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.
Evolving Ecclesiology
The problem with the church, any church, is not the church. It's the expectations that people bring to the church.... In other words , the ecclesiology of individuals, or what they believe about the church. I worked through my personal ecclesiology in the 90's as I experienced individuals' hypocrisy (including my own), a church's rejection of a pastor and his family, another church's process of self evaluation and change and the extraordinary blessings of God that resulted, and my own evolving expectations (or attempts at reducing them) of people and institutions directed by people. I have...
Gift of Hospitality
11/1/2020 Reminded of the true gift of hospitality..... ( and thinking of my dear hospitable friend, Pammi Jo Alsip Nevins..... “People tell me they have the gift of hospitality by which they mean that they like dinner parties. They mean that they have (or aspire to have) a beautiful home with beautiful decor and an embarrassingly underused spare room, in which they enjoy entertaining exotic, interesting, appreciative guests who confirm just how lovely their home and their decor is. This is not the gift of hospitality. This is the gift of a box of chocolates. Biblical hospitality starts in...
Grifters
From Nov 5, 2012 ….They’re still among us. Grifter: noun, Slang. Grifter: 1. a person who operates a side show at a circus, fair, etc., especially a gambling attraction. 2. a swindler, dishonest gambler, or the like. A "confidence trickster," 1915, carnival and circus slang, probably an alteration of grafter. Gradually extended to "any non-violent criminal." How sad that people become content with living such a life, always on the make, looking for their next "mark", using people without any conscience, and living only for what appears to suit their needs or desires at the moment. Given a...
LHUMC Widows’Luncheon 11/3/21
The Lord has encouraged me so much since my husband’s illness and death 15 month’s ago. For six months or longer I’ve been being nudged by requests to assist the growing number of widows in our church. I’ve investigated ways to do so but the effort seemed larger than I had the energy and time to accomplish. I confided my sense of the need but inadequacy to meet it alone to a church staff member who joyfully accepted the responsibility for the logistics of planning a luncheon for our church’s widows that was held yesterday. Our pastor’s wife, Lee Carter, a licensed mental health counselor and...
Sweet Memory Shared
A memory of Bill sent by a fried, Liz Parker, today: “I was doing my bible study this morning and written in the top margin of a page in Hebrews was”Bill Byrd-wherever you are spiritually , kick it up a notch.” Well yes sir, I will! So thankful for you and Bill and the influence you have had and continue to have on my life. Love you friend!!❤️“ I remember Bill saying that from time to time!
One Can’t Out Give God….
From 2015 notes from Titus 2 “I had something in mind that I wanted to get for a Titus student and her daughter. She had expressed a desire for this particular thing. And while it was not particularly expensive or an unreasonable request for one moving into a home, there is a limit to what I can spend out of my own pocket.....and so many other things right now are needed for her and other ladies. This was not a "necessity", so I simply made a mental note to watch for a sale or ask around to see if this might be available through our volunteers or to ask some of my yard sale shopping friends...
Bitter or Better?
You may have heard it said that circumstances can make one bitter or better…. This by Dr David Jeremiah makes the point well….. “Keeping a biblical perspective about the world around enables us to face life’s circumstances with hope and understanding. Bitter says “No one understands me.” Better says that God is there when no one understands us. (1 Peter 5:7) Bitter says that technology has led to moral decay. Better says we can harness technology to reach more people with the Gospel than ever before. (1 Cor. 9:22) Bitter says, “Avoid those with whom you disagree.” Better instructs us to...
Consolation in Grief
Widows Grief Luncheon- 11-3-21 LHUMC I want to place a word before you today that you may not have thought about: Consolation The comfort received by a person after a loss or disappointment. Lots of synonyms exist…. You may have reached for or found comfort in some of them, like: : solace sympathy compassion pity commiseration relief help aid support moral support cheer encouragement reassurance fortification...
Resolving Life Issues In Late Life Crises
I like focusing on wellness much more than illness! To help others attain the maximum wellness they can, we provide "life recovery" services to women with life-limiting dysfunctions. We have a rather stringent interview and intake process so that they know what to expect…. If one is ready to be transformed, then we are a hospitable place to begin that journey. But not all that we encounter occurs in the substance abuse recovery residence environment. I had a really interesting experience this past weekend. I am in a caregiving role with a woman who had been a volunteer earlier-6 to 13...
“Life of the flesh is in the blood…”
Why is the 15 week limit on abortion so important? Because it legally defines and affirms the Judeo- Christian Holy Scripture’s definition of “life”….When does “life” begin? Just look in the Book for the answer. For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement, by reason of the life [which it represents].’ Leviticus 17:11 (AMP) Life of the flesh is in the blood…… According to embryo development timelines, the liver begins making red blood cells in the 11th to 14th weeks of gestation....