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.
God’s Gift
There are moments when God reveals his intimate knowledge of me and my needs so clearly and with such gentle provision, that it makes my knees weak to realize how present he is with me continually. Such a moment happened this past week on the heels of a couple of really difficult, testing days. Suddenly, out of the blue something actually was handed to me that I had needed for about three weeks but I had had no time to think about it, look it up, or seek it out. it wasn't actually a necessity, just something that would make my day to day work a little easier. . But I had set that desire...
David Powlinson “On Mission”
Following Jesus is hard. Sin compromises us. Hardships discourage us. Our bodies betray us. We get stuck in conflict. The sheer uncertainty of life means that no day ever turns out exactly as you expect. But following Jesus brings sanity, purpose, joy, and peace. We grow, in and through the hardships...... What does it look like when one's mission is being fulfilled? We aim to change conversations people have with the Lord and with one another. - The way people respond to suffering and sin orients to Jesus Christ . - The way people help others expresses practical mercy and truth. - Churches...
Innocence, Guilt, Disillusionment, Hope and the Human Condition
The pathway to complete dependence on God begins with innocent dependence, too. Jesus said we must come “as a child…”- depending on Another. There are some things in which age and perspective provide a distinct advantage…..faith, hope, and love are among them. If one is spiritually inclined toward a biblical worldview one can always rest in the assurance that “it all ends well”, maybe not in the troubles of all the world in one’s own lifetime, but across the ages and in the end, God’s will is going to be done. And it will be good. And even in one’s own lifetime, if one is faithful in...
Christmas Gift! (With apologies to Ferrol Sams!)
December 2, 2017 For my Sister and Brothers, Our Daddy, James Henry (“Hilly”) Boyd valued hard work. He also valued earning one’s own way and saving money. He was a keen advocate for the accumulation of the financial resources over time. He enjoyed stock analysis and investing. He enjoyed his friendship with Mr. John Watts, an older gentleman who was knowledgeable about stocks and investing and he wanted his children to understand and participate in saving and investing. Daddy also enjoyed telling stories….some of them true, some of them fabricated out of whole cloth….the sheer and flimsy...
You Scratch Me….I’ll Scratch You
The "you uncover me and I'll uncover you" and "you protect me and I'll protect you" ethic being threatened by John Conyers that is referenced in this article is a classic example of the self- interest based ethic of our culture at its very worst. The women I have dealt with coming from the streets of Panama City and elsewhere have the very same self-interest based ethical system. It is endemic in our culture. It leads to a people-using mentality....and to entitlement by virtue of power or pursuit of associating with people with perceived power. Our government in Washington is clearly up to...
Holy Gifts
A friend of mine is having an Epiphany party on January 6th, the day that Christendom celebrates the arrival of the wise men of the East at Bethlehem to worship the newborn King, the Incarnate God, Jesus Christ. She asked me to prepare a devotional on the three gifts that she could share. Those coming to the party will bring a gifts that will be presented to Titus 2 Partnership, Inc.'s women's life recovery ministry. It is her hope that reflecting on the gifts of the wise men will provide a special meaning to this celebration that concludes the Christmas Season. Gold,...
“When you pray…” Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer
What we can learn about prayer from Jesus’ statements on prayer……and from his example. 1.) Prayer is expected of believers. Jesus prefaced his instruction on prayer with the words “When you pray…”, not “If you pray…” 2.) Matthew 6:5- Do not pray in order to impress others in public venues. “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full." 3.) Matthew 6:6- Pray privately in your own private and prepared space and commune one-to-one with...
When Prayer Becomes Magical Thinking……
Hard word: Telling someone that their prayers for discernment are pointless if they are not committed to spending time in the Word of God connecting with the touchstone of truth and instead are thinking that such wisdom is going to just arise out of their own reason and experience because they have professed faith in Jesus Christ and are content to listen to someone else talk about truth. We live in too relativistic a culture to trust someone else's interpretation of truth. Go to the source or quit pretending that truth is what you really want. Prayers themselves are not pointless, but if...
Boundaries and God….A Recurring Theme
God is the Boundary Originator and the Final Boundary.... the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega.... Adam and Eve had freedom within a broad range of options with minimal restrictions...God IS the Original Boundary-and- Boundary-Setter and mankind....well, we push envelopes, press limits, stretch truth, and bust boundaries. Cloud and Townsend enumerated a descending list of authority or accountability to which individuals must relate. Expectation of personal responsibility and risk of serious consequences for failure to respect limits, accept boundaries, or abide by "no" increase...
Methodist Bishops Drag Along on The Way Forward
The Committee on the Way Forward, appointed by the Council of Bishops of The UMC has made its first report to the COB. It outlines 3 possible models: Leave the Discipline as it is with an emphasis on accountability. Change the Discipline to allow full inclusion of LGBTQ individuals while protecting the rights of those who object to same sex marriage and ordinations. Both of these models are likely to result in denominational divisions in which dissenting churches will be given a graceful way to exit the church, they say. The third model attempts to define unifying features of shared...