Deanna Doss Shrodes

Recently I attended a writer's conference in California. I had new business cards printed just prior to the conference, to take with me. Although I knew I would need cards, I gave no thought to a card holder. Soon after arriving I was smack dab in the midst of groups of writers who were networking and exchanging cards. Most of them had fancy little black or silver card holders. I had nothing. Each time someone said, "do you have a card?" I was left to stand there digging in my purse, pulling cards out of a little ziploc bag I had hastily stuffed them in prior to leaving for the airport. Ugh. How embarrassing. Everyone else had fancy schmancy...I had ziploc. I thought, "hhhmmmmm....what can I do? I am totally out-classed here..." So, I stepped into the ladies room and started going through the black hole that is my purse, rummaging for anything that might be a suitable business card holder. This is what I found: Yes. Seriously. I quickly mo...

This is Ernest Hemingway's bathroom. Yes, I imagined myself there too. I didn't limit myself to the writing room or the kitchen . I get some of my best creative ideas sitting in the tub. I wonder if Hemingway did too. I was thinking maybe he kept a little notebook and pen on the little stool there by the bathtub, to write thoughts.  Maybe because that's what I would do. I make time to take a bath vs. a shower most everyday simply for the creativity factor. When I relax in my tub I get message ideas, song ideas, even solutions to problems that have perplexed me. If you've never tried taking a bath as a way to set the atmosphere to create solutions or share your art, let me give you a few pointers: 1) Light the candles - just for you.   This isn't reserved just for romance. Aromatherapy is a tremendous help for relaxation. My favorite scent for candles or bubble bath is Moonlight Path at Bath and Body works. I have our children's pastor's wife,...

This is Ernest Hemingway's kitchen. I took this photo when I was there touring the house in Key West a few months ago. Next to his writing studio, it's my favorite room in the house. It sort of reminded me of my grandmother's kitchen. The appliances and cabinets looked like the ones she had back in the day. With all the amazing things at Hemingway's estate, from the beautiful pool to the gardens, one might wonder why I was in love with the kitchen. Well, it just looks so normal.  Because of that normalcy, I could picture myself in it. I could imagine writing a book and taking a break to come down to this quaint little kitchen to make a sandwich.  Do you visualize your dream like I do mine? What about taking it another step from visualizing to realizing? Hemingway was just a man.  He put his pants on one leg at a time, just like I do. Well, I wear dresses most of the time, but you know... At some point he just had to get to work doing what ...

Every week I coach people who are unemployed. I also pastor people who are looking for jobs. One thing I hear often is, "I've done all I can do." Enter truth. Most people have not sent out all the resumes they could send out. Most people have not called every company possible. Most people have not made an in-person visit to all of the businesses in their vicinity. Most people have not contacted every person in their network. Most people have not maximized social media in their search. Most people have not made it their full time job to find a job. Most people have not spent even 20 hours that week to find a job let alone 40. Most people have not broadened their horizons beyond their current field to consider other options, even temporary ones. Most people who begin a meeting with me by telling me they've done "all they could do" this week, have not made an accurate statement. Most people follow their initial statement by saying they are fr...

God has been speaking to me more about rest. Everyone needs it. Leaders especially need it! I require solitude to function at my optimal.  We all have needs in this regard but many of us feel really guilty about being assertive about it. Why is that so? I don't know whether I'm getting better at being assertive or whether I am just too needy when it comes to rest in this season of my life to care about offending anyone. In just a moment I'm going to share with you three new ways I've found to make it easier to rest. No, they don't involve a cruise. I know I just came back from one yesterday and my faithful readers who know that may be thinking, "Great. She's going to tell us to go on a cruise. Impractical! Irrelevant!  I can't afford it nor do I have the vacation time to take..." Relax. That's not the direction I'm headed. But please do indulge me for a moment before I tell you the three hints, while I share with you a few peaceful ...

My daughter and I had a special evening to ourselves last night. I took her to a Chinese restaurant, at her request. At the end of the meal we got our fortune cookies and both of us noted that we never eat the cookies and instead simply enjoy the message inside. As soon as I opened my message (above), Savanna wanted to take a picture of it. This holds meaning for everyone -- for Savanna, for me and for you. And best of all it's biblical. "A man's gift maketh room for him and bringeth him before great men." Proverbs 18:16 Faithfulness is where it's at. Promotion comes as we stay true in being a good steward of our time, talent, and treasure. It may seem like nothing is happening. But as you stay faithful, realize that everything is happening. You can't see what's taking place but rest assured, a divine shift is occurring. Be faithful in the times where you feel like things are at a standstill. Eventually a time comes when you realize all that God...

 "Definition of overnight success---Endless nights, early morning, long weekends, books, mentors, working when no else tells you to or watching, failing more times than you succeed, wanting to quit over and over, yet not doing it and working toward continuous improvement.   I am an overnight success."  ~  Keith Frein  

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...

People have weird ideas about success.  Most people who have achieved anything worthwhile pretty much have to go through hell and back to get there.   And, ever notice that some people think they should be able to achieve in two weeks or even a few years what it took those who have gone before them a reaaaaaaallly long time to accomplish? Crazy.  As the famous opera singer Beverly Sills once said, "There are no shortcuts to anywhere worth going."

