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.
Making Disciples…
"Willow's point is that they wrongly thought participation in their programs would inevitably lead to spiritual growth. Their survey showed that wasn't necessarily the case, so they're rethinking that approach (seeker-sensitive worship and programs). When they say that people need to "look beyond the church" and that "much of the responsibility for their spiritual growth belongs to them," they're not saying the church plays no role in people's growth; they're saying we can't expect to grow if we don't take an active role ourselves." This quote is a comment about Willowcreek Church's 2008...
Morning Call To Prayer
Sitting and reflecting on the day's possibilities, waiting for the fog of sleep to dissipate.....which takes a little longer when one drinks decaffeinated coffee! Praying for those I love, those who love me, and those who love those whom I love. Praying for those to whom the Lord will lead me to love with his love and for those who feel unloved by anyone. Praying for those whom I have difficulty loving and those who feel that God cannot possibly love them. Amen
Institutional Ministry Life Cycles
A former pastor friend of mine preached powerfully and prophetically, so much so that he got asked to resign from the church about 25 years ago. He said to me that one has to consider where one's loyalty is.....with Christ, with the people being served in Christ's name, or with the institution that presumes to represent both. In the bottom line, he said "church" as an institution generally has a limited lifespan. The progression (as I recall him saying) was something like this: (wo)man-> ministry -> mission -> movement -> monument -> mausoleum There may have been one or two...
Journaling With Purpose
Building Positive self- identity and resilience are skills we work on ..... From 2018: A conversation on resilience by Sharyl Sandberg and Adam Grant: Adam: There's research suggesting that journaling can be really helpful in this process (of building self confidence and resilience). Sharyl: Adam told me that I should write down every night before I go to bed three things I did well. I started doing it, even though at first I had nothing to put on the list. What did I do well? I made tea. I got through one meeting without crying, or at least without crying a lot. But these were the small...
Footwear Fandom
Thinking about shoes this morning ..... This morning in Phoenix I packed my new Merrell hiking boots and put on my canvas ECCO Mary Janes for this morning's 3 hours of car travel. My Florida daily Croc sandal footwear is in my backpack for downtime. I spent some time stretching my feet, ankles, legs, feet, back, neck, and shoulders and took Tylenol with the expectation of shooing away arthritis' intrusion on the day. Family is all loaded and en route for an overnight trip to the Grand Canyon. Although I've seen pictures, based on the beauty and striking landscape as we travel, I suspect...
Wooed Into Wilderness Space
Lovely Lenten reflection on wilderness space.... "Old Testament references hint at the fact that the wilderness is also a place of intimacy where God speaks to us very tenderly those things he has been wanting to say to our souls: ‘Therefore I will now allure her, and bring her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her…there she shall respond as in the days of her youth.’ (Hosea 2:14,15) And let’s not forget that Jesus’ wilderness experience concluded with the experience of having angels come and minister to him. Oftentimes we think of the wilderness as being a harsh and punishing place;...
And/Or
“.... there is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28). Genesis 2:24: "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." In the New Testament when Paul says,"no male AND female.." as opposed to OR when referencing Jew/ Gentile or slave/free, Paul is acknowledging the individual profession of faith required for each person, essentially stating that salvation through faith in Christ is an individual act of personal agency,...
Compromised Smiles
I knew my sixth decade would bring challenges, just as each new decade of life has. Last week I bit down on a dried banana chip for breakfast as I drove to work and I broke an incisor tooth just to the right of my front teeth. I was able to get in to see My dentist at lunch time that day. When I went in I smiled really big and said, "Hi, ya'll, how do you like the Hee Haw look?" (You'd have to be my age to remember that show!) The desk staff, the tech, and I all got a good chuckle out of my tooth-challenged smile. They made molds and the dentist and I discussed what needed to be done. The...
Closing Ill-Fitting Doors
There are some ironies that are just too rich to ignore. Today the final one of what had been several banging and ill-fitting doors closed in my life, despite my efforts to fit it for use. I had scheduled a celebratory bonfire with a few close friends to dispose of a mountainous stack of files, books, and papers in conjunction with this anticipated closing of doors to the past, all of which they have faithfully journeyed through with me. Coincidentally with this fire-y purge, a water well system has been required to be serviced and I have been informed that a certain critical part for its...
History of Aprons
The History of 'APRONS' by Robyn Markham I don't think our kids know what an apron is. The principle use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath because she only had a few. It was also because it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and aprons used less material. But along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven. It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and ...on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears. From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be...