SOLA Network

In this first of two episodes on Faith and Academics, the Asian American Parenting podcast is joined by special guest, Pastor Jason Min of Citizens LA in Los Angeles. Jason has many gifts and talents that have been used in unique ways to bless others. In addition to being a Senior Pastor, he is an Ivy League graduate and former owner of an SAT preparatory academy and tutoring service. From these three distinct vantage points, we spend time with him discussing faith and academics in an Asian American context, and he offers wisdom for parents of teenagers. Follow @therootedministry and @thesolanetwork on Instagram for more updates!Follow and subscribe to Asian American Parenting wherever you listen to podcasts.

In this episode, author Helen Lee shares the pieces of her life and heritage that have inspired her writing, including her recent children’s book, Kaylee Prays for the Children of the World. Helen and Aaron discuss personal history, challenges and growth in praying, and teaching children through song. https://sola.network/article/writing-childrens-books-from-personal-history-with-helen-lee/Helen Lee has been a Christian publishing professional since 1993, when she began her career working at Christianity Today (CT) magazine. She is the director of strategic initiatives at InterVarsity Press, where she formerly served as an acquisitions editor, director of marketing, and director of product innovation.Aaron Lee is our Editorial Curator. Aaron also serves as the Social Media Officer of First Chinese Baptist Church of Walnut in California’s San Gabriel Valley, home to the largest concentration of Asian American communities in the United States. Visit him online at DiveInDigDeep.com.

In this episode of Asian American Parenting, Danny and Monica continue the discussion on the issue of misbehavior in our teenage children. They follow up from the last episode to discuss some practical and concrete ways that parents can firmly and lovingly address misbehavior with their teens.Follow @therootedministry and @thesolanetwork on Instagram for more updates!Follow and subscribe to Asian American Parenting wherever you listen to podcasts.

In this interview with cultural critic and writer Yi Ning Chiu, Aaron Lee discusses several of Chiu’s articles and the stories behind them. Though brief, they cover much ground considering how we use or are used by en vogue thoughts and technology, and impact of K-Pop domestically and globally at the individual level, and how each story that goes to print is part of a richer and often more complex narrative.Video and article:⁠https://sola.network/article/theology-of-the-internet-teen-vogue-k-pop-and-substack-yi-ning-chiu/Timestamps:0:00 Intro2:29 Discussing the article, Like and Subscribe for Eternal Life9:45 What does it mean to be an AAPI Writer (discussing the K-Pop article for Teen Vogue)15:21 Discussing Substack, When a Church Breaks, and the behind the scenes of writing. The articles mentioned in this interview are below:Like and Subscribe for Eternal Lifehttps://www.ekstasismagazine.com/blog/2022/3/21/like-and-subscribe-for-eternal-lifeK Pop Opened Doors for AAPI Dancers Abroad. At home, They Remain Closedhttps://www.teenvogue.com/story/k-pop-opened-doors-for-aapi-dancers-abroad-at-home-they-remain-closedWhen a Church Breakshttps://www.christianitytoday.com/2025/02/when-a-church-breaks/Please Don’t Gohttps://yiningchiu.substack.com/

In the afternoon session of the Asian American Youth Worker Training Day held in March 2025, Steve Chang (former Senior Pastor of Living Hope Community Church) recounts his early life as an immigrant in the U.S. and finding a sense of belonging in his church’s youth group. He reflects on his faith journey, emphasizing the importance of youth ministry volunteers, using the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) to illustrate the complexities of working with youth–the potential to be hurtful, humbled, and healed. He stresses the significance of volunteers' efforts, even when unseen, and encourages persistence. Timestamps0:00 Intro & Steve’s Faith Background7:19 The Hurtful Youth15:38 The Humbled Youth33:03 Celebrating the returned Youth

In this episode of Asian American Parenting, Danny and Monica discuss the issue of misbehavior in our teenage children. They explore the importance of the parent’s need to be reflective about themselves, their perspectives, and their hearts, as an important part of dealing with misbehaviors of our teen children. They further explore the idea of how parents can love and care for their misbehaving children and how parents can be accountable to their own desires of their hearts.

In this Opening Session of the Asian American Youth Worker Training Day held in March 2025, Hanley Liu (FCBC Walnut) emphasized the importance and privilege of stewarding our cultural heritage for the gospel. He shared about his journey from junior high counselor to youth pastor, highlighting the unique challenges and opportunities in ministering to Asian American youth. Reflecting on 1 Peter 2:9 and Heb 13:17, he illustrates the need for cultural contextualization in ministry. Timestamps0:00 Intro5:28 Understanding Cultural Privileges in the Early Church15:02 Applying the Gospel to Cultural Backgrounds24:00 The Importance of Stewarding our Asian American Background in MinistryTranscripthttps://sola.network/article/stewarding-your-cultural-heritage-for-the-gospel/

In this episode of Asian American Parenting, Danny and Monica discuss conflicts with teenagers and parents, whether major or even more minor conflicts. They reflect on aspects of how our Asian American identity and culture has influenced our view of conflict as parents with our own teenagers. They expound on the challenges both with teenagers and why conflict arises with our teenagers and a parents’ heart, and offer exhortation of gospel hope and encouragement that parents “be the parent” and embrace Ephesians 6 in their parenting.Follow @therootedministry and @thesolanetwork on Instagram for more updates!Follow and subscribe to Asian American Parenting wherever you listen to podcasts.

In this episode of Asian American Parenting, Monica and Danny discuss anxiety and how it impacts Asian American parents, and offer a hopeful encouragement to parents who might be anxious parenting their teens. They discuss what the prior generations of Asian American parents might have passed down as far as anxiety issues to parents today, and how this impacts our teenagers and children now. They also contrast parenting from anxiety with “gentle” parenting. Finally, they offer exhortation and encouragement for parents and churches walking alongside anxious and “gentle” parents, to parent in the hope of the gospel and move away from being anxious parents.

In this interview, SOLA trustee member, Will Chang, sits down with our SOLA’s new president, Steve Chang to discuss his transition from pastoring to this role, and hopes he has for the future of SOLA Network.