After the Atlanta massacres and a massive rise in anti-Asian hate crimes across the United States, SOLA Editorial Board Member Kevin Yi, the youth and education Pastor at Church Everyday in Los Angeles, asked Pastor and President Raymond Chang and Dr. and Vice President Michelle Reyes from the Asian American Christian Collaborative, “Is There More We Should Be Doing?” And Pastor Steve Chang, founding and senior pastor of Living Hope Community Church and our SOLA Network Council Chairman, was featured alongside a group of Asian American Christian Faith Leaders who made a video for A Call for Solidarity. In case you missed it, read our article on Sharing Grief: A Statement from the SOLA Network on the Atlanta Shootings.
As the month of March, Women’s History Month, comes to a close, read The Women Jesus Loved — our 9-part series of devotions written by women about the women who Jesus ministered to during his time on earth. And if you’ve felt distant during Lent and lockdown, explore our classic Holy Week Devotions collection. In this 9-part series, Patreeya Thorn reminds us that “Easter isn’t just a time to pause and reflect on some nice truths we tend to forget about the rest of the year. It is the entire crux of our faith. It is the only reason we have to hope.”
Our monthly newsletter was sent out last week. Read it now and subscribe to receive our most popular articles. If you have an article or link to share, reach me on Twitter or Instagram. This Easter season, especially with everything happening in the Asian American community, be encouraged by my special roundup of worship music videos featuring some of my favorites from the Asian American church.
Articles From Around The Web
1. Faith Chang: Learning to Grieve Anti-Asian Racism as an Asian American
“But, and this is the condition I think may be key for other Asian Americans also processing their lack of grief, I am learning that I can appeal to what we know as Christians the world is meant to be. And this has been the starting point for allowing myself to feel sorrow.”
2. Courtney Reissig: When You’ve Given Your Troubles to God—But Still Can’t Sleep
“What we need more than anything is for God, in all his glory, to carry us even when the hours of sleep aren’t enough to get us through the day.”
3. Sophia Lee: Not a Hyphenated American
“Christians worship a God who went beyond showing empathy—He became us.”
Books, Podcasts, Music, And More
1. Russell Moore: A Conversation with Pastor Tim Keller about Hope in Times of Fear
Wrestling with our mortality, how to order our loves in this life, and finding hope in the midst of suffering.
2. Ask Pastor John: I Feel Called to Missions — Should I Date Someone Who Doesn’t?
“The best place to find a like-minded husband or wife is precisely on the path of your missionary calling.”
3. Aaron Lee: Related Works
Our TGIF playlist is available on Spotify. Join my Asian American Worship Leaders Facebook group.
Featured This Week On SOLA Network
1. Kevin Yi: Reflections from the Christians Stand for AAPI Lives Rally in Los Angeles
“Though it was a very hot day, the crowd was much more diverse than I had anticipated, and it was a genuine joy to see people of various ethnicities and races coming together to stand in solidarity for AAPI lives.”
2. Aaron Lee: More Than Conquerors: Preparing for Easter by Singing with the Asian American Church
“We are crowned with steadfast love and mercy. We have been redeemed from death to life. Christ the King has won our victory. We are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”
3. Tom Sugimura: A Letter to My Children About Racism
“Your great-grandpa put his faith in Jesus because that was the first act of real kindness ever shown to him by a white man.”
4. Peter Lim: Turning Our Reactions into Prayer: A Call to Mourn and Pray Against Anti-Asian Violence
“My hope and prayer is that the Asian American church and the Asian American Christian community will see this tragic moment as a call to action for us to not simply proclaim the love and grace of our Lord Jesus from our pulpits and our pews, but that this will be a catalytic moment for the church to tangibly demonstrate the Gospel by jumping into the fray as ambassadors of justice and mercy.”
5. Kevin Yi: “Is There More We Should Be Doing?” with Ray Chang and Michelle Reyes
An interview with SOLA Network and the Asian American Christian Collaborative.
6. TGIF: Roundup for March 26, 2021
Asian American Sisters, God Lifts Your Heads High / Reflections on the Killings in Atlanta / The “Wonderful, Wonderful” Healing Power of Minari
7. SOLA Network: TGIF Subscription
Get our TGIF installments delivered straight to your inbox for free every Friday. Subscribe today so you never miss out.
General disclaimer: Our link roundups are not endorsements of the positions or lives of the authors.