In keeping with our Missions Month theme, we shared Serving the City in Weakness: Developing a Theology of Mercy by Ah Mi and my new book review: Vision for Missions: A Book Review of “Asians in Diaspora and Diasporas in Asia”.
You also won’t want to miss returning contributor Joshua Budimlic’s The Healing of that Old Ache: An Ode to Sunsets & Childhood and our new episode of the SOLA Leaders’ Podcast with Steve S. Chang: Enoch Liao and the Chinese Heritage Church.
Keep in touch on X and Instagram. For more, check out my Asian American Worship Leaders Facebook group and TGIF Playlist on Spotify. This weekly newsletter is one of the many ways you can get connected with SOLA Network. Find us on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
Aaron Lee, Editorial Curator
Enter our giveaway! Thanks to SOLA Network for providing, in partnership with @diveindigdeep, SOLA Network, and FCBC Walnut. 1 winner will receive this outstanding book!
Edited by Tom Sugimura, Here We Stand: Reformation Truths for the Church Today celebrates the legacy of the Reformation and its impact in shaping our faith even to this day. In addition to Tom, the book features chapters written by Nam Park, Tranwei Yu, Geoff Chang, and Johnson Pang.
The team at SOLA has worked tirelessly over the past year to bring this vision to life with the goal of strengthening the next generation of the Asian American church. In this article, Tom Sugimura shares a vignette into the “why” of the book and how he hopes it will bless its readers.
ARTICLES FROM AROUND THE WEB
1. Clinton Manley: Words Fit for Our King
“When was the last time you put in real effort to find a fitting way to praise God?”
2. Timarie Friesen: Gossip is a Tornado: If Your Words Have Ever Splintered Trust
“Gossip is a tornado. Just as tornadoes rip through order and goodness, likewise, gossip splinters, disregarding grace and distorting God’s love. Be aware. Stay rooted.”
3. Geoff Chang: Tickets and Teaching: How Spurgeon Fenced the Table
“The goal in all this is not for the Lord’s Supper to become a somber and sad occasion. Rather, it’s the opposite. Spurgeon understood that the Lord’s Supper was a celebration. It was about communion with Christ and his people. The joy of that communion is only possible when we are reminded of his spiritual presence with us in the elements and the gathering of the church.”
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.
BOOKS, PODCASTS, MUSIC, MOVIES, AND MORE
1. N. Gray Sutanto: Why Philosophical Theology Still Needs the Creeds
“God’s causation doesn’t compete with but rather establishes creaturely freedom and responsibility.”
2. Sam Hyeong Rae Jo: Why Attending Church Service Matters in the Digital Age
“In a world of increasing isolation, the local church is a refuge of embodied grace—a place where we don’t scroll past each other, but see each other. We pray together, sing together, mourn and rejoice together.”
3. Aaron Lee: Related Works
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. SLP EP7: Enoch Liao and the Chinese Heritage Church
In this conversation, Steve Chang interviews Enoch Liao, the English congregation pastor of Boston Chinese Evangelical Church and cofounder of the Chinese Heritage Church Collaborative. They discuss Enoch’s background, networking among Chinese heritage churches, calling in ministry, and cultural identity within the church.
2. Aaron Lee: Vision for Missions: A Book Review of “Asians in Diaspora and Diasporas in Asia”
“This book will open your eyes to what God is doing in the world. It will open your heart to God’s people who are homeless and hurting. It will give you a clear and compelling vision for missions in Asia.”
3. Ah Mi: Serving the City in Weakness: Developing a Theology of Mercy
“We have a duty to love, to accompany and empathize, to understand this city’s idols and sufferings, all of which are ultimately affected by the Fall. We don’t stand on a moral high ground to judge our neighbors; rather, we first seek to understand them, then pray for them, and use every available opportunity to connect with them.”
4. Joshua Budimlic: The Healing of that Old Ache: An Ode to Sunsets & Childhood
Rather, follow these shadows and longings to the feet of Him who is the remedy for every ache in our hearts. For in a short time the sun will set on each of our lives, and with joy we will say to ourselves, “I’ve got a heavenly feeling; the way has been long and hard, but now it’s sunset and I’m finally going home.”
5. TGIF: Roundup for October 17, 2025
How China’s Persecuted Reach China’s Marginalized / The Pastor’s Public Ministry and Generative AI: Perils and Possibilities / A Woman’s Strength Can Grow / 10 Ways To Keep Your Reading Fresh / Welcome to Youth Ministry! Time to Talk about Anime.
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. Header image by Vitaly Chigasov on Unsplash.
Aaron Lee is our Editorial Curator. Aaron also serves as the Social Media Officer of First Chinese Baptist Church of Walnut in California’s San Gabriel Valley, home to the largest concentration of Asian American communities in the United States. Visit him online at DiveInDigDeep.com.