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Im starting to really appreciate…

Posted in Uncategorized by joelgutowsky on February 3, 2010

…our friends. My wife and I recently started hanging out with another couple all the time. We seriously hang out at least once a week, and with our schedules, that’s crazy. Kimb and the wife of the other couple have been friends forever and the husband and I get along great. Behind our backs, our wives call us bffs. Haha.

But I am really starting to understand the importance of these kind of friendships after marriage. It is good to share a common friendship and bond with another couple. It is refreshing, it is encouraging.

Last night we started a new weekly tradition with our friends. Every Tuesday night after praiseband practice my wife and I are going to beaming the 15 minute trek to meet our friends and watch LOST. I cannot tell you how excited I am about this weekly hangout time.

Here’s to making memories.

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It just wont leave.

Posted in Uncategorized by joelgutowsky on January 19, 2010

This past Sunday we sang “mighty to save” in our contemporary service. During practice when we sang the line “Lord of nations…” I got so choked up. I spent some time praying that God would heal these hurts for just enough time to be able to sing that line and then He could allow them to come back. Well, the sorrow was just to much and I was not able to sing the line without breaking down in tears.

In the midst of all that has happened in Haiti, I am honestly standing in shock and awe. In shock from the pictures I’m seeing on boston.com and all the news stations and in awe of the fact that 400+ people could come together in Austin last night and raise over $12,000 for Haiti. All from normal people who realize that there are simply more important things in the world than our needless desires. There are real needs. Needs that are the balance point for life and death.

This coming Thursday and Friday night there going to be a “Houston hope for Haiti” concert. Derek Webb is going to be playing at Taft Street Coffee and on Friday Aaron Ivey is going to be playing at another venue whose name escapes me. I’m going to try with everything to get out to see Derek Webb on Thursday and make some kind of monetary donation to help in some way in Haiti.

But I have realized that the biggest way I can help is to pray. As humans we will never be able to heal all the hurt going on in Haiti. But my God is a God of all comfort. He is a God of all peace. He is Jehovah Jireh, God our Provider. So I will continue to pray to that end. That God will heal, bring peace, comfort, and provisions to the hurting families, and individuals affected by the catostrophic disaster in Haiti.

Come quick Lord Jesus, come quick.

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more from australia…

Posted in Uncategorized by joelgutowsky on January 2, 2010

these are all from the town of Gloucester and Forster.

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more from australia. landscapes.

Posted in Uncategorized by joelgutowsky on December 30, 2009

while in sydney we got to see a lot of good stuff. here are a few pictures from our second day in sydney, australia.

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australia. pt. 1

Posted in Uncategorized by joelgutowsky on December 29, 2009

we have finally arrived here in australia and have working internet access. i am going to try and post a few pictures from the trip each night. here are the first few…photos from the 24ish hour flight here. *3 total flights.

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australia ‘09 – ‘10

Posted in Uncategorized by joelgutowsky on December 26, 2009

today officially starts my first trip to australia! our run of flights starts at about 11:30 am here in houston and will run for the next 24ish hours. we will fly from houston to denver, then denver to san fransisco, then san fran to sydney. it is going to be one heck of a trip, but it is going to be awesome b/c we will end up in AUSTRALIA! i am going to be posting many pictures from this trip and here is the first one…

more to come!

bittersweet.

Posted in Uncategorized by joelgutowsky on December 4, 2009

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this happened today. it snowed. and it stayed on the ground. i threw snowballs against the fence in the backyard. i let my dog out to pee and play around in the snow, and then proceeded to tell her not to eat yellow snow because it only seemed right to tell her. all of this while my wife was sick in bed…all day. so though it snowed, it was bittersweet because the only part of it i got to enjoy with my wife was about 3 or 4 minutes where we stared out the bedroom window into the back yard where we could see the snow falling and covering everything in a blanket of white before she fell back asleep.

looking back, i would not trade those 3 or 4 minutes for anything.

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