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.
First Rule of Handling Conflict: Don’t Run!
One of the most difficult tasks of communication that we find necessary to work on at Titus 2 is handling conflict. The first principle is "Don't RUN!" . Others might argue that the first principle is "Don't get defensive." If one herself or others she is witnessing have been subjected to a pattern of criticism and dismissal of her voice/feelings in the past and feels attacked, either directly or passively aggressively, that's likely to be the first reaction. Helping her move from defensiveness to openness in communication and asserting herself appropriately is a challenge. The Bible says,...
The Joys of Aging
Yippee Skippee! Proverbs 31:25 "She laughs at what is to come!" Aging Is Associated With Better Mental Health by Fran Lowry August 25, 2016 Medscape News Like good wine and cheese, one's mental health improves with age, new research suggests. In a study of more than 1000 adults, people in their senior years were found to be happier and more content with their lives than those in their 20s and 30s, despite their physical ailments. The study was published in the August issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. "Most people think that old age is all doom and gloom and that everything goes...
Not Born That Way
News from Johns Hopkins researchers you're not likely to see in the main stream media: In the '70's the American Psychological Assn. removed homosexuality from the list of mental illnesses. In the 90's it stated that homosexuality is genetically determined is a normal alternative sexual expression and should not be treated by conversion therapy for sexual reorientation. After the Genome Project in 2003 and other studies failed to validate that position, it was retracted an...d they revised their position, stating that it is a combination of biological, psychological, and environmental...
God’s Invitations
An insight and morning meditation shared with me by a friend..... "An individual observed that God "invites" us to pray. It's not a command. When one thinks of the word invite, it is often in a positive sense whereas the word command often carries a more negative, demanding, or an order sense.....a law. Invite is more loving. Command is duty.... It seems that many have that understanding. We miss a blessing when we don't accept Gods invitation. There is something that happ...ens when we pray. The bible talks about that all over the place. When we don't pray or allow others to participate in...
Prayer as Rebellion Against Status Quo
"Prayer.......is rebelling against the status quo of a world going awry. It is refusing to come to terms with an unjust, dark and evil world, as if it were all we were meant to have, as if there was no one or nothing that could change it; prayer is standing in the light of a God who comes in flesh to say otherwise. But in so doing, prayer remembers not only that the world as we find it can be changed and that it should be changed. The significant piece for the abolitionist to... remember is that while I am not going to be the one who brings an end to the world’s suffering, there is indeed...
God Must Enjoy Banana Bread With Pecans, Too!
From the ecstasy of victory to the agony of defeat.....I had posted about last night's roast. After dinner I mixed up two batches of banana bread and popped the loaf pans in the oven, having preheated the oven, and noted the time. I then set about doing some laundry and came back in a bit to finish cleaning the kitchen. I did not think about those loaf pans again......until 4pm this afternoon when I went to unload last night's dishwasher load and reload it. Suddenly I looked at the mixing bowl coming out of the dishwasher and thought...THE BANANA BREAD! I dashed to the oven...which was off...
Just Like Mama’s Roast!
8-21-16 Mama’s roast Shades of "Mama's roast"! It only took me 44 years to accomplish it, but Bill said last evening that I had cooked a roast "just like Mama used to cook!" (and gravy to go with it!) Is there a higher compliment a wife can receive? My Daddy had loved to eat roast at Bill's parent's house, too. For years after her death he would say, "Marilyn sure could cook a roast!" I must say, she did have a way with a roast. I remember what she said were her keys to success....don't cook it too fast and don't check it more than once. Leave it alone! Sounds easy, but I guess 44...
When Jesus Doesn’t Speak Softly
Jesus' words do not always come to us in seeming gentleness and with hope, but convicting and with warning.......unless we are able to read with hearts that are open to his own heart, with minds that desire to know his own mind. I'm preaching on this text Sunday. Over and over again he called the religious elite hypocrits...... I'm preaching on how the Pharisees lost sight of the promises to and purpose of the Chosen people of God. Part of the covenant was to bless all the families of the earth with the blessings promised to Abraham, but the religious elite wanted a preferential status,...
The Medal Winner Is……..
James MacDonald’s message on 8/2/16 at Walk in the Word” How to live by Faith”, was very apropos, given the Olympics in Rio: Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble, And He knows those who take refuge in Him. It was such a simple illustration. MacDonald detailed the "medal winners" of faith in 2 scenarios: 1. Someone harmed you. Bronze medal faith- Not seeking revenge- not paying evil for evil. Instead, trusting God’s goodness and justice. Silver medal faith- Forgiveness. Write it off. Release the person from debt, nothing required in return. Gold...
Spiritual Disciplines Summary
Christianne and Kirk Squires, in their weekly "Still Forming" spiritual directing online letter write this: "Science is affirming the reality that incorporating consistent sacred rhythms and spiritual practices into our lives literally creates new neural networks in the brain and regulates our disordered energies. Ironically, many elders of our wisdom traditions — including the Desert Fathers, but most importantly Jesus himself — have known this for ages, and without science.... Consistent spiritual practice makes a great difference in our health and quality of life. This brings to mind the...