Just A Few Clicks Away http://justafewclicksaway.com our family at your fingertips posterous.com Fri, 11 Nov 2011 20:19:19 -0800 A Good Read on Adoption http://justafewclicksaway.com/a-good-read-on-adoption http://justafewclicksaway.com/a-good-read-on-adoption I believe I've mentioned it before, but here is a good book on the topic of adoption. Jamey and I read this book together while overseas, sometimes finding a nice and quiet spot to sit and enjoy. On not just a few occassions we would just cry and cry over its contents. The Lord is good.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1691752/holdmeclose-150x150.jpg http://posterous.com/users/ejjhI85uijvqW Matt & Jamey Click aleung871 Matt & Jamey Click Fri, 11 Nov 2011 19:52:32 -0800 We're adopting! http://justafewclicksaway.com/were-adopting http://justafewclicksaway.com/were-adopting It's pretty much official: We are in the process of adopting. Hooray! Our hope, with the help of the Lord, is to bring home two children from Ethiopia. By his grace, we will do this. And it will be for his glory. Please pray for us as we walk this journey. Below is a wonderful video describing the theological basis for adoption.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1691752/holdmeclose-150x150.jpg http://posterous.com/users/ejjhI85uijvqW Matt & Jamey Click aleung871 Matt & Jamey Click Thu, 20 Oct 2011 17:09:19 -0700 What Is God Sovereign over? http://justafewclicksaway.com/what-is-god-sovereign-over http://justafewclicksaway.com/what-is-god-sovereign-over Be blessed.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1691752/holdmeclose-150x150.jpg http://posterous.com/users/ejjhI85uijvqW Matt & Jamey Click aleung871 Matt & Jamey Click Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:46:58 -0700 Lost http://justafewclicksaway.com/lost http://justafewclicksaway.com/lost

Lost from AsiaLink HistoryMaker on Vimeo.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1691752/holdmeclose-150x150.jpg http://posterous.com/users/ejjhI85uijvqW Matt & Jamey Click aleung871 Matt & Jamey Click Thu, 29 Sep 2011 02:09:11 -0700 Hooray! Kindle News! http://justafewclicksaway.com/hooray-kindle-news http://justafewclicksaway.com/hooray-kindle-news Well, on the same day Amazon announced the release of its new kindle models, I placed my pre-order for the Kindle Touch with special offers. At $99 this is the steal of the century. Mine should arrive in the mail the first week of December. Hooray! Pre-order yours today. Thank you, our beloved gospel community group, for your generosity toward us in this matter. We love you so much!

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1691752/holdmeclose-150x150.jpg http://posterous.com/users/ejjhI85uijvqW Matt & Jamey Click aleung871 Matt & Jamey Click Mon, 22 Aug 2011 14:58:44 -0700 This is Discipling http://justafewclicksaway.com/this-is-discipling http://justafewclicksaway.com/this-is-discipling

