Thank God it’s Friday
This is excerpted from my TGIF column at SOLA Network.
Articles From Around The Web
1. Gloria Lee: Recruiting and Caring for Church Volunteers
“Ministry is always about people, not programs. At my old church, I had invested in my volunteers for four years. But with the pandemic and the shift to a new church, I found myself lacking the relationship capital I needed with my new volunteers. I’ve learned over the years that ministry thrives best in the context of relationships.”
2. Beth Claes: Before You Cut Off Your Parents: 3 Principles to Consider
“The Bible assumes we’ll have flawed parents who will fail us, and yet the consistent call is for us to honor them.”
3. James Keen: Preaching from Brokenness
“Don’t give up. When we are willing to connect with others through preaching the Word, there is a special abundance of grace God pours out that both sustains us and ministers grace to those around us. We who are broken receive comfort for comfort (2 Cor. 1:3–4).”
Books, Podcasts, Music, And More
1. Abigail Talbott: Help for the Christian Perfectionist
“When I read Faith’s book, I just felt seen. She so accurately describes the feelings, worries, and doubts of the Christian perfectionist. Even better, she offers wisdom and help from God’s word for those, like me, who struggle but still want to obey.”
2. The Bamboo Pastors Podcast: Faithful Ministry Through Chinese Churches in America with Daniel K. Eng
“This week we are joined by Daniel K. Eng, professor of New Testament at Western Seminary in Portland, OR! Daniel is the editor of the recently published book Faithful Ministry Through Chinese Churches in America, a collection of articles from the Fellowship of American Chinese Evangelicals (FACE) originally published in the 80s and 90s as a resource for the Chinese Heritage Church. Listen in as we discuss this treasure trove of wisdom for the Church today.”
3. Aaron Lee: Related Works
Book reviews: The Heart of the Preacher by Rick Reed, Thoughts on Religious Experience by and Archibald Alexander. Listen to our TGIF playlist on Spotify. Join my Asian American Worship Leaders Facebook group.
Featured This Week On SOLA Network
In this premiere episode, Danny and Monica discuss aspects of Gospel-Centered parenting within the context of Asian American faith and culture. With the many layers of complexities that these facets bring to the table, they unpack their thoughts as parents and ministry practitioners, in addition to Monica’s experience as a biblical counselor and psychologist.
2. Aaron Lee: Watching and Waiting: A Book Review of Broken but Beautiful
Edited by Benjamin Vrbicek, this book is a project from Gospel-Centered Discipleship, with contributions by Timarie Friesen, Glenna Marshall, Tom Sugimura, Jeremy Writebol, and more. Their short stories are testimonies of God’s goodness to His people through His people.
3. SOLA Network: Resources for Lent
The season begins with the reminder of death on Ash Wednesday and will end with resounding joy on Easter Sunday. This time of year provides Christians the opportunity to sit with Christ’s sacrifice and hopefully see the immense love he has for us.
4. Patricia Nguyen: Suffering From Mental Illness and Keeping Your Faith
As an Asian-American who grew up with honor-shame culture, I know the urge to hide mental illness to save face. However, it is important to talk about it to receive help or help those involved. May God give us courage to reveal to Him and others the hidden parts of ourselves so that we can be healed.
5. TGIF: Roundup for February 28, 2025
Teaching Our Kids That They Don’t Need To Self-Justify / Don’t Preach a Commentary / A Heart for Adoption / On Training Preachers in Asia / Should Pastors Write Books? 4 Questions to Consider
6. SOLA Network: TGIF Subscription
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