Please pray for our churches, families, and friends who are affected by the fires in Southern California.
Last year we published our first book, A Letter to the Asian American Church, and at the start of 2025 we are proud to announce that it is now available on Amazon Kindle! I was interviewed by Tiffany Chu about being the publishing manager for our book.
Many reading their Bibles this year will begin in the Old Testament, which can often feel like a foreign land with its unfamiliar terrain. Our new series will help you find wisdom along these ancient paths. In our first article by Tom Sugimura, we seek Wisdom Along Ancient Paths: Reading Biblical Narrative.
SOLA Network is excited to co-host an inaugural Asian American Youth Workers Training Day with Rooted Ministry. Steve Chang, Hanley Liu, Monica Kim, Clark Fobes, and a handful of other familiar faces will lead workshops and panels with attendees throughout the day. The Conference will take place on March 15, 2025 at Living Hope Community Church in Brea, California from 9AM to 5PM. Learn more.
Keep in touch on X and Instagram. For more, check out my Asian American Worship Leaders Facebook group and TGIF Playlist on Spotify. This newsletter is one of the many ways you can stay connected with SOLA Network. Find us on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
Aaron Lee, Editorial Curator
Enter our giveaway! Thanks to New Growth Press for providing, in partnership with @diveindigdeep, SOLA Network, and FCBC Walnut. 1 winner will receive this outstanding book!
In You Are Secure, Aimee Joseph offers a deeply encouraging devotional study from the book of Colossians. Through her insightful reflections and practical applications, she helps readers grasp the profound truths of this epistle while drawing attention to how these truths shape our identity and security in Christ. Read my review.
Articles From Around The Web
1. Timarie Friesen: Start at Revelation
“Open the year by reading Revelation. You’re invited into the story as a friend, one who’s dearly loved by God because of Christ Jesus. Consider the larger redemptive story of the Bible and look for Jesus as you read Revelation. You’ve been running the race of the Christian life, and Jesus is there with you. The Holy Spirit comforts you through the unknowns of a new year when present-day events shroud clarity. Fix your eyes on Jesus by reading Revelation as you start your new year.”
2. Mia Staub: Your Likes Are But Dust
“There’s nothing wrong with building good habits. But the right workout routine, the right diet, the best skin—even the dog and the house and the spouse—can’t fix the dissonance between right now and the ideal life.”
3. Lewis Guest IV: God’s Word in Your Mouth: Finding Your Voice in Preaching
Voice refers not only to the sound, pitch, volume, tone, or timbre of your vocal cords. Voice implies the essence of who you are. God’s word finds expression in the distinct personhood of the preacher. Here, then, is my working definition of voice, building from Brook’s description of preaching: your voice is God’s word preached through who you truly are.
Will you join us in embracing the call for the Asian American Church? The collective voices in our new book argue that there is underappreciated beauty, diversity, joy, benefit, and place for the Asian American church. Asian American leaders need to joyfully embrace the call to serve the Asian American church, not only for the emerging generation but for the broader church. Find a sample, links to purchase, and a free discussion guide at sola.network/book.
Books, Podcasts, Music, And More
1. Tim Challies: Thoughts on Digital Libraries in 2025
“I would never say that electronic libraries are right for everyone or the best option in every situation. I would never say they are without drawbacks. Yet, many years after making the shift, I would say that it was right for me and that I am glad I did it.”
2. Conor Sweetman: Poetry Can Pull You Into the New Year
“There is a way to praise God by merely existing—as the planets, mountains, and rabbits do in their simple glory. Then there is a way to praise God through our unique human faculties of imagination and creativity. With poetry’s way of bringing these faculties to life, we have the opportunity to channel these gifts in a way that glorifies God’s grandeur.”
3. Aaron Lee: Related Works
Book Reviews: NIV Study Bible by Zondervan, The Long Road Home by Sarah Walton. Listen to our TGIF playlist on Spotify. Join my Asian American Worship Leaders Facebook group.
Our Books and Reviews page is your one-stop resource for all of your reading needs. It features Asian American authors and issues, recommendations, and interviews.
Featured This Week On SOLA Network
1. Tom Sugimura: Wisdom Along Ancient Paths: Reading Biblical Narrative
“Sin’s corruption turned our God-given imagination toward guilty despair, lustful fantasies, anxious thoughts, and uncharitable judgments. Only stories resonating with biblical truth can renew our vision of godly relationships, heavenly glory, and hope-filled community as the church.”
2. Tiffany Chu: Many Voices, One Mission: Aaron Lee’s Faith Journey to Publishing
“Our book is titled A Letter to the Asian American Church, but we are well aware that others will be reading – and we hope they can learn from our stories and perspectives.”
3. SOLA Network: On Kindle Now! A Letter to the Asian American Church
Last year we published our first book, A Letter to the Asian American Church, and at the start of 2025 we are proud to announce that it is now available on Amazon Kindle!
4. TGIF: Roundup for January 3, 2025
Honor Your (Elderly) Parents: How Adult Children ‘Make Some Return’ / Zion, the City of God / An Invitation Written in the Stars / Is Sharing the Gospel on Social Media Still Worth It? / Top Ten 9Marks Podcast Episodes from 2024
5. 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. Header image by Getty Images on Unsplash.