Audrey Assad - Known

This is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard.  Not only does the music sound incredible, but the lyrics deeply touch my heart.  How wonderful to be "known"  by our Savior and Lord in this way.  As David says in Psalm 139, "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me." 

Psalm 139:1-6 NIV

You have searched me, LORD,
   and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
   you perceive my thoughts from afar.
 You discern my going out and my lying down;
   you are familiar with all my ways.
 Before a word is on my tongue
   you, LORD, know it completely.
 You hem me in behind and before,
   and you lay your hand upon me.
 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
   too lofty for me to attain.

KNOWN by Audrey Assad and Philip Larue

As the dew falls on the blade
You have touched all this fragile frame
And as a mother knows her baby’s face
You know me, You know me

As the summer air within my chest
I have breathed You deep down into my breast
And as You know the hairs upon my head
Every thought and every word I’ve said
Every thought and every word I’ve said

Savior, You have known me as I am
Healer, You have known me as I was
As I will be in the morning, in the evening
You have known me, yeah, You know me

Oh, and as the exhilaration of autumn’s bite
Oh, You have brought these tired bones to brilliant life
And as the swallow knows, she knows the sky
This is how it is with You and I
Oh, this is how it is with You and I

From the fall of my heart to the resurrection of my soul
You know me, God, and You know my ways
In my rising and my sitting down
You see me as I am, oh, see me as I am

And as a lover knows his beloved’s heart
All the shapes and curves of her even in the dark
Oh, You have formed one in my inward parts
And You know me, You know me, yes

Savior, You, You have known me as I am
Oh, healer, You have known me as I was
As I will be in the morning, in the evening
You have known

You have known me, in the morning, in the evening
You’ve known me, God
In the morning, in the evening You have known me
Yeah, You’ve know me

You have always known me
You know me, God, You have known me
You have always known my heart

Wild Olive Hoodie Giveaway!! Ends March 1, 2011

To celebrate their new, limited-run hoodie, Wild Olive Tees is giving away 5 of these super soft, lightweight sweatshirts.  Be sure to hurry, because the giveaway ends March 1, 2011.  Go to Wild Olive Tees to sign up for the giveaway!

Hillsong - From the Inside Out

                                             
There is so much that could be said about this incredibly powerful song, but I think I'll just let it speak for itself, and pray that it blesses you and touches your heart as much as it does mine.

Sweet Blessings,
Michelle

Francesca Battistelli - Forever Love - Acoustic Version

This is one of the songs from Francesca's first CD, My Paper Heart.  I love it!  It's such a pretty love song to God. 

I've been listening to her new album, Hundred More Years, for about a week now, and I must say, I can't wait to get the actual CD into my hands.  I've preordered it, so I'm really looking forward to getting the mail on March 1st!  If you want to listen to the CD before it comes out, you can follow this link . . . Francesca Battistelli | Listen to the New Album when you Share!
After you enter your email address, you can listen to the first three songs.  If you share the link on twitter or facebook, you can listen to the entire CD!  Really great stuff!  Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Book Review: Courting Morrow Little by Laura Frantz (5 Stars)

Synopsis:
Caught between the wilderness and civilization, Morrow Little must find her way to true love. Morrow Little is haunted by the memory of the day her family was torn apart by raiding Shawnee warriors. Now that she is nearly a grown woman and her father is ailing, she must make difficult choices about the future. Several men--ranging from the undesired to the unthinkable--vie for her attentions, but she finds herself inexplicably drawn to a forbidden love that both terrifies and intrigues her. Can she betray the memory of her lost loved ones--and garner suspicion from her friends--by pursuing a life with him? Or should she seal her own misery by marrying a man she doesn't love?

This sweeping tale of romance and forgiveness will envelop you as it takes you from a Kentucky fort through the vast wilderness of the West.

My Review:
Love bears all things in this magnificent novel!

Upon the recommendation of a dear friend, I read this magnificent book! The characters and setting are written in such a way that captures your heart, and never lets it go! The story is unique, and I have never read another that is quite like it. I could see everything so clearly in my mind's eye, due to the fact that Laura Frantz is an exceptional writer, with an amazing talent for creating a scene and making you FEEL the emotion of the characters.

