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.
Mercy
This beautiful sunset view posted yesterday reminds me of God's greatness and just how different his thinking is from ours. Genesis 1:3 says, "So evening and morning were the first day." I've known of the Jews' practice of following this biblical "day" designation, starting the Sabbath at sundown on Fridays, but most of us follow the practice of thinking of the "day" as starting at sunrise. God's creative thought process goes from darkness to light, from quietude and preparation to action. As a "morning person" my biological clock naturally rouses me before sunrise and I am ready to rest...
Letter to My Pastor: Communion and Vision for the Church 9-29-19
Sun 9/29/2019 3:44 PM To: Pastor Terry Tatum From: Cathy Byrd This is the article I was referencing as we talked at church today about Communion. https://wesleyanaccent.com/carolyn-moore-the-mystery-and-glory-of-communion-with-god/ The Mystery and Glory of Communion with God – Wesleyan Covenant Association The Rev. Dr. Carolyn Moore is the founding and lead pastor of Mosaic United Methodist Church in Evans, Georgia. She serves as the vice-chairwoman of the Wesleyan Covenant Association Council. wesleyancovenant.org Also, here's my blog post about what I told you about communion earlier in...
#imabummerlamb
A Facebook poster attributed this story to Sheila Walsh having written about a peculiar sad occurrence in some sheepfolds. There have also been YouTube accounts of this happening with lambs. As reported, every once in a while, an ewe will give birth to a lamb and reject it. There are many reasons an ewe might do this. If the lamb is returned to the ewe, the mother may even kick the newborn away. Once an ewe rejects one of lambs, she will not change her mind. Such a little lamb will hang its head so low that it looks like something is wrong with its neck. Its spirit is broken. These lambs are...
Titus 2 Budget Planning and Year End Donation Requests
Someone asked this week how Titus 2 is supported...My reply was that our ministry is supported by faith and the favor of God, donations from the community and modest student fees of families that are able to pay and students once they advance to the point of transitional employment. We don't hire fundraisers or put on expensive bashes. We have not increased our fees in the 5 years since we started. We hold occasional yard sales. We depend on word of mouth, on prayer, and on God to turn the hearts of people who understand the urgent need to provide for people who have nowhere else to turn....
Bless God
On Sunday, September 8, 2019, during communion time, as I prayed I had a vision of me bowing before the throne of God, one among billions in white robes with the light of the glory of God shining down on us all. It was warm and comforting and I felt connected to the scene. It was a holy moment of feeling lifted up into the heavenlies. Tears slid down my cheeks and I felt God’s love flow over me as I sat there after having taken communion and just enjoyed the time of being with him. It was only a minute or two but it was enough to just feel the feeling of being in his Presence and feeling...
Beachhead and Commander’s Intent
JD Walt at Seedbed.com in today's devotional talks about why the average person doesn't hear the voice of the Holy Spirit...In writing about this topic he says, "People who aren’t living life in the big framework of the gospel don’t recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit, and as a consequence, they would not perceive a small assignment that might come their way. Another way of thinking about the big framework of the gospel is in the military concept of commander’s intent." “Commander’s Intent describes how the Commander envisions the battlefield at the conclusion of the mission. It shows...
Fervent and Effectual…..
"We'll be praying for you." Recently, someone shared with me her disappointment in circumstances after she made known some concerns about immediate needs she had among a group of Christians with whom she has been in weekly fellowship for a while. There was no offer of assistance, even though the need was not exceptionally difficult to meet. Our prayers, though powerful, need to be backed up with our willingness to be part of the ANSWER to the prayer in the lives of those for whom we pray. If we are not willing to allow God to use us to meet the need, then our prayers may not be as fervent...
Kindness……
I know this is one of the aspects of fruit of the Spirit, and I agree that kindness is important. I have even been praying for a more consistent expressing of kindness and gentleness in my life, neither of which I get regularly accused of having in any significant measure. Sometime people have such a hard shell around them that kindness can't even get through the suspicion and hurt out of which they operate. Given the people with whom I interact most regularly, these are not the skills most generally called on for deployment. They may read kindness and gentleness as weakness and one...
But God…..
Children who are molested, sexually abused, or used for the physical and emotional gratification of adults may become adults who are emotionally wounded, fearful, anxious, co-dependent, insecure or may overcompensate for those things by narcissism, bullying, rebelliousness, or physical, sexual, or other abuse of others. But God can...... - heal wounded emotions - illumine thoughts with clarity - reveal truth - give courage to face reality - motivate and empower forgiveness - transform families - change communities - balance justice and mercy with lovingkindness - renew sacredness - restore...
Teach Your Children Well
In the mid-70’s my husband, Bill and I were friends with a couple whose children played with our children. They lived a few blocks from us. The husband and I worked at the same hospital in the same department. I was a medical technology intern and he was a physician in the laboratory. Our families lived in the same historic downtown neighborhood. They had moved to our community from the west coast and we shared a variety interests, family dinners and children’s sports activities. One evening after dinner at J and M’s gracious old historic home we were enjoying M’s delicious homemade cheese...