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.
When “Church” Gets Too Big: In Measured Doses It’s Fertilizer (In Large Quantities It’s More Like A Pile of Organic Waste)
In the late 90's I was working on a project with a group of Christian women. Some personal issues arose in the group (not involving me at all) and I became disillusioned with the way I saw them handle it within the group. I was talking to an older, wiser, more experienced friend about the situation and told her I had decided I would not do any more such projects with this group, as the difficulty with watching such conduct that seemed petty and hypocritical was more than I cared to be involved in. She said to me, "So let me get this straight. Because of your disappointment with a...
Train, Discipline in Love or Dismiss?
by Cathy Byrd Hebrews 12:11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Recovery work with broken people is hard some days. There are occasionally rules violations of such egregious nature that our guidelines allow (though do not mandate) immediate dismissal. Such was the case yesterday with a very young, very immature, but very capable and bright young lady. It was a second violation in the same general set of rules. Thankfully, it did not involve...
Remembering…….
A memory shared from Mar. 27, 2014: “May 1983- 2 couples died in a plane crash near Montgomery, AL in route home from a vacation.....Gloria Galloway was one of those people. She was a classy and kind lady, someone I admired. She and Michael left behind two children. Those of us who knew and served alongside Gloria in local civic activities experienced heart ache for their and our loss. I was 29 years old. I have often said that was one of the worst years of my life....not only for her death, but a multitude of other things that were going on. Until this last year I don't think I've had but...
The Power of Love
What a precious morning! Pastor Craig Carter preached on a sacred 4-letter word-“Love”. From Romans 8:31-35,37-39 God’s genuine love convinces us that God is on our side. The God of heaven is for me, not against It also connects us to God. Nothing can separate us from it! Additionally, it connects us to one another. “People who love each other form a bond.” It enables us to be conquerors! It grants to us the fullness of life and power! It is the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, that we have when we follow him. It was such a perfect message for me this morning. I have dreamed about...
Companion Animals
When my husband, Bill, died in August 2020, we had six pets- three dogs and three cats. The oldest dog, Tiger, a pug was almost 15 years old, mostly deaf, with vision reduced due to cataracts, and periodic problems with hip dysplasia. He had to be put down the week Bill had gone into the hospital. After Bill’s death, I could not manage all the menagerie alone. One young cat, Simon, returned to a friend from whom I had gotten him. She was unable to care for him at the time, but was now in a position to take him back. Another cat, Kitty, our most recent acquisition a year earlier went to...
Living the Life One Doesn’t Select
I’m taking a little personal time off today for a haircut and some relaxation. Too many busy days in a row have taken a toll and I need a break. I’ve got bruises all over from moving boxes and furniture around, tripping over stuff, and dropping things on my feet and ankles, etc. But I have wounds upon my spirit, too. I can feel the fraying at the edge of the fabric of my soul that requires time and attention to be re-knit together by the One Who Knitted me originally in the womb. Whoo-eeeee! My body and soul need a rest. As the day progressed, I came to realize just how badly I...
By Faith, Not By Sight
Walk By Faith, Not By Sight Many of us pray to God to be given a focus word for the New Year. I have done this for the last few years. On December 21, 2020 I had written this: “My focus word for 2020 was “grow” and as I understood God then, it was to grow in grace and obedience in all of who I am-spirit, soul, and body. Well, grow in body I certainly did, as months of COVID-19 restrictions and weeks of bereavement cloistering led to comfort cooking and eating at home. Did I grow in soul? I had to in order to make room to bear in my soul alone all that remains of my earthly love and...
Purpose and People, Not Place
Dec 17,2020- As I pack and stack boxes of personal belongings in preparation for moving early in 2021 into a townhome near our son and his wife, I am at peace with my decision. I had struggled for about a month with it, as I began to realize how much home and yard maintenance there is for me alone at this place, in addition to my responsibility for the maintenance of the Titus 2 residence, as well. I spent time in prayer and talking to family and a few close prayer partner friends and a financial advisor friend. On a day that I drove nearly 7 hours total in transit to and from a relative's...
2021: Faith. FULL
My focus word for 2020 was “grow” and as I understood God then, it was to grow in grace and obedience in all of who I am-spirit, soul, and body. Well, grow in body I certainly did, as months of COVID-19 restrictions and weeks of bereavement cloistering led to comfort cooking and eating at home. Did I grow in soul? I had to in order to make room to bear in my soul alone all that remains of my earthly love and relationship with Bill., now that his physical presence is gone. To keep him alive in my heart, my soul had to slide over and make room for him on the swing so that I could continue to...
Small Consolation
In Nov 2013 we experienced a home burglary at the hands of a subcontractor working in our home.. It was a jarring experience that came at a difficult time in our lives when we were already grieving other losses. It was not a moment of opportunity, but a planned and thought out intentional act of theft. In Dec 2014 we were notified that after repeated appearances in court and continuations of the case, he has pled guilty to a lesser charge and was sentenced to probation and payment of restitution. It is a relief to have this chapter closed. Once the house addition was completed and...