Though this is not a time period that I was very familiar with, Laura gives just the right amount of historical information, and she blends it perfectly with the story. I was so captivated by Morrow's story, and so drawn in to the romance. The passionate moments were so well done that they took my breath away! I could feel the love and longing that Morrow felt for her forbidden love, and it kept me turning pages long into the night.

Courting Morrow Little is so well written, and I highly recommend to all! This love story is one not to be missed!

Book Review: The Lightkeeper's Daughter by Colleen Coble (4 Stars)

Stunning Cover!

Synopsis:
Growing up as the lightkeeper's daughter on a remote island at the turn of the century, Addie Sullivan has lived a hardscrabble life. When a long-lost and wealthy relative finds her and enlists her to work as a governess at a lavish estate, she hopes to discover the truth of her heritage. But at Eaton Hall, nothing is as it seems. Not the idyllic family she hoped for, not the child she was hired to help, not even the aloof man she's immediately attracted to. Soon she must turn for help to Lieutenant John North, a man who views her with suspicion.
As Addie edges closer to the truth, danger threatens even as her romance with John blossoms and together they unravel a decades-old mystery. As Addie faces down her enemy, she discovers that faith in her one true Father is all she needs.

My Review: This is book 1 in the Mercy Falls series by Colleen Coble. This was my first novel by Colleen Coble, and I enjoyed it very much. The story drew me in right from the start. The one negative thing that I do have to say is that I did have a hard time keeping all of the characters straight in the beginning. Sometimes a character would be referred to by their first name, and other times by Mr. ____ or Mrs. ____. Just a little confusing, but not too major to detract from enjoying the story.

The setting was beautifully described in great detail, so much so that it vividly came to life in my mind as I read. The mystery and suspense were woven into the story in such a way that kept me guessing until the very end. Of course, I had some ideas as I read, but I wasn't able to completely figure it out. I like that the story wasn't predictable.

The spiritual part of the story was very well done, and naturally blended into the story line. It wasn't a huge part of the story, but Addie's faith and dependence on God throughout the novel certainly added a layer to the story that I enjoyed very much.

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy Christian Historical fiction. It was an interesting and satisfying read, and I will certainly read more novels by this talented author. 

We Have a WINNER!

The results are in!  We have a winner in the Julie Lessman "True Romance" giveaway!  And the winner is . . .

Charlotte Kay!

Thank you to everyone for showing your support to Julie, and for checking out my new blog!  And a big THANK YOU to Julie for sharing her time with us, and offering this fabulous giveaway!  You're such a fantastic lady, Julie, and I know I speak for all of us when I say . . . we love you, girl!  Sweetest blessings to you, my dear friend.  

"True Romance" by Julie Lessman + Book GIVEAWAY

Welcome to my new Sweet Treats & Inspiration blog!  I'm so glad that you decided to join me today, because you're in for a "sweet treat" indeed!  On a day when many are thinking about love and romance, Julie Lessman has graciously offered to be my guest, and share her thoughts on "True Romance".  And for those of us who can't get enough of Julie's writing, it's a happy, happy day here in the blogging world!  In addition, one lucky winner will receive a signed copy of one of Julie Lessman's novels (see rules at the end of this post).  The winner can choose from A Passion Most Pure, A Passion Redeemed, A Passion Denied, A Hope Undaunted, or A Hope Revealed) YES!!  You heard that right!!  A Heart Revealed which comes out September 2011.

AUTHOR BIO FOR JULIE LESSMAN

Julie Lessman is an award-winning author whose tagline of “Passion With a Purpose” underscores her intense passion for both God and romance. Winner of the 2009 ACFW Debut Author of the Year and Holt Medallion Awards of Merit for Best First Book and Long Inspirational, Julie is also the recipient of 13 Romance Writers of America awards and was voted by readers as “Borders Best of 2009 So Far: Your Favorite Fiction” at http://www.borders.com/online/store/ListView_best2009favefiction. She resides in Missouri with her husband, daughter, son and daughter-in-law and is the author of “The Daughters of Boston” series, which includes A Passion Most Pure, A Passion Redeemed, and A Passion Denied. Her “Winds of Change” series has recently released with A Hope Undaunted, which ranked #5 on Booklist’s Top 10 Inspirational Fiction for 2010. You can contact Julie through her website at www.julielessman.com.

