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TGIF: Roundup for August 4, 2023

We recently crossed over 500 subscribers on YouTube! Check out our Most Popular videos, Article Reads, and Author Interviews.

I interviewed pastor and author Ken Shigematsu about his book: “Now I Become Myself: How Deep Grace Heals our Shame and Restores our True Self.” Don’t forget to take a look at more of our Books & Reviews.

This newsletter is one of the many ways you can keep in touch with us. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For more, check out my Asian American Worship Leaders Facebook group and TGIF Playlist on Spotify. You can reach me on Twitter and Instagram.

Aaron Lee, Editorial Curator

Enter to win these excellent books! Thanks to IVP Academic for providing this book for our giveaway, in partnership with my newsletters for @diveindigdeep and FCBC Walnut

Read my book reviews of Nourishing Narratives: The Power of Story to Shape our Faith by Jennifer L. Holberg, An Infinite Fountain of Light: Jonathan Edwards for the 21st Century by George Marsden, and Creating the Canon: Composition, Controversy, and Authority of the New Testament by Benjamin P. Laird.


Articles From Around The Web

1. Geoff Chang: Membership at Metropolitan Tabernacle: Church Polity with Charles Spurgeon

“Amid all the practicalities and administration of a church-membership process, never lose the wonder of what it means.”

Related: A Powerful Vision for Ministry: A Book Review of “Spurgeon the Pastor” by Aaron Lee

2. Connie Nelson: Great Is God’s Faithfulness Towards Parents and Children

“Tired moms and dads, our Father sees us and knows our needs. We may be unsure in our parenting, but we can sing because God’s faithfulness is tested and true, steadfast and unfailing.”

Related: The Best is Yet to Come: How Knowing Jesus as Our Resurrected Lord Impacts Our Parenting by Connie Nelson

3. Sara Kyoungah White: How Horror Uncovers Our ‘Holy’ Hypocrisy

“Sometimes the blatant evils portrayed in scary movies and shows can reveal the more subtle sins within us.”

Related: Praying Before Meals like the Men of Gondor by Sara Kyoungah White

Asian American Leadership Conference 2024: “Writing the Next Chapter.” April 23-24, 2024, Orange County, CA. Registration opens on August 28! More info can be found on the conference website: aalc.network.

The vision of this conference is to equip Asian-American leaders with gospel centered, contextual resources that will empower men and women for local church ministry. Our conference strategy is to equip leaders, platform voices, and connect with one another for life-giving relationships.

The theme of our conference is “Writing the Next Chapter: Empowering Asian American Voices for Gospel Ministry”. The Asian American church today is at a unique inflection point with leaders in diverse stations across multiple generations. This conference will be an opportunity to learn from these voices for the sake of continued and future Gospel work together.


Books, Podcasts, Music, And More

1. TGC: 11 Free Courses on Christianity and Classic Literature

TGC has shared Leland Ryken’s Christian Guides to the Classics to help you read select works of classic literature through a Christian lens, including Shakespeare, Milton, Dickens, Tolstoy, and more.

2. Westminster Kids Digest Podcast: Summer Reads

In this short and sweet mini-episode, hosts Remley and Faith talk about what’s on the kids’ (and their own) summer reading list.

3. Aaron Lee: Related Works

Book Reviews: Knowing God by J. I. Packer. Listen to our TGIF playlist on Spotify. Join my Asian American Worship Leaders Facebook group.

Our new Books and Reviews page is your one-stop resource for all of your reading needs. It features Asian American authors and issues, book recommendations, and interviews.


1. Aaron Lee: Healing Shame and Becoming “Myself”: An Interview with Ken Shigematsu

Pastor Ken shares his journey, his experiences as an Asian Canadian, and the wisdom he has gained in his pursuit of beauty and joy.

2. Moses Y. Lee: Recognizing Patterns of Subtle Spiritual Abuse Before It’s Too Late

Far more of us have spiritually abusive tendencies than we’d like to admit. If left unaddressed, many of our respective ministries are potentially ticking time bombs for scandal, disqualification, and moral failure.

3. Tim St. John: What Should Christian Accountability (Really) Look Like?

The hope of this article is to provide some clear, biblical guidance on how to approach one another in humility and honesty, knowing that our main hope is to depend primarily on Christ, not on each other.

4. Brian Ryu: Building Bridges: How God Invites Youth Pastors Into the Work of Relational Reconciliation

Teenagers need to be reminded that the heart of the gospel message is the hope that Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection radically alter our relationships for the better. Our vertical reconciliation informs and empowers our horizontal reconciliation.

5. TGIF: Roundup for July 28, 2023

Congregationalism for a Church Plant in a Confucian Culture / 5 ways to deal with people who cause you grief / Oh No! The Youth Guy Is Preaching.

6. SOLA Network: TGIF Subscription

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General disclaimer: Our link roundups are not endorsements of the positions or lives of the authors.