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.
In our new series, Teenage Mental Health and the Gospel, we will hear from youth ministry workers, counselors, and clinicians as they share encouragements for parents seeking to walk alongside their teen in today’s world. Rosalyn Auyeung wrote the sixth in our series: Helping Teens Who Self-Harm.
At AALC 2024, Ken Shigematsu showed how a deep, experiential encounter with the love of God can heal us from the shadow of shame and enable us to live and lead with greater joy and lightness of being—to become our true self—which most reflects the beautiful image of God. The video and transcript are available for his keynote: Leading from your True Self.
Keep in touch on Twitter 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, Twitter, and Instagram.
Aaron Lee, Editorial Curator
Enter our giveaway! Thanks to Banner of Truth providing, in partnership with @diveindigdeep, SOLA Network, and FCBC Walnut. 1 winner will receive this outstanding book! Read my review.
These sermons, the last John Calvin was to preach on a New Testament text, reveal the Reformer at his best: a lucid interpreter of Scripture, an engaging preacher, and a pastor passionate to present every soul in his care mature in Christ. Read more about this book at Banner of Truth.
Articles From Around The Web
1. Abraham Cho: Rewriting Our Scripts
“At some point, the Christian’s faith must move from a set of reference books that we look at (however regularly) to a storybook that we step into.”
2. Jeremy Treat: The Cross as the Remedy for Shame
“Western cultures often struggle to understand shame—it’s harder to grasp an inherently communal idea in a highly individualized society.”
3. Bonnie Nichols Scott: The Absurdity of Trying to Capture Childhood on Your Phone
A mother grapples with the desire to document her daughter’s every smile and giggle.
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. Ryan Kwon: Why Character Matters Most in Pastoral Ministry
Pastor, character matters more than competence. In this video from TGC’s Pastor to Pastor series, Ryan Kwon reflects on his journey in ministry—from humorous mishaps to lessons learned about staying faithful even when fruit seems scarce. Kwon encourages pastors to find joy in God’s transforming work and to trust in his timing and care.
2. Dr. Sarah Shin: The Deliverer Has Come: An Asian American’s Creative Retelling of the Story of Advent
“A particular concern was that so many Christmas books, though they speak to the specific moments leading up to Jesus’ birth, don’t usually connect to the larger story of Israel’s waiting. They fail to remember the people of God waiting for deliverance from oppression just as they experienced freedom from bondage from Egypt many centuries before in the story of Exodus.”
3. Aaron Lee: Related Works
Book reviews: Light from Calvary: The Seven Last Words of Jesus by Robert H. Ireland, Send: Loving Your Church by Praying, Giving, or Going by Jim Essian. 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. Ken Shigematsu: AALC Transcript: Leading from your True Self
A deep, experiential encounter with the love of God can heal us from the shadow of shame and enable us to live and lead with greater joy and lightness of being—to become our true self—which most reflects the beautiful image of God.
2. Rosalyn Auyeung: Helping Teens Who Self-Harm
“Understanding is the entrypoint to encouraging teens to vulnerably show us their hearts so that we can then gently bring their pain, desires, beliefs, and hopes to Christ.”
3. SOLA x Rooted: 2025 Asian American Youth Workers Training Day
This is an excellent opportunity to meet others serving in Youth Ministry, and receive training from leaders on a variety of topics to bless the local church.
4. Daniel Jung: Composting: Feeding the Imagination of the Theologian
Pastors, similarly, need time to become theologians. It takes time to think deeply about the world in intersection with deep thoughts about the Word. To become a good theologian, pastors need a compost pile for their imagination. A consistent fertilization of thoughts and ideas is how dirt becomes soil.
5. TGIF: Roundup for November 15, 2024
The Sovereign Arms of Comfort: Resting in the Bigness of Jesus / 5 Myths about Being a Follower / The Church’s Unsung Hero: The Persevering Sunday School Teacher
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 Eberhard Grossgasteiger on Unsplash.