Deanna Doss Shrodes

“What is the fascination with Donald Trump?   I don’t get it.   I’m stumped about what people – especially Christians, see in him, and why so many are following him.” I see a variation of this statement on Facebook at least once a day.    Donald Trump isn’t my candidate.   My choice has already dropped out . This post isn't about my choice for president , for quite f rankly I'm undecided .    Many say it's going to come down to the lesser of two evils, come November 8. I don't believe that. I believe what we will eventually be faced with is the evil of two lessers. But I digress... The goal of this post is to not to promote anyone. I want to share my thoughts on the fascination factor as well as give those who preach, as well as anyone who communicates publicly -- something to think about.  I'm a firm believer, we can learn something from every person and every conversation. The le ssons from Trump are rich, pun intended....

I'm so grateful for  friends who have posted blogs or other social media updates about something other than the Sandy Hook tragedy. I don't mind those who have posted about it. (I've done that myself.) But, I'm glad some are sharing about other things in the midst of it all. Several people posted things that were unrelated throughout the day yesterday and I noticed some vague-like "rebukes" from people who felt it was their job to gently remind them of what they were allowed to post about yesterday. (Apparently there were guidelines I was unaware of.) Yesterday was not the day to post  about anything else but the shooting. Did you get the memo? It was not the day to share about the grilled cheese you ate for lunch or the price of gas coming down slightly.  Anyone who posted about that was gently redirected back to the shooting, and reminded to just pray. Others shared updates about feeling guilt for enjoying their child's Christmas concert realizing an...

The book, Fifty Shades of Grey has swept the nation, and the world, for that matter.  The series has sold 40 million copies worldwide, with 32 Million sold in the USA and the book rights having been sold in 37 countries, setting the record as the fastest-selling paperback of all time.   Readership is not limited to unchurched women.  Marsha Woolley, our women's director for Pen-Florida District of the Assemblies of God, asked me to address this subject at our state-wide conference today at the World Center Marriott in Orlando. I wanted the women in attendance to be able to focus on the message without having to keep up with taking notes. So I let them know that the manuscript of my message in it's entirety, would be made available here. Whether you were in attendance or not, you can read my entire message, at this link.    Many pastors, writers and speakers have addressed this message and brought excellent points forward. However, I h...

This blog is a place to share my thoughts, and at the same time it's not all about me. I try to make it about whoever reads here and how I can help them in some way. And usually it's an outflow of whatever I'm reading, thinking about, or talking about with friends. Today in the spirit of that I'd like to share with you three posts by other people that have really stopped me in my tracks the past week. Enjoy. Why Your Idea Isn't Spreading  Every leader, business owner, pastor, or person who seeks to be an influencer in ANY way seriously needs to read this!!! This post has become my new checklist of things to personally watch out for, so that I don't become off track/irrelevant/or just flat out ungodly in my leadership style. How I Went to Prison  The story of Jeremy Myers, a former pastor who was fired from a Christian non-profit in Dallas, and lost everything but his wife and kids in the aftermath.  His crime???  READING BOOKS. Seriously. This is an...

Although twelve people in Bellfonte, Pennsylvania know how they feel about sexual abuse, many other people still haven’t figured it out yet.   Watching the footage on the news last night, after a jury convicted Jerry Sandusky of 45 out of 48 charges of sexual abuse, I had to restrain myself from throwing something at the TV when his wife Dottie came out of the courthouse. The cameras focused on her as some friends consoled and embraced her. Quite frankly, it makes me sick. How many little boys’ would have been spared had Dottie Sandusky simply walked out of la-la land down to the basement?  How many young adult men would not be in need of therapy had she made the decision to refuse to look the other way?   While Dottie Sandusky busied herself doing God knows what in other areas of the house, little boys were living out the most horrifying experiences of their lives.      It is preposterous for anyone to believe that she didn't...

Why would people go to a movie hours ahead of time and sit and wait in a dark movie theater? Those who have never read The Hunger Games books may wonder about this. In fact, I know people are feeling that way. I've already received e-mail from a friend this morning asking, "what's the deal with this movie? I saw what you wrote about it last night on Facebook. Explain it to me..." (They were not criticizing, simply wanting information to see if it was something they should read or see with their kids.)   After working very late every night this week trying to catch up on work, I topped off my exhaustion by fulfilling a promise to go to The Hunger Games premiere with my family. It was a promise I was excited to keep. Although really tired, I was never tempted doze off during the movie. Having devoured the books after my son nagged me into reading them, I was counting the days for this moment!  I thought we would leave at 11 pm to go over to the theater which was o...

Do you ever take a "break" in the middle of an eight hour night of sleep? This article posted on Arianna Huffington's facebook page was very intriguing to me. Evidently the "8 hour night of interrupted sleep"is labeled as unnatural by some as well as a relatively new phenomenon. Those who wake up for a while in the middle of the night you may actually be doing what their bodies are designed to do after all. This is especially interesting to me right now as I'm thinking a lot more about rest and how it affects my effectiveness as I shared recently here on the blog. What do you think?  Do you take breaks in your sleep?

I'm not. I've been a true fan for a long time, and more than that, an intercessor . I'm just one of many people, probably thousands who have seriously prayed for her for many years. We saw the hand of God upon her life -- an amazing gift, and we also saw the intense struggle she faced. She was more than an icon - she was a real person standing in need of prayer. I do understand the bandwagon thing. It happens after any tragic death. Whitney Houston posts are at an all time high as well as downloads of her music.  There are bandwagon fans and then there are those like me who have every project she's ever recorded, every movie she's ever made, and prayed for a long time although they've never met her and knew they probably never would.  I've blogged about Whitney many times before, and spoken about her in messages. To read some of my previous writings about her or even a small reference I've made about her in my writing you might want to go here , ...

A lot of churches are closed today. How crazy! Not us.  We're anticipating celebrating the birthday of the King today! I know some people want to go to church today but can't go to their own church where they are a member because the leadership of the church made a choice to close today. I feel sorry for those people and have encouraged them to go visit another church in their area that's open today. It's interesting, that some Christians and even pastors fight the whole "happy holidays" versus "Merry Christmas" yet many of those same people stay home from church today or even made a decision to close.  That's really where the rubber meets the road for me.  How strong IS your faith? Just strong enough to complain about "Christmas" being misaligned by some store clerk telling you happy holidays?  That's pretty weak.  By the way, the word holiday derives from the term "holy day" which is exactly what we are celebra...

So yesterday's post received a lot of feedback about people who try to use guilt and manipulation in their facebook status posts. Concerning vaguebooking my friend Jennifer Tatum has a strategy she calls "counter-vague".  When anyone posts a vague status she comments with something equally vague.  For instance if they post, "Just not sure anymore..." she might post, "so much to think about..." in response.  She gave me this counter-vague idea so I tried it out.  I started posting equally vague comments just like that to people's vague statuses.  One friend posted, "Weird!" so I countered by posting, "Unbelievably!" Another friend posted, "Just not sure anymore...."  I countered by posting, "Come what may..."  Most people responded with "what?" or just ignored me and kept up their vaguebooking. Then I had an idea that when people posted manipulating or guilt-tripping vague statuses, I would us...