ellen haroutunian

Hope is Held Between Us [Provoketive Magazine]

ellenharoutunian — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:20:56 +0000

[This month our Synchroblog partnered with Provoketive Magazine. See below for links to other Synchrobloggers.] Sometimes, ok, perhaps it’s often, I weary of the discipline it takes to stay faithful to the routines of tending life. I begin to skimp on the practices that nurture body, mind, soul and community. Fortunately, every now and then something wonderful comes …

[December Synchroblog] Jesus came, did you get what you expected?

ellenharoutunian — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 19:55:23 +0000

Jesus came, did you get what you expected? I pray that the answer is no. I realize how strange that sounds. When I wished my friends and family Merry Christmas, I truly meant it. I wished for each one a season of peace and enjoyment and that each would experience life-altering moments of kindness and …

[Advent 2011 Synchroblog] Remember Our Story

ellenharoutunian — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 04:28:23 +0000

Our world is unraveling. We are seeing the deterioration of civil society in many ways. This holiday week alone has been an embarrassment of aggressive consumerism with shoppers resorting to pepper spray and robbing each other at gunpoint. Black Friday is extending back into Thursday, threatening to diminish the one day we have set aside …

Seeing With the Heart: The St. John’s Bible tour, pt.2

ellenharoutunian — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 21:13:39 +0000

This is part two of my St. John’s Bible post. If you’d like to read about its history and to see some of the other illuminations, the first post is here. There are 160 illuminations and there were 17 of them on tour at the Benet Hill Monastery in Colorado Springs. We attended a wonderful lecture …

Seeing With the Heart: The St. John’s Bible tour, pt. 1

ellenharoutunian — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 02:40:48 +0000

This weekend my husband and I were fortunate enough to see an exhibit of the St. John’s Bible at the Benet Hill Monastery down in Colorado Springs. This Bible is the first handwritten and hand painted work commissioned by the Benedictines in 500 years. It is a work of theology and a work of art. …

Higher Ground (not exactly a film review)

ellenharoutunian — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 00:02:28 +0000

So, Ellen, Aram, Ted and Phyllis went to see the indy film Higher Ground last night. It is one of those films that leaves you wide eyed and blinking. I doubt it will have this effect on everyone but if you were part of a conservative evangelical movement or church during the 70’s you may …

[Book Review] Discovering the God Imagination

ellenharoutunian — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 22:37:11 +0000

Discovering the God Imagination: Reconstructing A Whole New Christianity By Jonathan Brink 294 pages This is a gutsy book. Author Jonathan Brink dares to suggest a new theory of the atonement. In many theological circles this is something that is not only believed to be utterly unnecessary, it’s akin to messing with the truth itself. …

What is with this rapture stuff?

ellenharoutunian — Sat, 21 May 2011 16:34:39 +0000

Why have so many people gotten so caught up in the rapture warnings of Harold Camping and his group? If you have been hiding under a very big rock, Camping and his followers are a Christian group that believes with absolute certainty that the rapture of the church, which is a belief that Jesus will …

[May Synchroblog] Life Unfurling

ellenharoutunian — Tue, 10 May 2011 04:16:28 +0000

(This month’s Synchroblog explores the topic of growing spiritually by learning to let go of things that may have hindered us on our journeys, even good things. I will add other bloggers’ links as they come in this week.) I bought into the belief that life must be a certain way to really be successful …

[Book Review] Half The Church by Carolyn Custis James

ellenharoutunian — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 14:47:56 +0000

Half the Church: Recapturing God’s Global Vision for Women By Carolyn Custis James Zondervan Publishing 206 pages, including questions for discussion Zondervan gave me a free copy to give away – leave a comment and I will use a urim and thummim to decide who gets it. I see what you did there, Carolyn Custis …

My 3 cents on Rob Bell’s new book

ellenharoutunian — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 22:59:17 +0000

Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived, by Rob Bell. Well, there’s nothing like a good controversy to increase blog posts and book sales! Like many, I am saddened by the way the controversy is being handled. I chose to blog about this because it hits …

[February Synchroblog] Christianity and Creativity: Why It Matters

ellenharoutunian — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 23:50:31 +0000

Years ago, I attended a church that avoided beauty. They met in a little white steepled building with a wood paneled arched ceiling within it that I just loved. However, the rest of the furnishings in there were worn and sparse, making it look like a forgotten and neglected room in an old house. I …

Synchroblog January 2011: Stories of Epiphany

ellenharoutunian — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 20:12:50 +0000

[This post is part of a group synchroblog. This month the bloggers will share stories of epiphany. I will add links to the other synchrobloggers below as they come in. Check them out!] This is the season of epiphany. The synchroblog mission this month, should I choose to accept it, is to share an epiphany. …

Advent Reflection: The Ache for Justice (week 3)

ellenharoutunian — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 19:47:31 +0000

The Ache for Justice and the Compassion of God Pomegranate Place – December 16, 2010 by Ellen Haroutunian Each week, we’ve begun with the lighting of the advent wreath. The first week we lit the shepherds’ candle, recalling the ache for acceptance in us all and the astonishing welcome of God to these folks who …

Advent reflection #2: The Ache for Meaning (guest blogger)

ellenharoutunian — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 18:53:37 +0000

This year we at Urban Skye are presenting a Liturgy of Peace in Denver at Pomegranate Place every Thursday evening during the month of December. Advent is a waiting time during which we may focus on the ache of our hearts and the longing for the coming of God into this hurting world. The first evening focused …