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.
Close Knit Family
A year ago today I was flying home from a trip. We had a little bit of stormy weather just as we were descending into Bay Co. It reminded me of my maternal grandmother, Ludie Belle Baxley Greene. Her son, my uncle, Jeffie Vernon Greene, was an Army 82nd Airborne Master Sgt. paratrooper and did 3 tours in Vietnam in the late 60s, early 70s. The family story was that she always told him as he deployed to “tell that pilot to drive carefully!” I’m not sure Mother Greene ever really understood that he actually jumped out of perfectly fine airplanes for a career! If there had ever been a problem...
Unfinished
(first written 7/18:2017) Love is not about each (or either) partner having a need for affirmation fulfilled by the other. It is about each partner being willing to sacrifice one's own needs/desires for the sake of God's BEST in the well being of the other. I am truly blessed to have a husband who has demonstrated a godly willingness to sacrifice his own needs/desires for the sake of God's BEST in caring for my well being. That doesn't mean I always appreciated that in him. There were times I simply wanted to be pampered, cherished and affirmed by him and have him meet emotional needs that I...
Boundaries Always Result In Confrontation
Wisdom from Dr. Henry Cloud. “The most important benefit of a good confrontation is that it preserves love in a relationship. This may seem counterintuitive to you. You may think, “This doesn't make sense. When I confront someone, they will either get mad or leave the relationship.” This can and does happen. But confrontation was not designed to make someone angry or chase him or her away. In fact, it was designed to do the opposite. The Latin term for confrontation means "to turn your face toward, to look at frontally." It merely indicates that you are turning toward the relationship and...
Steadfast Love =/= Fellowship With God
Wisdom from Dr. Henry Cloud on toxic people: "The Bible often warns us to avoid toxic people, or at least their toxic behavior. God wants us to be very careful to stay clear of people who can destroy the life that he desires to create for us. Listen to the way that King David put it: The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me. Men of perverse heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with evil. Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, him will I put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, him will I not endure. My eyes will be on the faithful in...
Admonishing In Love
Wisdom from Dr. Henry Cloud: “Denying our sinfulness is natural. Who wants to claim something that makes us uncomfortable? It's not easy to own. But what about negative feelings that are not sinful -- the ones that result merely from living in a less-than-perfect world or from getting sinned against? What is one to do with pain, grief, anger, sadness or fear that results from a past of abuse? Some in the church say that to still suffer from these things indicates unreported sin. The sufferer is condemned for feeling pain. When we feel hurt and anger over what happens to us, we need to...
988…… Keep It. Share It
SHARE THIS AMONG ALL YOU KNOW....IT COULD VERY WELL SAVE THE LIFE OF SOMEONE YOU LOVE. A good strategy.... may the Lord use the humble efforts of mankind to turn back the despair that engulfs so many! Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Lord, Let it be! Amen https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/16/health/988-national-suicide-prevention-lifeline-launches/index.html
Everywhere The River Flows…. Life Abundant!
Follow along with me here..... John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. John 8:47. “He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God “. Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Genesis 6 1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 2That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they...
Pondering and Doodling Faith and Math
😊 Just a little fun with numbers.
Advocacy: Stand Firm
Days can grow long dealing with an advocacy issue on behalf of an individual or family. Pray for those who are unjustly treated at the hands of people who want them out of their way and those who are too busy or too inconsiderate to care. It is amazing how a matter of justice on which parties take a principled stand can occupy mental energy for over 3 months, be the focus of a contentious discussion at 9am and have all appearances of becoming a brawl. Then by 4pm, after the other party has gathered and verified more facts, there's a 180 degree shift in demeanor and tone. Hmmmmmm…...this may...
Mental Health Stigma In Church
from 7/17/21: A friend posted a very good, sensitive, and encouraging post about being understanding and kind to people who take mental health medications. This has been one of my soapbox issues for many years. Telling people that if they “took care of themselves”, or “had enough faith”, or listened to wise counsel, or didn’t do drugs or whatever presumed cause is used by others to dismiss sound mental health practice is like saying “don’t take any medications” for any illness. I’ve taken Prozac since 1997, when I experienced an acute mental health emergency after several years of...