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.
A Busman’s Holiday
For years I was aware of my grandmother and at least two of her four sisters from time to time having yard sales together. They would gather at one another's homes, gather their excess items or handmade crafts or rooted plants they had cultivated and spend the day together having a nice visit and making a few dollars at the same time. Such days became social events, almost like a festive holiday, fun with a purpose. My Mother or others would sometimes join them for the fun. They would enjoy a picnic lunch while sitting in the shade of the carport and chatting with one another, neighbors,...
Seeing is Believing….an Easter Message
Easter Sunday, April 5, 2015 Trinity UMC "Seeing is Believing" Scripture: John 20:1-18 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb...
The Bond of Unity and Peace….God’s Covenant With Us
T.M. Moore of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview has authored an individual Bible study on Gods' Covenant. It is available on line. http://www.colsoncenter.org/images/content/wilberforce/ViewPoint_Studies/VP-Bond-of-Peace.pdf?spMailingID=11021023&spUserID=MTMyMjUxNzg1MAS2&spJobID=520275261&spReportId=NTIwMjc1MjYxS0 This study corresponds well to the goals of the Christian Twelve Steps that are taught in Titus 2's life recovery ministry for women. Steps 1-3 correspond to the Covenant's goal of peace with God. Steps 4-7 correspond to the Covenant's goal of peace...
Pray Continually……..
I know I will catch some flak for this, but I must say I have been disapointed by the anemic attendance of Holy Week services....30 on weekday mornings for devotional time...Wednesday night footwashing and communion...maybe 175. Tenebrae....maybe the same. Will some people only turn out if they have to bake a casserole or if they are offered a full breakfast buffet or free candy and gifts for their children? Where is the sacrificial spirit of Lent leading up to Easter? Where is the gratitude and devotion to Christ for what He has done and is doing for us? In all probability the crowds will...
In the Company of Women….
Imagine yourself as one of the women who walked to Jesus' tomb early on that Sunday morning...... John 20:1, 11-16 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb........ Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus...
I Woke Up This Morning With My Mind Stayed on Jesus….
I have written in the past about early mornings when I have clearly had the Lord speak to me through Scripture or during prayer or just had a thought that was firmly persistent in my mind upon awaking. Sometimes such thoughts have been about things that were not even on my radar screen, but seemed to come out of the blue and caught me by surprise. Sometimes it has been a song that is firmly planted in my consciousness as I awaken that speaks to me. For years, as I have taught or led groups in Bible study I have maintained that I am not so much "teaching" as simply sharing what the Holy...
The “Greater Yes”
March 30, 2015 Over the weekend I had written about the “no’s” that are sometimes necessary in one’s life. On Palm Sunday, spiritual director Christianne Squires wrote about our “greater yes”. Here is her Sunday email newsletter, A Cup of Sunday Quiet: “I'm thinking this morning about those invitations in our lives that ask for our "greater yes" — a greater degree of focus and commitment that often includes sacrifice and saying no to other things. I'm wondering if you have such an invitation in your life right now. It's perhaps appropriate we consider this question on Palm Sunday, a day that...
Saying “No”…..
A few weeks ago I was asked to do something as a counselor that would have challenged and stretched me greatly. It was a counseling challenge on several points. I was not afraid of the challenge itself, although the circumstances were quite a bit out of my general experience, and even represented some circumstances that many people would absolutely have avoided at all costs. There was a sense that, if I took it on, I would be able to accomplish helping the individual with necessary goals. Her past was riddled with some issues that had definitely required the Lord's forgiveness and...
Reprise…..from July 23, 2005
I realized that I have writing in a weblog format for nearly 10 years. In going back to some of my early posts, I thought it might be interesting to share some of them now......This is one I on which I got a recent comment. Thou preparest a feast in the presence of mine enemies…. To call individuals ‘enemies’ may be too strong a word, but there are certain people with whom one fails to connect and with whom conflict, outright or beneath the surface, exists. I have had an interesting experience lately. For some reason, I have had information become known to me in unexpected ways and from...
“It Is What It Is”…..Facing Reality
"Comprehension involves our ability to find patterns, consistency, and significance in the events and experiences of our lives." Mike Steger To have the ability to comprehend the patterns evidenced in one's life, to observe and embrace the fact that there is consistency in the ways in which we think, make decisions, and behave (and be willing to change the way we think, decide and behave when we can see that our patterns have been unhelpful), and to see the significance of events and experiences of our lives requires that one be well grounded in reality. "Wishful thinking" or "magical...