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.
An Immanent Epiphany: Christ Among Us
Immanent- A characteristic of God revealed as God dwelling in space and time with humanity. A friend of mine shared with me one time that it is not uncommon for God to speak to her in the day to day, as she goes about her tasks at home, like while she’s vacuuming. Such tasks are activities that require little conscious thought to accomplish, freeing the mind to be available for other deeper thoughts that God may choose to bring to mind. When she told me that I realized how often God had done something similar with me……as I made my bed or washed dishes. This morning it happened once again as...
The Language of Hands
Close friends know about my collection of hands...ceramic, glass, porcelain, wood, etc. It began with a Babbie Mason song from the early ‘90’s, "Trust His Heart" that has this line: "When you can't trace His hand, trust His heart." They have represented for me the invisible hands of God working on my behalf even when I was unaware of it and with each addition to the collection of hands the call to trust God more is reaffirmed. The theme of trust and an image that derived from that song became sort of a "life" theme and logo for me. Interestingly, too, I discovered that the ancient Boyd...
Worship for the New Year: Liturgy of Letting Go-2018
Today we’re honoring the changes that we’ve made over this last year and the growth that comes from these positive changes. We’re saying goodbye to our old ways and saying hello to what will hopefully be the beginning of a future with hope. We remember how Abraham and Sarah set out to a new country and a new life, not knowing where they were being led. Change and growth are full of uncertainty. We remember how Jesus left his carpenter’s tools, went into the wilderness, and began his new vocation. Change and growth require obedience. We remember how the fishermen left their boats and women...
Enough
Wisdom from Sean Dietrich in his social media blog post for January 1, 2018: "This year, it’s okay not to achieve your dreams. It’s okay to come in last place. There is no exit exam for life. No gradebook..........Some people are made for greatness.........And then there are people like me....... But that doesn’t mean I’m not important. And the same goes for you. People like us must mean something to the Man Upstairs, because he made so many of us." People have been posting their "word for the year ahead." I think mine is "enough". For at least 50 years I've been hurrying toward whatever I...
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,...