Something New
The Church is now in the season of Lent, which is very much a season of reflection. During the Lenten season, it is customary to reflect on the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness—just before he began His ministry. Also, during Lent, many people will choose to “give up” something, which, in some way, mirrors Jesus giving up food and water while he was in the wilderness. The purpose of giving up something is a form of sacrifice; however, I’ve seen many people give up something with much reluctance during Lent, which is, perhaps, not the appropriate attitude. If this is you, I want to challenge you to try something new. Rather than “give up” something for Lent—try adding something on and you may find that in the process you are actually give something up. For instance, if you decide to spend more time studying Scripture during Lent—you’re actually “giving up” the time you would normally be doing something else (like scrolling the internet or social media). The same applies for prayer, fellowship with others and attending more church worship services (I had to get that one in there!). The point is this: My desire for you is that during this season you discover new ways to draw closer to God, and that you grow spiritually stronger in your faith and love for God and neighbor.
God bless all of you,
Rev. Kendell Linh Healy
Speaking of something new, this past month, Saint John signed up for an account with a Christian group called Right-Now-Media, which is an online streaming service for Christians (much like Netflix or Hulu but with Christian Content). Right-Now-Media has over 20,000 Bible study videos, and the wonderful news is that Saint John is gifting it free to you and your family. If you would like to access Right-Now-Media — just sign up for a free personal account by either one of the methods below.
RightNowMedia.org
RightNowMedia is a web service that provides more than 20,000 Bible study videos for Christians. It is a wonderful resource for spiritual development.
Saint John is offering this as a free gift to you! If you would like to sign up for a free account, you can do so by EITHER of the following two ways:
1. Go to the following webpage: https://app.rightnowmedia.org/join/stjohnumcsc
2. You can also text the following: STJOHNUMCSC to the number 49775 and you will receive a link to register.