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1691752/holdmeclose-150x150.jpg http://posterous.com/users/ejjhI85uijvqW Matt & Jamey Click aleung871 Matt & Jamey Click Thu, 18 Aug 2011 16:51:15 -0700 A Good Link for My Birthday http://justafewclicksaway.com/a-good-link-for-my-birthday http://justafewclicksaway.com/a-good-link-for-my-birthday Here is a good video on my 29th birthday. As a youngster, I had many questions about the goodness and mercy of God in the midst of my own, albeit smaller-scale, sufferings. Truly the Lord is good.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1691752/holdmeclose-150x150.jpg http://posterous.com/users/ejjhI85uijvqW Matt & Jamey Click aleung871 Matt & Jamey Click Thu, 21 Jul 2011 18:02:33 -0700 An Open Letter to Mike Anderson: 4 Things I've Learned about God through My Being Born Blind http://justafewclicksaway.com/an-open-letter-to-mike-anderson-4-things-ive http://justafewclicksaway.com/an-open-letter-to-mike-anderson-4-things-ive In response to his God-honoring post. Dear Mr. Anderson, We’ve never met, and there’s a decent chance we never will this side of heaven. Yet after reading about Baby Violet and what you’ve learned about God through her being born blind, I felt a strong leading from the Lord to respond—as one who himself was born blind and who also through that blindness has learned much about God—in order that you, as the parent of a child affected by eye issues, might be encouraged in your faith and emboldened as a father. Here are four things I’ve learned about God through my personal experience with blindness.
  1. God welcomes the blind. I was born with cataracts and later diagnosed with glaucoma at age eight. Today at 28 years old and still legally blind, I cannot remember a single instance in my life when my parents belittled or bemoaned me for my eye problems. Despite the numerous necessary trips to the eye doctor over the years, the multitude of meetings with teachers and IEP specialists, and in spite of also having several other children to attend to (one of whom also shares a similar eye condition), my parents did everything they could, and more, to show how much they loved and welcomed me. This extravagant mercy my father and mother imaged forth—both of them are lovers of the Lord Jesus—in time pointed me to the love and mercy of a heavenly Father who in Christ welcomed me into his family despite my sin and spiritual blindness.
  2. God is near during my hurt. I can still vividly remember, as a grade-schooler, the day of my first glaucoma surgery. I was nervous, scared, and a zillion other emotions. And of course, I didn’t wish to proceed with the surgery, and I told my mother so. But rather than letting me avoid the surgery (which was ultimately for my good) and the discomfort that it brings, my mom simply reassured me that she would be close by. At that moment, it seemed like all my fears, even if only for a second, were swept away—for no matter where those nurses wheeled me and no matter how terrible a surgeon’s knife seemed, somewhere in that hospital was a mother who cared deeply for her son and would do anything for him, and that greatly comforted me. Years later I would come to realize that in the past God did spare the knife for one son (Isaac) but did not spare his own Son, to save me from something far worse than an eye disease (namely, death and hell), so as to draw me near to him, that he might never leave me nor forsake me, even in the midst of difficult trials.
  3. God often works in ways unseen. After nearly three decades of various eye issues, I still don’t know exactly why God chose to make my eyes this way. Of course, the obvious answer is that he did it for his own glory. But why this way? Is it so that I can somehow better relate to those to whom I’m trying to minister? Probably. Is it so that I might feel a deeper compassion toward those who are suffering in ways I could never imagine? I’m sure. Is it so that a proud person like myself will learn humility even as I learn to depend upon him more, even as I live overseas and hike up muddy mountains and navigate new places? Perhaps. In truth, I may never know all of the mysteries of God’s ways. Yet I will continue to trust him.
  4. God is more concerned that we see him than he is that we see every bit of his creation. God made my eyes. He knows that I cannot see the particulars of leaves on trees and scales on fish and a myriad of other wonderful details that are crafted by his hand. Yet I am reminded that there are also ten million times ten million things on this planet and in this universe that even people with 20/20 will never be able to see, and God will still get his due glory for those things. And for that reason, the very fact that we even have glasses and contact lenses and microscopes and telescopes ought to tell us that there is something wholly and totally beyond ourselves, namely, God. And this awesome Creator, who formed the sky and fashioned the stars, who made you and me, we who are made up of muscles and molecules, this almighty God is worthy of all glory and honor and power and might. Make no mistake: Above all else, God wants me to seek and strive to see him, even more than the things I can see with my own two physical eyes.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1691752/holdmeclose-150x150.jpg http://posterous.com/users/ejjhI85uijvqW Matt & Jamey Click aleung871 Matt & Jamey Click Thu, 28 Apr 2011 14:52:15 -0700 Another Water Buffalo Pic http://justafewclicksaway.com/another-water-buffalo-pic http://justafewclicksaway.com/another-water-buffalo-pic
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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1691752/holdmeclose-150x150.jpg http://posterous.com/users/ejjhI85uijvqW Matt & Jamey Click aleung871 Matt & Jamey Click Thu, 28 Apr 2011 14:45:17 -0700 More Great Scenery http://justafewclicksaway.com/more-great-scenery http://justafewclicksaway.com/more-great-scenery
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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1691752/holdmeclose-150x150.jpg http://posterous.com/users/ejjhI85uijvqW Matt & Jamey Click aleung871 Matt & Jamey Click Thu, 28 Apr 2011 14:43:38 -0700 Water Buffaloes http://justafewclicksaway.com/water-buffaloes http://justafewclicksaway.com/water-buffaloes
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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1691752/holdmeclose-150x150.jpg http://posterous.com/users/ejjhI85uijvqW Matt & Jamey Click aleung871 Matt & Jamey Click Thu, 28 Apr 2011 14:32:01 -0700 Picking Wild Vegetables http://justafewclicksaway.com/picking-wild-vegetables http://justafewclicksaway.com/picking-wild-vegetables
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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1691752/holdmeclose-150x150.jpg http://posterous.com/users/ejjhI85uijvqW Matt & Jamey Click aleung871 Matt & Jamey Click Sun, 20 Mar 2011 09:43:36 -0700 Spurgeon quotes http://justafewclicksaway.com/spurgeon-quotes http://justafewclicksaway.com/spurgeon-quotes

