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.
Temptation, Sin, and Commiseration
One teaching in the Word I've used for years is focused on rebellion and recovery and the causes and cure. We use a "15-minute Bible study" on the topic that was first published in In Touch magazine by Dr. Charles Stanley. The causes of rebellion he listed as "impatience, fear, and greed." We also do a session of the three lowest common denominators of temptation- "lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life" from 1 John 2:16 as well as exploring the temptations of Eve (Genesis 3) and Jesus (Matthew 4:1-10; Luke 4:1-13). Interestingly, we are able to see the former three...
Choral Praise
After listening to the beautiful choral arrangement of "I Am No Longer My Own", I have spent some time today listening to "At His Name"- a choir musical. I miss choir music in church. For those of us raised singing in choirs, doing so is truly what worship feels like...... It can transport the soul of singers and listeners to heights as few other things can. In prayer during communion one Sunday in September 2019, I had a vision of being in heaven with an endless group of believers bowing before Christ and worshipping him with song. The next week, as we prepared for communion I asked God to...
Art and Life
Master Artists exhibition at Laguna Beach Christian Retreat with Titus 2 friends: 2/21/2015 I took my book about the painting- "Forgiven" by Thomas Blackshear, that my daughter gave me for Mother's Day in 1997 with me to an art show in February 2015. Thomas signed it for me and we had a nice conversation. He shared some wonderful stories about the impact the painting has had on his own life and the lives of others. Prints from two of his paintings- this one "Forgiven" and "Coat of Many Colors" hung in Mother Theresa's room! Lives have been changed as a result of his artwork. A truly...
Assured
I am neither a "glass-half-empty" nor a "glass-half-full" kind of gal. I am a "the glass-can-always-be-refilled" kind of gal. That is an optimism that arises from confidence in the Source and Content, not confidence in the container. It is rarely a case of either/or but more likely a case of both/and............God has created exquisite scales in creation that balance things........Like his very character, transcendent and imminent, mighty and meek......
More Than You Think I Am
2/21/16 I had a great time preparing and delivering a message "The Name of God“, about God's nature and our understanding of him for a service at Carillon Beach Chapel. I have preached and taught on this topic before but today seemed more powerful than before and the Lord was very present with us! The day before I had listened to the words of this song I've heard many times and never realized what it really says! More than you Think I Am” by Danny Gokey You always think I'm somewhere on a mountain top But never think behind bars You'd be amazed the places that I'd go to be with you...
Serendipitous Referral
2/21/16 I was in the cleaners picking up laundry on a Tuesday and a law enforcement officer came in needing a new pair of uniform pants hemmed by Friday. The cleaners couldn't have them done before Monday. I told him I knew a young lady who sews well . We at Titus 2 had just recently helped her to get a sewing machine. So I volunteered her! (After I called her, of course.) She happened to be close by so we met her and she looked at the job. She did them overnight and was paid for her prompt service. Pretty cool! Maybe she could start a supplemental income enterprise doing such quick...
Covenant
What does being in "covenant" with someone mean to you? Answering one another's calls or emails? Being available to assist or provide guidance in times of need? Offering concerns about one another's conduct promptly? Being willing to help seek answers? Helping one another to gain understanding? Expecting the best of one another? Praying with and not simply for one another? Listening to one another? Shared values? When one believes that the other has not acted in harmony with the precepts of the gospel and attempts to ask why with no responses forthcoming, is it reasonable to think one might...
Guarded Hearts
I was with one of my brothers and my sister and we were talking about things we heard our Father say when we were growing up, sayings that were repeated often to us. It reminded me of this section of Solomon's wisdom to his son about "guarding one's heart." We hear that phrase, but do we know how to do it? There are three pathways that access our hearts that can lead us astray. 1.) Be careful what you hear. Do not listen to liars or deceivers. 2.) Be careful what you see. Keep focused on your goals and do not waiver. 3.) Be careful where you go. Your choice of companions will determine your...
Expecting “Perfect”
I’ve been having some ❤️2 ❤️ conversations with an individual who has struggled with relapses- a bad relationship, a chemical substance, a negative way of thinking....but the conclusion she’s arrived at is that much of it boils down to self-sabotage and repeated disappointments when her own perfectionistic expectations are not met and her need for control is thwarted...... sounds like a pretty good self -evaluation. Now, to address the problems arising from those long-repeating patterns and change the behaviors that result from negative emotions what will you DO with what you have discovered...
Not Freedom “From” Only……
Not freedom FROM, but freedom TO exercise wisdom and godly choices. The higher responsibility to which grace calls the faithful is the Spirit of the Law, which is much higher than the Letter of the Law. This is what Christ means by saying He came to fulfill the Law, not eliminate it!! He tells us again and again, "You have heard it said...... BUT I TELL YOU...." He's not dismissing the Law, He is applying a more stringent and demanding obedience to the Law that incorporates embracing obedience in LOVE and going to a greater heighth and depth and width and breadth of care for our neighbors...