Deanna Doss Shrodes

Driving along on my journey to preach in Wauchula last week, I came upon this sign. As I often do when traveling and I pass something I want to capture, I stopped to take a photo. Mothers set the temperature in the home. We are the thermostat. Whatever our mood, it impacts the whole household like no other person in the house. While we set the tone, I believe we are also the person in the home who faces the most circumstances with the potential to affect our mood. No one cares about the state of the home more than we do. So, when everything falls apart or piles up, it impacts us like no one else.  None of my other family members seem to notice or care when this happens. But I personally experience a cloud of depression so real I can almost touch it when things aren't right at home.  It's even worse when I clean up the night before and after I go to bed someone messes it up.  I have found if I don't start playing worship music and begin to pray and seek the L...

The finances of our home have something in common with how I lead PF Women. If we don't have the money, we don't do it. Larry and I only have two things on credit -- our home, and our car. Aside from that we don't have any debt that isn't paid off at the end of each month. And, we're tithers who give generously on top of that. We have always been faithful in our giving, and have grown wiser with finances as our marriage has progressed.We are grateful to God for His provision and blessing. So, with these things established: I wanted to do a project in our yard. It wouldn't be a do-it-yourself project but one that we'd have to hire out. It would include a lot of things that are meaningful to me including multiple larger (more mature) dark pink crepe myrtle trees, rose bushes, hydrangeas, and a lot more. Plans were drawn up and we received an estimate. It would take at least six months to save up for the project. My favorite thing would be the area tha...

Jordan and I came home from Africa to a big surprise! Well, it was a surprise for me. Jordan knew about it the whole time. The surprise was new flooring in our home's main areas, plus a new couch! All of it was done by my husband, Dustin, Savanna and friends from church. They also decorated a bit for fall, to welcome us home. Lots of people are asking for photos, so here are the results! My husband took 160 photos and I am going to link to his Facebook album here in case you would like to see more than just these few. I believe he has made the album public but if not, I'll ask him to. (smile) Here's his Facebook Album . Larry had this planned for six months, to surprise me when I got home. I want to give thanks to everyone who helped him on the project. In addition to our children, those who worked so hard with him were Todd Stewart, Doug Rice, John Torres, Willy Letaw, Joel Tevi, Troy Mayercak, Jacob Mayercak, Mason Mayercak, Mike Molinero, and Rachel Rice.  John actu...

Savanna and I always go shopping very early on black Friday. We don't participate in any door busters. Quite frankly that seems stressful to me. It would be more fun to have dinner with Ann Coulter. It's our tradition to go to a few stores and then out to breakfast together, usually at Waffle House. (I like 'em scattered, smothered and covered.) After we've eaten a gloriously greasy breakfast we head to one or two more stores and go home. One of our favorite places to shop are thrift stores. We enjoy this all the time, black Friday being no exception especially since Salvation Army sells everything including furniture for 50% on that day. This year I was able to get new trees for our Celebration Church cafe for $5 each. I was over-the-moon to find the trees.  So, I also found this serving tray. You can't tell by the photo but it's not a dinner plate, it's a large serving tray. It caught my eye immediately, this little half-off-bargain. It's ce...

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.

When I sat down to blog tonight I thought, "this is a hodge podge of stuff that doesn't really go together...it's all over the place." But truthfully? That's what my life is like some days. It's a crazy conglomeration -- as I JUGGLE from church to home to job coaching to writing to drinking dark roast coffee and dreaming about changing the world.  There's still a lot to get ready for Easter at the church as well as in our home.  Larry and I still do Easter baskets for ALL of our kids. (Yes even the 22 and 23 year old). I tell him we will do this FOR LIFE and every year he gives me a lecture on the ridiculousness of doing Easter baskets for grown kids. This will be interesting when next year he will give me a lecture on the ridiculousness of doing a basket for a 23, 24 and 16 year old. Ha ha! Shhhhhh! What Larry doesn't know won't hurt him. Every year I can make him think this is the last year we're doing baskets. In other news:

Last night was the Celebration Church Thanksgiving dinner. It's one of the highlights of the year. After we share d a fabulous meal together, our worship team rocked the place and then people had opportunity to share what they are grateful for. Our son Jordan was one of the first people to come to the microphone and speak. Before sharing about his new job he pointed to Larry and me and said: "I'd like to thank God for these two people, for the privilege of growing up in their home, and having them as parents." Shortly after, our son Dustin (who is now the youth pastor at our church) got up and the first words out of his mouth were, "I'd just like to thank God for my family..." Wow. So, of course no matter how many times I hear stuff like this it just makes my buttons bust. (Well, that and all the weight I've gained...) After the boys spoke, I began thinking: what makes a family great to be part of? What makes a house a home you can't...

Photo credit: Savanna Shrodes How or why is pastoring more challenging than any other profession? I'm about to answer that question today. I'm blogging over at Pastoring Partners Network today and if you're interested you can read my post, Why Pastoring Is Harder, there. Speaking of hard things...we have been without A/C for four days now. In temperatures up to 91 degrees. It has rained some this weekend which made it somewhat more bearable. Our A/C needed to be replaced. It has already been repaired twice and this time it couldn't be. So, we are supposed to get it installed today. I am hoping the family can sleep well tonight. In the meantime I have counted it all joy and kept my mind on friends in other countries, and even one friend in the USA, who does not have A/C. What new compassion it has given me for them. Right now it's 89 inside our house and even the dogs are just laying here, tongues hanging out, although I have given them plenty of ice water. Co...

"I wish I could just follow you around..." Someone said this to me last night after I preached at a regional women's event at Victorious Life Church.  The truth is, if they followed me around this week they would have just found me hanging on for dear life. Have you ever felt that way? That you were just praying that God would help you get to the next day? Not many people in the audience last night, if anyone, would have guessed that this past week I have struggled through daily headaches, elevated blood pressure, and a work agenda that took me until after midnight each night to accomplish. In spite of all that God was so good to us last night. Whenever I get up to speak, I wonder why anyone ever invited me. Every single time I ask, "why am I here?" It blows my mind that people show up. I never lose the wonder of being asked to share. I walk through the door when someone invites me in. Then the Lord shows up and does really cool things. There is nothing be...