Deanna Doss Shrodes

  A cup of coffee I had on a date with Larry that was one of the greatest blessings I've ever had, as dates & coffee go. Although it's not what this post is about, coffee IS one of the countless blessings in life I am thankful for. :) I saw this passage yesterday in the Message Bible, and it put a zinger in my heart. Matthew 5:1-12 "When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said: 3  “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. 4  “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. 5  “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything tha...

There's nothing like being away with my amazzzzzzing Celebration ladies and teen girls, but there's also nothing like getting in the car and coming home. Coming home means being reunited with the love of my life. Hugs from my boys and kissing their stubbly faces. (Savanna Rose was with me on this trip.) Being greeted by my leaping fur-kids. One day closer to seeing everybody in our church family. Nothing compares to loving now. And I do. I am most blessed among women.

Right now our church is on a corporate 40 day fast. To be clear, the entire church is not on the fast. Only 70 people have made a commitment to fast for 40 days, but still...I think that's pretty significant that this many people are committed to persevere for that long, together. I have been believing for huge things on this fast. The Bible says some things will only happen by prayer and fasting. I've been believing for specific things so much I have even asked one of my unbelieving friends to pray for me. (She actually did! Thanks Laura.) You know you're getting desperate when you're asking the unbelievers to pray. Ha ha! Many of my prayers are about reaching hurting people in our city and breakthroughs for  Celebration Church and I have also prayed about things I am longing for personally. One of those things I've never shared with anyone but a few people privately is for a retired pastor's wife to come to Celebration. Not one in transition. Not on...

Some girlfriends took me out this week and treated me to a night on the town and then presented me with this little gift...an "EASY" button. You push it and you hear, "That was easy!" I pushed it, and pushed it and laughed myself silly. :) For all the silliness, here's truth: Life has it's twists and turns, but it sure is a lot easier when fully relying on God, and the supportive people He provides. There's nothing like the power of God and community. So grateful. I am blessed.  

The Bible says that if we don't praise God the rocks will cry out. Well, I do praise God, but a rock STILL spoke to me. Welcome to my house... I worked in the yard all day yesterday.  Pruning a wax myrtle. Treating a diseased tangerine tree. Weeding the yard and all the beds. Yes, it was exhausting.  And I'm still not done. The yard has been in need of major work. I've been expecting letters from the HOA, and maybe a fine, which is possible in our neighborhood . But with pastoring, coaching, and my travel/speaking schedule, it's been hard for me to get out there and get it all done. I long to get back to the "glory days" when my yard was actually awarded "yard of the month" in my subdivision. (I knew I'd need the photo to prove it later for people who see it when it's a mess and doubt the magnificence of what once was.)

Today's our last day in Boston before we head to the Berkshires.  We had a fantastic day yesterday, painting the town with Lou and Nina Zinnanti. They've been showing us all the hot spots of this beautiful town, and been so gracious. Savanna found this necklace for me. Since this is what lots of my friends have called me for umpteen years, it was just perfect... Plus it was 50% off. How could I not justify wearing the wonder, at half the price? I want to point out that this is my first Wonder Woman purchase. All of the other stockpile of memorabilia  that fills my home and office comes from friends, co-workers, church members, etc. over the years. Shout out to all who have given me everything from WW pajamas to lunch boxes to mugs to you name it. Then, I also found a phone case, for me. I got a new phone back in August, when I was at Ormond Beach and forgot that my phone was tucked into my bathing suit top and spontaneously decided to run and jump in the waves. Y...

Oh my stars! Could it get any more interesting? My cousin Henry, who lives in Tacoma, Washington, came to see us on Friday. We spent time talking for hours, and eating Cuban food and ice cream and having a most wonderful time. I only wish it could have been longer.  After seeing Henry off to enjoy the rest of his vacation I had intended on preparing the house for my sister Shari to come from North Carolina. I had six hours or so before bedtime to whip the house in shape. However, our son Jordan became very ill. He called and asked if Larry and I could meet him at the emergency room of the same hospital our son Dustin works at. Jordan has been sick for six days and went to the doctor earlier in the week but nothing they gave him helped. Now in addition to the constant nausea, and pain, he was blacking out and having spasms. We met him there where they began to undergo a battery of tests... He had it all...urine, blood work, ultrasound, EKG, CAT scan, chest x-rays, you n...

