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.
Wish Lists
Over the years, working with women and families in conditions of poverty has been enlightening. I hesitate to say “dire poverty”, because “poverty” is a relative term…...Consider the poverty of people in Third World communities who lack clean drinking water or indoor plumbing, who daily are at risk of such life threatening conditions as cholera or ebola, who lack the opportunity to get even basic education, or who subsist in refugee camps on cots or floor mats and eat the same grain-based mush day after day. Those conditions define “dire poverty” in my mind. I cannot even imagine how I...
Decisions, Decisions, Decisions….A Testimony of Faith
Testimony of Cathy Byrd- August 2015 Decisions, Decisions, Decisions…… This summer our church has been blessed to hear the personal faith stories of pastors and members through sermons and videotaped testimonies. Each believer has a precious and personal perspective on his or her relationship with the Lord. And it is an evolving story with a red thread of salvation and purpose. What a joy it is to hear the grace and truth expressed in each person’s story as that thread is woven into the bigger tapestry of God’s story unfolding for all humanity. My own story and journey of faith has been...
What Gifts?
This morning as we talked about stewardship of our time, talents, treasures, and truth, we detoured into a brief discussion of spiritual gifts….Someone asked what about the “gifts” of disabled/handicapped individuals …..Downs, autistic, cerebral palsy, etc…..What is their function in the Body of Christ? It was not a mean spirited question, simply a part of the conversation. We talked about gifts of mercy, compassion, and understanding. Many times we take things, including the blessing of physical or mental competence and independence, for granted until we are called to a higher level of...
Now and Later…..
There was a series of television commercials that featured sports figures and others who had just completed a win or accomplishment in which they were asked, “What’s next for you?” The answer was, “We’re going to Disney World!” Last week, with receipt of the approval letter from DCF, and after months of work toward the certification as a Faith-Based Exempt Substance Abuse Service Provider with the Florida Department of Children and Families completed, Titus 2 program manager Cathy Byrd took a few days off and traveled with three grandchildren to Disney World! It was a welcome...
When The Lord Shares His Thoughts
A friend and I were talking recently about sudden “insights” that come out of seemingly nowhere, but which she and I both acknowledged knowing are from the mind of God. It can be somewhat disconcerting to suddenly know something that you have no reason to have known or even considered. It just pops in apparently out of the blue. You may try to shake it, but that only seems to make it more persistent. And pretty soon the circumstances are likely to begin to point to the things that God has spoken into your heart and mind. It brings the reality of God involving us in his purposes very...
Spiritual Gluttony
What a blessing it is to have a close spiritual friend, actually a couple of them or a handful of them, with whom one can share the joys and hurts of life! There are some of us, (okay, Sisters, you know who you are) who process emotions and seek understanding by talking things through out loud. When our hearts and minds include our ears in hearing and our tears and facial muscles in expressions of laughter or pain, and our eyes in seeing the empathy of a loving and compassionate friend, there is something miraculous that happens. Emotions get processed better by the brain. Sleep comes more...
How Honest Are You? A Truth Assessment by Ansley Roan
How Honest Are You? By Ansley Roan Take this quiz to check your honesty quotient. Circle the number of your response. Give yourself 1 point for each #1 response, 2 points for each #2 response, and 3 points for each #3 response. Q1. You're online and accidentally discover someone in your apartment building has unprotected wireless Internet access. You: Put up a notice in your lobby, alerting everyone to the importance of password protection Use it occasionally, when your connection is down Are using it right now, what's the problem? Q2. As you're about to drive out of the grocery...
To Tell the Truth
Do you or someone you know have a problem with telling lies? Are the lies to avoid consequences? (Blaming others, lack of personal responsibility for behavior) To make oneself look better than she is? (self-centered, even narcissistic) To put others down? (insecure, bullying) To get one's way or control situation? (manipulative, controlling) To avoid responding to a request for help? (self-centered and self-absorbed) To buy time? (procrastinator) To protect others? ('savior" complex, co-dependent) Other reasons? No reason is a good reason for lying. I don't think it's necessary to lie even...
Accountability, John Wesley Style
Do You Desire to be Told of Your Faults?' How early Methodists practiced small-group accountability. John Wesley and his friends were appalled at what the Church of England had become. In the words of Wesley historian Kenneth Collins, the church "had grown quite comfortable with and had been compromised by broader cultural trends." In addition, Wesley was concerned that "the articulate and well-constructed theologies" of his day "left men and women in their sins under the most grievous bondages." In late 1738 and early 1739, under the influence of Moravian pietists, the Wesleys began...
How Is Discipline to Be Done According to Christ?
This is a process for dealing with people who are violating moral conduct rules and creating problems in community (family, church, etc.) A Biblical Process for a Conflict Resolution Model Matthew 18:15-17 One thing that is clear in the Lord’s teaching is the potential of conflict. He said, “For offenses must come…,” (v.7). It is expected, therefore, that the Lord address the matter we commonly call Conflict Resolution. Here is His word on that subject. “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained...