Ice Skating

Tina in front of the community center in Evergreen.


Ice Skating on frozen Lake Evergreen.


Now this is Christmas in Colorado!!!


OK, this is a get up I'll NEVER be able to wear in Sydney.


Kids practicing ice hockey on a frozen lake.

Family Shopping

Tina underneath the Christmas tree in Flatirons Mall.


Ron, Tina Marie, Robbie and Mom enjoying a Starbucks break while
shopping. Of course, Mom is drinking a $.48 cup of coffee from Mickey
D's.

Cheap Ice Cream

In Sydney we pay $3.90 for ONE scoop of Baskin Robbins ice scream. We paid $9.54 for TWO QUARTS in Evergreen. Oh, I LOVE the USA!

Icy Roads

Winter time in Colorado is SO beautiful!

Snow Plow

Robbie is making a pass at the snow on his ATV.


It is Jonathon's turn!! HOW FUN!

Arrived

We arrived in Colorado safe and sound. Oh, I can't tell you how awesome it was to see SNOW when we landed.

Here is Jonathon with our rental car.


Catch that cold mountain air. It is spectacular here.

Saturday night study: Leviticus 4:1-6:30

Leviticus 4:1-6:30

Click here to listen to the study

Chapters four and five of Leviticus cover the last two offerings:

• Sin Offering
• Trespass Offering

These were to be offered when sin was committed intentionally or unintentionally.

So why did the Children of Israel need to make sacrifices? Because sin prevents us from having a relationship with God, and He HATES sin.

The word 'sin' is something we should try to understand. It literally means "to miss the mark" or "to fail at trying to reach a goal."

God told us in order to have a relationship with Him, the true and living God, the creator of the universe, we need to be sinless, but He also knows how frail and feeble a people we are. We can never meet the mark of perfection on our own. Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." The Bible tells us that sin requires a blood sacrifice. The Children of Israel had to sacrifice cattle, sheep, goats, turtledoves or pigeons. Imagine how much more careful you would be about sinning, if every time you did, you had to sacrifice an animal! The Israelites truly understood the cost of sin every single time they missed the mark.

PRAISE GOD! We live under the New Covenant - the covenant of GRACE! (Just so you know, the Old Covenant is the Old Testament and the New Covenant is the New Testament.) That means we no longer have to sacrifice innocent animals, although sin still requires payment (Romans 6:23). When we have Jesus as the Lord of our life, God doesn't see our sin. He sees the blood of the Lamb - His Son - that was poured out at the bottom of a cross to pay our debt to God. Our sins are cleansed and forgiven because of Jesus Christ!

Now if that isn't good news, I don't know what is! We can have peace with God and live forever with Him in heaven if recognize our sin and accept Jesus as our sacrifice.

Saturday night study: Leviticus 1:1-3:17

Leviticus 1:1-3:17

Click here to listen to the study

Leviticus can be a difficult book to study. It covers many of the laws and practices under the original covenant with God. We live under the New Covenant thanks to Jesus Christ coming as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins (Jeremiah 31:31-34). However, understanding the old one does several things for us:

• Reminds us to be thankful we no longer live in this manner. Jesus paid the price.
  
• Teaches us the difference between 'covering up' sin (over and over) and 'cleansing us from' sin (once and for all).
• As we read the rest of the Old Testament, we will study this time of sacrifices and what each one means.
  
• Helps us better understand the teachings of Jesus and the New Testament. The book of Leviticus is quoted many times in it.
  
• Gives us more insight into the Jewish culture.
  

The first three chapters of Leviticus cover three of the five main sacrifices:

• Burnt Offering
• Grain Offering
• Peace Offering

Each one is a representation of how we are to offer ourselves to God today. The Burnt Offering is similar to our salvation. We offer our entire self. Our lives are given to Him with nothing held back. The Grain Offering is much like our works for Him. They are completely separate from salvation, but are important in the service of God. The third is my favorite - the Peace Offering. It is an example of communion with God. The Bible says it is like "food." God's portion is on the altar and the remainder of it would be eaten by the the offerer. What a beautiful picture of sharing a meal with God!

Austrian Schnitzel Haus

In celebration of Tina's 39th birthday, she chose an Austrian restaurant.

Here Baby Wayne and Jonathon are looking, OH, so thrilled! Our reservation wasn't
until 8:00 PM, our waiter didn't show up until 08:20. By the time the food was served,
we were all ravenous!

Although we have to admit, dinner was worth the wait!


Tina and Janettey. It is ALWAYS a good time when the four of us go out.



Jagerschnitzel , Mixed Salad, and a plain schnitzel. Mmmmm good!

Gold Class Movies

Gold Class is a special movie theater here. There are 20 some-odd fully reclining Lazy Boy-ish chairs inside, as well as a waiter! You can order all kinds of food like salt and pepper squid, Asian skewer plate, chicken tenders, chicken satay, tandoori chicken wrap, bruschetta, salmon gravalax, nachos, fisherman's platter, gourmet pizza, affogato, lemon and lime tart, cocktails, wines galore, champagne, hot chocolate, etc. The list just goes on and on. It is about $35 per person and that doesn't include the FOOD! An added bonus is that you don't have to sit and watch 30 minutes of commercials (not to be confused with PREVIEWS) before your movie starts. Jonathon's colleague gave us these tickets as a thank you.



