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.
The memory of pain, the pain of memory……
It's been said, and I mostly agree, that the pain of childbirth is forgotten in the joy of the new arrival. My experience with childbirth and other physical pains is that one can remember that the experience hurt, but the memory of the pain itself is not acute and recalling it cannot bring one to tears afresh.But today I have experienced the memory of a psychic pain, an emotional trauma just a year and a half old, and found the memory, much to my surprise and dismay, to have been just as painful as the original event, at least for a few hours. It was a pain I thought I'd recovered from and...
Conflict of interests…..
My husband and I have been in a 'new to us' home for about six months. I had made a resolution to try and be more attentive to the plants at this home, which has a lovely yard. I had even begun to nurture some very nice potted plants in the lanai on a garden cart. All 7 pots of various plants were looking quite healthy and thriving with a minimum amount of nurture from me. Then hubby decides that the house must be power washed....... Well, power washed it was and now all my plants are dying. They evidently got a stout dose of bleach in the process, as the contractor neglected to move the...
The sound of silence…
Our son's family had been here for a week. Yesterday was departure day. Bill made two trips to the airport- once at 4:30am for our son's flight, again at 10:30am for that of the daughter in law and the 3 children. When I arrived home from work at 4:30pm, the house was eerily quiet. It's amazing how quickly one can get accustomed to the noise of other people being around, especially the sounds of small children happily being part of the household, even if only for a week. I was reminded of a story my father tells of a couple in the little town in which I was raised. They kept their...
Making it ours…..
In February we moved into a 32 year old house on an area lake. It is considerably smaller than our previous home, but the view is spectacular. We've been doing a number of "updates"- new lighting, cabinetry, flooring, etc. This week we have our son, his wife, and three children here. We're figuring out who sleeps where and how to spread out so everyone has elbow room. It's been rainy, too, which has hindered things somewhat. But we're finding that it's still very accomodating in spite of the smaller space.Tomorrow we're having a little afternoon gathering. Great grandparents and friends are...
staying humble….
If buying a personal watercraft had any potential for being an idol for me, yesterday's delivery of it and the next two hours presented a challenge to that risk and helped me put it in proper perspective. The dealer delivered it to a boat landing about a quarter of a mile from the house and family members drove it to our dock. They rode for about 30 minutes. Shortly thereafter another business delivered a polypropylene Jet T dock for it. Because of the difficulty in carrying the Jet T dock to the lake from our front driveway it also was to be taken to the boat landing and towed back to our...
Put on the shoes of the gospel of peace…..
Ephesians 6:10-17 tells us to put on the "whole armor of God"- girdle (belt) of truth, breastplate of rightousness, shoes of the gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, sword of the word. I have been taught to think of this in the context of Paul's time, as the battle attire of a Roman centurion. When I think of the shoes I think of metal- reinforced, well- fitted first century "combat boots". Undoubtedly, they would have permitted long marches and provided protection to vulnerable extremities in battle (think Achille's heel). I have also been told that they had sharpened...
Iron sharpening iron….
Today I overheard a snippet of conversation between two gentlemen involved in our small group ministry. They were referring to that scripture from Proverbs 27:17 "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." (NIV) I had been approaching them to ask one a question when I heard this and I said to them, "You know what happens when iron sharpens iron?" They looked at me and I continued quickly, "Sparks fly" (and I might have added that heat usually builds up, too). That has been my experience when two strong wills ("iron wills") make contact.I have often heard that scripture cited in a...
Joy and peace….
Have you noticed how often in Scripture the two words "joy" and "peace" are located side by side? Paul, in particular, is prone to place them adjacent to one another as an invocation or benediction in his epistles. As I was awaking this morning I was pondering the relationship between the two.Joi de vivre, joy of life. I think that is the essence of the abundant living that God had in mind to demonstrate for us when He stepped from His heavenly throne to dwell on earth in the person of Christ. When I think of His joy (Nehemiah 8:10b- "The joy of the Lord is my strength) I have tended to...
Bad hair days……
As I've thought more about Queen Vashti's refusal to come before King Ahasuerus, I've wondered if maybe she was just having a 'bad hair day'. Yesterday was one of those for me. I had needed to wash and set my hair night before last but didn't feel well and was just too tired to do so. (I am one of those relics that still actually prefers hair rollers to blow drying and curling ironing.) So yesterday I felt such self loathing due to the state of my hair, I impetuously called the salon and asked for a lunchtime appointment, which was available. I felt very self indulgent for doing that. Then I...
For such a time as this…
Our Wednesday morning group is studying the book of Esther. If you recall, Ahasuerus (AKA Xerxes) was having a rowdy night with the boys and commanded Queen Vashti to appear before them. She declined. (Any number of reasons can be inferred- among them 1.) she knew that to do so might entail being subjected to lewd and lascivious behavior given their then current state of inebriation or ,2.) she was pregnant perhaps with Artaxerxes, the son who would succeed his father and just didn't feel like it.) Anyway, having been rejected in so public a manner in front of his 'boys', Ahas now had a...