When I pray, I walk most times. By now I'm surprised there aren't holes where I have worn a path going around and around and around in the Celebration Church sanctuary. Sometimes, it's so hard to keep my focus. I have prayer lists and needs in front of me, but other concerns try so hard to pull me away from prayer.  Some people might think I pray out loud and strong just because I was raised Pentecostal. Well, that might be part of it but one reason is simply to keep focused!  As I'm walking around praying, my eyes notice things that are broken. I see repairs that need to be made. Other things that need to be adjusted and tweaked. I've shut my eyes to walk around and pray, but after all the bruising, decided to stop. Just kidding. A few weeks ago I was walking around the sanctuary in a time of prayer and I noticed some important things that needed to be taken care of. I don't know how to do them.  Even in our congregation of many capable people, among them...

Last night I went for a walk with a friend that was supposed to be about an hour but ended up to be much longer. We ended up going to her house to talk afterwards. I didn't really worry because Larry had taken Savanna to the Pirates spring training game, Dustin was working at the hospital, and Jordan was at the beach with his friends. I thought I'd be home long before any of them got back so I didn't bother to leave a note or anything but I did tell Larry I was going walking with a friend. Jordan got back earlier than I did. He went through the house and saw that I was no where to be found, then called his Dad to ask where I was. Larry told him I had gone for a walk much earlier. Jordan got concerned and left and started looking through the neighborhood for me. He called my phone numerous times but I never got any of the calls because in our neighborhood they most often drop. Twelve calls never went through. My phone never rang even once. He went on his longboard thro...

It's leap day! What does this have to do with living a blessed life? I'm about to tell you. My husband has been sending facebook messages all throughout the day to different people, thanking them for who they are in his life and what they have done to influence or bless him.  He says that with the extra day we have been given this year, he wants to spend it with an attitude of thanks. What a great idea!  I can't think of a better thing to do. I'm a little behind on the gratitude curve today. The first time I gave thanks was when I woke up this morning and went bike riding. As I was breezing along I thanked God for the moments we shared. I chose to go without music this morning and just let it be him and I in the silence while I rode. The second time was a quick prayer over lunch with my husband as we thanked God for our meal. Aside from that I haven't given a lot of thanks today for anything specific because I have been overwhelmed getting ready to leave on...

Nobody's life is perfect. I know you probably have a few people that you think have near perfect lives, but really, they don't.  There are those who have fulfilling lives, who are happy. But nobody escapes challenges in life. Not the rich, not the well-connected nor the educated. Nobody! We look at people who are granted great responsibilities in life and we think, "Wow. What a privilege it must be to lead this or that." Yes, it's a privilege, and it also comes with a price.  I've learned the more people and things I'm responsible for, the greater my challenges. So what's the key to waking up and having a good day in spite of all that's pressing on you? I can only tell you what I personally do, and that is determine my contribution to the day. Aside from the skills and talents I will use to get various things done it starts with my decision of what the other ingredients I'm going to include. For me, gratitude is the biggest ingredient t...

I can't wait to write about yesterday's miracle!!!  Hold on to your seat... Our church has been in 40 days of fasting and increased prayer. The fast ended last night after our 11 PM - 1 AM prayer meeting - we all went to IHOP to break the fast together. (I couldn't wait to have a chocolate chocolate chip pancake and my husband had ice cream.)  So here's just one miracle testimony from this fast.  Yesterday morning a young boy in our church went into the hospital to have a large cyst  removed. Before operating the doctor checked him one more time. After examining him the doctor said, " THERE WILL BE NO OPERATION TODAY! THE CYST IS COMPLETELY GONE!!!" They sent him right back home!  This was his mother's facebook status yesterday:   "Thank you, thank you, Jesus!!! He is always coming through for me and you! Right before my son was going to be operated on, the doctor came in to check him and told us he doesn't need surgery because what the...

