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 Standard and Measure of Faith
Every single person has a “measure of faith”. Faith is a human capacity to believe in something, anything. It is the object of one’s faith, the thing(s) in which one believes that define and mold one’s faith. We are all “people of faith” in something. Some objects of faith are more enduring and trustworthy than others. What does one do when the object(s) of her faith prove to be fallible, temporary and untrustworthy? Romance, wealth, intelligence, looks, health, a person, a sense of personal strength and invincibility? An emotional emergency often ensues. But that can lead the way into...
Why Spirituality?
People often believe that anyone talking about “religion” is proselytizing others into accepting her own religious beliefs. That’s not necessarily the case. Some of us simply recognize the value of heightened spiritual consciousness, the benefit of identifying one’s values and living into them, and have confidence that if individuals begin that journey that God, in his faithfulness, will guide them to himself. Spiritual connectedness has many benefits to the individual, to families, and to society. We are, fundamentally spiritual beings living in a physical realm. But powers of this world...
Sunshine After Storms
From 5/30/2019, after Hurricane Michael Lord, How did I miss them? I was so busy five minutes ago crying in the prayer garden, wailing out in grief, lamenting all the weeds, how they seem to be the only things really flourishing, bemoaning how the trees are struggling, how the annuals are all too brief in their glory, how the blooms of the roses last only a few days when I need more to sustain a sense of beauty around me. I'm struggling, Lord. The drought is challenging me to keep grass green and pots looking fresh. You know how that keeps my spirit lifted. Then just as I I sat down...
Mental Health and The Church
Mental Health and the Church: “Jesus didn’t wait for a crowd of perfectly well adjusted disciples to turn up; he appointed a real mixed bag of personalities, in spite of their weaknesses and struggles. There’s a place for everyone in the Church and it breaks my heart when I hear of people who’ve been stripped of responsibilities with no explanation or discussion, and all because of their mental health. In all circumstances there are ways of doing things that are honoring and encouraging, so be a kind church. Make sure everyone feels valued.” A struggle doesn’t mean a diluted or broken faith....
Saying Goodbye With Grace
5/27/14 by Joni Byrd Saying Goodbye with Grace I am studying for a degree in counseling, and in a textbook, I recently read a statement about hospice care that really caught my attention. The book stated that it is often during the last days, hours, or even minutes of a person's life "that lifelong problems are resolved." This may not be surprising to us, as we have been conditioned to scenes in movies and books of people's dying professions of love and forgiveness and final words. I will tell you, though...that this is true of many people's experiences just breaks my heart. If lifelong...
Perfection
From 5/27/2014 Has anyone else noticed how many Facebook posts show up with pictures and platitudes that seem to be excusing people for not being "perfect"? Some are humorous. Some are poignant. Some are combative. There are plenty of various types that almost everyone can find one that they "like". John Wesley believed that people could actually aspire to "perfection in love" in their lifetime. He believed that people could be pure in their hearts' motive so that they could be free from intentional sin though admittedly there might be times when it might be possible for them to do or say...
Wesleyans and Demonology
In February of this year, 2022, Peter J. Bellini wrote a series of three articles for Firebrand magazine entitled "Thunderstruck: The Deliverance Ministry of John Wesley." He cites various writings by Wesley on demonic encounters and classifies them according to how the situations were addressed, by ordinary or extraordinary means, directly or indirectly. "Wesley not only acknowledged the existence of demons but also often encountered them in his ministry. He did not profess to be an exorcist or claim special gifts for such a ministry. However, through ordinary Christian practices, such as...
Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors
“Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors” From 12/13/2003 This phrase, a motto used by the United Methodist Church since 2001, had grated somewhat on my nerves when it was rolled out as the denomination's motto. It had appeared to me that it reflected a little too much laissez fair with regard to the doctrinal positions of the United Methodist Church and the standards for membership. I think that most people’s interpretation of it allows just that kind of wishy-washy doctrinal belief and is being increasingly reflected in our denomination’s public declarations and in the voices in our...
Awaking From Doubt
29 was a hard end-of decade year for me. I remember it fraught with a lot of self doubts. At 29 I also did something totally out of character, a biggie, on the level of a violation of one of the Big Ten, something that my church background 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 of my behavior. When I "came to my senses" the next day and realized I had not immediately been struck by a wrathful bolt of God's...
Sleep Aberrations
We emphasize healthy sleep habits at Titus 2. Four years ago on a social media site I asked a question: "Is it just me or has anyone else ever experienced this?.....Today I laid down on a quilt on the floor of my office for a short cat nap, feeling very sleepy after lunch. I had a meditation CD playing low. I dozed off and slept maybe 15 minutes. As I began to awaken it was totally quiet. I was conscious of the quiet for about 2 seconds, then it was like a switch flipped and suddenly my hearing was awake and I could hear the music playing. That same sensation of a delay in the awakening of...