 

True Romance by Julie Lessman

I have a confession to make: I am addicted to romance. I suppose that’s not as bad as being addicted to Twinkies or Ho Hos because at least it won’t slap extra pounds on my hips. But it does compel me to hunt down romance in every conceivable form like a heat-seeking missile. Books, movies, date night with my husband or just getting a “fix” by writing my own romantic novel—to me, it’s all good.

So when one of my Seeker buds, Myra Johnson, asked me to do a guest blog a few years back on something romantic in my marriage, I strained my brain trying to come up with some romantic event that was so sensational that sighs of envy would drift forth into cyberspace. But the honest-to-God truth is that my husband has never danced with me in the dining room (a la Janet Dean) or hidden a piece of jewelry in a fortune cookie like Gail Martin’s clever hubby. True, Keith brings me coffee almost every morning, holds my hand in the car, and sent me roses when I gave birth to his son and daughter. But as far as a heart-melting, knee-weakening moment that swept me off my feet, I was alarmed to realize that I—a card-carrying romantic—was drawing a blank.

That got me thinking—hard! I mean, I’ve been married over 32 years to this wonderful man and consider our relationship to be one of the most romantic I have ever seen. But I can’t validate that with stories that would qualify for the Romance Hall of Fame. So what makes our relationship so special, I wondered?

Well, to answer that, we have to talk about what romance is really all about. To me, it’s being cherished, loved, made to feel like I am the most precious thing to my mate, which is basically Ephesians 5:25 in a nutshell—Husbands, love your wives. It’s why romance is the top-selling genre in the fiction market with 13.2 percent market share and 1.36 BILLION in sales in 2009. Because pure and simple—women want to be cherished, a subject I explore in more depth in a recent blog I wrote for my group blog, The Seekers, entitled “Stupid in Love” (http://seekerville.blogspot.com/2011/02/stupid-in-love-bookcritique-giveaway.html).

All of a sudden, I realized that my husband does that for me every day of my life. A tender look, a lingering kiss or just spooning at night. Telling me he never gets tired of being with me (yeah, I know, his boredom threshold must be pretty high), or dancing with me at weddings when I know he’d rather have a root canal. And then there were all those times he supported me and took my side in front of the kids, even when I was wrong. Followed by gentle conviction and prayer when we were alone. It’s a big, hulking guy reading my debut novel instead of Sports Illustrated and then tearing up when tragedy befalls a favorite character. It’s swooning at the sink when he kisses me from behind, purposely mimicking a scene in my book. It’s a man who makes me feel pretty, sexy and like I am the moon and the stars to him, and who tells me life with me is never dull.

Yes, my name is Julie Lessman, and I am a romance addict. And my husband is my biggest supplier.

* * * * * * * * *

Julie!  Thank you so much for being my special guest today, and helping get my blog off to a fantastic start!

Oh happy day!  Now is your chance to win a signed copy of any of Julie Lessman's novels (A Passion Most Pure, A Passion Redeemed, A Passion Denied, A Hope Undaunted, or A Hope Revealed).  To get yourself entered into the drawing, all you need to do is leave a comment that includes your email address.  

NO EMAIL ADDRESS = NO WIN

You also have a chance to receive two extra entries by doing one, or both, of the following,(please leave a separate comment for each entry) . . .

+ 1 entry ~ Become a follower of Sweet Treats & Inspiration.
+ 1 entry ~ Post this contest on your facebook wall. 

Contest is only open in the U.S. and void where prohibited.  Chances of winning are based on the number of entries and winner is drawn from a non-biased third party - Random.org.  After I email the winner, they will have 72 hours to contact me with their address.  I am not responsible for any lost or damaged item for this prize.

Thank you for entering!  Contest ends February 16, 2011 at 11:59 PM PST.

JJ Heller - What Love Really Means -Official Music Video

     As many times as I've heard this beautiful song by JJ Heller, I never tire of it. It speaks of a message of God's love for us, that leaves me in awestruck wonder everyday! Words cannot describe the amazing gift that He has given us in Jesus Christ. We can come to Him just as we are, and the love is unconditional. We don't have to "fix ourselves up" to receive the most beautiful gift ever given.  The gift is for everyone, and no one is excluded.  He "loves me for me", and I don't even have to earn it; Praise God for that!

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  Romans 5:8 NKJV