This Advent season, four authors walked us through the four names of Christ from Isaiah 9:6 in a short series of devotionals. You can find them all compiled in an online magazine. Soojin Park wrote our fourth and final installment: Prince of Peace.
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.
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 Crossway for providing, in partnership with @diveindigdeep, SOLA Network, and FCBC Walnut. 1 winner will receive these beautiful books! Link opens to my review:
How did Jesus read the Psalms? In The Psalms: A Christ-Centered Commentary (Volume 1, Introduction: Christ and the Psalms), Christopher Ash provides a compelling and insightful framework for interpreting the Psalms through a Christ-centered lens. This first volume serves as a detailed introduction to Ash’s methodology, setting the stage for a deep dive into all 150 Psalms in the subsequent volumes. His approach helps readers understand how the Psalms speak both to the psalmists in their own context and, more profoundly, to the life and mission of Jesus Christ.
Articles From Around The Web
1. Tom Sugimura: Christmas Imagination or Carnal Ignorance?
So, year after year, we celebrate Christmas not as a pagan holiday or to excuse our shameless materialism. Each year, this day marks our Savior’s birth as a human child revered by kings and shepherds. This day ushers divine imagination into our reality.
2. Heidi Tai: Christmas Used to Be Perfect (Then I Grew Up)
“I have learned that the Christmas and holiday season can be a profoundly lonely and difficult time for many people. Much of our longing and anticipation for the “perfect” day ends up falling flat as we find ourselves stuck in another family drama or traffic jam, or grieving the loss of a loved one or unrealized dream. So why do I (still) bother with celebrating Christmas?”
3. John Piper: Famous for His Grace: How Christmas Makes Us Family
“Christmas is the coming of God to make a family from his foes.”
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. Stephen Woodworth: Why A Charlie Brown Christmas Still Resonates
“Charlie Brown’s Christmas is a sincere Christmas that refuses to hide behind glazed hams, perfectly trimmed trees or the plastic smiles on a greeting card. It is an honest Christmas that speaks to the reason why the very first Christmas was so utterly necessary.”
2. Noah Senthil: Improvisation Is Key to Cultural Engagement
Cultural Sanctification reminds readers that misrepresentation, persecution, and even martyrdom will not derail the church’s mission. Christians must set their hope on the heavenly kingdom and the King who’s coming to judge the living and the dead. This book offers a powerful reminder that we can participate in this story of triumph too, but only if we’re willing to revisit the ancient path of the early church.
3. Aaron Lee: Related Works
Book Review: Changing Normal by Jolene Kinser. 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. Aaron Lee: His Strength Will Sustain: A Book Review of Walking with God Through the Valley
What happens when we cry out to God? In Walking with God Through the Valley, May Young writes on recovering the purpose of biblical lament.
2. Tom Sugimura: The “Problem” (and Proclamation!) of Christmas
This Christmas, proclaim the good news that Jesus takes away any fears related to your sins or sorrows. Jesus offers you peace with God and peace in your relationships, then fills you with his joy even in a fallen world.
3. Soojin Park: Prince of Peace
Judah thought they needed an immediate rescue from their enemies, but God promised them a greater peace that would come in the person of Jesus. As you meditate this Advent season, consider how you are also tempted to look to something or someone else for peace. Could God be reminding you that you already have your source of ultimate peace? May you drink from the riches of the gospel that remind you of all the ways in which Jesus gives us his peace as you consider his coming this season.
4. TGIF: Roundup for December 20, 2024
Humble Confidence as Secure Curiosity / The Presence of Advent / What Does Your Pulpit (Or Lack of One) Communicate to the Congregation? / Defying Gravity and the Weight of Sin / Best Books for Pastors in 2024
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 Andres Molina on Unsplash.