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.
Beatitudes…..Continuing Thoughts on Teaching
I began studying the Beatitudes in 2001 and teaching them as a progressive journey toward Christ-like character. It took me countless hours of study and research to find others who had seen and taught them this way. Martyn Lloyd-Jones was one. His book "Sermons on the Sermon on the Mount" was valuable in this process. Also, the Ladder of the Beatitudes by St. John of the Cross. Dr. John Westing of Denver Theological Seminary gave me the original "stair step" diagram that I enhanced through the years. Today I see numerous teachers posting on the internet about this way of viewing the...
Teaching a student to learn what she needs rather than to show what I know…..
Earlier this year I had written a Bible study on the book of Ephesians and used it in a study with some women in a discipleship program. My work was later reviewed by a group of people who oversee my ministry as a provisional deacon and it was noted that I had used phrases like, “the Apostle Paul notes” or “Paul says” in my study. I was asked if I was familiar with historical-critical challenges to Paul’s authorship of the book of Ephesians and, if so, why had I not included that information in my study. I explained that my target audience is women who are new Christians and who generally...
Evangelegends…..Theology Run Amok in Social Media
From time to time I have posted a challenge in a comment to some trite, easy happy-thought poster-board saying that purports to offer a Christian view of life on the internet. This article by Roger Olson is a good rebuttal to the kind of “evangelegend” folk religion theology that is so ubiquitous in social media and entertainment and elsewhere in our culture. Get real, folks. Study your Bible. Know what you believe. Don’t let the modern version of “bumper sticker” theology drive your beliefs…..or lead you into false beliefs or simplistic religiosity. (Cathy Byrd) Evangelegends: The...
Conditions for Answered Prayer
Conditions for Answered Prayer Read John 14:12-14 Jesus taught many things about prayer and its central role in believer’s life. He also promised that our petitions will be answered when we meet certain requirements. One condition is mentioned in John 14:14: after receiving Christ as our personal Savior, we have the right to present requests in Jesus’ name, which means praying something that the Lord Himself might pray. Whenever we exercise this privilege, we must come to the Father, depending not on our own good works or character but on the merits of Christ alone. Jesus’ atoning death on...
Nouwen on Choosing Joy
“Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.” ― Henri J.M. NouwenHenri Nouwen was a Catholic priest, held a PhD in psychology, was a pastor, teacher, author of 39 books, and a Christian contemplative. He struggled with depression. Many of his writings reveal the struggle he had with choosing joy on a daily basis. In the last ten years of his... life he found meaning and purpose through his participation among a L'Arche community of disabled adults near Toronto as their teacher, friend, and advocate. His writings are widely read and speak to...
A Cry in the Wilderness
“Addiction” might be the best word to explain the lostness that so deeply permeates society. Our addictions make us cling to what the world proclaims as the keys to self-fulfillment: accumulation of wealth and power; attainment of status and admiration; lavish consumption of food and drink, and sexual gratification without distinguishing between lust and love. These addictions create expectations that cannot but fail to satisfy our deepest needs. As long as we live within the world’s delusions, our addictions condemn us to futile quests in “the distant country,” leaving us to face an endless...
Coming to the End of Oneself ….
Coming to the End of Oneself Recently I participated in a webinar on collaborating with other programs and agencies in a multidisciplinary approach to recovery from substance use and addiction. It was a well done professional webinar on building a care team. It listed various collaborative partners in a “holistic” approach to recovery. Recommended agencies included child care services, vocational services, mental health services, medical services, educational services, AIDS/HIV services, legal services, financial services, housing and transportation services, and family services. ...
Which Girl Does God Love?
Today I was cleaning out some old files in my garage. Several notebooks needed to be gone through before being thrown out. One was a Children's Ministry notebook. In 2008, I was completing a series of certification classes for Christian Education. One assignment in a Children’s Ministry semester was answering the question “When have you been distracted by a child’s presence in worship? What might you say to the other worshipers or parents about the child’s contributions to the worshipping community? ...My response: The following is about a time I was distracted in the most wonderful way by...
Benefits of Singing
Stasi Eldredge on Grief
My daughter in law shared this from Stasi Eldredge about grief. Like many others, I know the feeling of slogging through "knee deep mud" in the middle of grief.Some images are so vivid. I can remember a day when I was about 6 or 7. I headed to my friend's house nearby, probably running. There was a vacant lot between my house and hers. I started across the vacant lot and quickly realized that it was like a pit of quick sand from recent rain. I sank down into the mud to a level about mid-shin high and lost both tennis shoes as I struggled to extricate myself from the muck. Thankfully I also...