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.
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...
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 tell us they were getting married. She asked me to come...
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...