Dim Sum, Stories, and the Search for Home: A Conversation with Jenn Suen Chen cover art

Dim Sum, Stories, and the Search for Home: A Conversation with Jenn Suen Chen

Dim Sum, Stories, and the Search for Home: A Conversation with Jenn Suen Chen

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In this episode, Daniel and Yulee welcome Jenn Suen Chen—author of Dim Sum and Faith and Yulee's Khora Collective co-founder—for a conversation about story, formation, and what it means to know yourself in God. The episode opens around the dim sum table itself: must-order dishes, the comfort of walking into a restaurant full of people who look like you, and why "dim sum" isn't a cute device for the book but the actual organizing metaphor—many small dishes, no single linear way to grow. From there, the conversation moves into the heart of the book. Jen talks about why the writing process pushed her toward deeper honesty, why spiritual formation isn't meant to be done alone, and how Psalm 139 became a recurring anchor—not as a tidy verse, but as an ongoing invitation to ask, "God, do you know me? Am I okay with who you made me to be?" Jen also opens up about: Living in China for 17 years as a Chinese American missionary, and the disorienting experience of "returning" to a homeland that didn't feel like home Channeling her "inner white woman" and what authenticity actually means—not a personality trait, but a fruit of formation The instinct to curate our own stories (including the story of her own family's immigration) and why we have to let go of the curated version to find the true one Encouraging young adults to know and tell their stories, and why age shouldn't determine who gets to be in the room An expensive, hard-won lesson about leadership, isolation, and the cost of not having mentors who could mirror her story back to her Jen closes with a charge to the Asian American Christian community: we are not meant to do this alone, and we need to be better at showing up for each other. Additional Resources: Khora Collective: https://www.khoracollective.com/ Dim Sum and Faith by Jenn Suen Chen https://www.ivpress.com/dim-sum-and-faith?srsltid=AfmBOoo64aWPyngRHw39Ci6jntFWi69AWTSsOFeiKWzS0Cs0jFmSwZ8N
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