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.
The Necessity of Forgiveness
(8/31/18. CBB) I serve a useful purpose in life…..I give lots of people the opportunity to explore and practice forgiveness! A friend shared this bit of wisdom she had seen: ”Just saw this quote on my friend’s page…..”“Fellowship with God and being useful to Him does not depend on our never making mistakes, but on our constantly being renewed by His forgiveness.” AMEN! "It's complicated……" It's amazing how much research has been done around the issue of forgiveness. How do you define it? When is it important? Is it necessary for one's sense of wellbeing? Is one justified in withholding...
Axing Anxiety
(8/31/19) Yesterday I had a sudden, bona fide all-out, in-my-face panic response to an emotional trigger. I logically knew what was happening to me physiologically and emotionally and could not stop it. I’ve watched enough people in panic and waited it out with them to know its course. I simply had to surrender to the autonomic response and ride it out—- the tachycardia, the hyperventilating, the emotionalism that comes from a flood of hormones released from a sudden sense of some sort of danger. A PTSD type reaction to being ambushed by something totally unexpected. How quickly some things...
A Penny’s Worth of Honesty
“Honesty is such a candidly refreshing thing…. and stands out like a beautiful flowering tree when observed in someone whose otherwise anonymous posture is not forced to tender it. A mere penny's worth of honesty is so much more valuable than a bank account full of deceit.” I got a glimpse of this "penny" wisdom in an unexpected place this morning, felt the light and warmth of it through the cell phone, and clutched it in my hand as a treasure. As God would have it, I had found a bright shiny penny at my feet not long before the phone conversation above took place….. I don’t go around with...
Love As I Have Loved
In Matthew 22:27 Jesus gives a concise summary of the Old Testament Law and Prophets in response to the cagey goading of the Pharisees: 34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’40 All the Law and the Prophets hang...
Determined Even Then
(CBB 8/31/22) Does anything say, "Go ahead, underestimate me….let's see what happens"….. than the slight forward lean of the torso and head, set of the jaw, scrutinizing look of the eyes, Mona Lisa-esque non-committal mouth, and crossed arms of this 10 year old?? LOL. I never noticed how determined …. or vaguely defiant…. I seem to be. I suspect this is my resting look, even now. No wonder so many view me as a daunting "extra grace required" personality!! I'm not even sure what I'm thinking there…..maybe,"Let's get this over with… I have other things waiting at grandmas house… like playing...
August 27, 2024. 4:44a.m.
My eyes opened as my waking consciousness stirred from slumber. I looked toward the ceiling at the red projection of the time from the bedside clock. My Mother had given it to Bill and me as a Christmas gift at some point in the last ten or so years. ”4:44”- an auspicious moment. The peace in my spirit was confirmed. “This is the way forward. Walk in it.” the last three and a half weeks had been a blur. Circumstances were set in place after a definitive moment . Then a blur of rapid fire decisions were presented to me. Each one of them setting in place the next one. I hardly had to think. It...
Deleting subscribers….
It appears that this blog has been hit by a large number of bots….fake users intended to take down the system . Therefore I am deleting all subscribers at this time. Those of you who are real persons will know where to fine me.😊
More Praise for Bees
🐝Some interesting facts about bees 🐝 Here are 20 interesting facts about the importance of honey and bees: Did you know that honey never spoils? Archaeologists have found pots of honey in ancient Egyptian tombs that are over 3,000 years old and still perfectly edible! Did you know bees are essential for growing many of our foods? They pollinate about one-third of the food we eat, including fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Did you know honey has natural healing properties? It can help soothe sore throats and even speed up the healing of wounds and burns due to its antibacterial qualities. Did...
More Support for Therapeutic Laughter
“Theologian Reinhold Niebuhr once wrote, “Humor is, in fact, a prelude to faith; and laughter is the beginning of prayer.”2 Now, of course, many circumstances are not laughing matters; for those, only faith is up to the task. But often, when faced with challenges and even suffering, as those folks fighting cancer knew, a good sense of humor can be key. Laughter can defuse tension in our relationships, release stress, and remind us not to take ourselves too seriously. In the process, it also opens up space for joy! Why not give it a try today? The next time a friend or family member irritates...
Attachment: The Near Enemy of Love
“The near enemy of love is attachment. Attachment masquerades as love. It says, I will love this person because I need them. Or, I'll love you if you'll love me back. I'll love you, but only if you will be the way I want. This isn't love at all - it is attachment - and attachment is rigid, it is very different from love.”Jack Kornfield A “near enemy” is an emotion or circumstance that feels enough like the real thing to be confused with it but is actually rooted in a very different motive or desire. If unrecognized for a lesser truth and embraced as the real thing, it becomes the obstacle...