14)"O Noche Santa" Jorge Rodríguez

Jorge Rodríguez is an Opera Student at UNAM from Coyoacán, Mexico City.  He has an awesome beard.  He enjoys photography and reading, but his primary passion is for music .  He sings tenore lirico leggiero.  Follow his art and like his page on Facebook.  

13)"Рождество" Joy Youth WSP

English Translation And About the Band Below...

О Группе:  Молодежная группа прославления церкви Радость (Joy Church) в г. Алматы, Казахстан.  Своей целью ребята считают благословение верующих их творчеством и служением, а также привносить большое влияние в мир музыки. Купи их последный диск От Ранней Зари доступен в iTunes, Google Play и Apple Music!

Song Lyrics:  

Christmas, given to us long ago
Hundreds of years from now, it will still be going on

And on the days that we needed love the most

The birth of God's son, Christmas came around

And in this divine hour

You hear the story

Of the birth of the Savior

What to compare with Him?

Tell the news to everyone.

We celebrate the King.

Joy Youth Worship is a worship team from Joy Church (Radost) in Almaty Kazakhstan.  All the members of the group spend a large portion of their time with the worship team.  Their purpose as they understand it is to bless Christians with their art and to make an impact in the world of music. Check out their latest album От Ранней Зари available now on iTunes or Google Play.  

12)"Emmanuel" Curtis Howard

Lyrics:

What can we do to save ourselves
There's no reprieve from this frozen hell
We sharpen our swords, we gather our men 
But how in this world can we slay our sin?

Emmanuel: Who's with us?

We begged for a king, you gave us our wish
We expected a warrior, who is this?
Pressed by the law, King Herod, and pride
We live in the dark, we need your light

Emmanuel: Who's with us?
Emmanuel: God with us

A baby is born
A star shows the way
The only Messiah is fast on His way
The ruler of all darkness will fall
Prepare your hearts for Emmanuel

Emmanuel: God With us

Curtis Howard is 19 year old worship leader in Dallas, TX. He's a big fan of guitar pedals and indie music, check out his guitar pedal blog @ pedals4theking.blogspot.com. He is currently attending The King's University in Southlake, and has set his heart on following God wherever He leads.

11)"migrant child" Kelvin Fowler

over a hundred miles they walked

refugees, foreigners

hungry, poor

suspicious, religious

tired, dirty, angry, hurting

they walked, they cried, they fled

one hundred miles, one hundred agonising miles

awoken in darkness

smelling fear

fled for their lives

fled for each other

fled for their child

fled

left behind

a madman, a tyrant

a home, toys, clothes, a cup

a dictatorship, death, destruction

left behind a life

death they fled

a lonely mother, lonely father

refugees walked

over one hundred miles

carrying their baby

their precious child

in their arms

a lonely refugee

Jesus

Kelvin Fowler is a Kiwi pastor, poet, writer, and artist who lives in Klaipėda, Lithuania. His exploits include numerous publications, poetry tours of the UK and Germany, and various adventures like those in his book Clueless in America. Check out more of Kelvin's work at supper.co.nz, including his latest book, Verses for the King.

10)"A Baby Was Born in Bethlehem" James Metelak

A Baby Was Born in Bethlehem

Cardboard pop.

Confetti.

Ribbons.

A baby was born today
A child was born in Bethlehem

His passport isn't recognized.

His home was bulldozed because his parents

Couldn't get a permit (systematic prejudice)

There was "no room at the inn"

Arabs didn't want him

Europe was afraid of him

Americans are arguing about who's the toughest on

Immigration

So he was born in a tent

In a refugee camp

They came bearing gifts and

Me, well,

I've got a bullet for you for Christmas

Mom and Dad aren't talking

And the presidents are telling us

Who can and can't be friends
Santa's naughty list

Depends on the news channel

You're watching

There's a bright light on the road to Damascus

A Mirage on the horizon

I was going to send you chocolate and oranges

But the sanctions just kicked in

Come New Year's we're praying

Our money will still be worth something

Dear mom and dad, we need your

Son to try to put back together the world

And one wonders how much difference there is

Between a jacket of C4 and a gun.

