Merry Christmas

6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Luke 2:6-7

6 For to us a child is born,to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, [a] Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

Isaiah 9:6-7

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

The Birth of Christ - Merry Christmas

1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went to his own town to register.
4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels
8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14"Glory to God in the highest,and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

- Luke 2:1-20 (NIV)

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas - Silent Night

Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright

Round yon virgin mother and child!

Holy infant so tender and mild,

Sleep in Heavenly Peace,
Sleep in Heavenly Peace.

Silent night, holy night, Darkness flies, all is light;

Shepherds hear the angels sing,

Alleluia! hail the King!

Christ the Savior is born,

Christ the Savior is born.

Silent night, holy night, Son of God, love's pure light

Radiant beams from thy holy face,

With the dawn of redeeming grace,

Jesus, Lord at Thy birth,

Jesus, Lord at Thy birth.

Silent night, holy night, Wondrous star, lend the light;

With the angels let us sing,

Alleluia to our King;

Christ the Saviour is born,

Christ the Saviour is born.

Words: Joseph Mohr, John Freeman Young

Music: Franz Gruber

I have always loved the silence in the night of Christmas Eve. Growing up, my parents would take me and my brother around the city to view the Christmas decorations. Although many of the lights and displays were incredible as people had put many hours into creating them, what got me the most what the silence of the night. The quiet of the evening which seemed to start at sunset. The crowds running to and fro, the hustle and bustle of the city, seems to stop. A gentle hush seems to cover the earth on Christmas Eve.

I love the Christmas Carol, "Silent Night" as it not only reminds me of the memories of my childhood but that Christ was born. He came to earth to live as man, then He died to save us from our sins. We can be forgiven of those sins, which we all do, simply by asking Him to forgive us and come into our hearts. Once we do that, in sincerity with all your heart and mind, He will forgive us and give us eternal life in heaven.

Celebrate! Christ's birth this Christmas. May you have a blessed Christmas. Merry Christmas.

Introducing Noah

I didn't think that I would be able to do it, but one look at his furry face and reading the profile, I had to check him out. Who is he? Noah. Actually, he started out with the name Sawyer given to him at the Rescue. So, I did. We planned to go to see him and the infamous Northern Virginia traffic made things more of a challenge than we had time. So, we rescheduled for Saturday.

I was scheduled to photograph dogs with Santa Claus at the Ashburn Village Animal Hospital on Saturday, so we went after I finished. That was a fun shoot and I was almost disappointed when it ended. But was anxious to possibly be adopting a dog too.

We headed to the rescue, Pet Connect, in Maryland. Found his home and went to visit.

He instantly knew to become friends with my wife first. She's the cat person in the family and so he did. He won her heart, then he came to meet me. It was hard on me because I still missed Mozart, but knew I needed to fill the "dog void" in my life.

Long story short, he came home with us. We changed his name to Noah. He is two-years old and a very playful puppy. He is mostly Black Lab, but has a bit of another breed in him. Not sure what yet and it really doesn't matter except for my own curiosity.

This photo of him was taken on his first day out in the snow after the storm ended.

Happy Saturday!!

I always look forward to Saturdays! The day I can get up early, enjoy my photography and get a few things done around my house.

Today, though, is different. I will be photographing dogs with Santa Claus at the Ashburn Village Animal Hospital where my dog's vet works. They take appointments from their clients and set up a two-hour block of time for photographing and add a Christmas party in the mix. I am excited about the event and have been for several months.

I lost my dog, Ruffgang Amadeus Mozart (1995-2009), a little less than month ago. Although, definately the hardest thing to do, I am planning to look at another dog later today. Hopefully, he will come home with us tonight. Not a replacement for Mozart, but a new addition to our family to fill the void where Mozart left off. He is 2 years old and a Black Lab Mix. We'll see what happens.

Merry Christmas!!

Happy Friday

Happy Friday!! I am off today. Decided a few months ago, today would be a good day to take off and enjoy the day. Will probably work on my photography for awhile, take a nap (or two), do a few things around the house, and then back to relaxing!

I look this image a few years ago with my Fuiji S5200 camera. It's a point and shoot but it created some fantastic images. This image was taken at sunrise in February when I was concentrating on finding Winter's beauty. I like the mystery the trees create in front of the clouds. The photographing of sunrise with the clouds was the start of my interest in photographing clouds and the creation of my Clouds Gallery at www.allenpearsonsphotos.com.

If you are headed to work today, I hope you have a great and blessed day!

Merry Christmas!!