Kenton J. Kutney

Good news! Officially, Christmas isn't over. So don't take your Tree down just yet. 😉 January 6 is a commemoration of the coming of the 3 Wise Men as the first earthly manifestation of Christ to the World.  Here's how the dictionary defines Epiphany : 2 :   an appearance or manifestation especially of a divine being 3 a   (1)   :   a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something   (2) :   an intuitive grasp of reality through something (as an event) usually simple and striking   (3)   :   an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure b   :   a revealing scene or moment I'm liking this word!   As we begin to grasp the significant reality of Jesus Christ being made manifest to us as a simple baby in a humble stable, we see the baby born to bring us home. He came as God's rescue-mission for the world. The very name Jesus means 'God to the resc...

My wife and her siblings put their heads together and whimsically came up with some fresh ideas to make your basic drinking song a bit more profound.  Should old acquaintance be forgot  And never brought to mind? Let's keep our friendships old and new  For auld lang syne  For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, Don't know the meaning of the words of 'auld lang syne'! May all the joys of former days be treasured in our hearts And all the friends we've grown to love not ever grow apart For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, Let's all pretend to understand it auld lang syne  We'll raise a glass to mercy, and we'll raise a glass to peace Let's choose the path of kindness and our grievences release For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne we long for meaning in the phrase for auld lang syne May all our sorrows be forgotten with the setting sun And rays of hope come with the dawn of a New Year just begun For auld lang syne, my dea...

We've been surprised by some truly overwhelming examples of kindness and generosity shown towards us in our trying time of difficulty. (You know who you are - and better yet so does God.) Finished my rounds of chemo and now a 3-month break from tests, appointments and treatments. What a blessed way to conclude a long year of illness. Time now to rest and renew. We are grateful.

Day 1 "wise men still seek Him believing to understand love blossoms to life Day 2 "no mere fairytale  for this genealogy  runs back through all time" Day 3 "this story starts where  many stories get their start  love, but immortal" Day 4 "a few hundred years  awaiting God's next big move  He visits a teen" Day 5 "boy meets girl, in love yet there's a classic plot twist this love's a faith leap" Day 6 "something has happened  O Mary, what have you done  ponder in your heart" Day 7 "fear ... 'fear not! fear not!' there must've been some real fright  so many questions" Day 8 "have you heard the news  the stars' configuration  let the quest begin" Day 9 "celestial choir sings shepherds and their flocks by night lit by guiding star" Day 10 "poor but rich in heart shepherds especially bless't great is their reward" Day 11 "stars, sheep, cows, angels creation ca...

This is a theological reflection that has grown during my cancer journey. Someone texted me in June when faced with a splenectomy that it was like a terrorist attack on body. I know they meant well. But immediately that didn't sit right with me. What terror? That's not biblical. Who's the terrorist? Does Satan have so much power to take over and ravage my world? He'd like us to think he's all that. He's a prowling, roaring toothless beast.  Yet I feel - I know - I am surrounded by ministering angels, abiding in the abundance of life in Christ, wrapped in the comfort of the Holy Spirit , and loved by the awesome grace of my Father. A sinner saved. Wow. It's all true! So I can truly say it again: it is well with my soul!

Standing comfortably amidst the contradiction... On the one hand I'm still having trouble walking from the ensuite bathroom to the bed without a rest break; on the other hand, these opening lines from the poem 'Song of the Open Road' make me want to wander and explore: "Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,  Healthy, free, the world before me,  The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose." (Inspired by Whitman's 19th c. travels through the American frontier).

white horses crest  waves wash over my life  the ebbing tide flows  sweeps foam through my feet around my toes  my soul dances dappled by Light in pleasant tidal pools  eddies of memories  i wander through the timeless Now a waking dream  sojourn with you always be  with me  in the present the benevolent present  of your presence castles grand  now gone with time  rock hard granite  smoothed down fine thousands and more thousands  grains of sand  flying footprints  washed clean away  by the enduring mystery  of timeless Now