Ahhhh, this is the life!

Jonathon LOVED the VIP treatment.


This was heaps of fun. We will definitely have to do this again when the new National Treasure movie opens in December!

Saturday night study: Exodus 39:1-40:38

Exodus 39:1-40:38

Click here to listen to the study

This was the last week in Exodus. What a wonderful ending to an incredible book! I am fascinated by how many times these chapters mention "as the LORD had commanded Moses." It would appear that the Children of Israel built the Tabernacle, the items in it, the court yard and made the garments exactly as God asked. So what was their reward for their obedience? Verse 34 of chapter 40: "...the glory of the LORD filled the Tabernacle."

We are told when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, we become the Temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). His glory fills us if we simply obey (Romans 10:9).

After we are saved, God wants to continue meeting with us; however, He wants our obedience more than any sacrifice we can make (1 Samuel 15:22). So what does it mean to obey after we are saved? First, we are to be baptized and to be a witness of what God is doing in our lives (Matthew 28:19-20). After that, God has a special purpose for each one of us. That purpose is revealed to us by His Word. Read it every day!

Saturday night study: Exodus 34:10-36:7

Exodus 34:10-36:7
Listen

As we reach the end of the book of Exodus, we get a glimpse of our remarkable God. He mercifully re-establishes His covenant with the Children of Israel. I am so thankful we have a God who loves and is eager to forgive us. All we have to do is repent, which is turning away from our sin, and ask Him to. (I John 1:9)

At the end of chapter 35 we see an amazing event. Moses' face was shining after he spent time with his Creator. Not your typical sunburn mind you, but a supernatural glow radiating from his face! It was God's glory reflecting off of Moses' own skin!

Unfortunately, the Children of Israel were scared of his new luminosity, and he had to wear a veil to hide his face. The apostle Paul tells us in (II Corinthians 3:13-18) that there remains a veil on our hearts that prevents us from understanding the Scriptures (God's glory) until it is removed by trust in Jesus Christ.

If you find it difficult to read and understand the Bible, don't think you are alone. It is not possible to comprehend the things of God without His help! We must accept Jesus into our hearts and then ask the Holy Spirit to give us understanding. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit illuminates the Scriptures for us! I guess you could say, Moses already knew that!!

Tonight was the Ignite Christian Film Festival in Sydney. All films had to be
based on the theme of light this year and must be five minutes or less in length.
Some are serious in nature, others were cartoons, and still others were quite comical.
Since it was in the city, we all met for Chinese food before the festival started.
Mmmmm another out of this world meal. These Aussies sure love their food!


Helen, Paul and Barney. Top right is Nathan.

Tina & Jonathon, Kellita & Jason, Janette & Wayne

On Mom's last night in Sydney, Janette and Wayne wanted us all to get together
for dinner. Much to Mom's surprise, they gave her a going away gift: a Max Lucado
book (surprise, surprise) and a game. You guys know her so well!



The Vicar (which is pronounced "Vicah") is really good pub food.
The top snap is of Janettey and Baby Wayne, which is followed
by Jonathon and me.

This is me and my mom! Golly you are sure cute Mamasita!

Here is the last photo we took at the airport. I think we are responsible for
Starbucks making their quota. It is our favorite hangout.

Kay came over to show me how to prepare her to-die-for salmon steaks. I took
careful notes, so I could create a recipe. She just whips up stuff off of the top
of her head. Now if only I had a rice cooker, I could prepare the meal myself!


Here are the before and after photos. These salmon steaks were outstanding.

Christna's Birthday Cake

It is Christina's 43 birthday.



It was a bit of an effort to get CREAM CHEESE frosting on this carrot cake
for some reason. Next time, I'll be sure to ask them to leave the white Crisco
piping off! How does that stuff ever pass the health department? ha ha

Tuesday night study: Luke 23:13-23:49

Luke 23:13-23:49

The entire Bible has led up to this point. All scripture before this section tells us WHY we need a Savior. We are sinners and deserving of death, but Jesus took our place. He also took the place of Barabbas standing before Pilate, and He will take our place when we stand before God in judgment if He is your Savior.!

I find it interesting that on His last day on earth, He continued to care more about the people than Himself. He did not defend Himself before Pilate. The guards, the priests and even the men on the crosses next to Him were telling Jesus to save Himself, but he didn't! He prayed for the people and asked God to forgive them, and He did it while shedding His blood for all of our sin. How merciful is our Savior?

There were two criminals that were crucified with Jesus, one on His left and the other on His right. This was no accident. God wanted to show us the very simple picture of one man who accepted Jesus and one who rejected Him. We are all one of the two thieves on the cross. One accepted Jesus and one rejected Him. We have the same choice! Jesus died for us but this free gift is not ours unless we accept it. Accepting it is so easy. Recognize that you are a sinner and need a Saviour. You can't save yourself. Believe that Jesus died on the cross for YOU and rose again on the third day. Ask Him to come into your life and be your Lord. (Romans 10:9-10) Today is the day of salvation. You can know FOR SURE that your sins are forgiven. No one is beyond redemption, no matter what you have done. We all live for eternity, but WHERE will you spend yours? Please, don't wait to decide.