Charles Haddon Spurgeon:

 

If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies.

 

And if they perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay.

 

If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one person go there unwarned and unprayed for.

___

 

The Holy Spirit will move them by first moving you.

 

If you can rest without their being saved, they will rest, too.

 

But if you are filled with an agony for them, if you cannot bear that they are lost, you will soon find that they are uneasy, too.

 

HT: Justin Taylor

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1691752/holdmeclose-150x150.jpg http://posterous.com/users/ejjhI85uijvqW Matt & Jamey Click aleung871 Matt & Jamey Click Wed, 02 Mar 2011 03:29:06 -0800 Hanging Out with the World's Greatest Gal http://justafewclicksaway.com/hanging-out-with-the-worlds-greatest-gal http://justafewclicksaway.com/hanging-out-with-the-worlds-greatest-gal
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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1691752/holdmeclose-150x150.jpg http://posterous.com/users/ejjhI85uijvqW Matt & Jamey Click aleung871 Matt & Jamey Click Wed, 02 Mar 2011 03:20:16 -0800 Where We Spent New Year's http://justafewclicksaway.com/where-we-spent-new-years http://justafewclicksaway.com/where-we-spent-new-years
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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1691752/holdmeclose-150x150.jpg http://posterous.com/users/ejjhI85uijvqW Matt & Jamey Click aleung871 Matt & Jamey Click Thu, 17 Feb 2011 04:12:50 -0800 Valentine's Day http://justafewclicksaway.com/valentines-day http://justafewclicksaway.com/valentines-day
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For Valentine's Day, Jamey made me a yummy chocolate cake. I gave her roses and also painted her wooden oven shelf red.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1691752/holdmeclose-150x150.jpg http://posterous.com/users/ejjhI85uijvqW Matt & Jamey Click aleung871 Matt & Jamey Click Mon, 31 Jan 2011 13:59:21 -0800 Orphans, Adoption, and the Glory of God http://justafewclicksaway.com/orphans-adoption-and-the-glory-of-god http://justafewclicksaway.com/orphans-adoption-and-the-glory-of-god Editor's note: This article was originally published on December 28, 2005. I've been thinking a lot about adoption lately and recently recalled that I had written an article some five years back on this very subject--long before I ever got married and even longer before I knew we would someday struggle through infertility. While my prose has changed a bit in the past half-decade, my passion has not. God apparently loves orphans. So much so that he even views visiting orphans as an indicator that a person possesses pure and undefiled religion. Time and time again God makes mention of orphans in his Word (Ex. 22:22; Deut. 10:18; 14:29; 16:11, 14; 24:17, 19, 20, 21; 26:12; 26:13; 27:19; Job 22:9; 24:9; 29:12; 31:21; Ps. 10:14, 18; 94:6; Isa. 1:17, 23; Jer. 5:28; 7:6; 22:3; Hosea 14:3; Zech. 7:10; Mal. 3:5). So why does he do it? Why does God take such a deep interest in the welfare of orphans? One reason for this stems from the fact that God has genuine compassion for the weak and needy and helpless. (See Ex. 23:11; Lev. 19:10; 23:22; Deut. 15:11; 1 Sam. 2:8; Ps. 9:18; 12:5; 69:33; 72:12, 13; 107:41; 109:31; 113:7; Prov. 14:31; 31:9; Isa. 25:4.) In his sovereignty God has chosen the weak and needy and helpless of this world, so as to show himself strong. This truth is most clearly seen in our own salvation. Paul writes in Romans 5:6, “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” (NASB). We were—and in one sense, still are—weak and needy and helpless. Christ did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance (Luke 5:32). None of us is strong or self-sufficient or without need of help. We all need help from above. And only Christ is the answer. And what better way to reflect the compassion of Christ than to care for the forgotten orphans of the