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.
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 needed...
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...
Shepherds’ Ran On A Silent Night
12/27/20 Two nights ago I was stopping in at Titus 2’s residence after returning from a visit to a friend. It was almost 9 pm. The night was cold and clear and stars shone brightly....... this same sense of wonder at what that night must have been like when Christ was born went through my mind. 12/27/2015- 3:30 a.m. at Deerpoint Lake: The night was so still, even the crickets were asleep. The dogs and I went out for a brief walk in the backyard. I looked at the night sky and wondered if it was that quiet on the hills around Bethlehem the night of Jesus' birth when, suddenly, the heavens...
Dreams of Flying
Since I was a young child I have had dreams of flying......arms outstretched and beating against the air, soaring above the trees and able to see the earth from a delightfully higher perspective. Yesterday as Billy and I drove toward Asheville, I watched the screen of Billy’s iPad propped on the console of his truck directing us to our destination. I’d never seen a screen outline details of the surroundings like it showed...... rivers, building clusters, roadways, green areas...... it seemed we were gliding just above the landscape with a bird’s eye view. It was a perspective very...
Why Post Messages of Faith on Social Media?
Social media is a means of ministry for me. I post things that God shows me in the Word. Those are generally longer posts or links to my blog, in an attempt to teach and open up the Word of God for others .... to challenge and invite them into a deeper contemplative life in Christ. Very few people comment or seem to read those posts. But if one just shares or posts a short meme and people embrace and comment and share it..... Herein lies a problem that I perceive ..... we want quick, easy to understand mini-inspirations. We want someone to give us life’s cliff notes. At Titus, in...