Thank God it’s Friday
This is excerpted from my TGIF column at SOLA Network.
ARTICLES FROM AROUND THE WEB
Angela Lu Fulton: China Releases House Church Leader After 9 Months
Chinese authorities detained Jin, Wang and more than two dozen others from Zion Church last October in a massive operation spanning at least six cities in China. A month later, they formally arrested 18 leaders, charging them with the crime of “illegally using information networks,” which could carry a prison sentence of up to three years.
Joshua Chatman: Pastor’s Job Description: Four Essential Responsibilities of a Shepherd
“Pastor Joshua Chatman outlines four essential responsibilities of pastors based on Scripture’s teaching in passages such as John 21:15–18 and 1 Peter 5:1–3. As shepherds of Christ’s flock, pastors have the privilege and responsibility to lead, feed, protect, and care for the people Christ has put under their oversight.”
Tim Challies: I’m Finding It Harder to Change
“These good habits are deeply embedded in my life, and it is hard to kick them, which is exactly the point of building them in the first place.”
NEWSLETTERS, BOOKS, MEDIA, AND MORE
Ryan Kucera: What Every Man is Looking For
“We need someone to seek us out, to notice us, to care. We have this in God. And He has designed us to experience something similar from our fellow image bearers.”
John Piper: The Biblical Difference Between Misplaced Shame and Well-Placed Shame
“A lot of Christian shame comes from what man thinks rather than what God thinks. But when we realize deeply that God’s assessment is infinitely more significant than anyone else’s, we would not be ashamed of things that are so amazing they are even called the very power of God.”
Aaron Lee: Related Works
Substack: The Gift of Serving God, Vacation Bible School. Listen to our TGIF playlist on Spotify. Join my Asian American Worship Leaders Facebook group. Keep in touch on X and Instagram.
FEATURED THIS WEEK ON SOLA NETWORK
Asian American Parenting Podcast: Unpredictable Life Events, the Brain, and its Impact on Teenagers
Danny and Monica look at recent research on unpredictable life events in the lives of teenagers and its impact on their brain development.
“Let us be faithful in making disciples where we have been planted and strive to glorify God in partnership with faithful friends.”
Hannah Cho: The Hidden Idolatry of Excellence: How the church can shepherd creatives in worship“When our identity is rooted in Christ, excellence becomes what it was always intended to be—not an idol to pursue, but an offering of worship laid before God.”
TGIF: Roundup for July 10, 2026
Sing Like You’re Saved: Overcoming Seven Obstacles to Worship / Be an Always-Learning Preacher / Reclaiming Summer Idleness: Teach Your Kids to Rest, Work, and Play / How God’s Sovereignty Steadies a Fearful Mom / To What Shall We Compare God’s Love?
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