Asian American Leadership Conference 2024: “Writing the Next Chapter.” April 23-24, 2024, Orange County, CA. Registration opens on August 28! More info can be found on the conference website: aalc.network.
The vision of this conference is to equip Asian-American leaders with gospel centered, contextual resources that will empower men and women for local church ministry. Our conference strategy is to equip leaders, platform voices, and connect with one another for life-giving relationships.
The theme of our conference is “Writing the Next Chapter: Empowering Asian American Voices for Gospel Ministry”. The Asian American church today is at a unique inflection point with leaders in diverse stations across multiple generations. This conference will be an opportunity to learn from these voices for the sake of continued and future Gospel work together.
This newsletter is one of the many ways you can keep in touch with us. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For more, check out my Asian American Worship Leaders Facebook group and TGIF Playlist on Spotify. You can reach me on Twitter and Instagram.
Aaron Lee, Editorial Curator
Enter to win this outstanding book! Thanks to Lexham Press for providing this book for our giveaway, in partnership with my newsletters for @diveindigdeep and FCBC Walnut.
What does creation have to do with Christians? In Ordinary Splendor, Lydia Jaeger presents the doctrine of creation and what it means to live it out. Read my review.
Articles From Around The Web
1. Paul Luo: Congregationalism for a Church Plant in a Confucian Culture
“Congregationalism is not only feasible for a church plant in Confucian culture but also beneficial for the continued growth and maturation of the EA church as a whole in the long run.”
Related: When Confucius Meets Jesus: The Good News for Confucian Societies by Daniel J. Lim
2. Jonathan Hayashi: 5 Ways to Deal With People Who Cause You Grief
“Christians, in a world filled with enmity and strife, are called to unity and love. I believe loving our enemy is the only way out of difficult relationships.”
Related: Four Sustaining Principles: Letters to a Young Pastor at a Multilingual Church by Steven Chin
3. Brandon Cooper: Oh No! The Youth Guy Is Preaching.
“We train the next generation of leaders because we want to see the work continue for generations to come, and we trust God to advance his kingdom through the faithful preaching of his powerful Word no matter who’s in the pulpit.”
Related: Preaching that Pleases God: Three Lessons I’ve Learned as a Beginner Preacher by Aaron Lee
SOLA Network is grateful to offer a free one-day event for church leaders thinking about the possibility of a long-term home for their church. Wednesday, August 2, at Living Hope Community Church in Brea, California, 9:45am – 12:30pm. Learn more and reserve a spot!
Books, Podcasts, Music, And More
1. TGC Glo Podcast: Supporting Mental Health with Dignity and Grace
Blair Linne, Aixa de López, Sharon Dickens, and Soojin Park discuss the importance of creating a safe space within the local church for Christians to share their emotional and mental health struggles and receive encouragement without shame. They vulnerably share their own stories of struggling with mental health and describe how the hope of eternity, when we’ll be fully restored in body and mind, gives us the endurance to persevere.
Related: How to Champion Mental Health in Asian American Churches with Monica Kim
2. Englewood Review: Sam Kim – A Holy Haunting [Q/A]
“Gospel contextualization was not optional for the apostles or the early church; they were all in essence cultural architects who studied deeply and grasped the complexity of their context with great sophistication.”
Related: How to Understand People Who Doubt: An Interview with Sam D. Kim by Aaron Lee
3. Aaron Lee: Related Works
Book Review: Ordinary Splendor by Lydia Jaeger. Listen to our TGIF playlist on Spotify. Join my Asian American Worship Leaders Facebook group.
Our new Books and Reviews page is your one-stop resource for all of your reading needs. It features Asian American authors and issues, book recommendations, and interviews.
Featured This Week On SOLA Network
1. Aaron Lee: Share What God is Saying: A Book Review of “The Big Idea Companion for Preaching and Teaching”
“For new preachers such as myself, this is an invaluable book that will be a true and trusted help. For more seasoned preachers, this book will sharpen your study, propel your writing, and strengthen your sermons. Share what God is saying by preaching the big idea of the passage.”
2. Larry Lin: Watching Bluey as an Asian American Father
“Let’s not make it our aim to show our kids how amazing we are. Let’s make it our aim to show our kids how amazing our heavenly Father is.”
3. Aaron Lee: Finding the Big Idea When Preaching and Teaching: An Interview with Matthew D. Kim
In this engaging interview, professor Matthew D. Kim and SOLA Network editorial curator Aaron Lee discuss “The Big Idea Companion for Preaching and Teaching,” a Baker Academic/Baker Books book edited by Kim and Scott Gibson. Kim explains that the big idea represents the main thrust of the biblical text, allowing listeners to take home a clear and applicable message.
4. Cory Ishida: Letters from Grandpa: “The Days Are Long, But the Years Are Short”
The twilight of our lives gives us an opportunity to reflect on the goodness of God over all the years when the days seemed so long.
5. TGIF: Roundup for July 21, 2023
In the Modern Areopagus, 5 Billion People Are Listening / Classical Ways to Demonstrate God’s Existence: Finding Act from Potency with Thomas Aquinas / Davy Chou’s Transcendent Return to Seoul Embodies the Modern Search for Identity / Does God care what I wear? / Exploring the Intersection of Christianity and the Arts
6. SOLA Network: TGIF Subscription
Get our TGIF installments delivered straight to your inbox for free every Friday. Join today so you never miss out.
General disclaimer: Our link roundups are not endorsements of the positions or lives of the authors.