world? After all, I cannot help but think that there are millions of them all around the globe, without a father and mother, and without a whole lot of hope for the age to come. And I propose that one such way to care for the orphans of the world is through adoption. Either in America, or going to a foreign land to find them (and there are plenty of them!), we as Christians ought to adopt them, bring them back home, love them, care for them, and raise them for the glory and praise of Jesus Christ our Savior. I assert that adopting a child, for Christ’s sake, is both good and honorable. But more than that, it is my judgment that adopting a child depicts—more vividly than virtually anything else—the glorious reality of our own election in Christ. Paul drives home this point in Eph. 1:4-6: “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” The Bible makes it crystal clear that God is the one who does the choosing first—and not us (see Deut. 7:6-8; 10:14-15; 1 Sam. 12:22; 2 Sam. 7:23; Isa. 43:7, 21; Jer. 13:11; Luke 10:21-22; Acts 13:48; 1 Cor. 1:26-31; Rom. 9). Without a doubt, adoption is the means by which God has chosen to make a name for himself in this world. So, I earnestly plead with all of you—whether old or young, having already raised a family or soon set to begin one or hoping to one day do so—to give strong consideration toward the cause of adopting a child, for the sake of Jesus’ name among all the peoples of the world, for God’s glory and great renown. If we truly want our religion to be seen as pure and undefiled before God, then we must look after orphans in their distress.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1691752/holdmeclose-150x150.jpg http://posterous.com/users/ejjhI85uijvqW Matt & Jamey Click aleung871 Matt & Jamey Click Mon, 24 Jan 2011 09:47:55 -0800 Super Bowl Surprise http://justafewclicksaway.com/super-bowl-surprise http://justafewclicksaway.com/super-bowl-surprise Well folks, I thought I had seen it all. But this is another China first. One of my Chinese friends, Harry, who is currently away in Shanghai, just a few hours ago sent me a text message asking, believe it or not, whether I would be cheering for the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl. Having forgotten that this weekend was the AFC and NFC championship games, I was glad to receive the news—and of course not just a little surprised that one of the locals beat my mom to the proverbially punch. (Most Chinese know almost nothing about American football. Meanwhile, my mom frequently e-mails me Kansas City Chiefs scores and updates throughout the regular season, which keeps me informed but not distracted.) Well, in answer to my friend’s question, I told him that since Jamey’s father and brother are both big Steelers fans, I guess I would probably cheer for Pittsburgh. Of course, I don’t know if the Super Bowl will even be aired in our area. Nor do I know if I will even be in town to watch it! But that’s okay, between Harry and my mom, I’m sure I will get filled-in soon enough.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1691752/holdmeclose-150x150.jpg http://posterous.com/users/ejjhI85uijvqW Matt & Jamey Click aleung871 Matt & Jamey Click Wed, 19 Jan 2011 09:40:55 -0800 Snow!!! http://justafewclicksaway.com/snow http://justafewclicksaway.com/snow
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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1691752/holdmeclose-150x150.jpg http://posterous.com/users/ejjhI85uijvqW Matt & Jamey Click aleung871 Matt & Jamey Click Sat, 15 Jan 2011 09:51:12 -0800 Deodorant and Hand Sanitizer, Anyone? http://justafewclicksaway.com/deodorant-and-hand-sanitizer-anyone http://justafewclicksaway.com/deodorant-and-hand-sanitizer-anyone
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Two things we won't be needing in a care package any time soon. :-)

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1691752/holdmeclose-150x150.jpg http://posterous.com/users/ejjhI85uijvqW Matt & Jamey Click aleung871 Matt & Jamey Click