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TGIF: Roundup for April 7, 2023

Happy Easter! In case you missed it, check out our series of devotions for the season on Substack.

We published 4 new articles this week: The “Model Minority” Myth in the Asian American Church by Andrew Lee, 5 Lessons from the Japanese American Internment by Tom Sugimura, Good Grief by Linda Kim, and “Church History” for Kids and Adults: A Book Review.

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 these excellent books! Reviews are in the section below. Thanks to The Good Book Company and Robert J. Nash for providing these books for our giveaway, in partnership with my newsletters for @diveindigdeep and FCBC Walnut.


Articles From Around The Web

1. Heidi Wong: Gods and Gangsters

“Instead of gearing up for the next battle in the culture war, the church must first be willing to abandon the superfluous nature of its mansion in order to be set free from shackles that blind it.”

2. Samuel Lee: These 3 Japanese Christian Women Changed Their Country

“Meet an early evangelist, an education reformer, and a preacher who held Bible studies with the royal family.”

3. Daniel Jung: Narco Saints’ Drug-Dealing Pastor

“The Netflix series works as both crime drama and critique of Korean megachurch culture.”

The SOLA College Writing Cohort is our new writing cohort for college-age students to receive mentorship and training as young Christian writers. Editorial Board member Soojin Park will personally be leading this initiative, and she is very excited at the prospect of nurturing the next generation of Asian American thinkers and writers who will help encourage and edify the Church!


Books, Podcasts, Music, And More

1. TGC Front Row Seat Podcast: Moving to a New Place with Irene Sun

Kristen Wetherell and Kari Olson invite Irene Sun to discuss the challenges and joys of moving to a new place as a pastor’s wife. Irene shares her story of moving from Chicago to Pittsburgh, how prayer was her lifeline through every transition, and the importance of giving thanks to the Lord when we’re in a foreign land.

2. Gateway Chapel: Hanley Liu

Pastor Hanley reminds us of our deep need for living water that truly satisfies our souls – that all of humanity is in need of this living water. When Jesus was cut off from the living water on the cross, he made a way so that all who trust in him will never thirst again.

3. Aaron Lee: Related Works

Book Reviews: Wherever You Go, I Want You to Know… (Keepsake Edition) by Melissa B. Kruger, Say the Right Thing by Carolyn Lacey, God’s Not Done with You by John Meador, Words of the Resurrected by Robert J. Nash. Listen to our TGIF playlist on Spotify. Join my Asian American Worship Leaders Facebook group.

Check out the new edition of our SOLA Network Magazine! Download it for free and share it with your friends as a great way to be introduced to the work we do at SOLA Network.


1. Aaron Lee: “Church History” for Kids and Adults: A Book Review

“How did we get from the Great Commission to the modern church today? In Church History, Simonetta Carr presents the important people, places, and events of church history.”

2. Linda Kim: Good Grief

“When waves of grief wash over me in unexpected ways, I am letting the tears flow. I am inviting them in and allowing myself to sit in the grief because it helps me to know that Jesus sits with me.”

3. Tom Sugimura: 5 Lessons from the Japanese American Internment

“Although the mass evacuation and incarceration of Japanese Americans were neither right nor wise, the experience nevertheless enriched the church’s spiritual life as nothing else could have. Consider lessons the church today can learn as we minister to fellow believers who similarly face adversity.”

4. Andrew Lee: The “Model Minority” Myth in the Asian American Church

“Asian Americans continue to live in the liminal space of the margins. This is not to say Asian Americans have not gained that much in both secular and religious life. However, as the ‘model minority,’ we remain on the outside, looking to the majority for guidance and direction in matters of church and faith.”

5. TGIF: Roundup for March 31, 2023

Judgment for Pastors: How Shepherds Prepare to Meet Jesus / Resisting the Impulse of Self-Optimization / Chinese Christians Adapt Under New Restrictions / On the CROSS Conference / How God’s Daughters Can Create for His Glory

6. SOLA Network: TGIF Subscription

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General disclaimer: Our link roundups are not endorsements of the positions or lives of the authors.