Deanna Doss Shrodes

This week we've been on vacation near my hometown and also the place where we pastored for ten years.  Each time we return, we have the privilege of enjoying a gathering with those we formerly pastored for ten years, at the church here. Tonight there's a special event -- a dessert and coffee fellowship, to share and catch up. We are always so excited to reconnect. It's been eleven years since we moved to pastor in Tampa, and yet these folks remain precious in our hearts, never forgotten. We had some amazing years together - memories none of us will never forget. We reminisce a lot at the gatherings when we return, and I'm sure there will be a lot of that going on tonight. Speaking of that, I just noticed that yesterday, Enrichment Journal published this article I wrote for their summer edition: Leading People Through Change Without Losing Them . The situation I reference in the article happened when we were pastoring the Maryland church.   I share about how we can...

Years ago there was a man in the church who served in one of the ministries I directly oversaw who would exhibit abnormal childlike behavior when he didn't get his way. Being the direct overseer of the department, I had a front row seat to his tantrums. Actually I would characterize them as reminiscent of "rebellious pre-teen behavior". It wasn't just me who noticed this. In frustration, other church members would sometimes quip, "would you please grow up?!" when he'd have a meltdown.  We'd endure behavior resembling that of a young teen boy who had his video games taken away. One day in staff meeting, our children's pastor mentioned a psychological issue with some adults who were abused as children. They become developmentally frozen --"stuck" at a younger age -- the one at which they were abused.  These adults usually don't progress emotionally beyond that age, unless they undergo therapy or God does a miracle. When our child...

If I could have a do-over, I would do all three of these things MUCH quicker in my 25-year journey of leadership.  1) Exercise daily.  I'm not a work-out-a-holic by any means. Anyone can tell that from even glancing at me. But, the fact is, for a few months now I've been exercising even if just for 15 minutes a day. The majority of the days I do 30 minutes. And it is absolutely life-changing, particularly related to stress. Some days even if I've already exercised, I go back and do a bit more if something comes up. It helps a lot! Lately I've said to myself, "why didn't I start doing this sooner?" Exercise has been called, "the best drug in the world." 2) Be happy while waiting.  Are you waiting for challenges to be worked out, before allowing yourself to be happy?  The truth is, things will never be perfect until heaven. If you are leading a church or an organization, few easy problems come to your desk. By the time they get to you, ...