We asked our SOLA Network council to share some words for churches and leaders during the Coronavirus crisis. Pastor Hanley Liu (article, audio) and Pastor Steve Choi (article, audio) were featured this week.
For our 9 devotions written by women about the women who Jesus ministered to during his time on earth, visit our page dedicated to “The Women Jesus Loved.” We have a bonus devotion for the series by Heidi Wong being published tomorrow, so bookmark that page and check back.
The way we worship has changed since COVID-19, and our upcoming articles this month focusing on worship and art help us understand our current situation. Send me your feedback on Twitter or Instagram.
Articles From Around The Web
1. Amy Loh: Dear Isaiah
“You won’t remember the masks, the hand sanitizer shortages or the long grocery store lines. You won’t remember the time Daddy went out in the rain to stand in line so that we could have brown rice in our pantry and string cheese for your snacks. But we know that one day you will face uncertainties of your own and fearful circumstances you realize you have no control over. When these days come we want you to remember the truths that have sustained us.”
2. Hanley Liu: Our Resurrection Hope
“He tells them not to fear because He gives us this promise: that all the hairs of our head are numbered, and God will keep us alive until His purpose for using us on this earth is complete. And then when it’s time, He will take all of us home. We must believe that our hope is not in this life, but it is in the resurrection.”
3. Geoff Chang: Opportunity or Accommodation? Thinking Through Cultural Practices in the Immigrant Church
“What’s the proper place of cultural practices in the local church? Whenever people from a particular culture gather together in a church, there’s always a danger of various cultural practices and traditions rising above Scripture. This is a challenge in all churches, but it can be a particular challenge in churches full of immigrants, where cultural preservation is part of the attraction.”
Books, Podcasts, Music, And More
1. Gospelbound: The Coronavirus and Christ
“John Piper talks with Collin Hansen about what God is doing in the coronavirus, how we can persevere in prayer for an end to this pandemic, and why the health-and-wealth gospel must be exposed as impotent and dangerous.”
2. China Partnership: Learning from the Church in China in the Midst of COVID-19
New resources from China Partnership. Learn from China, love our Chinese neighbors, and pray with China.
3. Aaron Lee: Miscellaneous
You can enjoy our updated TGIF playlist on Spotify.
Featured This Week On SOLA Network
1. Steve Choi: Help My Unbelief: A Prayer for COVID-19
“Lord, I believe in you. Help my unbelief at times like this. Would you increase my faith? You’re the only answer.”
2. Moses Lee and Albert Young: Four Ways to Build and Sustain a Healthy Worship Ministry
“The result is that worship team leaders and members tend to burn out at alarming rates. Our churches need healthy and vibrant worship leaders that inspire and lead our congregations to sing the gospel.”
3. Sarah Kang: 5 Ways to Support your Musician Friends
“Though I believe in the redemptive nature of God and the value of imitating and glorifying Him by exercising creativity, I am human, and I often forget these truths in the battle of the daily grind. And these are the moments I am reminded of the importance of community.”
4. Hanley Liu: How Christ Frees Us from the Fear of Isolation and Death
“This is a season where pastors (myself included) don’t have all the answers. But we need to learn and remind ourselves to go deep into God’s Word so that we grow in our union with Christ and strengthen our hope in him.”
5. Lisa Wong: How the Good News Transformed Mary Magdalene
“This is great news for those of us who, like Mary, find ourselves in need of hope. Jesus is a patient, caring friend. He has a mission for His followers, even those who don’t feel qualified. He has overcome sin and death and ascended to our God and Father.”
6. Gavin Kajikawa: A Different Way to Meet. The Same God to Worship.
“We are in the midst of a new season of worship as church families across the nation and the world have transitioned to streaming worship services online. Things certainly feel very different.”
7. TGIF: Roundup for April 10, 2020
In case you missed it: Do We Really Want to Go Back to Normal? Does Art Matter in a Pandemic? Mark
16: Jesus Has Risen! and Coronavirus and Christ.
8. SOLA Network: TGIF Subscription
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General disclaimer: Our link roundups are not endorsements of the positions or lives of the authors.