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.
Exploding Grief
Last Monday I had to go over to the lake house at Deerpoint where Bill and I lived for 16 years. Though I thought I 'd live there for the rest of my life, after Bill's death during Covid, it soon became more than I could care for alone. When I went last week to pick up something shipped there by mistake, I was caught off guard by the rush of memories and longing. Tears and lamenting poured forth as I drove away and for several miles as I drove to my next destination. Eventually I recovered my composure. I never know when the grief will escape in a sudden explosion of wailing tears. For all...
The Heavens Opened
“The heavens were opened and I saw visions of God….” Ezekiel 1:1 The heavens opened for Ezekiel. “and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove” Matthew 3:16 The heavens opened for Jesus. “But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” Acts 7:55-56 The heavens opened for Stephen. “And Jesus said to Nathaniel, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven...
His Disciples Heard, Believed, and Obeyed
God has been writing on the tablets of hearts for millennia, but the watchmen have been asleep on the wall, the runners have been distracted. God has been writing on the tablets of hearts for millennia, but the watchmen have been asleep on the wall, the runners have been distracted. Habakkuk 2:1-14 Deuteronomy 5:25-29 Just as God spoke and the people heard in the time of Moses, but they did not listen and obey. Just as God spoke to Habakkuk and other prophets who heard and hoped, but the people did not listen and obey. So rather than speak through priests and prophets, God came to men not as...
Standing Before Burning Bushes
One spring day I was driving home from work and had been considering Moses and the burning bush, the manifestation of God's glory. I looked ahead to a section of road and saw the glint of afternoon sun shining through the leaves of a red oak and felt the excitement of seeing a "burning bush that was not consumed!" God seemed to be saying.... "I still call people to turn aside to look, listen and stand on sacred ground before burning bushes....." Recently I spent several leisurely hours in the company of a 90 year old widower. I happened upon him unexpectedly and, since he seemed to be...
When Values and Virtues Clash
Many have assumed that since the Dobbs case challenge and decision to return regulation of abortion to states that the issue is resolved. It is not. There are efforts to "enshrine the right to abortion", with no limitations, into the US legal code through federal legislation. “Enshrining” abortion in the legal code of our nation……. One might as well raise up Asherah poles and order worship of Moloch and Baal across the land……. There will be serious consequences for our nation. Such an abomination leaves the US with no moral authority to critique any nation’s persecution, genocide, or abuse...
God Will Bring Forth Justice
Isaiah 42:3 A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; In 1997, someone handed me a small piece of paper with the first part of this verse: "A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out." I gripped it and clung to it in hope that the trial I was experiencing would eventually pass and I would have survived it. Only today, as I sat in the Seedbed.com New Room Conference in Houston did the rest of that verse register with me: "In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;". If that...
Jordan Peterson: Perspective On Suffering
Mining nuggets on suffering well from this by Jordan B. Peterson: "When you’re in hell, anything that lifts you out even a little bit, which stops it from becoming completely catastrophic, is a lifejacket that stops you from drowning. This realism about the causes and the consequences of suffering extends to the remedy. There is no all-encompassing, immediate miraculous fix. It takes time to transcend the hell that one can be dragged down to. It takes longer if the reaction to whatever the situation was or is has made it worse. It is worse if you’ve allowed yourself to be pulled down,...
Is My Life A Good Example or A Horrible Warning?
"Everybody acts out a myth, but very few people know what their myth is. And you should know what your myth is, because it might be a tragedy. And maybe you don't want it to be.” Jordan Peterson This reminds me of something I have said often to students: "God will use you. You will either be a good example or a horrible warning. It is your choice." You may choose whatever myth or narrative you like, but others will respond to you on the basis of how you live it out. If you are a horrible warning to others of what NOT to do, if your life is a tragedy.....you can change it.
AI v. Human
"What’s one thing you do that AI can’t do? Or two things? Or three?" Spiritual Director and Writer’s Coach, Charlotte Byrd Donlon, posed this question in one of her recent “5 Good Things” newsletters that she sends out. It was a timely and unexpected challenge when I read it. The reason it seemed so timely was because of something that happened over the weekend that helped congeal some thoughts in my mind when I read her question. I went to dinner with a couple who are friends of mine. One of them is an IT specialist with a large governmental agency who has worked in support...
Foundational Triangles for a Whole Life
"Triangles are very strong shapes which makes them important when building strong and stable structures.” The notion of an “iron triangle” resonates with me, just as it does when a child picks up one to tap out a rhythm for the first time. Thinking of triangles stimulates reflection on the lowest common denominators observed in formation of strength, stability, value, and cohesion. This perspective of a three-point structure is the same concept that appealed to me about Dr. Mark Ragins book on counseling and journeying alongside people with serious mental health challenges like addiction,...