Please pray for our churches, families, and friends who are affected by the fires in Southern California. Renew Church, Citizens LA, and Living Way Church have designated giving funds to support disaster relief efforts. Please consider donating to support those who have been affected by this devastating disaster. For other ways to support, consider the links here and here.
Pastor DiHan Lee lost his home to the fires. On our Instagram, he shares his experience with this video and these photos. On our website, Melvin Huang wrote Even as the Fires Rage, God is with You. Sally Park wrote that we are like A Toddler in the Eyes of Our Father. And we also shared SOLA Network: SOLA’s Top 10 Articles Published in 2024.
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 Christian Focus Publications for providing, in partnership with @diveindigdeep, SOLA Network, and FCBC Walnut. 1 winner will receive this outstanding book!
How can a wild tongue be tamed? In The Scuttlebutt Letters, Natalie Brand shares a captivating correspondence between the Heart and the Tongue — revealing how both can be transformed. Read my review.
Articles From Around The Web
1. Connie Leung Nelson: Helping Kids Value Perseverance
“We can tell our kids this: It’s always worth it to do what’s hard that pleases God, because our prize is both here now, and it also awaits. Jesus is our prize. He’s with us, holding us, and helping us today. And he is coming back soon.”
2. Paul Bang: When Contextualization Becomes Compromise
“Emotions, when properly aligned with God’s Word, are meant to draw us deeper into communion with the Lord.”
3. Mark Dever: The Lost Coin
“The fact that any people remain in gospel darkness under God is the responsibility of his churches. We are the ones who send out preachers. How are we doing?”
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.
Books, Podcasts, Music, And More
1. The Best Ever from Ekstasis
The best articles, poems, and interviews – including Like & Subscribe for a Chance at Eternal Life by Yi Ning Chiu and Necessary Secrecy by Sara Kyoungah White.
2. ACBC Podcast: Midlife Counseling Issues
Dan Nah and Dale Johnson: There is hope and comfort for the middle-aged believer amid the unique trials of this season.
3. Aaron Lee: Related Works
Book Reviews: Romans (Lexham Interpreter’s Translation) by Michael F. Bird, Loved Indeed by Dan Cruver, Lay Leadership by Aaron Perry. Listen to our TGIF playlist on Spotify. Join my Asian American Worship Leaders Facebook group.
On Kindle Now! A Letter to the Asian American Church. The collective voices in our 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.
Featured This Week On SOLA Network
1. Melvin Huang: Even as the Fires Rage, God is with You
The temptation to isolate and suppress our feelings can be strong and persistent. Please resist that temptation and flee into the embrace of God, whose love burns with passion for his children.
2. SOLA Network: SOLA’s Top 10 Articles Published in 2024
We are thrilled to have gotten in touch with new authors, as well as hear from voices familiar to SOLA.
3. Sally Park: A Toddler in the Eyes of Our Father
He patiently answers the same questions I have already asked him countless times before. When I question his presence, he shows me the fingerprints he left in my life and gently asks me to remember. When I ask him if he cares, he points at his pierced hands.
4. TGIF: Roundup for January 10, 2025
Start at Revelation / Your Likes Are But Dust / God’s Word in Your Mouth: Finding Your Voice in Preaching / Thoughts on Digital Libraries in 2025 / Poetry Can Pull You Into the New Year
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 Laura Adai on Unsplash.