They came bearing gifts:

M-16s, AK-47s, Gas, Bombs

The drones are always watching

And the NSA's tracking your calls

The Saudi government wants your head

Cuz they don't like what your blog says

The tree is lined with barbed wire,

A flare on top,
Grenades hung from the branches,
A line of golden bullets wind around the bannister

And there's a Stinger launcher hung over the hearth.

Obama, Putin, and Hollande are laying an arsenal

Before the bassinet

Assad's bombing the village in hopes the baby won't grow up

And Rouhani and Saud and Erdogan are supporting their pet

Freedom-Fighterish Mobs

Asses bray violence,

Sheep baa-ing nationalism and fear,

Border fences and anti-Islamic sentiments

Angels sing the Battle Hymn of the Republic

There are not enough graves in the world

To hold the hate
And there's not enough water in the oceans

To drown the fear

My eyes are open and the answers are easy

And easily impossible

Goodwill to men,

Jesus, there will be no crown of thorns or cross,

No whip-streaked back for you

You're not gonna make it that far

The baby lies in ribbons on the ground

Rearrange the body's wreckage to spell out

Peace on Earth








James Metelak is a poet, singer-songwriter, photographer, and the primary editor of Headpiece.   Check out his book, The Great Word G-d, his latest album, photos, or a little bit of everything at his website.  He currently lives and works in an orphanage in Central Asia.  If you like this poem, look for his upcoming book, Reasons for Cutting the Power to a Large Section of America, coming 2016.   

9)"His Covering" Audrey Miller

This is titled "His Covering"

It was inspired by Revelation 3:18

"I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see."

This verse made me think of how when Jesus came he was naked. He did not come with glory or power or even clothes on his back. This was the image that came to my mind, that of a king taking off his royal mantle so that he could cover a cold, sickly beggar. Jesus divested himself of his kingship, like taking off a mantle so he could clothe us. He came to us when we were far worse than any beggar could be to cleanse, clothe and heal. How great is our God!

Audrey Miller is a Studio Art graduate of CSU Chico and one of the most joyful people I have ever met. She is currently a homemaker near Beale AFB in California. Check out her portfolio at Deviantart:

http://10time.deviantart.com/gallery/

8)"Suite Baby Jesus" Carl Nellis

***

Dear Jesus,

Is it better to put

Crap in the bible, or

Put bible verses on crap?

I can't decide, so I tried

Both.

Please let me know

Through my ROI.

Year-end is the

Best!

*** 

Dear Jesus,

I hope there are enough anxious

People to buy my book. If there aren't

Please scare a few more. THANKS.

***

Dear J,

Since I got

Away with this before I'm just

going to do it again. Glad

You approve!

***

Dear Jesus,

I didn't have enough

Plastic babies

In my house, so

I ordered

A few more.

They all have

Your eyes!
xo

*** 

Dear Jesus,

I really want

To be generous

This year, so,

God, I need to talk

With you about

Being emotionally

Manipulative

At the table.

God, I need to talk

About turning

People Into projects,

And vice

Versa.

God, I need to talk

About my slim

Leather wallet. That's

Where the problem

Lies.

***

Jesus, don’t stay in

that one. Come up to the

penthouse suite, baby,

we need to toast Q4.

I’ll give you a pour

of my Lagavulin 18

(the undertones are

incredible, it will blow

your dome!) and we

can look down on

the city lights. My

kind of Merry Christmas.

***

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Please help me

Not to think about

The dirty warehouses

Where all this stuff

Was getting dusty

For like six months

Before I bought

It. I mean, insects

And rodents. Gross.

And plus, someone

Might have gotten

Germs on it or something

(who would work

While they are sick? Like

Why would you even

Do that? It's so disrespectful

To customers!).

If there's, like, some

Sweat on it, please

wipe it off before

He opens it. I just

Want to give

a convenient present

and like, the best

Way was a one-click

Order. So what the wages

Of ease is unrest

Out of sight. Just

Keep it that way

Okay? Anyway,

Happy Birthday!

***

Carl Nellis is a steadfast friend, an excellent writer, and a beardly literary editor based in Beverly, MA.  Having finished graduate studies at Boston College, he enjoys tea, music, frisbee, and all things Scottish.  His profound and beautiful poems can be found at: http://laughingoverthesea.blogspot.com/ .  Look for his book "Lesser Wheels" coming 2016.