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.
Charles Spurgeon on Scripture
Spurgeon Three things I shall speak of this morning: first, the ear to be disciplined: secondly, the tongue to be educated: thirdly, a lesson in the text to be practised. May the Holy Spirit bless the whole subject to us. I. If we would be found really useful and serviceable for our Lord and Master, THE EAR IS TO BE DISCIPLINED. Read the text. “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth.” To train the tongue you must begin with the ear. It is well known that no man is fit to command who has not first learned to obey, and assuredly no...
Sunday’s Comin’
Mike Huckabee's post today is a keeper.... It’s Easter weekend and a great time to be reminded of one of the most wonderful sermons I ever heard. It was first delivered by Shadrach Meshach Lockridge, who from 1952 until 1993 was pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church of San Diego. Dr. S. M. Lockridge preached all over the world. He was without a doubt one of the greatest communicators of the Gospel in all of Christendom. His creative and soaring capacity for painting pictures with words was surpassed only by his spell-binding delivery. This amazing black pastor and renowned spiritual giant...
Persevere. The Reward Awaits.
Perseverance was yet again on my heart today, as it was 7 years ago!.....and part of my devotional reading and writing from April 7, 2016 reminds me of it. "Persevere and finish the race" my husband's words as he arrived home from his Thursday morning men's study/accountability group. A lesson they had discussed today from the book of Judges. Sometimes it is difficult to read the course. The signs are confusing, the path twists and turns. People along the way who are not in the race often provide confusion and distractions, and one feels so far behind the pack that the finish line seems...
Beloved Only Child
i went to see Angel Studio's "His Only Son" movie this week. Now I need to go see it again. At one point as Abraham knelt in humility and heartbreak before the Angel of the Lord, the theophany of God, His hand reached out to him in what appeared to be a gesture of empathic understanding and, honestly, I believe the hand of God was scarred. It was Christ's hand! ....God revealing the truth of Himself as Jesus Christ, just as Jesus had said, "Before Abraham was, I Am..". John 8.... Jesus' most definitive teaching, it seems, on His identity..... and the movie expresses this reality of Christ...
Hold On….. It Will All Be Worth It!
I have a young friend who receives motivational texts daily through an app she downloaded. Today as I drove her to work she said, "Some days my motivational text isn't very motivating, like this one today!" (See below.) Her motivational text and her response to it made me laugh. I reminded her what she had said yesterday about what a long, grueling work week it has been and said to her, "Look on the bright side. At least you made it through to Friday and now you have the whole weekend to look forward to AND you get paid for making it through today!". We laughed. Just then we realized that...
WOW! Great Word for Holy Friday !
John Fenn of KWOWI (Kids Without Walls I International) offers a great perspective for this day snd the days to come! What "Is Risen" Means" Early Christians in Rome were buried outside the city in the catacombs. A catacomb is an underground burial chamber, connected by tunnels, and there are at least 40 of them around Rome. Though some pagans and adherents of other religions are buried there, the vast majority are Christians. Estimates I've read range from 200,000 to 600,000 people were buried in the catacombs, and you can go to several today and take tours. Bones and skulls are...
Satan’s Way
Our Seedbed.com Wake Up Call devotional this morning was on the final verse of Luke 4: “When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.” It caused me to reflect on opportunism, as I have before when thinking about the satan's ploys. It helps understand better this word from Jesus..... "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.” Matthew 10:16 These are among Jesus’ words to his disciples, the Twelve, as he was preparing them to be sent, two by two, out into the world. He commended the wisdom, or...
Easter Prayer
From 8 years ago: When our faith stands at the grave,grieving for a stone that's rolled away, forgive us. When our faith is short of understanding though the truth is there to see, forgive us. When our faith, beset by doubt, sees no further than an empty tomb today, forgive us. Bring to mind the cry of Mary, I have seen the Lord!' and grant us faith to believe! Amen
Celebrating Easter
This was written 3 years ago today, during nationwide COVID lockdown, by a friend .... worth repeating.....From Deborah Holstine. ( thank you) ... Yes.Yes.Yes! After the President’s news conference was over, one of the reporters made the observation that for the first time in our nation’s history we won’t be celebrating Easter. Well let me tell you one thing, he’s dead wrong. We might not celebrate what Easter has become in that there may be no new clothes bought for that Sunday. We might not hide and hunt eggs in mass quantities. We may not travel home to attend church with our family. We...
Prospect Theory and Transparency
The subject of "trust" comes up regularly in different conversations and contexts. Worth noting: From Len Wilson in "ministry matters" article from 2016: Prospect Theory is the idea that we fear loss more than we value gain. In other words, the fear that we might get in trouble is so intense that if there’s even a hint of judgment we will shut down our creative thinking. The way you move past that is you demonstrate — i.e., you lead others — into an environment in which risk is normative, or at least acceptable. You stop punishing failure. I can hear it now from some corners of the room — of...