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.
Love Redeems in “The Middle”
Bill and I enjoy watching a TV show called "The Middle"....it's a sweet, silly family comedy about a traditional family- Mom, Dad, and three kids (with not so traditional names- Axle, Sue, and Brick.) Each person has his/her own quirks and Mom narrates a lot of the action and tries to manage the family's comings and goings and meet their needs....mostly with a lot of good intention but stumbling execution. And yet, each one seems to bring something useful to the need of the ...moment and in the end, things work out......And in the next episode the well-intentioned mishaps start again. There...
Big Risk: Big Bust or Big Payoff? Only God Knows
One opinion expressed a few weeks ago about the 2016 General Conference of the UMC was that it would either contain well-controlled political maneuvering or, alternately, be at risk of becoming a chaotic riot. There seemed to be hopefulness Tuesday night and Wednesday morning that decisions would be made, as delegates were elected to do, and the UMC would finally be able move on beyond 44 years of conflict over sexuality issues. There were simultaneously, also growing rumors, it was reported, of discussions underway among some about consideration of a split in the church. As the time for...
Jesus’ Reputation
Once again, Jill Carattini of RZIM speaks to my heart: Bad Rep While many industries confess to struggling during times of economic downturn, the identity management industry, a trade emerging from the realities of the Internet Age, is one that seems to gain business steadily regardless. As one company notes in its mission statement, they began with the realization that “the line dividing people’s ‘online’ lives from their ‘offline’ personal and professional lives was eroding, and quickly.”(1) While the notion of anonymity or the felt-safety of a social network lures users into online...
Progression of Ethical Stages in Transformation
I am a process and system person, going back to my days of high school and college…..find the patterns, understand the systems, use the processes…..analyze things qualitatively and quantitatively…..strive for effectiveness and efficiency. Whatever the endeavor, I have tended to approach it from the standpoint of a “task” orientation. As an extrovert with an interest in people’s interests and desires, too, however, I can also find delight in getting to know people better as part of the journey toward the task’s goal. Then, of course, there’s the passion for the Gospel and relationship with...
A Different Ministry
Part of my call to ministry and passion in gifting is in addressing the social and institutional stigma directed at individuals with mental health diagnoses of depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar, unresolved grief immobilization and others. I was blessed to have wonderful support and loving community when my world was rocked by depression nearly two decades ago. It has given me a desire to educate, influence, and advocate on behalf of others who find themselves alienated or misunderstood because of temporary, periodic, or chronic mental health challenges. Too often those experiencing...
Millstones and Madness
Luke 17:2 “It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble.” In the news today locally I read that a local judge sentenced a 39-year-old man to life in prison for 3 years of sexually molesting a child from the age of 4-7. In a national news story also reported today, “In a stunning reversal, the U.S. Army decided late Thursday to retain a decorated Green Beret it had planned to kick out after he physically confronted a local Afghan commander accused of raping a boy over...
Hope for the Future Through Speaking to Dry Bones
Ever since six days of hospitalization in 1997 for a profound depression that had been undiagnosed for at least a couple of years, I have been an advocate for the diagnosis, treatment, and support of those with depression and other mental health challenges. My own journey to healing was accomplished through a growing depth of relationship with Jesus Christ and the counseling of a wonderful Christian counselor. In 2005, eight years after experiencing a psychotic break in conjunction with the undiagnosed depression, I was participating in an online group for people who had experienced a...
A Shared Sermon on Emmaus from Linda C. Loving (2002)
Slow of Heart A Sermon by The Reverend Linda C. Loving April 14, 2002 The House of Hope Presbyterian Church Saint Paul, Minnesota Luke 24:13-35 “All roads lead to Rome,” say some. Perhaps for Christians a better adage is “all roads lead to Emmaus.” Emmaus, that curious place where, according to accounts in Luke and John, disciples encountered the risen Christ, walked and talked with him, without comprehending who he was until day’s end. All roads lead to Emmaus, yet no roads lead to Emmaus. That is, no certain, historical road has been identified, because Emmaus itself has not been...
Secularization and the Perseverance of the Saints
I have continued to ponder Phyllis Tickles' thesis on the 500-year-cycle of transformation of the church....This interview with British sociological academic Linda Woodhead, specialising in the sociology of religion, gives some insights into the last century of changes in religious beliefs, practices, and influence on society. . Woodhead notes: "A significant insight is offered by a Belgian sociologist, Karel Dobbelaere. He made s a distinction between three levels of secularisation. He talks about secularisation at the societal level, the meta level of society; secularisation at the...
Sanctuary, Trust, and Psalms
When Bill and I moved to our present home at Deerpoint Lake in 2005, the verse Psalm 4:8 was stenciled on the wall of the guest bedroom. "In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety." It became a verse that calmed my soul and confirmed my sense of sanctuary in our home, confident that we would live here for the rest of our lives. “Sanctuary” was the word the Lord put upon my heart as I settled into this place. A little sanctuary church window-shaped light catcher came to me about that time and found a home in the sunroom window. It reminded...