happy birthday, daddy

"only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether i come and see you or am absent, i may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel." Philippians 1:27

today is my dad's birthday. i so wish i could be home to celebrate with him but school calls. i am so thankful for my dad for so many reasons. these are only a few:

- you love Jesus more than anything else in this world.

- you are a diligent student of the Word {you are my go to guy for any questions i have about the bible, theology, false religions, eschatology, etc.}

- you are an incredible reflection of a biblical husband

- you lead our family as Christ has commanded you to

- you are the most humble man i know, and the smartest

- you love me in spite of my flaws

- you discipline me, pray for me, and love me through everything

- you never let me win anything growing up. {i still remember the pure joy i felt when i beat you at HORSE for the first time}

- you have the best sense of humor {some say it's cheesy, i think it's awe-some}

- you work SO incredibly hard to provide for our family

- you love auburn football. but, you always keep everything in perspective

- you taught me everything i know about sports

- you made all of us watch musicals growing up {double thank you for this one}

- you strive to be more like Christ everyday

i'm sure this list could go on and on. please know daddy that i am so thankful for you, and i am so glad that God chose you to be my earthly daddy. you are a wonderful reflection of his love.

love you more than a game of shove up on a sunny afternoon,

cate.

for such a time as this...

i had the privilege of going to campus outreach national conference over Christmas break. the Lord was so sweet during this time, and he used it as a way to renew my spirit and draw my gaze from the fleeting pleasures of this world up to him. during one of the women's rallies, ashlee johnson taught out of esther chapter 4. verses 13-15 read,

"then mordecai told them to reply to esther, ""do not imagine that you in the king's palace can escape any more than all the Jews. for if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father's house will perish. and who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?""

mordecai had faith that God would deliver and preserve his people. this plan was going to be brought to fruition with or without esther. mordecai indirectly appealed to God's providential timing by asking esther "and who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?" esther obeyed, and God once again sovereignly preserved his people in accordance with his covenant promise to abraham.

today, my mother turns 48. now, i know she won't mind me telling her age because she looks pretty darn good to be 48. i remember talking to my mom one night about what it really means to trust the Lord. she told me the moment she found out she was pregnant with four babies, her faith was tested. really, really, really tested. it was during the early stages of her pregnancy that my mom really searched her heart and believed that no matter what came to fruition, Christ was enough. and from that moment on i truly believe that God was preparing my mom for a lifetime of for such a time as this moments.

people always say that i look just like my mom. my heart always smiles when i hear this. i truly appreciate my mother's beauty, and i take their statement as a true compliment. but above all, i value my mom's heart.

mom, these are just a few of the many things i love about you...

- you love Jesus more than anything in the world. in a recent conversation you said, "if God took our house, i would be sad. but i wouldn't be devastated. because if everything is gone, i still have Christ." and i know without a doubt that you meant every word.

- you love daddy more today than you did they day you got married {25 years ago!!} you humbly submit to his authority, and you are a beautiful example of a godly, biblical wife.

- you prayed for all of your children before we were born and have continued to pray for us everyday.

- every morning when i wake up i know that i will be getting an encouraging text message from you that is either a) a bible verse b) a quote by one of the reformers c) john macarthur, john piper, matt chandler d) all of the above.

- when all of us are home from college you make four different kinds of pancakes because you want everyone to have the kind they like.

- you are the best "bella" to ada.

- it took you an entire afternoon to open your frye boots because you had never spent that much money on yourself. {your constant humility amazes me}

- you spend every friday afternoon during football season cooking and packing the car in preparation for our tailgate in auburn.

- you always let us girls borrow your clothes.

- i don't think i have ever heard you talk ugly about someone.

- you are admired by so many people.

- you are the most disciplined person i know.

- every Christmas, birthday, and mother's day you only ask that all of your children grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

happy birthday mom!!

love you more than whole-wheat chocolate chip pancakes,

cate

happy birthday, baby girl.

dear ada,

i remember when your mommy and daddy called your aunts and uncle in auburn to tell us they were pregnant. i started loving you at that very second. that night i started praying for you. i prayed that God would knit you together perfectly and that he would keep you safe. all of the family went to atlanta to find out that you were a girl. as soon as i saw the sonogram i started to cry [your aunt caitlin is pretty emotional, but you will have plenty of time to learn this]. we got to see your little heartbeat and your little brain. even though you were so tiny, God's handiwork was so evident in your little body.

on october 13, 2010 at 6:45pm God gave you your first breath. you were 7lbs. 5oz. of nothing but love, and you were absolutely perfect.

i talk about you all the time. some people make fun of me for how much i talk about you, but it doesn't bother me at all. sometimes i think my heart might completely burst from all the love. but it grows just enough to fill my heart to the tippy top.

it so hard to believe that you are one. you are growing so fast. the more you grow, the more your personality shines through. although i love how curious, mobile, and verbal you are becoming...i pray the days of wanting to wear pink, teenage boys and college are a million miles away.

i love you, and i feel so blessed to be your aunt.

love you to the moon and back, baby girl.

-aunt cate.

amblyopia.

in fourth grade i had a life-changing experience. in my past four school pictures, my glasses showed the glare of the camera flash. pretty embarrassing don't you think? when i got to fourth grade, i realized that i was now mature and was capable of making the right decision. this decision was obvious: get my picture made without my glasses on. brilliant. genius. why hadn't i thought of this before? needless to say i was super pumped to get this school picture back. when my teacher passed mine out one thought ran through my mind, lazy eye!! how was i just now figuring this out? you see, i'm blind and have been wearing glasses since i was eleven months old and never saw myself without my glasses...until that fateful day in fourth grade. i asked my mom, "why didn't you ever tell me i had a lazy eye?" her reply, "oh honey, it was never really that obvious." mom, i love you but here is a little proof...

my lazy eye has since settled down. however, she sometimes decides to act up, and i have to put her in her place. i'm serious, i blink my eyes, shake my head back and forth, and give a little tap to my right eye. works like a charm.

