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.
Empty Arms and Spiritual Mothering
There are times that I find it necessary to advocate for marginalized and disenfranchised women in various institutions- educational, legal, law enforcement, financial, and medical. I do not believe that it should be necessary for me to advocate for them within the church......Christ already did that fully and completely. And yet there are times when, through ignorance, insensitivity, lack of hospitality, or plain human prejudice or fear that they need an advocate even among God’s people. It is when that role becomes necessary that my anger is most quickly incited. It makes me understand...
Religious Abuse
My pastor had called on church staff members to share in hour-by-hour prayer yesterday from 7am through the evening’s Vacation Bible School activities in preparation for the evening’s presentation of the Gospel message to the children who were there. I signed up for 9am and took with me a handful of Scriptures selected to pray over the children from "Praying for our Children" , by John Maxwell. -Pray that they will come to know Christ early in life. (2 Tim. 3:15) -Pray that they will be protected from the enemy. (John 17:15) -Pray that they will get caught when guilty. (Psalm 119:71) -Pray...
Hi-O, Silver!
“It must have been God’s will in my words.” How true it is that God often uses his people to speak to another person. It may be words of admonishment, instruction, or encouragement. I am aware of how often God does it through people in my life. This morning Bill was dozing in bed as I dressed to head out for my day. He was not aware of my tasks or destination except just “Titus”. As I put on my final earring he stirred and said, “ I just had the strangest dream. There were cowboys in white suits and hats riding. And Tonto was with them.” I started laughing. I told him that I have an...
Doorways
We can only walk through the doorways that are open, but in the houses that we build, all doorways are open. And if we build them according to the Master's plan they will be open to others, as well. John 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. Closing the Door to the Past- by Ron Hutchcraft When I was a kid, "Nautilus" was Captain Nemo's submarine in a Jules Verne novel. I knew that because (No, I didn't read it.) Walt Disney put it on TV. Then "Nautilus" became the name of an early nuclear submarine...
Just Say “NO!” To The Lies
Once again today I was in conversation with a Christian who confessed to having felt shame and condemnation over some harsh, hurtful accusations thrown at her by someone who is supposed to love and encourage her. It happens. People in relationships, friends or spouses or other family, can sometimes say things that hurt and make us feel shamed, demeaned, or humiliated. We may hear their words and say to ourselves, "Is that true? Is that how I really am? I must not be what I think I am if this person, whom I love and who says I am loved, believes that about me." And the insecurity and...
Another Testament? Another Religion?
Dr. David Watson, an associate professor of New Testament at United Theological Seminary, has recently written that, “through the Bible, God has revealed sacred truth to a community of people committed to living in that truth” (Scripture and the Life of God. Kindle edition, location 180). I am part of that community of people. Some among the progressive liberal leadership of The UMC bishops, agencies, and conferences' leaders, including Rev. Christy Thomas have asked “Do we want a mindless fundamentalist reading of Holy Scripture to be the centerpiece of the Methodist movement?” This is what...
Living and Sharing Titus 2 …..”Encourage and Teach Them”
Today, June 29, 2018, three Titus 2 students joined Bill and me at a reception at The Meeting House at Carillon Beach Community. The reception was a celebration of the success of Carillon Institute’s recent Tour of Homes. They used the event to raise funds for charitable purposes in Bay County. This was the second time the Carillon Institute has done this fundraiser and we were told today that they expect to make it a biennial event. The five featured homes attracted a lot of interest and the fundraiser netted $5000 for charity! Joyce Clark, one of the organizers of the event, called Titus 2...
Miracles Happen Every Day
" If a miracle happened and the problem you have was solved overnight, how would you know it was solved, and what would be different?" This question is known as the "Miracle Question" and is a well-known technique used in Solution Focused Therapy (SFT), developed by Shazer and Berg. SFT is future oriented, goal directed, and emphasizes solutions rather than problems within therapy.” A focus on solutions activates clients’ imagination, trains executive decision-making skills, and encourages individuals to experiment with new ways of thinking and acting to visualize a life without their daily...
The Greatest Commandment
This is the first and great commandment. Do you care? Does it matter in the big picture of your life? What does it say we have to do? 1.) ”Love the Lord your God with all your heart.” What is the character of those who love with their heart, who have given their hearts to the Lord? Thinking of God makes them feel warm and affectionate? They are touched by tender testimonies and kind, reassuring words of God’s love for them? They have received the gift of grace? They are grateful for Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross? They may know God as the sacrificing Savior Jesus Christ and as the loving...
God Is…….
There is an vastness to God that invites us continually to come near and know him better. It is one of the things that delights me.....that there will always be more to know of God. However, as I have discipled others there are some basics that seem to present themselves as most necessary to a foundation of knowing God. They are: - That God is. He is present That God is Good. All that he does will ultimately prove to have been in our best interest. That God is Sovereign. His Sovereignty is absolute, but he will never violate his Goodness by exercising it in a way that harms us. ...