Kenton J. Kutney

I guess this will be my un-spooky post on All Hallows’ Eve. The pic we took from our back deck sparked an idea for a poem but this all I’ve got so far.   ...I find peace outdoors in the serenity of a crisp Autumn night like this, backlit clouds breaking to reveal a silver moon. How many of our ancestors looked up in wonder to the heavens — how seldom do we bother to get beyond the light pollution of ‘civilization’ and lift up our heads or downcast souls.  Imagine what a monumental discovery it must have been to first perceive the moon actually has no light of its own to give but is only reflecting the sun back to us in our darkness.  Seeing the true source of our light and life indirectly is always the human condition, lest we become blinded by its glory.  Over the past decade one of the less serious symptoms of my chronic illness has been extreme sensitivity to light. As other dog walkers would ritually pause to watch the setting sun on our west coast, I alone would be forced to look

Recently I’ve been enjoying a free channel on TV: Makeful has 4-hour competitions to find the Landscape & Portrait Artist Of The Year - I’m slowly learning what the panel of judges are looking for - they might say this is a painting about nothing! Where’s the subject?? (That’s the point!!) Framing the scene: cold, damp stone = Death Subject: empty space = Resurrection  Focal points: (near) burial cloth,  (receding) cross... the horror, grief and darkness fades away with the dawn of Sunday:  “O death where is your sting?” — see 1 Corinthians 15 Carving these words into the wood also etched them on my heart in a profound way this Easter: LOVE TOOK MY PLACE  Joy created a diorama of Easter story — the cross and the stone sealing the tomb:

‘Do you feel the world is broken?  Do you feel the shadows deepen?  But do you know that all the dark won't stop the light from getting through?’  I am ready for Easter Sunday. Trying to walk that final week with Jesus into Jerusalem — remembering that last meal, his betrayal and rejection, the hasty trial, the anguish of an innocent life sacrificed...  Then there is the burdensome weight of the state of our world. It’s a lot to take in, but the reality of dark shadows prepares the heart for the breaking of dawn.  The silence of waiting between Good Friday and Sunday heightens the hopeful anticipation of celebrating the astonishing life-giving miracle of Easter Sunday morning’s empty tomb.   Listen to this beautiful song...   (click for the link) “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory thro

One theory tossed around about the eyewitnesses claim that Jesus came back to life is that he never actually quite died. Can we know if it was simply resuscitation — or must we consider the  death defying  miracle of resurrection? Check out the modern medical analysis in this 3 minute clip...

Have a look at these edifying 5-minute reflections on the final days of Jesus. For anyone feeling alienated in their suffering, Jesus went there too. That means he lovingly understands everything you are going through. The Last Days Leading To Easter   The Meaning Of Jesus’ Death ...Did you know the name Jesus literally means ‘God to the rescue’!  You can discover much more about Jesus’ character, teachings and deeds in the highly readable and compelling little book by Michael Green entitled,  Who Is This Jesus?

What can we actually know about the real Jesus, the guy who walked this earth some 2000 years ago? Have layers of tradition inevitably changed and shaped the picture we now have of him? How reliable are the recorded accounts of the life of Jesus that are presented in the New Testament Gospels of the Bible today? Take a minute to watch this video consider things from the view of a forensic detective... When reading a modern English translation, we might get the nagging thought that we are so far removed from the original — realty, 2000 years is a long time since Jesus walked he earth! The printing press is a relatively modern invention, so it is natural to ask if perhaps errors and omissions and editing crept into the hand-written copying process. This is important to dig into. How can there be any claim of truth to the Bible if it has kept changing over time? Remarkably, we have an astounding amount of carefully preserved ancient manuscript evidence to compare; far more tha