Welcome to the 20th installment of our weekly roundup! I am a music leader at FCBC Walnut, and I recently shared part one of 10 Easy Ways to Blow Your Influence as a Worship Leader with our teams. I hope it benefits my fellow SOLA readers who are also worship leaders.
God Cares About Your OOTD is Part 1 of a three-part series about fashion started this week by SOLA’s editorial intern Judy Lee. Don’t miss her previous posts on food: Food: A Need or a Gift? Can You Be a Faithful Foodie?, and How to Consume Food Without Letting it Consume You.
In the latest episode of the Walnut Commentary podcast, Pastor Hanley Liu and I had a quick conversation on eating before sermons and answered this listener question: What is a Christ-like response to cliques and exclusion? Listen on YouTube, Spotify, or Podcasts. To ask us a question, feel free to tweet me @musicgoon or email me at aaron@musicgoon.com.
Link Roundup
1. Ekemini Uwan: Say My Name
An essay on culture, shame, immigrant parents, and the beauty of names.
2. Todd Chipman: Why the Church Can and Must Care for Orphans
“I do not think that each Christian is able or qualified to personally adopt. But the church must be about this task—and every church member can contribute to their church’s foster/adopt ministries.”
3. Ruth Graham: “I Did Not Die. I Did Not Go to Heaven.” – How the controversy around a Christian bestseller engulfed the evangelical publishing industry—and tore a family apart
A word of warning for those of us in Christian publishing.
4. Jonathan Hayashi: The Protestant Pioneer’s Unsung Hero: Francis Asbury
“Though a school dropout, Asbury launched five schools. He also promoted ‘Sunday schools,’ in which children were taught reading, writing, and arithmetic.”
5. M. Sophia Newman: So, Gutenberg Didn’t Actually Invent the Printing Press – On the Unsung Chinese and Korean History of Movable Type
Writing for LitHub.com, M. Sophia Newman helps us examine the historical context of the famed Gutenberg Bible and printing press.
Weekend Recommendations
1. Hannah Chao: Earthquake Preparedness Guide
SOLA editor Hannah Chao keeps us informed via her newsletter.
2. Brett McCracken: Quality Christian Music: 14 Artists to Watch
Writing for The Gospel Coalition, Brett McCracken highlights CityAlight, Isla Vista Worship, and more.
3. ERLC Light Magazine: A Hidden WorldChristian Faithfulness in the Face of Persecution
“A Hidden World” featuring articles from Russell Moore, Chelsea Patterson Sobolik, Mike Schueler, Ambassador Sam Brownback, Nina Shea, Travis Wussow, and Jayson Casper on Global Christian Persecution.
From SOLA
1. Judy Lee: God Cares About Your OOTD
“If you think fashion and the Bible can’t go hand-in-hand, you’re ignoring one of God’s biggest gifts to humankind. […]When [Adam and Eve] had nothing but shame and nakedness, God covered their bodies with the skins of slaughtered animals, symbolizing the sacrifice of Jesus that would cover far more than our bodies.”
2. Kevin Yi: The Temptations of Using Your “Calling” as an Excuse
“While it’s certainly legitimate to say no to a request to serve for various reasons, using ‘calling’ as an excuse not to serve is a dangerous attitude to have. We are essentially avoiding the serving and loving of the people in our church at the expense of our perceived identity.”
3. Daniel K. Eng and Tim St. John: What a Drive-Thru Teaches Us About Relationships
“A fast food drive thru can be an opportunity to think about how we approach our relationships. Here are some ‘fast food’ thoughts that can (ironically) result in better health for marriages, families, and church communities.”
4. Charlie Y. Kang: Our Anxious Youth
“When we look at the youth of today, we can see the great harm that anxiety and stress has put upon them. Whether it manifests itself in panic attacks, depression, drug use, or detachment, the present picture of anxiety we see in youth culture looks fairly bleak. Yet, we as a church can look at this as an opportunity to reach our students with the gospel.”
5. Thank God It’s Friday: Weekend Roundup
In case you missed it, here is our roundup from last week: Finding a new calling while on an art walk at the Getty Center June 8th, 2019, A Pastor’s Joys and Challenges of Starting In A New Church, How Pregnancy and Labor Point Us to the Gospel, New Approach in The Missionary Graveyard, and Make Some Return to Your Parents.