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.
Ken Sande and Four Promises of Forgiveness
In Steps 8 & 9 of the Twelve Step process, individuals are challenged to both forgive and receive forgiveness. Ken Sande, author of The Peacemaker, has some practical ways to make that process easier to accomplish:"Forgiveness may be described as a decision to make four promises: By forgiving you, I promise that : 1. "I will not dwell on this incident." 2. "I will not bring up this incident ...again and use it against you." 3. "I willl not talk to others about this incident." 4. "I will not let this incident stand between us or hinder our personal relationship." By making and keeping...
Abuse and Boundaries
There are several issues in this "Dear Amy" letter that I find myself speaking to over and over again in the context of teaching "Boundaries" class to women in addiction recovery. When addiction (including co-dependent behavior) interrupts the maturing process in an individual, these issues can continue well into adulthood. At Bethel Village we found we had to implement guidelines that prohibit lending or borrowing clothes and other items from one another because of how some individuals lack sufficient boundaries to feel that they can say "no", then feel resentful or used, and because others...
When You Limp
Rejoice, even when you limp! A Lenten meditation: Psalm 51:8, "Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice." I heard someone refer to this scripture in the context of talk about our spiritual journeying, specifically in it possibly referring to a lamb that is persistently wandering away from the flock and causing the shepherd distress in having to seek it out. The speaker said when a sheep is constantly inattentive to the shepherd and wandering from the flock, the shepherd will break its leg and carry it over his shoulder while it heals, creating a bond of dependency...
Perfect timing
God's timing is always perfect. Ours, on the other hand, is often marred by the desire to make sense out of circumstances and the earnest hope that, given a little more time things can be worked out for the benefit of all involved. It seems fitting on Holy Week that there be at least one sacrifice.......that the hard work and joy of many people building something beautiful be abandoned to others ...willing to take credit for things they have had no part in building and surrendering to the reality that power in this realm does not often deal gently with those willing to give the full measure...
Teaching
Years ago, at a time when I was seeking God's will about His purpose for my life, He made it clear to me that He did not need more clever wordsmiths, just faithful teachers. And so, I am not a particularly entertaining teacher, or even the most knowledgeable.......but I do try to be faithful to what the Lord has said in His Word....not wanting to lead anyone astray.....and feeling the responsibility that the Bible says those who would presume to teach must accept.James 3:1 "Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more...
On Leaving Bethel Village
(from Facebook- April 19, 2014) An open letter to students and volunteers: A number of questions have arisen from people who are puzzled by my decision to leave Bethel Village, and expressing their concern that I have let down the ladies whom I have loved and served. With the Mission's postings today referring to changes and comparing the old way ( under my tenure there) to the Levitical law and the new way to the law of love... and grace, (which I believe may have been removed) have been given the freedom to express my own perspective of what happened. I left under duress this past...
A time to be born, a time to die
On my daughter's birthday: (April 29) 39 years ago today I prepared my bag to head to the hospital for the delivery of our second child, Charlotte Ann. It had been an anxious pregnancy. I remember her birth as clearly as if it were just last week......the doctor, the nurses, the coldness of the room, their quiet voices, Bill in the waiting room ......until she began to have difficulty with the umbilical cord around her neck...and he...r heart rate began to decline. The doctor said, "Stat, heart rate going." Then there were quick, efficient actions and sharp commands. I observed...
Stones of Remembrance
This is a stone from a field on the homesite where my maternal grandfather's family lived in Barbour County, AL. I had discovered the significance of "standing stones" ( also called "Ebenezer"- stone of help) during a study 15 years or mor...e ago by Ray Vander Laan - Crossroads of the World (Part of the Faith Lessons from the Hold Land series) that I led for several years at Lynn Haven UMC. When significant events happened among God's people, they would set up stones or piles of stones as memorials to mark God's work in the circumstances. In 1997 Bill and I were in the midst of a severe...
Doubt to Faith
At age 29, in a rash and impulsive moment, I did something totally out of character, a biggie, as in willful violation of one of the Big Ten, something that my background of being raised in the church said would send me to hell. I was angry, confused, and passive-aggressively acting out. Of course, I didn't realize all of that at the time. It would be quite a few years later before I would understand the motivation for my behavior. When I "came to my senses" the next day and realized I had not immediately been struck dead by a wrathful bolt of God's punishing lightning, in a moment of...
Orphan Hearts
Recently, I was talking to someone in ministry and he referenced marginalized women as being among those who often have "orphan hearts". The thought made me wince with a note of recognition and pain......a heart that feels abandoned and without the nurture needed to feel safe and secure. We were talking about how God draws near to rescue and adopt those with "orphan hearts." The following brief post was on Spiritus Monastery's site and reminded of our conversation: "You are not alone. You are not orphans. You have not been forgotten. That stubborn voice inside of you that comforts you, that...