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.
Who I Am
"Vocation does not mean a goal that I pursue. It means a calling that I hear. Before I can tell my life what I want to do with it, I must listen to my life telling me who I am." . Parker Palmer "Let Your Life Speak" For over 25 years now my life has told me I am Christ's servant. I am the church. I am the door-holder for others who need to know and feel welcomed by Christ. I am cherished even though I am a sinner still. I heard a sermon last Sunday on the way to the family reunion in which the pastor said our Christian character is not defined by never sinning, but by the fact that we...
Whole “Other” Perspective
Sometimes I think people read about God doing things for His own glory and think God is a narcissist...... What is the point of an omnipotent, omniscient deity revealing His glory to His creation? We are His creation. Where does the created vessel get the audacity to question the creator's motive? Isn't that exactly what the devil did with Eve and Adam, causing them to question God's motive and rationale for banning them from the tree of knowledge of good and evil? Satan sought to make them question God's reason and make God look selfish and controlling. Satan, a created being, sought to...
Social Capital
5/4/16 I get such a chuckle out of Google's daily tributes to individuals or events significant on the day's date through it's search portal. Today's honoree is Jane Jacobs, a Canadian and American journalist, author, and activist best known for her influence on urban studies. Her influential book The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961) argued that urban renewal did not respect the needs of most city-dwellers. The book also introduced sociology concepts such as "eyes on the street" and "social capital". I love those two phrases "eyes on the street" and "social capital". I...
Pilgrimage
5/4/18 Here, Friday evening, at the end of this week, I am feeling pretty whelmed (not overwhelmed, but definitely whelmed) by all that has happened in these 5 days. God has been at work in some seriously eye-opening ways....... so much so that, like the woman at the well, I had to seek out community and talk it through with a couple of people to see if they saw what I saw. ......... They affirmed my sense of what God is saying through circumstances and by his Spirit. A pastoral perspective and that of another Christian counselor both offered affirmation that God does indeed seem to be...
“Aha” Moments
From 5/4/2018 One of more than a few "aha" moments that have converged this week is this: I am not a "social justice warrior". That is the work of people with causes/issues for which to battle. I am an advocate whose task is to battle for a particular person in the midst of a particular issue.....Those are two very different things. That has freed me considerably from some of "the tyranny of the urgent" and helped me recognize what is really important for me in the present moment. And the issue(s) confronting the one(s) God brings to me are not always the same...so it demands a degree...
Strength for Each Day
From 5/4/2019 Yesterday's interruptions did not appear to be from the Lord. But then again, you never know. I left home at 7 am to drive a lady veteran to Pensacola who had to come back here to close out a bank account. We had a nice ride and a good visit, but traffic was horrible. It took me 2 hours longer than planned. Our Titus 2 car broke down on our ladies and I had to call a board member to take Titus 2 students to 2 medical appointments while I was out of town and Bill was tied up with contractors at our house. One Titus 2 lady unexpectedly wound up having to go to the...
“Don’t Believe In Divorce”
from 2017: Can someone explain this to me, please? I have had more than a few women tell me, when asked about their family status.....Children? "Yes" Marital status? "Single" Divorced? "No. I don't believe in divorce." Okay. In our culture today one can "believe" in having children outside of marriage and having as many intimate paramours as one cares to have, but not marriage because one "doesn't believe in divorce." It seems to me the emphasis is on the wrong thing in this scenario. Why not focus on making commitments and making marriages work instead of avoiding marriage because of the...
National Day of Prayer
From a National Day of Prayer. Below is a prayer offered by Rev. Billy Graham's Daughter, Anne Graham Lotz, on behalf of our nation: May 1, 2014 National Day of Prayer Prayer by Anne Graham Lotz “Lord of the Universe. Lord of this planet. Lord of the nations. Lord of our hearts. On this National Day of Prayer, we look to You… In the darkness, You are our Light. In the storm, You are our Anchor. In our weakness, You are our Strength. In our grief, You are our Comfort. In our despair, You are our Hope. In our confusion, You are our Wisdom. In time of terrorism, You are our Shield. In time of...
God Speaks In Sabbath
Have you had a time when you were in a restful, pleasant and happy place in your mind, not mulling over something or ruminating or problem-solving at any kind of conscious level when suddenly, right out of the blue (or out of the grey "matter", more accurately speaking) a sudden realization drops into your head that makes certain situations make sense? That happened to me this weekend. I had to call one of my pastors at LHUMC, because it was such a stunning realization that I would not have come to it on my own, I don't believe. It was surely God revealing something significant to me. And in...
Holding Forth Hope
From May 1, 2015: Some things never change. It is interesting to consider the things that are on one's mind and heart upon arising. Bill was telling me about his dream. It was about real people Just a brief cameo moment in which he recognized them. But it is a family that we hardly know in a distant locale.. It's odd how the brain picks obscure people or events on which to focus. How do such odd connections serve our brain's purposes - to process connections, create memories, heal, renew, or solve problems? He asked me, "Why would I think about them?" I don't know. Except that this Catholic...