"i praise you, for i am fearfully and wonderfully made. wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well." psalm 139:14

and yes, that cookie monster cupcake was the bomb.

the preeminence of Christ.

someone has said that Jesus Christ came from the bosom of the Father to the bosom of a woman. he put on humanity that we might put on divinity. he became Son of Man that we might become sons of God. he was born contrary to the laws of nature, lived in poverty, was reared in obscurity, and only once crossed the boundary of the land in which he was born-and that in his childhood. he had no wealth or influence and had neither training nor education in the world's schools. his relatives were inconspicuous and uninfluencial. in infancy he startled a king. in boyhood he puzzled the learned doctors. in manhood he ruled the course of nature. he walked upon the billows and hushed the sea to sleep. he healed the multitudes without medicine and made no charge for his services. he never wrote a book and yet all the libraries of the world could not hold the books about him. he never wrote a song, yet he has furnished the theme for more songs than all songwriters together. he never founded a college, yet all the schools together cannot boast of as many students as he has. he never practiced medicine and yet he has healed more broken hearts than all doctors have healed broken bodies. this Jesus Christ is the star of astronomy, the rock of geology, the lion and the lamb of zoology, the harmonizer of all discords, and the healer of all diseases. throughout history great men have come and gone, yet he lives on. herod could not kill him. satan could not seduce him. death could not destroy him and the grave could not hold him.

--as referenced on p.10 of The New Testament Commentary on Hebrews, J. MacArthur. (1983)

the coolest kids on the block.

people always ask me, "what is it like growing up as a quadruplet?" i answer the same way every time, "it's my normal." in fact, until i was about six years old, i thought everyone was supposed to have four babies. i can't imagine not being one of four. i also couldn't imagine elizabeth, sarah, and will not being the other three fourths.

will.

i only have one brother, and i think he is pretty cool. even though will grew up with all sisters, he did not let that stop him. we had countless adventures growing up. we went mud-riding, swimming in the creek, exploring in the woods, and we climbed on top of barns...then jumped off. oh, and there was that one time he dressed me up in his catcher's equipment and practiced his fast balls. it has been truly amazing to watch God transform will from a boy into a man. will, even though we are complete opposites, i couldn't imagine having anyone else for a brother.

elizabeth.

when we were born, the doctors thought elizabeth and i were identical twins. it didn't take long for them to figure out we weren't. honestly, sometimes i wish we were because she is absolutely beautiful. besides her striking features, elizabeth has one of the biggest, most beautiful hearts of anyone i know. people are naturally drawn to her kindness and warmth. lizzy, you are the oldest and i am the youngest. even though you are only older than me by two minutes, i admire you more than you will ever know.

sarah.

sarah and i are so different. but we are more alike than either of us would ever admit. growing up, sarah marched to the beat of her own drummer. it was a beat that everyone wanted to follow, but we couldn't. because sarah is one of a kind. sarah has always been so loyal, and there is no doubt that she always has my back. it's really hard to describe, but sarah just gets me and i her. sarah, i have loved watching God grow you. i can't wait to see how he continues to use you.

anna.

anna lee, you were four months shy of three years old when your world was completely rocked. you never skipped a beat and transitioned into your role as big sister with such grace and maturity, even at such a young age. it was truly amazing to watch you take on the role of a wife and now the role of a mother.

happy 21st birthday to the coolest people i know.

now, a trip down memory lane...

when we were little, we used to hide in my mom and dad's shower. my mom would open the curtain and we would all scream. pretty. darn. cute.

popsicles on a hot summer day. elizabeth changing things up with grape.

child proof cap? nothing for elizabeth haynes. this girl opened the bottle, and the four of us ate the entire bottle. poison control and ipecac were involved.

our first birthday.

our christmas play at church. sarah and i were angles, will a wise man, and elizabeth...a donkey. making the family proud.

call alfa. fo real.

at the beach. i love everything about this picture.

grace.

amazing grace.

it is such a sweet sound, isn't it? as i was sitting in the special needs room at casitas kennedy on monday, this word kept ringing in my head and my heart. i have known and used this word for most of my life, and up until monday i thought i knew exactly what it meant. grace fellowship is my home church. it is a place filled with believers who continually pray and support me. i have been "justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" romans 3:24. as i was pondering all of the grace in my life, i realized that i was always on the receiving end. in fact i have come to expect grace. i almost demand it, as if it is something i deserve. but, that's not grace at all, is it?

"for grace you have been saved through faith. and this is not your doing; it is a gift of God." ephesians 2:8

It is only by God's grace that i am not a child at casitas kennedy or any other orphanage. while spending time with these kids, God's grace has become so tangible to me. i can show and give grace because Christ has bestowed grace upon such an unworthy sinner, myself.

God has also been so gracious in giving us his Holy Word. while here, the Bible has really come to life, and my time in the word has been so much sweeter. i am reading "the pursuit of God" by A. W. Tozer. in it he writes, "if you would follow to know the Lord, come at once to the open Bible expecting it to speak to you. do not come with the notion that it is a thing which you may push around at your convenience. it is more than a thing; it is a voice, a word, the very Word of the living God." may his Word and his grace be extended to all the nations.

"for it all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving to the glory of God." 2 corinthians 4:15