Throughout October we will be giving away bundles of books recommended from our article SOLA Book Recommendations for College Students (and Beyond), so follow us on Facebook and Instagram to find out how you can add a few of these to your collection. Across our social media channels we reshared An Appreciation for Our Pastors by Pastor Ben Shin. On the website, I contributed Back to Basics: 4 Fundamentals of Worship to kickoff our month-long look at worship, creativity, and art. And we published Pastor Owen Lee’s published fourth part in his Work Life Series with Rest from Work. If you’ve missed any of our previous posts, be sure to read The Goodness, Purpose, and Dignity of Work, The Curse and Temptations of Work, and The Redemption of Work.
Don’t forget about our upcoming SOLA Leaders’ Dialogue that seeks to equip pastors and church leaders to thrive and aim to address various aspects of becoming healthy leaders. Tim St. John from Lighthouse Community Church will be speaking on cultivating emotional health. Michael Lee from All Nations Community Church will be speaking on cultivating organizational health. And Harold Kim from Christ Central Southern California will be speaking on cultivating relational health. Mark your calendars for Thursday, October 24th from 9:30AM – 12:00PM at Living Hope Community Church in Brea, California. Register for free and RSVP on our Facebook event page.
I interviewed Pastor Harold Kim, the senior and founding pastor of Christ Central of Southern California and serves on the Board for Christ Central Network (CCN), on my podcast. He serves as the President of The SOLA Network. In this episode, we talk about Christ Central church, Korean American churches, his role as the President of The SOLA Network, and the flagship traits of The SOLA Network’s mission and ministry. Listen on YouTube, Spotify, and Podcasts. This was first made available to our SOLA newsletter subscribers. Subscribe today to get next month’s installment. If you have any links or recommendations to share, please tweet me @musicgoon or email me at aaron@musicgoon.com.
Link Roundup
1. Joe Carter: 9 Things You Should Know About Christianity and Communist China
As China celebrated the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Joe Carter writes for The Gospel Coalition. For more, Thursday’s episode of The Briefing by Al Mohler was Freedom vs. Totalitarianism: A Massive Worldview Conflict Turns Violent in Hong Kong.
2. Hannah Chao: What I’ve Learned from this Newsletter
Late last week, SOLA editor Hannah Chao reflected in her personal newsletter on the science and art of writing well.
3. Jackson Wu: 4 Key Factors Influencing Cultural Adjustment and Retention of Chinese Missionaries
A commending yet critical look at author and missions leader Tabor Laughlin’s 197-page dissertation “Factors Impacting Cultural Adjustment and Retention of Chinese Cross-Cultural Workers” for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Intercultural Studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
4. Heidi Tai: Learning to Dream Again
Author Heidi Tai tweets: “In Australia ‘chasing your own path’ is encouraged, but if I did that in Hong Kong, I would be shunned by society. ‘Learning to Dream Again’ is a story about glass ceilings, familial duty + the opposing views of East and West in the pursuit of dreams.”
5. Eric Davis: Master’s Seminary Grad Preaches the Gospel at a Kanye West Concert
Writing for The Cripplegate, Eric Davis calls his readers to pray “for Kanye, his family, these events, and for the gospel to move forward.”
Weekend Recommendations
1. Justin Taylor: He Asked to Hug the Woman Who Killed His Brother: ‘I Forgive You.’ ‘I Love You.’ ‘Give Your Life to Christ.’
The video and transcript of a moving courtroom testimony and Christian witness.
2. Getty Kids Hymnal: Family Carol Sing
“The Gettys have just released the next Getty Kids Hymnal album, the “Family Carol Sing,” with 12 exciting arrangements of carols, old and new, to help your whole family sing together this Christmas.”
3. Tabletalk Magazine: From Generation to Generation
The October issue of Tabletalk features young people addressing older people and older people addressing young people regarding various aspects of life.
4. Aaron Lee: Book Reviews
This week I reviewed Advance! By Tim Challies, who calls teens and 20s to use their years as a strategic time of sanctification.
From SOLA
1. Owen Lee: Work Life Series: Rest from Work
“Because of our deep desire to succeed and also because of our desperate desire to get our parents’ approval and to honor their sacrifices, we also work harder, even if it means we work too much.”
2. Aaron Lee: Back to Basics: 4 Fundamentals of Worship
“Is it possible to be too comfortable with God? Is it possible for zookeepers to be too comfortable around the lions? Sometimes I find myself being too nonchalant and too careless with how I treat God’s presence in my life. Let’s look at Isaiah 6 to help us see with fresh eyes what it means to have a healthy fear of the Lord.”
3. Ben Shin: An Appreciation for Our Pastors
“Whether you know it or not, pastors in the church work very hard. They do a lot of things publicly like preaching, teaching, visitation, and leading but they also do quite a bit behind the scenes like counseling, studying, planning, and praying. Unfortunately, for many pastors, it has become a thankless job. For this reason alone, it would be important for you to appreciate your pastor.”
4. SOLA Network: SOLA Book Recommendations for College Students (and Beyond)
“Books can have a powerful impact in our lives. Here are a list of books our SOLA Editorial Board members recommend you check out during your college years, but even if you’ve passed those years, it’s not too late to start!”
5. Thank God It’s Friday: Weekend Roundup
In case you missed it, here are some headlines from last week: Chinatown without Chinese grocery stores and the delicate balance of ethnic communities, Digital Bibles Help Men Read More But Retain Less, Why it matters if your Bible was translated by a racially diverse group, and The Best New Worship Songs of the 2010s.
6. SOLA: TGIF Subscription
Get our weekly TGIF weekend roundups delivered straight to your inbox for free. Subscribe today so you never miss out.