Dim Sum and Faith - by Jenn Suen Chen (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Discover the Sacred in Your Story

Imagine gathering around a dim sum table, a lively setting where stories are shared over flavorful bites and heartfelt moments. This is the inviting atmosphere Jenn Suen Chen recreates in Dim Sum and Faith. Drawing from her own rich tapestry of experiences, Jenn helps readers to explore how our personal narratives shape our spiritual journeys.

Dim Sum and Faith invites you to examine the phases of your life--shaping, undoing, awakening, and reshaping. Through guided scripture reading and reflective prompts, each chapter becomes a steppingstone toward understanding the profound ways God's presence is woven through every joy and trial in your story. This isn't just about looking back; it's about seeing how our stories are a part of God's continuous formation in our lives.

Dim Sum and Faith is an invitation to pause, reflect, and rediscover the joy and peace that comes from knowing you are lovingly crafted by God.

Review Quotes

"Dim Sum and Faith is a call to deeper fellowship as we share our stories in all their joy, pain, and confusion so that we can, as Jenn Suen Chen puts it, 'learn not to talk at people but to be with them.' I encourage you to accept Jenn's invitation (and God's) to the healing and hope that comes with renewed hearts and minds."

--Steve Richardson, president of Pioneers USA

"Dim Sum and Faith stirs the senses and invites you to go deep. Having met Jenn Suen Chen decades ago in Asia (I climbed those seven flights of stairs!), I was reminded in the reading of this book of her tender heart and courageous faith. Don't rush through this book--take it chapter by chapter, consuming it slowly and reflectively, allowing Jesus to sit with you in your story."

--Cindy M. Wu, mobilizer, author, and cofounder of Mosaic Formation

"Have you ever wanted a trail map for navigating all the intersections in the wilderness of life, faith, race, and identity? You will want to keep this book in your bedside table and keep coming back to it to help find your bearings along your journey in this life."

--Richard Lee, co-founder of Khora Collective

"I love how Jenn Suen Chen shares vignettes from her own life story as an Asian American of Chinese heritage. It's so helpful to see how God cares about our family history, cultural background, and big emotions and loves us through it all. Thanks for showing us how God takes every aspect of our lives to handcraft us into the likeness of Jesus Christ."

--DJ Chuang, cohost of the Erasing Shame podcast and author of MultiAsian.Church

"In Dim Sum and Faith, Jenn Suen Chen offers a beautiful integration of storytelling and listening as spiritual practices for deepening our experiences in a communal faith. She gifts readers the distinctiveness of her Asian American story and encourages readers to access their own unique stories. This book is especially helpful to experience in a group or with friends."

--Cindy S. Lee, author of Our Unforming and Contemplative Witnessing

"Jenn Suen Chen has created a road map for personal growth and spiritual formation in Dim Sum and Faith. Each chapter is a tapestry of her own experiences, Scripture, and compelling reasons to go deeper into the truth of our own stories and the depth of God's love. Jenn's honest telling of how each concept became real for her along with her model of doing the hard inner work make her a trustworthy guide and wise friend for the journey."

--Janice McWilliams, therapist and author of Restore My Soul

"Some authors give you a road map with good wishes for a safe trip. In Dim Sum and Faith, Jenn Suen Chen instead is a wise guide who vulnerably shares how she has traversed and continues to navigate her complex and beautiful journey. Even better, her questions and wisdom equip and accompany us as we explore the unique terrain of our own story that God is writing. Grab coffee and a friend and let Jenn help you go deeper in your spiritual formation."

--Toni Kim, director of spiritual care for the National Association of Evangelicals

"This beautifully written book offers a heartfelt invitation to share a metaphorical meal and engage in meaningful reflection with a wise and compassionate spiritual guide. Jenn Suen Chen skillfully and authentically intertwines biblical truths with her own unique journey, encouraging readers to reflect on God's shaping work through their personal stories. More than reading a book, engaging with Jenn in this way is a genuinely transformative experience."

--Kim Zovak, leadership coach, trainer, mentor, and founder of Blue Orchard

"We desperately need to slow down and pay attention to the story that God is writing in our lives. By sharing her own stories, Jenn Suen Chen reveals how God has been shaping her and revealing his love to her. She invites us to the family table to taste and see how God has been good to us in the midst of all our painful and joyful experiences. Come to the spiritual feast and spend time discovering more of God's love for you in this delightful book!"

--Joyce Koo Dalrymple, founder of Refuge for Strength and author of Women of the New Testament and Jesus' Passion Week

"We have all been powerfully shaped, for good or for ill, by the stories and experiences of our lives. In Dim Sum and Faith, Jenn Suen Chen gently and profoundly invites us to the dim sum table to remember and to recount these stories with honesty so that we can be reshaped and remade by our loving God. Regardless of our stage in life, the different contexts in which we live, and the roles we play, invitations to share (rather than suppress) our stories are precious. I hope you will accept the invitation offered in this book."

--David H. F. Ng, lecturer in intercultural studies and program leader for the master of missional leadership at Melbourne School of Theology