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.
Thoughts on Christians in Conflict: Whitefield and Wesley
“Young Christians are like little rivulets that make a large noise and have shallow water; old Christians are like deep water that makes little noise, carries a good load and gives not way.” - George Whitefield “Young” or “old” in Christian faith terms has little to do with chronological age or years as a believer, but everything to do with spiritual maturity. How does a pastor, a church or a Christian discipleship program engage and invite non-believers, lead them into belief in Christ, then move them forward into deepening relationship with Christ to a point of being steadfast...
Come, Holy Spirit
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
Considering Prophecies
9/14/2005 Written in response to a friend’s question Hi Cathy, A friend often sends me prophesies - Is there any sort of official guideline or thought on this? Just curious. Thanks. My response: I wouldn't want to just pop off a response to you about this because I have no authority or real experience in this area. You may want to talk to one of the pastors about this topic. There are, however, a couple of things that come to mind, based on a study I did recently on the reliability of the Scriptures. . In the Old Testament, the people of Israel were given ways to test a prophet. Any...
Light of the World….A Pentecost Reflection
May 30, 2004 A Pentecost meditation: God (and therefore Christ and the Holy Spirit) was, is, and will ever be the same. How then can I understand what is written in the Word in a way that is compatible with the way I see the world now? If they appear at odds with one another, I ask God to lead me into understanding in such a way that my vision is changed, my heart made ready to see the Word for what it is. Is the “light” of Pentecost a Deuteronomy 29:29 mystery that occurred only then or a phenomenon that continues in the world? It is my belief that God desires us to know Him but He wants us...
Gethsemane
Midwife to "new birth" or palliative care/hospice nurse for one intent on giving up.....sometimes I do not know which role I am being given. As a pastor one can point to hope, testify to hope, give the reason for one's own hope, share stories of others' hope, even try to help redefine hope in the life of one who can only see one "hopeful" outcome, but only the God of Hope can make it real in one's heart. In my own experience with depression years ago, at one critical point... I felt myself being given permission to die, offered a choice about my future. God certainly knew how hard life...
“That Christ’s Joy May Be Complete”
Charles Spurgeon writes, "When you lean your head on His bosom, you not only receive, but you give Him joy; when you gaze with love upon His all-glorious face, you not only obtain comfort, but impart delight. Our praise, too gives Him joy--not the song of the lips alone, but the melody of the heart's deep gratitude. Our gifts, too, are very pleasant to Him; He loves to see us lay our time, our talents, our substance upon the altar, not for the value of what we give, but for t...he sake of the motive from which the gift springs. To Him the lowly offerings of His saints are more acceptable...
If Ever, If Ever A Wiz There Was…..
I write from time to time about “thoughts upon awaking”, the things that I find at the front of my mind as soon as my eyes are open. This morning it was “The Wizard of Oz” movie….of all things. I haven’t seen it in years. But somehow it played into my pre-awaking dream, as I thought about the scarecrow’s brain, the tin man’s heart, the lion’s courage, and Dorothy’s desire to get home. In the journey to seek each one’s longed-for desire from the wizard, they discovered in the end that those things were already right there, available to each of them. They simply had not realized it before....
Knocking Down Fences
I had studied the information cited below on children's status in ancient cultures in human development and social science classes through the years. It is also well documented that Methodists worked in the 18th century to eliminate child labor abuses and foster education. This is excerpted from Colson Center's devotional today on the beneficial social impact of Christianity. Eliminating it from the public square, scorning Judeo-Christian values, and dismissing the value of Christian lifestyles risks the most vulnerable being put at risk again. "In their rush to dismantle these irksome...
A Pearl of Great Value
Over the last year Titus 2’s ministry has received several gifts of jewelry. Most of it has been costume or vintage jewelry, although some gold chains were received from one donor. Sale of some of the pieces has provided over $450 of income to the ministry. Several items have been made available to the ladies for their use and enjoyment. Other items have been sold at yard sales. Among some of the items that have been retained are several pearl necklaces, earrings, and pins. It has been our plan to use pearls as a gift for the women as they exit the program. Why? As I have shared with the...
From Trauma to Transformation
In an article in a recent professional publication, William L. White, MA, an addiction counselor for 26 years, writes about a 17 year study in Illinois communities of traumatized women whose addiction led them to abuse or neglect their children. Project SAFE (1986-2003) yielded some interesting observations. All of the women studied had been traumatized at early ages, involving physically and psychologically invasive forms of victimization over long periods of time rather than a single event. Perpetrators were from within their own family or social network, marking a significant violation of...