Lingering Christmas Album Giveaway!

This Christmas season we are celebrating Advent as a family in a way we never have before. The Advent season is a time for expectant waiting and celebration in anticipation of the coming of our Lord Jesus. This is the first time I've really engaged my heart in the concept of waiting and anticipating. I find myself expecting miracles and rejoicing in the promises of God in a new way. I find myself resting and feeling and pondering and reflecting.

In fact, that is my word for this season: Reflection.

And this word has especially impacted my listening preference this Christmas season. My playlist is full of emotional, nostalgic, reminiscent carols and works that often bring tears to my eyes and sighs to my lips. I love allowing my heart to feel and to feel deeply.

So when my friend, Karla Adolphe, started talking about making a Christmas EP a few months ago, my heart skipped and twirled at the notion of what could be. And, dear friends, she did not disappoint!

Talk about waiting with great anticipation! As she started planning and producing, Karla shared on her blog about the process and kept her friends and fans updated on social media with teasers and tidbits that kept me on the edge of my seat. I was especially intrigued when she released the name of the album: Lingering. This so perfectly accompanies my posturing of reflection this season and I could not wait to get this in my ears and let my heart linger in the haunting beauty of Karla's voice and heart.

Karla released this 5 song EP on Monday, December 1, available to download for only $6! I passionately implore you to go download it right now and get it in your ears.

All 5 songs on Lingering are downright magical! Four of them are some of my all-time-favorite classic carols and one is an original work that I adore. Truly, this woman is an artist! I am inspired and mesmerized by how she has taken liberties and added her own flare to the songs I love so much without losing the integrity of the melodies or the nostalgia of the music. Her original song, "All Your Glory," is raw and deep and stirs emotions in me I didn't know I wanted to feel. The way she uses words to express the deepest things in my own heart gets me every time. I am blown away by her talent again again and with this album she has raised the bar once more by playing every musical track you hear! That's right, she is the only instrumentalist on the album. I love the way she pushes herself and works to hone her craft. Her humility and genuine excitement are just beautiful reminders of what an amazing person and treasure she is.

I have the privilege of offering a giveaway of this album here on my blog. In fact, I am giving away 2 free downloads! Here's how you can enter to win one of the downloads for yourself:

You will receive one entry for each of the following actions; you can enter up to 2 times on my blog and once a day on Twitter or Facebook. The winners will be drawn by random selection and announced on Wednesday, December 10, at 3:00 pm, MST.

1. Comment on this blog post. I'd love to hear your thoughts, your favorite Christmas carols, what word you have for yourself this Christmas season, or a favorite Christmas memory!
2. Share this blog post on Facebook or Twitter. Please be sure to use the hashtags #mackushlingeringgiveaway and #lingering in your post so I can keep track of your entries.

Book Review: Stones of Remembrance by Julie Presley

Stones of Remembrance

I just read the first novel I have picked up in a few years.
Cover to cover.
In one day.
Yeah, it was that good!

Julie Presley has done a brilliant job of depicting a heart-wrenching, core-touching story that has so much genuine, down-to-earth reality about the ups and downs of journeying with Jesus and the risky business of Kingdom living. With poise and grace, she takes you into the real sticky aspects of life, from tragic loss to passionate connection.

It seems like so many "Christian" books present this fluffy, happy, cliche idea of what it looks like to go through this life, with its many unexpected twists and turns, as a believer in Jesus. This book is bold and messy and so full of every legitimate emotion known to man. It paints a raw picture of the Father's pursuit of His beloved children and the response of two very real people with very real heartache, doubts, struggles, and grief.

I cried; I gasped; my jaw dropped; my heart raced; I laughed; and at the end I threw my arms in the air and cheered with tears streaming down my face.

I think every woman I know should read this book and pass it on to her girl friends. It isn't every day that such a treasure becomes available to us that is able to unlock longings of love lost and hope regained that we thought would never see daylight again. The practical truth of the dialog found within will make your heart sing a new song and throw you into a frantic run to your Daddy's arms, where He will hold you tight and make you whole.



This book is available as a paperback or as an e-Book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or directly from Julie's website. I urge you to get ahold of it and let it get ahold of you!

I'm even doing a giveaway of a copy of the e-Book, so you could get it for free! All you have to do is share this review on your Facebook page, Re-Tweet it, or RePin it before midnight Saturday, Sept. 22, to be entered to win.