Kenton J. Kutney

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...

Learn more about our life situation in this brief article. It's been tough recently, but not entirely bleak. Find out why in... CHANGING SEASONS Discovering the bittersweet nature of sorrow http://www.testimonymag.com/testimonymag/oct07.htm NOTE: In the next issue of the Testimony magazine (Nov.) my wife, Joy, will write from her perspective. Don't miss it! P.S. Please pass along to your friends. Our humble hope is that someone will find it helpful.

Every ‘special needs’ child is a symbol … of the triumph of Life. After visits of our own to Children's Hospital, and hearing from both families and professional caregivers I wrote the following article ... A long hardwood table centers the sullen room; around it sit a number of medical professionals in conference with a couple of young parents. Their oldest is about to enter Kindergarten. Normally an exciting time of wonder and anticipation, this meeting was to confirm five years of mounting fears: “Our conclusion is that your child seems to be functioning cognitively at the moderate-to-severe handicap level.” What does a parent feel, hearing such a verdict? As we ask that question, in all of our lives we can recognize there will be times where, as one suffering parent described it, we find ourselves ‘grieving the loss of expectations’, of dreams not realized. This is common ground for us to find a starting place of understanding: Some suffer loss during pregnan...