by Cathy Boyd Byrd | Oct 24, 2015 | religious movements, spiritual life
Syncretism: the attempted reconciliation, amalgamation, or union of different or opposing principles, practices, parties, cultures, philosophies, or religions. “Syncretism is the mixing of Christianity with something else such that they become a different...
by Cathy Boyd Byrd | Oct 22, 2015 | spiritual formation, spiritual life, Suffering, understand, Worldview
“What we learn from experience depends on the kind of philosophy we bring to experience.” C. S. Lewis Yesiree, now isn’t that the truth? Sometimes an experience challenges the philosophy one has, based on prior experience, so radically that it...
by Cathy Boyd Byrd | Oct 13, 2015 | Facing fears, Faith, healing, Pain, spiritual life
Joni Eareckson Tada, who has known her share of pain- physical and emotional- shares this poem by Miss Margaret Clarkson, a woman who was bedridden for years with chronic pain: Lord Jesus, King of pain, Thy subject I; Thy right it is to reign: Oh, hear my cry, and...
by Cathy Boyd Byrd | Oct 5, 2015 | Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalm 141:3-4, Psalm 37:3-5, spiritual life
As I studied Eddie Rasnake’s workbook on Knowing and Following the Will of God, I was struck by his observation that the Bible contains proclamations (“Thou shalt…”), prohibitions (“Thou shalt not…”), principles, and promises. Reflecting on this, I realized this...
by Cathy Boyd Byrd | Sep 29, 2015 | Comfort, community, Emotional Literacy, healing
This article on loneliness brings two things to mind for me. One, loneliness as a function of negative perception of social interactions suggests that there is a lack of ability or comfort in trusting others, including God. This is, at heart, an attachment issue. ...
by Cathy Boyd Byrd | Sep 28, 2015 | consolation, healing
It was a rough weekend. I found it necessary to dismiss one young lady who secreted beer into the house, drank it and got caught. That, in my experience, has been a very rare occurrence. She had been doing so well, but she let her anger get the best of her. Rather...
by Cathy Boyd Byrd | Sep 27, 2015 | spiritual life
It’s strange, the way you can receive something without knowing how much you’ll need it a short time later. Last week I wrote to you about the difference 5 minutes can make — how taking a few minutes to listen in a prayerful way can tell you what you most...
by Cathy Boyd Byrd | Sep 18, 2015 | persuasion, spiritual life, Worldview
“All is not lost if you fall into a black hole – you could simply pop up in another universe, according to Stephen Hawking. The celebrated physicist has a new theory about where lost information ends up after being sucked into a black hole, a place where gravity...
by Cathy Boyd Byrd | Sep 14, 2015 | Samaritan woman; quadrilateral; doubt, Wesley's Quadrilateral, women in ministry
This was first written on 1/10/2011. Recently it has been updated to reflect some additional appreciations of this Scripture! I was asked to read John 4:5-42 and prepare a prayer based on the text. So, I was reading with attentiveness. As a result I saw...
by Cathy Boyd Byrd | Sep 13, 2015 | Trust
Today in the dining room at the campground we each received a colorful bracelet with small lettered beads that spelled out “TRUST GOD.” When I opened my bag to put on my bracelet, the “U” was upside down, so I turned it over. On the reverse...