Saturday night study: Exodus 32:1-35

Exodus 32:1-35

As I read chapter 32 of Exodus, I become very sad. How quickly the Children of Israel turn away from the true God and begin to worship a god made by their hands. At most, only forty days had passed since Moses went up the mountain. I suspect problems started a long time ago.

The first issue I see is that their eyes were on Moses instead of God. We often like to put a leader or pastor up on a pedestal. When we make that mistake, we see our relationship with God through a man rather than through Jesus. When that man is then taken away or leaves, it can dramatically hurt our walk with God. We are to have a relationship with HIM and simply be thankful for the men and women God puts in our lives that help that mentor and foster our relationship with Jesus.

The second problem is due to the delay. It would seem that they had little or no worship or communication with God after Moses left. How quickly we can fall away from Him when we allow days, weeks or months to pass without opening His word or spending time in prayer. It is SO IMPORTANT that we spend time with God on a daily basis. Otherwise, our flesh will grow strong and in a very short period of time we will begin to worship something else. We may not make a golden calf, but we will make hobbies, work, family, cars, boats, parties, status, power, money, titles, a garden, a wardrobe of clothes, you name it, our idol.

Matthew 4:10 - For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'

10 Pin Bowling

"Bowling" here refers to lawn bowling. You have to specify "10 Pin Bowling,"
so we know to bring our shoes and balls! Isn't that funny?

It was "Bowl Your Butt Off" in Blacktown! $15 per person for all you can bowl for
two hours. Oh, how I miss paying $1 per game at the Air Force Academy bowling
alley!

Joel and his lovely wife, the famous Chef Carol. To the right is our hilarious
Mr. Jon Bruce


Jason and Jonathon


Kellita Fajita Conchita is attempting to conceal a bowling ball and make a hasty
retreat!. Her "ball" is due December 10th and is named Phinlay Marie Tonna!

Barney, Pauly Poo the Cockatoo and Nathan. I wonder why Nathan doesn't
have a nick name?? Hmmm

Christina, I just love this photo. You radiate JOY girlfriend!

J & W's Boat; Sydney Fish Market

Janette & Wayne were so gracious to invite us out on their
boat. Wayne took us down the Paramatta River and into the
Tasman Sea on our way to the market.

Welcome to another famous landmark in Sydney - THE FISH MARKET. There
is no limit to what you can find on any given day in here. Everything is freshly
caught and some things are still wiggling! The boat is moored right outside the
front door. What service!

The ordering of your food is a bit challenging. Every cafe is, well, as the Aussie's
say, chockers. It is pronounced "chockahs" and means jam packed! You sort of
have to jockey for position and listen VERY CAREFULLY for your order to be
called. A mobile phone is a must. In two seconds and you and your mate could be
separated for the remainder of the day in here.

Robbie ordered a plate that included the kitchen sink. He enjoyed every
single morsel. Thank you Janettey & Baby Wayne for yet another fantastic
day!


Honestly, I was meant to live near the sea. I just can't get enough of the water.
Here Mom is holding on for dear life, while Janettey and I savor every single
wave. YEEEEHAW!

Bagels, Opera House, AMP Tower

It must be a Saturday because we are at the BAGEL HOUSE!
Mom finally learned to ask for "jam" and not "jelly." Jelly in
Australia is like JELLO, which doesn't go as well with cream cheese.

We had lunch at the top of the AMP Tower. It rotates 360 degrees
every hour, so you can enjoy a magnificent view of Sydney. The
shadow is cast over Hyde Park.

A Harbor view.

Mom enjoying her "cuppa."

This photo is very deceiving. I was NOT in a good mood . My
foot was giving me so much grief. Thanks for the great photo Robbie!

.Ahhh, I never tire of seeing this beautiful building or of being
on the water..

Blue Mountains

What a splendid day we had in the Blue Mountains. If you look in the center of
the picture, you will see three towers made of rock. These are the famous "Three
Sisters."

Robbie, Mom & Jonathon checking out the cockatoos gliding just above the jungle canopy.

This very short and frighteningly steep train ride takes you down the side of a
mountain. Don't you love this sign? "DO NOT LEAVE INFANTS ON THE SEAT."
I guess they are not considered part of your "valuables." ha ha

We put our mom and Robbie in the very front to be sure they enjoyed the vertical
drop.

Isn't she a GREAT sport? I love you Mom!

Fortunately a cable car hauls you back to the top. We got stuck on this one with
a bunch of OBNOXIOUS Americans. Oh, they give the rest of us such a bad name.

Yom Kippur

We celebrated Yom Kippur with Jews for Jesus
in Bondi.
.
Tristana & Tina




Tina & Jonathon







Mom, Robbie and Jon Bruce



Our beloved and wacky Jon Bruce, Fritz & Senora Nora







Our rabbi was a Messianic Jew







This man was blowing the Shofar - a gigantic ram's horn.
Very cool indeed!