{"id":255,"date":"2011-12-31T18:36:20","date_gmt":"2012-01-01T00:36:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/jevon-rich\/?p=255"},"modified":"2012-01-27T17:07:27","modified_gmt":"2012-01-27T23:07:27","slug":"christmas-with-the-studmanns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/jevon-rich\/2011\/12\/31\/christmas-with-the-studmanns\/","title":{"rendered":"Christmas with the Studtmanns"},"content":{"rendered":"

To anyone who misses the kiddos’ bright eyed faces…and to anyone who misses the Studtmann faces too. \ud83d\ude42 Enjoy.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_9118\"<\/p>\n

\"IMG_9122\"<\/p>\n

\"Isaac\"
Isaac<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\""the
"the abominable snowboy" watching the christmas tree procedings<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"with
with Grandpa Studtmann<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Long
Long Creek Mountaineers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Isaac
Isaac Number 24<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Karina
Karina watching with new friend<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Cali
Cali watching with Uncle Amos. Future Aunt Cymbre has the festive headgear.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Sam\"
Sam<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"hurray!
hurray! our people won!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\""Uncle
"Uncle Isaac has silly hair" -Karina (don't worry; it was just for the game)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Christmas<\/dt>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
\n
Christmas cookies!<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n

\"IMG_9363\"\"IMG_9364\"<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Uncle
Uncle Amos helping them<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Amos
Amos made a Cali cookie and a Kiki cookie<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Christmas
Christmas Eve<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"studying
studying the manger scene while Jevon reads to them<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"IMG_9390\"<\/p>\n

\"one
one present Christmas Eve<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"pajamas!\"
pajamas!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Christmas
Christmas Eve goodies while we watch Dr. Seus's Grinch (the old one and the best!)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"his
his first Christmas morning<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"good
good morning and Merry Christmas from the Riches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Cali
Cali and Dakota looking out the window<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Karina
Karina and Danica<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Grandpa
Grandpa Studtmann reading the Christmas story<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"some
some of us listen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"some
some of us try but its so hard when you are excited \ud83d\ude42<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"new
new puppy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"new
new socks<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"new
new food<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"new
new zebra<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Amos
Amos and his fiance Cymbre<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Isaiah's
Isaiah's awesome socks from Uncle Isaac which both Wisconsinites and Long Creek people will appreciate<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Christmas
Christmas dinner: Navajo tacos (tacos on fry bread)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n
\"IMG_9622\"<\/dt>\n<\/dl>\n
\"Frederik
Frederik (student from Denmark) helped too<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"IMG_9629\"<\/p>\n

\"actually
and mom was flipping the fry bread between taking pictures<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n
\"its<\/dt>\n<\/dl>\n
\"do
do you want to pet my puppy Sam?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"oh
oh sure why not?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"and
and finally...the feast. \ud83d\ude42 Thank you God for another Christmas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

2011 Christmas Thoughts\u00a0 (from Danica’s journal)<\/strong><\/span>
\nWhen Karina was born, it was only barely more than a month before Christmas. She was born at home in our living room. I remember Jevon lighting the candles in that room. I remember them flickering in their spiral \u201cstaircase\u201d of votive holders and casting a quite mood of rest, celebration, and reflection around that room after her birth. It was something like the peaceful scenes we create at Christmas for reflecting on our Lord\u2019s birth.
\nAnd I thought, that Christmas, how very human an entrance God chose when He stepped into our world \u2013 His world. I knew something about labor pains and the crazy, messy, beautiful and miraculous event that birth is. He came the same way we all did. HE CHOSE TO COME THE SAME WAY WE ALL DO.
\nBut I also thought, that Christmas: Jesus wasn\u2019t born at home. And Mary didn\u2019t have the comfortable place I did in which to do her work of labor and birth \u2013 that work God gave her. I thought about that. But I wasn\u2019t sure what God was teaching me or to what conclusions He was leading me in those thoughts.
\nWell, this Christmas, Isaiah\u2019s birth is the freshest one in my memory. And here I am again, reflecting on God\u2019s human entrance into this world. How He chose to come.
\nJesus wasn\u2019t born in a cozy bedroom or a birth suite. And who knows how much time Mary had to \u201cnest\u201d or prepare a makeshift place in the barn before the labor contractions overtook her. Jesus was born on a journey, and there wasn\u2019t even room in the inn for them.
\nIn some ways, the cinder-block walls and cement floor of the dorm room where Isaiah was born probably bore a slightly closer resemblance to the scene on which the newborn God-man entered when He was born. It was a makeshift barrier of a mattress blocking off our end of the hallway that provided privacy. Most of the people accommodating us and rejoicing with us that night were not our extended family.
\nBut we were prepared.<\/p>\n

We were provided for.<\/p>\n

Everything happened exactly as planned, exactly as it was supposed to happen. We had everything we needed.<\/p>\n

And this Christmas I have a vague picture in my mind which is slowly coming into clearer focus: a picture of human, humble, imperfect circumstance, messiness, a bit of chaos, and makeshift creativity – all being directed purposefully by a God of perfect order, Sovereign intention, and faithful provision.<\/p>\n

Here meets humility and deity.<\/p>\n

Here comes our Savior!<\/p>\n

Do not be afraid.<\/p>\n

Watch. Worship. Trust.<\/p>\n

Celebrate with lights and candles and feasting and gift-giving; it is right to do so, because Christ is our light to reveal God to us, our provision from God, and the greatest gift from the Greatest Giver of all. But when the short season is gone and the mess of everyday not-quite-so-perfect moments is back, remember that the God we can\u2019t see is right there in the thick of it with us, silently working it all according to His perfect plan.<\/p>\n

A God of sovereign intention.
\nA God of faithful provision.<\/p>\n

A Savior in Whom meets humble humanity and glorious Deity.<\/p>\n

OUR SAVIOR.
\nJESUS CHRIST.<\/p>\n

Do not be afraid.
\nWatch.
\nWorship.
\nTrust.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To anyone who misses the kiddos’ bright eyed faces…and to anyone who misses the Studtmann faces too. \ud83d\ude42 Enjoy. 2011 Christmas Thoughts\u00a0 (from Danica’s journal) When Karina was born, it was only barely more than a month before Christmas. She was born at home in our living room. I remember Jevon lighting the candles in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":552,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,1796],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-255","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-family","7":"category-heart","8":"entry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/jevon-rich\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/jevon-rich\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/jevon-rich\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/jevon-rich\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/552"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/jevon-rich\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=255"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/jevon-rich\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/jevon-rich\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/jevon-rich\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/jevon-rich\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}