About the Author
Cathy Boyd Byrd invites others to join her in considering topics of interest to those on the Christian spiritual journey…..discipleship, spirituality, mental health, Christian growth, and Bible study. Cathy enjoys working with others as they transition from emotional emergency and brokenness to spiritual emergence and abundant living! Many of the topics about which Cathy writes are interrelated as experienced in her own life and in the lives of those with whom she works in counseling, teaching, and case management, and in friendships. She believes that sharing our journey of Christian growth and spirituality helps us know God and ourselves better and connects us with others!
Cathy is a Christian Educator and Life Recovery Counselor, and an ordained deacon through Christian Leaders Institute. She serves as Community Outreach MInister at Lynn Haven United Methodist Church. She is a student (disciple) of the Holy Spirit and shares with her students (disciples) the things the Lord teaches her through Bible study and contemplation, incorporating experiences interpreted through the Word, cherished traditions of her faith, and reasoning that comes from seeking the mind of Christ in accountable community. She was widowed in August 2020 after 48 years of marriage to Bill Byrd, is mother of 2 and grandmother of 5. Her journey of faith has been lifelong and continues to be an adventure with the trailblazer and guide, Jesus Christ!
Cathy is the founder and program manager for a Christian women’s residential life recovery program, Titus 2 Partnership, Inc.(www.titus2.life) in Panama City, Florida.
Compromised Smiles
I knew my sixth decade would bring challenges, just as each new decade of life has. Last week I bit down on a dried banana chip for breakfast as I drove to work and I broke an incisor tooth just to the right of my front teeth. I was able to get in to see My dentist at lunch time that day. When I went in I smiled really big and said, "Hi, ya'll, how do you like the Hee Haw look?" (You'd have to be my age to remember that show!) The desk staff, the tech, and I all got a good chuckle out of my tooth-challenged smile. They made molds and the dentist and I discussed what needed to be done. The...
Closing Ill-Fitting Doors
There are some ironies that are just too rich to ignore. Today the final one of what had been several banging and ill-fitting doors closed in my life, despite my efforts to fit it for use. I had scheduled a celebratory bonfire with a few close friends to dispose of a mountainous stack of files, books, and papers in conjunction with this anticipated closing of doors to the past, all of which they have faithfully journeyed through with me. Coincidentally with this fire-y purge, a water well system has been required to be serviced and I have been informed that a certain critical part for its...
History of Aprons
The History of 'APRONS' by Robyn Markham I don't think our kids know what an apron is. The principle use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath because she only had a few. It was also because it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and aprons used less material. But along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven. It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and ...on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears. From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be...
Women at the Well
Cousin Victoria Baxley and me ( in the bandana skirt and top) drinking from aluminum dippers at the well pump of Antioch Primitive Baptist Church in Barbour Co., AL about May 1963.
‘Tude
"Lock your wheels down and put on your 9mm girdle! And walk like you own it!" Quoted from a post by a friend who is a private investigator in a major Southern city. She was commenting on having to be in a rather unsavory area of her city..... I had heard a journalist talking to a criminal who preyed on women. The criminal said he looked for women whose posture and demeanor suggested weakness, fear, and compliance. When facing the risk of spiritual assault (and don't be naïve....we all do! satan IS a criminal who targets not only women, but all, especially any who walk tentatively, doubtingly...
Vineyard Parallels
Studied Isaiah 5 as part of a study of the book of Isaiah using Dr. Sandra Richter's materials...Isaiah 5 is the parable of the vineyard and we were comparing it to Jesus' parable of the vineyard in Matthew 21. WOW! At the end of Matthew 21, we read the reaction of the Pharisees, who would certainly have known the Isaiah scripture as they listened to Jesus' "variation on the theme". Verses 45-46 tell us, "When the religious leaders heard this story, they knew it was aimed at them. They wanted to arrest Jesus and put him in jail, but, intimidated by public opinion, they held back. Most people...
Without Equal
I saw a post on Facebook by a friend referencing her "favorite daughter". I smiled, as I know she only has one daughter! Then I remembered another post on fb a few days ago, allegedly a mother's post that went like this: "My children argue about which of them is my favorite. That's ridiculous! I don't really like any of them!" Ha ha! The things one can observe in this venue often amuse, but sometimes the humor is in the fact that the posts reveal so much truth about the human condition. We have to laugh at it, otherwise we'd all be despairing and without hope. Thank God that there is hope...
Sleep and Ash Wednesday Reflection
I love reading Jill Carattini's devotional from Ash Wednesday of 2014 and her reference here to Lauren Winner, another thought provoking writer: Sleep and Ashes The Christian Vision Project was an initiative that began three consecutive years with a question. The aim was to stir thought, creativity, and faithfulness within the Christian church around the subjects of culture, mission, and gospel. In 2006, project leaders asked a group of Christian thinkers how followers of Christ could be countercultural for the common good. Their answers ranged from becoming our own fiercest critics to...
Creative Arts Joy
3/5/16... A dance recital photo was posted on social media of the daughter of a friend. I can so relate to her feelings of joy in watching her child dance. Our daughter Charlotte danced from the time she was two and on into her college years. I never could quite understand how someone so beautiful, graceful and gifted could have come through me, as I had none of her grace and beauty. I was in awe of her. I had felt a similar awe as a 4th grader watching a cousin of mine, Gail Boyd Cooper, dance in a recital one time. I don't think it was jealousy. I think it was appreciation for the work...
Anticipation
From 3/5/20 Whelmed.....to submerge, engulf, overtake utterly John 21:25 25Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. It's been one of those weeks.... So many things have happened that border on or outright fit what can only be described as miraculous...wondrous...awesome... beyond explanation.... that I just can't even write them all down. It makes me completely understand John's words in this verse. And it's not even particularly to me. for me. or about me. It is...