    “The gift list is thinking upon His goodness–and this, this please him most.” ~ Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts  I hopped off of my bike to take this photo through the trees last night. The sun was setting and moon was coming out, and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. I breathed in the night air, snapped the photo, and thanked God aloud. Silly? Maybe to some. It's just what I do. I had the privilege of biking twice in the morning, and again at sunset yesterday.  That always makes for a perfect day for me.  One of my greatest gifts that I enjoy daily is riding the cruiser bike that Larry got me a few years ago for my birthday . It's pink and perfect and gives me a lot of joy. He gave it to me during a season where I was really having a hard time .  Well, more than a hard time, a deep depression . Many pastors' wives and women in ministry will understand where I'm coming from with that. Thankfully, a breakthrough came.   This bike ...

And that's okay. Just let us be as we lavish love upon the fur-kids of the world. It doesn't mean we don't care about people. We do care. In fact most of the people I know who are great pet lovers are also the greatest philanthropists. If you're not a dog lover, you might not understand the overwhelming intensity that many of us felt about Tank's reunion this past week. You might think we've lost our marbles. That's okay, we think you've lost your heart. ;)  Before I go on with this post, let me say that we were delighted that CBS 10 posted the video and article about Tank and his Celebration Church reunion yesterday. Click here to watch it. (But then come back!) If you haven't realized it, there is a revolution in America about dogs. Dogs have always been loved and known as the most loyal companions ~ "man's best friend". But things have gone way beyond this. Dogs aren't just dogs or friends anymore. They are family me...

Barbara Lynn let us know that she took Tank to the vet yesterday and he received a clean bill of health!  Praise the Lord. What does this show? The mercy and grace of God. A dog, out in the wild, fending for himself for almost a year... Not only does he survive, but he comes out of the journey with no broken bones, no worms, no diseases. Like the 3 Hebrew young men, he has come through the fire, not even smelling like smoke!!!  Somebody give a shout NOW! Our God is so good. I think of a lot of things that could have happened in my life, but didn't. It was only because of the grace and mercy of God that I'm standing today!  He's taken me through many dangers, toils and snares! Like Tank, he's taken me through the storms and the dark of night. If it had not been for the Lord on my side... Listen to this, one of my favorite songs today and think about how good God has been to Tank, to you and me. Your grace and mercy brought me through... I'm living ...

 Last night Tank's reunion was shown on Fox News 13 and CBS 10 News. As soon as links go up online I will post them here and on my facebook page. I cried all over again last night watching the CBS interview. They shared that last month the family put Tank's Christmas stocking up, hoping that he'd return even though it had been 10 months.   The thought occurred to me that Barbara Lynn and her family may not even have realized how precious Tank was until they lost him for 10 months. A lot of things are that way in life. Like one of my mentors, June Coker says, "They don't miss the water til' the well runs dry." Beth, the reporter from CBS, spoke to my husband off to the side last night and said, "Pastor, you have awesome people here!"  Larry told her that we know just how blessed we are and are so thankful. Once again I am reminded of just how amazing the people who surround us are. I can't even describe the feeling that I had when Donna ...

Unforgettable! That's what this day is! Amazing! That's what my God is! I love days like this! I don't know how today could have been better. Love is in the air! I woke up today knowing that tonight was going to be spent celebrating the spectacular reunion of a dog with his owners. I was so excited! Sunday as we were singing "Our God Saves" and "My Savior Lives" a dog was outside the main sanctuary doors running back and forth all excited. For all of his energy, he was hungry and had a few bumps and bruises. Our bass player, Mike Kenney, took him home, bathed and fed him. Then he and his mother Donna took him to the vet to get him checked. He was micro-chipped and through this they found his owner. They learned the dog's name: Tank. Amazingly, Tank survived for almost a year on his own. It's nothing short of a miracle. His owner Barbara Lynn, is a nurse who works with cancer patients. She told us that Tank is primarily an indoor do...