St. John’s Lutheran Church

Pastor’s Blog

How Much Is Your So/u/l/e Worth?
Matt Hardigree Matt Hardigree

How Much Is Your So/u/l/e Worth?

Sometimes we love to run barefoot, and other times we need a pair of shoes. We live in a world where many people have calloused feet because they can’t afford shoes. Foot pain is almost epidemic, no matter what your income is. There are those who buy and collect shoes. Imelda Marcos was known for owning over 3,000 pairs of shoes. On the Midnight Run people search for shoes. There are some in our country who stuff paper in the bottom of their shoes to cover the holes in the soles. You could be wearing Nike or Hoka or New Balance, or even Prada. One thing, for sure, is we all need a pair of shoes.

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Matt Hardigree Matt Hardigree

Remembering Jimmy Carter

Yesterday I watched Jimmy Carter's funeral procession arrive in Washington, D.C. and his casket carried into the Capitol. In the atrium of the Capitol he was surrounded by his family and some of the most powerful people in our government. Speeches were made, beautiful music was sung, kind words were shared.

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Matt Hardigree Matt Hardigree

In Memory of Quincy Jones

This week we lost a giant in the world of popular music, Quincy Jones. I first became acquainted with the name Quincy Jones when I started following the works of Frank Sinatra.

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Marvin Henk Marvin Henk

50 and Counting

Looking back over 50 years of ministry, it’s been quite a journey. I never thought about what this journey would look like. In fact, when Kathy and I started out, I didn’t know where Staten Island was (and I certainly couldn’t find Mamaroneck on a map). Somehow we made our way to these places as we discovered what lox and bagels were and that the Big Apple is not a really an apple.

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Marvin Henk Marvin Henk

Remembering 9/11

I remember going through some neighborhoods in Dresden and Berlin a number of years ago noticing how they were so pristine, organized, and well designed. I said to a friend, "What a contrast to some of the places in the Bronx, Brooklyn, or Queens." He responded, "That is because they were bombed in WW II and rebuilt from total destruction."

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Let Us Not Become Weary in Doing Good
Marvin Henk Marvin Henk

Let Us Not Become Weary in Doing Good

It doesn't take long to realize that living is trying to move forward against a lot of resistance. It's like having the wind in your face, climbing up a hill, or trudging through a foot of snow. Yes, when I look around, I see the struggle - the epidemic of opioid addiction, alcohol addiction, the worried look on people's faces on the train home from the city, the people lining up in front of food pantries, the exhausted parents picking their kids up from school. In some ways many are looking at a "defeated life". 

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Matt Hardigree Matt Hardigree

To All Our Fathers

Being a father is a vocation. It is a calling and it comes, in a certain way, with many surprises. First of all, there is nothing - and I mean nothing - like a nurse handing you a beautiful baby. Wow!, this little thing, so small, vulnerable, dependent, and helpless!

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Matt Tatum Matt Tatum

The 80th Anniversary of D-Day

Today is the 80th anniversary of D-Day. I have been very fortunate to go to Normandy on a number of occasions and I walked through the cemetery of white crosses and some Jewish Stars of David. I also walked along Omaha Beach.

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We Recommend

A History of St. Johns

Explore the seasoned history of St. John’s Lutheran Church.

Worship

Glance at the St. John’s schedule of services so you don’t miss out.

Events

Find out about all the great things St. John’s has to offer.