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.
Christmas Shoes
A friend made a generous donation and designated it for gifts for the Titus 2 students.......When I invited them to suggest what they wanted, it was nearly unanimous.....SHOES! Thrift store purchases and donated clothing are great fun and wonderfully economical, but shoes, especially dress shoes, can be hard to find that fit well, aren't too "sexy" or too overly worn. So, off to Shoe Carnival we went this afternoon before we headed to evening Bible study and each lady found a special pair of shoes suitable for upcoming holiday events and church activities! And enough left for hair...
Entrenched Resistance
Again, I and others have observed that our effort and resources were unable to overcome deeply entrenched resistance to change after four months with a woman we love and had hoped would embrace life recovery. But we know when to step back and leave all in God's hands.... This is not- uncommon experience in working with women acclimated to homelessness, trauma, and isolation. Below is a reflection from seven years that expresses that reality. 12/10/2015- "Today I was mentally drained, yet had an afternoon teleconference with a ministry mentor from out of state. As we talked I said to her,...
Discipleship and Co-Mentoring Friendships
Discipleship mentoring of middle class, educated women who are religious, but who are genuinely seeking a deeper spiritual journey with Christ is wonderfully stimulating and humbling at the same time. The privilege of being invited into their lives, hearing their stories, and listening for the Spirit's guidance with them as we talk and pray together brings joy and personal satisfaction. It's like savoring a wonderful dessert and a good cup of coffee with a friend.....there's just not much that is better. Most relationships of this type are fairly short in duration, directed toward some...
Priority In Relationships
This observed over and over again: “Many relapses by women are caused by trying to attract a man, keep a man, or get over losing a man...... “ The curse on women is that desire that keeps them longing for and running after a man rather than God. SMH. It took me a lot of years to break free of the expectation that someone else should or even could make me feel happy or valued. It was only then that I experienced the deeper joy of spiritual and emotional intimacy that comes with having one’s relationship with another in its proper place and with the communion of the Holy Spirit present in it,...
Days Of Our Lives
I’ve received two small calendars in the mail with Christmas cards. I love calendars! My youngest granddaughter asked for a special day book calendar and pen for her birthday. It delighted me to order it for her! In a time of my life in which one day seems so much like another, and there are fewer and fewer appointments to remember, it’s easy to get disoriented to day and date. My life has lost a lot of rhythm and routine without Bill. I found myself this morning right after I awoke jogging my memory, before I even got out of bed, reminding myself of today’s day and date. It is something I...
Facing Fears
From Dec 10,2020 A friend introduced me recently to another widow friend of hers. We had a good time getting acquainted and sharing something of our experiences with one another. My friend who introduced us keeps telling me we need to start a group for the growing number of widows in our circle of acquaintances. I was part of a weekly prayer and study group with 8 or so women when I was in my 40’s. All of them were a decade to 4 decades older than I was at the time. I was profoundly averse to the possibility of being left alone thru death or divorce and had that fear through out most...
Cleaving: Separating Sheep and Goats
Some ask, "Why is The UMC breaking up." It's being cleaved..... in my observation and my sincere opinion is that it is an act by none other than the hand of God. "Cleave- split or sever (something), especially along a natural line or grain; divide, split" Why? This right here.... The Son is the gleaming brightness of God's glory. He is the exact likeness of God's being. He uses his powerful word to hold all things together. Hebrews 1:3a 17 He was there before anything came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. Colossians1:17 When The UMC's liberal...
Facing Bullies
12/6/2014 I have been surprised by the behavior of some people who made a pretty good show of attempting to intimidate and bully me. Those who know me could have saved these individuals some embarrassment and wasted time by telling them that threats or coercion directed at me would not likely have the intended effect. When I believe that I have the Lord's clear direction and timing to go forward, there is little that can dissuade me, short of Jesus' return or me dropping dead. (Either of which could certainly happen, but at that point, it won't really matter, will it?)
Night Shift Duty
Dec 6,2016 I had a Samuel and Eli-esque moment last night at 2:30 a.m. Suddenly, I heard my name called out urgently, "CATHY!" as if by someone needing immediate attention. I thought it was Bill. I bolted upright and said, "WHAT!" That woke Bill up so he asked what was wrong. I said, "Nothing. I thought something was wrong with you." So, at 2:30 I'm wide awake. Bill went back to sleep. I tried to remember if I had been dreaming but couldn't remember anything. The wee hours were then spent in prayer over 4 specific situations, each of which was requiring action in the form of a letter to be...
Less Is More
Last year at this time we were evaluating our present Titus 2 residential facility utilization and determined that our utilization of bed/ nights had declined, stays had shortened, and fewer calls for long term care were being received. In the first quarter we made the decision to downsize from serving 4-5 women at the time to serving 2-3 at the time for shorter periods.... from 6-8 months to 3-5 months. It has been a sizable effort to scale all activities for the smaller workload, but it has worked well and we are now in the final stages of the transition. In first quarter 2023 we will be...