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.
A Teacher’s Got to Teach…….Christian Education
Today I taught the first lesson in a new series called "Christians Growing Christians: Practical Lessons in Christian Living and Discipleship" at one of Lynn Haven Church's adult SS classes at 9:30. It is designed to equip Christians to engage in conversations about faith, its role in our lives and culture, and knowing basics of faith development from a biblical worldview. Our discussion today included: Growth is God’s Design for humankind. The human condition- What it is, how it impedes our growth. Growth is a clear expectation of Scripture. Ways of thinking about growth scripturally. -...
Hearts and Stars……
On the night that I first saw Bill Byrd, I was picked up at my dorm by one of his fraternity brothers and was escorted to a social event on Auburn's campus for those of us who were candidates for sweetheart of their fraternity. As my escort and I walked down the steps at the end of the walkway toward the car in front of the dorm, I saw a shooting star arc across the sky and thought how auspicious that seemed for that particular night. Twenty four years later our son had been dating a young lady for a couple of months when they called to us they were getting married. She asked me to come to...
Hiking Pike’s Peak In Flip Flops
Sometimes as we talk in counseling about the ways in which God has been present to us, I discuss with the women the concept of the “continental divide” of our faith…..that epiphany moment following an uphill journey in search of sufficient evidence to overcome one's doubt that God is present, good, sovereign, and cares for us personally. It is that moment at which we finally take that leap of faith and begin to know and live into the assurance of our faith, regardless of how things around us feel. I was discussing this concept with a woman recently and she asked if she could tell me...
Not Everything that Sounds Good, Loving, and Biblical Is
The article referenced below on “The Platinum Rule” is interesting, but I don’t find it particularly helpful in light of the current situation within many contexts- churches, workplaces, and communities. For merely superficial, casual associations or when traveling among diverse cultures, it seems fine. For a church, it seems, saccharine sweet and unhealthy. It does not ring with the strength of truth. It is not biblical, but it is typical of our culture's distortions of God's Word. This is an interesting perspective on rules for human relationships. This platitude states...
500 Year Cycles in Church History Observed
From Dr. Timothy Tennent of Asbury Theological Seminary: An examination of church history reveals that the church has faced a major crisis roughly every 500 years. The first was in connection with the Council of Chalcedon in 451 A.D. and the struggle to eradicate Arianism from the church. It was the fight for high Christology and full-orbed Trinitarianism. That victory led to a massive growth in the church and the first signs that we were going to become a global movement. A little over 500 years later the church had another major crisis known as The Great Schism (1054 A.D.) which tragically...
Talking About “Sin”……NOT!
When a Christian talks about sin, one can sometimes see the eyes of people glaze over.....It is not a topic that endears one to others. However, recently our Titus 2 ladies began a study of "40 Days of Love", The Relationship Principles of Jesus, with a ministry friend and mentor. When we talk about sin in the context of relationships and how it impacts our relationships, it is perhaps more easily understood and more acceptable as a topic for discussion...... Talking about sin without using religious language (from billmounce.com) "We have been talking about believing in God, and...
No Greater Love……
Praying tonight for a friend and for her friend with whom she has been praying and journeying through a difficult time this past week. Everyone needs the kind of friend who can and will drop everything to be there when her friend needs her, and whose family and friends love her all the more for being that kind of friend to others! Lord, bless those whom we love, those who love us, those who are loved by those we love, and those who love those whom we love. Help us to love the unlovely and especially those who do not feel worthy of being loved. Let your love abide within all of our...
Spiritual Guidance
Listening, hearing the hurt, knowing the truth of another's loneliness and fear......and being able to persuade her that there is help, that you know Him, and will go with her to meet Him...or sit with her and cry, too, while you both wait for Him to dry the tears.
“Born Again”….Not So Easy
I have observed again and again the relationship between pain and poverty of spirit (Matthew 5:3) and coming into the Kingdom of God. It's alluded to in all of the Gospels and the other writings of the Apostles, like James, Peter, and Paul. Also, the metaphors of Scripture are far more than poetic language. They are instructive about realities of life in faith! Working with women, especially those who have given birth, this metaphor has the power to resonate. Beth Stovell provides some good perspective here in this article from Christianity Today. Very truly I tell you, you will weep and...
In the Name of Disclosure….
For those who do not know me, I had been a candidate in The UMC for deacon's ordination in service ministry with the homeless and addicted individuals since 2008 until Annual Conference in June of this year. The first six years of that journey were joyful years. I completed the required work, was commissioned in 2012 and began the 2 years residency, all while pursuing the life's work of Christian education and . in 2014, I applied for ordination. The Board of Ministry of The Alabama West Florida Conference had, I was told, undergone about a 40% turnover in the prior year. The retirement...