Deanna Doss Shrodes

Did you know that God works on your problems while you sleep?  

I was comforted by this thought when I glanced through a book my husband recently gifted me with entitled, Blessings for the Evening. It's a coffee table book of sorts, nothing real heavy. I didn't read from the beginning, instead choosing to open to a random spot in the book. I found this gem:

May you find a moment of peace and quiet tonight to thank God for all that is right in your world.May you have the presence of mind to release your cares and worries to Him.May you have the gritty faith to grab a firmer grip on His promises to you.And may you wake up in the morning knowing that you've gained ground even in your sleeping hours because God is always moving on your behalf.As you entrust your whole self to Him today, He'll get you to where you need to go tomorrow.He is faithful.

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."Hebrews 10:23

Sinking down …

I'm writing this post today because I don't personally need more income.

Don't get me wrong, I could always find uses for money. But my point is, our family income is just fine.

But at one time, it wasn't.

And only someone who is making a decent salary can write this kind of post, otherwise it's taken as  begging for money.


Many years ago a woman in the church  where we were pastors at the time came to me with a box of things and said, "Pastor Deanna, I want to donate this to a family in need at the church, and I know you'll know exactly who needs it and who to give it to..."

I thanked her. Once she left the room I peeked inside the box and said to myself: "We are that family."

I took the box home and our family utilized the contents. At the time we may have been the most financially disadvantaged family in the congregation. We qualified for food stamps. Our kids qualified for free school lunches. Our income was below the poverty level for o…