Kenton J. Kutney

"If there is something pleasing in the artwork, I am glad people other than my wife, and kids see that! Even more though, I try to envision what happens with this piece now as an inspirational card in the hands of thoughtful individuals, adding those delicate personal words of encouragement and hope at just the right time in someone’s life, and that ripple-effect thrills me most of all. As one who is personally experiencing debilitating chronic pain and fatigue due to a rare blood disorder, I understand there is nothing easy about staying 'centered' in the turmoil of change. However, the enduring warmth and brightness of this water-colour helps one keep a positive perspective in the passing of Autumn to Winter, to choose to look for beauty where some only see dead leaves. Metaphorically, this extends into how we choose to approach change in the sometimes-stormy Seasons of Life. For me, daily letting go of the negatives and holding fast to blessings large and s...

A Re production from (3) Original 5’ Canvas Hangings For many years I have enjoyed the quietude of kayaking and canoing the southern coastal waters of British Columbia, often in some awe-inspiring sunrises and sunsets. Idyllic seascapes we can all enjoy, but there is another kind of awe that cannot be fully appreciated from the shoreline – as the mighty Fraser River rushes past Garry Point into the Georgia Straight there is powerful complexity of currents and tides, sudden and changeable winds that can turn a canoe into a kite blowing away from home. The historic fishing village of Steveston nestles a harbour for more than 600 commercial fishing vessels; the largest commercial fishing harbour in Canada. At the entrance to Garry Pt. Park is a sobering Fisherman’s Memorial remembering almost 200 who have died since the 1940s. There is an old gospel song, one of Elvis’ favourites, that croons: “I thank God for the Lighthouse!” Film footage shows him weeping as the m...

No really, here's MY own saying (if you ever use it then you'd be quoting me and then I'd be relatively famous ... if I only knew): "Every day out of the hospital has to be a GOOD day." Think about it. Be thankful ... e ven for the gift of breath. Breathe deeply, freely and r-e-e-l-a-x.

My name is Joy. People often say that I live up to it, although life has sobered me some and, unfortunately, I probably laugh less and carry more burdens than I used to. I’m the wife of a pastor, and the daughter of missionaries. My husband and I met in Bible College, married, went to Regent College to do masters studies, and then right into full time ministry. We took over a church plant and ministered there for almost nine years. During that time we were very busy raising our five children, two of whom have cleft lip and palate as well as Autism. They’re all precious gifts that circle us with love. Over three long years ago my husband, Ken, started feeling very tired and experienced aching muscles and cramps. He carried on pastoring but would take days to recover after each Sunday. As doctors tried to determine what was wrong with him, we went through one of the worst phases of a long-term illness — not having validation. It wasn’t until February of 2005 that we received the diag...

A Book Review By Kenton J. Kutney Howard and Esther McIlveen, Would You Know My Name? (Essence Publishing). It's not very often we get a glimpse into life after death. In fact, the whole dying process is something we typically avoid unless or until the issue comes close to home. Then the questions become urgent, like that searching song about seeing a loved one in heaven, where Eric Clapton asks, "Would You Know My Name?" A book has been written in answer to that very question by two unique people who seem, through their own life experiences, to have been given more than average opportunities to investigate and illuminate death. In Would You Know My Name? Howard and Esther McIlveen mix prose, poetry, theology, song lyrics, eulogy and even a poignant letter from two girls in farewell to their deceased father. The McIlveens have demonstrated in their lives and in their writing an ability to listen. As a result their latest written work is full of meaning. click here to ...

Art as Irony or Insult? By Jeff Dewsbury LAST MONTH, when a work of art merging Christian images with a sales pitch for Estee Lauder cosmetics raised the ire of some Christians living in Richmond, people lined up quickly on both sides of the debate. And as the rhetoric escalated, one local pastor seized the chance to, as he puts it, "build bridges, not burn them." read more... http://www.canadianchristianity.com/cgi-bin/bc.cgi?bc/bccn/0402/lmirony NOTE: Not sure of the exact date, but this was perhaps a few years ago.

'The Value of Hurtful Conflict' The value of what? I don't mind saying it took a psychologist to unpack that phrase for me. It sounds paradoxical to suggest that conflict could be of any value (especially when you are on the receiving end of the pain)! And yet, when John Radford, Ph.D. Organizational Psych., explained that statistically one's performance improvement is directly correlated with increasing one's capacity for conflict, I was intrigued. We all have first hand experience, I imagine, with the negatives that can ensue from conflict; maybe that's why instinctively we either turn away from it or get louder in order to win faster. But what would happen if we stayed in the conflict a little longer ... just slowed things down a bit? Is there anything positive that could result? Well, clearly there might be some things we'd have to unlearn as we confront our reality. That's not a bad thing. First, unlearning takes as much of a commitme...

The Value of Hurtful Conflict ... Cont'd What value can there possibly be in conflict? Is the only hope in resolution? Last time we looked at how one's performance improvement is directly correlated with increasing one's capacity for conflict. If that's true, it calls for an approach quite different from the old 'fight or flight' reflex. We have to consider: What would happen if we purposely committed to staying in conflict a little longer. The commitment to work through a conflict could be life changing because it can dramatically increase not only what you can learn about what's going on around you, but also what's going on in you. Conflict is a necessary process for un-learning on a daily basis that challenges and reshapes our position for better solutions. Naturally, this kind of commitment is easier to make with someone you love and respect. But there are plenty of situations ...