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.
Change In Hindsight
Some things are only seen for the successes they are when viewed from a little distance. A student today paid off a fine from several years ago. She was so happy to have that task completed and said it such an accomplishment, something she'd been trying to do for a while. I asked her what else she'd accomplished since coming to Titus 2. She recounted to me on the way home from the courthouse all the things she’s accomplished since arriving at Titus 2 nearly six months ago- restored drivers’ license, employment, emotional and medical stabilization, forgiveness of self and others, completion...
Self-Care In Old Age
The risk associated with staying up too late engaged in a project: Hearing things that go "bump" in the night. About 11pm last evening I heard what sounded like a gunshot. It's not all that unusual to hear gunshots up here with woods all around the lake. A minute or so later I heard another one. Then again. Each time it sounded a little closer, as if someone could be creeping along in a vehicle moving closer to my location and shooting at something.....Animals? lights? Windows? I knew my doors were locked, but I got up, lowered the window shade which I have rarely felt compelled to do in the...
Just Me
I have neither the sovereignty nor the goodness of God. I am not Jesus. I do not always respond like Jesus. When I don't act in ways that please God I seek God's forgiveness. I am simply me. And, believe it or not, God loves and accepts and even delights in me. He is with me on good days and not so good days. And each day is a new opportunity to start afresh, to put aside the mistakes of the past and move forward in service to the Lord.
Dr Amen on Sheepdogs….
"Sheepdogs love their sheep, even when the love is not returned." Ha Ha! Funny image. Dr. Daniel Amen in his "brain warrior" talk. Sheep don't generally love sheepdogs, just the shepherd. And sheepdogs love the sheep because the shepherd does! I think I'm more of a sheepdog than a shepherd! Nipping at heels, looking to the shepherd for what he wants the sheep to do and simply herding them into doing that! Who knew a psychiatrist and neurobiologist could be so funny? The shepherd may sleep in the pen with the sheep, but the sheepdog sleeps snuggled up to the shepherd! That's where I want to be.
Purpose In Suffering
I have been part of several conversations recently about the purpose of suffering, teasing out the aspects of one's theology of suffering. Those most attuned to God seem to understand, there is a purpose in suffering. From Love Worth Finding: Follow Someone with a Limp.... Rev. Adrian Rogers (12/10/2014) "For our God is a consuming fire." Hebrews 12:29 It has been said, "If you are looking for a leader to follow, find someone with a limp." The wounded in life are those who have learned difficult lessons through suffering. Do not resist the Shepherd's correction. Is wounding painful?...
Salvation or Sentimentality?
From a favorite writer, Jill Carattini, 12/10/2014 Salvation or Sentimentality? “Who has understood the mind of the LORD?”(Isaiah 40:13) This God who moves among people, touching all of life and history is certainly not the quiet and tame being we often imagine. God’s ways are not our ways. God’s stories are not the kind of stories we would write if the telling were up to us. God’s thoughts are the kind of thoughts that expose deception and shine in darkness, that shatter hearts and rewrite stories. It is the same with the child born in a stable two thousand years ago. The infant the world...
Christmas Shoes
A friend made a generous donation and designated it for gifts for the Titus 2 students.......When I invited them to suggest what they wanted, it was nearly unanimous.....SHOES! Thrift store purchases and donated clothing are great fun and wonderfully economical, but shoes, especially dress shoes, can be hard to find that fit well, aren't too "sexy" or too overly worn. So, off to Shoe Carnival we went this afternoon before we headed to evening Bible study and each lady found a special pair of shoes suitable for upcoming holiday events and church activities! And enough left for hair...
Entrenched Resistance
Again, I and others have observed that our effort and resources were unable to overcome deeply entrenched resistance to change after four months with a woman we love and had hoped would embrace life recovery. But we know when to step back and leave all in God's hands.... This is not- uncommon experience in working with women acclimated to homelessness, trauma, and isolation. Below is a reflection from seven years that expresses that reality. 12/10/2015- "Today I was mentally drained, yet had an afternoon teleconference with a ministry mentor from out of state. As we talked I said to her,...
Discipleship and Co-Mentoring Friendships
Discipleship mentoring of middle class, educated women who are religious, but who are genuinely seeking a deeper spiritual journey with Christ is wonderfully stimulating and humbling at the same time. The privilege of being invited into their lives, hearing their stories, and listening for the Spirit's guidance with them as we talk and pray together brings joy and personal satisfaction. It's like savoring a wonderful dessert and a good cup of coffee with a friend.....there's just not much that is better. Most relationships of this type are fairly short in duration, directed toward some...
Priority In Relationships
This observed over and over again: “Many relapses by women are caused by trying to attract a man, keep a man, or get over losing a man...... “ The curse on women is that desire that keeps them longing for and running after a man rather than God. SMH. It took me a lot of years to break free of the expectation that someone else should or even could make me feel happy or valued. It was only then that I experienced the deeper joy of spiritual and emotional intimacy that comes with having one’s relationship with another in its proper place and with the communion of the Holy Spirit present in it,...