by Cathy Boyd Byrd | Aug 23, 2010 | contentment, gluttony, principal of replacement
I have heard before that one can’t simply remove oneself from sin or push away from evil. It is necessary to replace the sinful behavior or beliefs with others that are more valuable or good. Christ’s parable of the man cleansed of an evil spirt suggests...
by Cathy Boyd Byrd | Jul 31, 2010 | Arminianism, Calvinism, election, theology
Arminianism’s chief tenets: (John Wesley rejected Calvinism and embraced Arminianism)1. Humans are naturally unable to make any effort towards salvation. 2. They possess free will to accept or reject salvation.3. Salvation is possible only by God’s grace,...
by Cathy Boyd Byrd | Jul 14, 2010 | spiritual growth
I have been invited to be the keynote speaker for a spiritual enrichment retreat next March. Though it’s over eight months away, I have already had to put to paper an outline for the weekend’s messages on rather short notice. It’s not as hard as one...
by Cathy Boyd Byrd | Jul 14, 2010 | holiness, justification, sanctification
“The one (justification)implies what God does for us through His Son; the other (sanctification) what He works in us by His Spirit.” John Wesley Righteousness. How it comes to be, if at all, is amazing. Covered, as with snow, by the imputation of...
by Cathy Boyd Byrd | Jun 26, 2010 | desires, shoes
I have written several times about shoes. This past week I had to face the fact that a favorite pair of slide-on sandals needed to be relegated to “junk-shoe-kick-about” status or thrown in the trash. They had been a daily and Sunday all purpose shoe. So I...
by Cathy Boyd Byrd | Jun 21, 2010 | confession, Twelve Step recovery
I have always loved the section in the Hallelujah chorus that quotes Isaiah 9:6b “And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” The way in which it is sung suggests that...
by Cathy Boyd Byrd | Jun 21, 2010 | peace
I have often been surprised by the way in which God works things out. There are times when His way is so unexpected. That has been the case recently as I have watched Him work out discord between two people. I knew that I was not in any way to be an instrument of...
by Cathy Boyd Byrd | May 28, 2010 | doctrine, Teaching
Saddleback Church has published a DVD curriculum called Foundations. It’s 11 DVDs with 4 sessions per DVD on various basic Christian doctrines. I am enjoying facilitating a class that is using the curriculum. Most everyone is a new Christian and they are really...
by Cathy Boyd Byrd | May 26, 2010 | Aging
At 56 years old, I’m living my life and making plans as if I have plenty of time to realize the goals I’m setting. Just a few days ago I was talking to my husband about something in our home that we’d had a while…..25 years to be exact. As soon...
by Cathy Boyd Byrd | May 25, 2010 | family
I’ve read before that our universe is in the process of expanding, everything moving outward from the center and enlarging all the time. Now I have a close, first hand experience of that myself.Just over a week ago our son and his family moved from thirteen...
