19)Brittany Brasher "Unexpected"

Lyrics:

You came to earth through the process of birth

Covered in blood

Entrusting yourself to two young human beings 

Being with us 

Emmanuel 

Living for us and then

Dying for us 

Covered in blood

Then victorious over death picking us up out of our muck

Hallelujah 

You are the King of heaven 

Adored by angels and all creation

And still you came to us 

In the most humble of ways 

All to save us

Hallelujah 

You are the King of heaven 

And still you chose to die for us 

In the most humiliating way

All to save us

What can we say?

We join with the angels and sing

Holy

Brittany Brasher is a singer-songwriter who lives in Oklahoma with her amazing husband and two adorable boys.

18)JJStreetPh: Christmas in Germany

 

JJstreetPH is a creative street photographer based in Germany from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.  Check out her work on Facebook and Instagram!

17)Aven Nasr: Portraits from Kurdistan

 Aven Nasr is a recent graduate and a 22-year old freelance photographer and videographer based in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq.  She likes to travel, especially to search of things to take pictures of.  Check out more of her work on Instagram, 500px, or Facebook.

16)Sowjanya Bora "New Year's Eve"

The naiveness of the morning sky,

Often leaves me wondering

About those winter sun kissed horizons.

Looking at the calm dark green silhouette

Of the forest across the way makes me think

Silence can be beautifully

Bewildering upon the winter winds.

A translucent sheet of shimmering snow.

A warm light beam gleaming from the little coffee

Shop ‘round the corner,

Chinese lanterns hung

upon those window panes,

Light flickering in frosted fenestra.

Stories about darkened mornings

With knitted scarves wrapped

Beneath a bright little pink nose,

Such cold that fireworks freeze in mid-air.

It's all about the clock and its hands.

It's time to fall out in love again.

Time to write poems to the crescent moon,

To swoon upon those indigo candle flames.

Will tomorrow's sunrise

Be a little brighter?

Will the moonlight`s dazzle be

A little more pretty?

Midnight on New Year’s is

Both an end and a beginning,

More of a transition:

The thrill of the cheer.

The night carries on,

Song after song,

And as the clock strikes,

So does a glimpse

Of hope.

Sowjanya Bora is a medical student at the Osh State International Medical Faculty.   She says: "From childhood I have been very much into literature..I`m someone who is constantly trying to understand my place in the world and literature is the best way that I have found in order to see myself. I look at the mountains and the fields and the city and I say “Oh My God,” what a blessing."

15)Ana Flašker "Peace On Earth"

Photographs by Ana Flašker

 Ana Flašker is a nomadic soul, but along her journey she's found and captured a number of "places of peace" around the globe.

 #01 Sometimes climbing up a mountain rewards you with a view of the autumn colors and a sea of clouds.

Lagodekhi, Georgia

 #02 Trees usually don’t grow in the sand, but sometimes they do.  The Latvian coast and beaches are a combination of white sand, pine trees and grass. If you are lucky you can also find some amber.

Liepaja, Latvia

#03 Lithuania is one of the flattest countries in Europe, with its highest point under 300 m. There are countless fields of wheat and rye. I spent couple of days enjoying the colors of the countryside.

Šeduva, Lithuania

 #04 All teas (green, black, white, gray and gold) come from two different types of bushes, the rest is just a question of which part of the leaf is used and how it is fermented. The Cameron Highlands are the most famous tea region in Malaysia, and they are surrounded by plenty of jungle and mountains.

Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

 #05 It’s amazing how humans can change the landscape of an entire valley, resulting in stunning “land art”. All the rice in Sapa is planted  and maintained by hand.

Sapa, Vietnam

#06 Vang Vieng might be known as a party city, but as soon as you leave the town you can find plenty of caverns and colorful landscapes in the surrounding mountains.

Vang Vieng, Laos

#07 Thailand is not just full of beaches and palm trees. This is the sunset 

from Thailand's highest peak, Doi Inthanon (2565 m).

Doi Inthanon, Thailand

 #08 While this picture may looks quiet and peaceful, there seemed to be a million people squeezing next to the pond at sunrise at Angkor Wat all hoping to snap the same sunrise picture ...

Siem Reap, Cambodia

#09 In Kyrgyzstan almost everyone outside the capital has a horse. Animals are big part of people’s lives. Song Kul lake lies at 3000 m above sea level in central Kyrgyzstan, surrounded by the mountains, yurts and animals.

Song Kul, Kyrgyzstan

#10 While coastal part of China is overcrowded, the west can be pretty wild. The Xinjiang region is three times bigger than Spain but home to less than half the number of people.

Sayram Lake, China

#11 The landscapes by the Yangshuo river are amazing even in the rain. The hills by the river are also on the 20 ¥ banknote.

Guilin, China

 

#12 The most photographed church in Georgia--Gergeti Trinity church--from the back side.

Kazbegi, Georgia

 

#13 The Loi Krathong Lantern Festival is celebrated every year on the full moon of the 12th month of the Thai lunar calendar (usually November). Some people believe that lighting up the lanterns or krathongs peacefully takes your problems and frustrations away.

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Bio

Ana Flašker is a UX & UI designer currently on a travel break, chasing the wind with a kiteboard in the Canaries. On non-windy days you might find her playing beach volley or editing her endless folders of photos on the computer. Check out more of her work @ anaflasker.com

14)Adriana Polanco "Joseph's Lullaby"

 

Adriana Polanco is a freelance Graphic Design Artist living in Guatemala, Guatemala with her amazing husband Mr. Suazo. She's also talented translator working for Life of Hope Ministries, has impeccable taste in music, and prays big prayers.

13)Josué David Suazo "O Little Town of Bethlehem"

Josué David Suazo is a Guatemalan architect, professor, guitarist and artist.  He has been a member of several bands such as Link and Doce, and The Classical Guitar Orchestra in Guatemala City.  His latest album, Music of the Heart, is available on Itunes and Amazon and can be streamed on Spotify.  He enjoys combining his many passions, foremost of which is music.  He is also a fan of cookies and milk.  Subscribe on Youtube for more fingerpicking goodness or check out his website.

12)Evgenia Lim: Holiday Portraits

О себе: Меня зовут Евгения Лим, и я безмерно увлечена фотографией. Мои модели - это мои друзья и родные, они же - источник вдохновения. Я люблю делать снимки, на которых видны семейные  традиции людей. Особенно традиции связанные с  Рождеством и Новым годом.  Поздравляю всех с  праздником и хочу подарить немного рождественского  настроения от моих близких. 

С уважением,

Евгения Лим

hideko@list.ru

About myself:  I'm Evgenia Lim, and I am intensely passionate about photography.  My models are my friends and relatives, and they are my source of inspiration.  I love doing photoshoots where the family traditions of each family are visible through the photos, especially New Year's and Christmas ones.  Happy Holidays!  Here's a little Christmas spirit from some of the people close to me.  

Respectfully, 

Evgenia Lim 

11)Krista Kahsen: Michigan Winter

As a deer pants for flowing streams,

so pants my soul for you, O God.

  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

When shall I come and appear before God?

Psalms 42:1-2

Krista Kahsen is a photographer, church pianist, writer, and hometown missionary in Michigan. She is a recent graduate of Thomas Edison State University and works as an organizer/helping direct a summer camp.