A Special Invitation to a Christmas Party
Please Come, you are invited to a

A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION!!!
Guest of Honor: Jesus Christ

Date: Every day. Traditionally, December 25
but He's always around, so the date is flexible....
(Please don't be late, though, or you'll miss out on all the fun!)

Place: In your heart.... He'll meet you there.
(You'll hear Him knock.)

Attire: Come as you are... grubbies are okay.
He'll be washing our clothes anyway. He said something about
new white robes and crowns for everyone who stays till the last.

Tickets: Admission is free. He's already paid for everyone...
(He says you wouldn't have been able to afford it anyway...

Refreshments: New wine, bread, and a far-out drink He calls "Living Water,"
followed by a supper that promises to be out of this world!

Gift Suggestions: ; Your life. He's one of those
people who already has everything else.
(He's very generous in return though.
Just wait until you see what He has for you!)

Entertainment: Joy, Peace, Truth,
Light, Life, Love, Real Happiness,
Communion with God, Forgiveness, Miracles, Healing, Power,
(All "G" rated, so bring your family and friends.)
Eternity in Paradise, Contentment and much more.

R.S.V.P. Very Important!
He must know ahead so He can reserve a spot for you at the table.
Also, He's keeping a list of His friends for future reference.
He calls it the "Lamb's Book of Life."
Party being given by His Kids (that's us!!)!
Hope to see you there! For those of you whom I will see at the party,
share this with someone today!

Christmas Eve, December 24, 2002

Dear Friends and Family,

This little Ternier clan on the Canadian prairies is concluding a most eventful year 2002. The wrong weather at the wrong time all summer long made for Jim’s worst gardening season ever. Jim adds to this a growing awareness of his age (his body is not 20 years old anymore) and watching his parents age (91 and 85, both in the local nursing home) and he’s asking himself a lot of questions about the future. I had my first brush with brutal treatment in the church by those afraid of change, resulting in my sudden dismissal from local parish work. It is all I could do to allow God to turn this painful experience into a source of new learning and new life. In the past twelve months that Daniel has lived on his own, he’s lived in three different houses (got evicted from one), has had to get rid of unreliable roommates, and is feeling the weight of responsibility in paying bills and upkeep of the property. David’s keen sense of observing people and his courage to ask critical questions got him into trouble a few times at work. He is discovering that most people don’t like to know what’s really going on and opt for living rather mediocre lives in less than challenging jobs. Rachelle (and all of us) discovered (again!) how hard it is to truly help someone in trouble: a friend of hers in need lived with us for three months and it almost ruined the girls’ friendship. We’re left wondering who learned the most from the experience and we ache.

Our little troubles may not mean much in the aftermath of terror, of threats of war,
of crumbling economic and ecclesial structures, of a terrible drought here on the Canadian prairies, of crises in health care systems, and the continuing conspicuous consumption which is destroying our planet. This is the best of times; this is the worst of times. We live in a time that tries our spirit, and that same time holds out new promises of hope, justice and peace. It is easy to feel helpless and discouraged, whether we look at our personal failures or at the global issues. However, it is an expression of God’s Spirit to be seized by a fire and passion to always get up and try again, to allow God to transform the tensions in our lives into graciousness and love, and to try and change the world around us.

We do not always see the difference we make in the world. Who would have thought that the birth of a little baby in Bethlehem would cause the seismic shift in the universe that occurred? In some respects it looks like our culture in the western world is about to cut itself loose from its Christian roots to which it owes so much of its cultural, religious, moral and social development. Yet in other ways this may well be a time of pruning, of cleansing the Christian tradition from all the unnecessary baggage that suffocates love, passion and fullness of life. Who is to say at this stage? Faith, hope and love continue to be in high demand, and so we keep getting up and continuing to live the vision of hope, peace and love for all, a vision that Jesus called God’s reign and that he embodied in his life and death. As Henri Nouwen writes: “To know God is to know that we are beloved – beloved before our birth, beloved regardless of successes and failures, and beloved even in the midst of great suffering and anguish.” Mother Teresa was right: “The worst thing in the world is to be unloved, unwanted, and all alone.”

As a family we are increasingly aware and grateful for the ties of love that bind us to one another. The love we share equips us to be a loving and serving presence in the world. We join the growing outcry for justice and peace in nations across the globe. For well over twenty years now we have been adding our efforts to the growing global movement to treat our environment with respect if we want to leave our children with a planet that can sustain them. We are strengthened by the latest report on health care in Canada which has the courage to describe the crisis in moral and almost religious terms. Our three children reflect God’s passionate love in their friendships, their zest for life and their commitments to work and school. Jim is seeing more opportunities to teach others about gardening and seed saving. I enjoy a wonderful new job in the Saskatoon diocese, and just completed a contract for all the local churches to coordinate the Christmas Hamper Project in the community. My book, published this past fall by Novalis-Canada is getting excellent reviews and is opening new doors of opportunity for me. In all these new inspirations, both close to home and across the world, we see God at work. On this we stake our future again
in 2003.

For more information about our lives, visit our websites:
www.prseeds.ca
www.malotg.com

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