I kept reading blogs and "Smile Up" kept coming to my mind. I did. Literally, I close my eyes, took a deep breath, leaned my head back and smiled UP! I cleared my mind except for thinking of smiling at God and I was filled with joy and peace. In fact, I think I might have giggled a little!
I was having a bad day today. I had to wake up early to take Chad to the airport for a 4 day business trip, I have sinus pressure/pain, I'm fighting a cold or something, I'm now at work, our house isn't sold yet...the list could go on. But instead of letting the list ramble on and my spirit fall deeper into the pit, I smiled up.
I hope that I can remember next time I'm feeling depressed or overwhelmed to take a few seconds or minutes to smile up at God and remember that He is in control and He will never let me go. Now that's something to smile about!
No, thinking about God's awesomeness and love doesn't take our problems away, but it sure does make them seem like something I can handle with God at my side!

Well...Smile Up. Let God pour Himself out on your soul! And I mean literally look God square in the face and SMILE!

The Old Man

I think I'm going to have a lot of posts from this book I'm reading. J.B. Phillips' book, "Your God is Too Small" is just a good reminder for me on who God is and how big He is!
Another view of God is God as a Grand Old Man, basically God is old and doesn't understand the complexities of modern day. I don't think I've ever had this view of God. This is a good thing and is probably due to my parents and growing up in our church in New Jersey. But I can see how many people could have this view. Many churches portrait this view by talking as if God is far away and using religious talk that no one would ever use today, and singing hymns with words like "doth" and "thou" and with tunes that sound like funeral dirges. (Not all hymns are this way.) From churches stuck in the days of yore, one could easily think that God is stuck back there too.
While it is important to know the Bible stories, it is also important to remember that God is just as active in the here and now as He was then. I sometimes feel that maybe God was more active in Bible times, but that's not true at all. He is very active right now. God has provided for Chad and I in ways that we couldn't have imagined. He healed me from asthma and kept me from being burnt in a fire when I was a child. He kept me from death several times in Africa. I should never wonder if God is active in this day and age!
I think that sometimes Sunday school teachers forget to teach the kids that God does miracles now too, not just in the stories. If God needed to have me swallowed by a giant fish so I would listen to Him...He could and would. Thankfully that hasn't happened. But I think this is a point that is sometimes forgotten and it is no wonder that people see God as being old. JB Phillips mentions a group of teenagers who were asked if God understands radar, all answered "no". Well, of course he does. He's the one who gave us the minds and creativity to come up with radar and all the other technology we have.
This was just a really good reminder that God is very active, He is God!

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.