I'm about to share with you the number one key to having a fantastic weekend each and every weekend. Without fail. Really!  But first...I want to share some things that are going to put this weekend over the top for me. This weekend Celebration Church concludes our "First Forty." We have been on a 40 day fast plus much more (scripture memorization, intensified prayer, etc.) and we are ending it in a huge way -- kicking it off with one of our Prayer and Pancakes events. Then we have Evangelist Martha Tennison with us on Sunday. She's one of THE best preachers who have ever walked the face of the earth. If you have never heard her preach, click here . Two things are for sure, you will never be bored nor fall asleep when you sit in a service where Martha Tennison is preaching! I can't hardly wait for Sunday. On the heels of our sure-to-be-amazing-celebration with the church on Sunday, Larry and I will head to New Smyrna Beach to tag team preach on Sunday night. ...

Do you wish you would have had the confidence in middle school that you have now? Maybe you don't have as much confidence as you would like to have right now as an adult, but you probably have more than you had as a pre-teen or a teen. Are you ready to face your fears? Each week I'm confronted with this question as my walking partner Liz and I are out on our journey in the neighborhood. On our walk we stop at "Bold Venture Dr." and turn around and go back home. We didn't pick this street because of the name. We simply chose it as our turnaround point because of the timing of our walk. But each time we see the sign, it reminds me of what most people do. Most people get to the edge of a bold venture and turn around and go home. They go home because thinking big is scary. Bold ventures aren't anything you are totally prepared for, have figured out completely, or have the power to do all on your own. When Liz and I go on walks, I reach Bold Venture and...

Yesterday someone asked me the same question I've been asked so many times..."how do you do it all?" There are many answers to this question however to begin this post today I'll say two things: 1) I don't do it all. 2) What I do manage to get done consistently begins the same way. I get started. It's not always easy to get started for an abundance of reasons. Many people don't like to get started because starting means you might do something and fail. Other people realize the great amount of work something significant will take and they dread it. It comes down to ~ do you want to do something or not? You can't do it all, but you can do something. So what are you going to do? "All glory comes from daring to begin." ~ Eugene F. Ware

Surrendering your schedule to God is so important for two reasons. First, the most important thing we do in all of the roles we carry is to point people to Him.  Second, seeing the hand of God move in hearts and lives makes the mundane or difficult things we go through worth it all. Tuesdays are very busy days for me and my working day doesn't typically end until late as I'm doing a full day of ministry stuff and coaching.  On Tuesday nights I always have a meeting with my boss Kathryn to give a report on all my job seekers and assignments. Last night I called and she  said she was still on the phone with a client, and asked if I had the flexibility in my schedule to give her 30 minutes grace. I was thrilled because I realized I could squeeze in time to ride my bike at sunset. I said, "Can I have 35 minutes because my bike route takes exactly that long..." She said, " take all the time you need, you're doing me a favor..."  I was pedaling along...

 If you think something and it has the power to increase someone in any way, say it now. Say it today. Say it to them. Don't wait a second longer. You never know how that word may affect them. It may bring healing to their soul. It may change the trajectory of their career. It may convince them to keep going with a worthy goal they considered giving up on. It may just save their life. Say it, and say it now.  Text them. Tweet them. Facebook them. E-mail them. Stop by their house. Do what it takes, and do it now. Lately when the Lord has brought a friend to my mind and impressed upon me to pray for them, I communicate with them right then while I'm praying. Sometimes it's at 3 am. I don't call and wake them up of course, but I send a message for them to find when they wake up. Many of them have told me it's one of the best thing that's ever happened to them. Others have said, "you have no idea how this changed the course of my week." Don...

"You don't write because you want to say something; You write because you have something to say."                                           ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald So, you have something to say. Are you saying it? If not, why? What makes you afraid about saying it? Identifying what makes you afraid is really important. When you identify your fears you can deal with them, and move on with the call to share what God has placed in your heart. Sometimes fears are realistic, other times not. Whether or not, God never intended fear to stop us because fear is not of Him. Just because fear is not of Him doesn't mean that some things we feared may never happen as we fulfill the call. Sometimes we will face giants and mountains but God never intended a giant or a mountain to stop us....

What do dirty underwear and inspiration have in common? This weekend we worked on re-doing our laundry room.  It's not really a room. It's more like a tiny passageway between the house and the garage where the appliances sit. But I was intent on changing it. Before yesterday it was a few feet of space big enough to hold a washer, dryer and ironing board and had eggshell colored walls that had plenty of smudges on them.  The walls and baseboards are freshly painted, in brand new colors. I don't know what my laundry walls are going to say, but it will be something that moves me and my family toward the new season that God has for us. I am firmly against painting it and putting up a little sign from a craft store or Cracker Barrel that says something like "Soap 5 Cents" or "The maid is off today...do your own laundry."  No offense to all those of you who have something like that in your laundry room but it doesn't speak anything to me. Frivolity...

It's a choice simply waiting to be made. "Therefore, if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous  moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold the fresh and new has come." 2 Corinthians 5:17 AMP

Yesterday my good friend Pastor Lisa Alexander posted her lessons learned in 2011 . I get a lot of great ideas from her, and this was one so here goes. I learned a plethora of lessons in the past year but I'm only going to share one today. Don't make a spiritual excuse for what's not working . I get so sick of excuses in other people but I was making this one myself!!  So often we say, "if just one person was touched, it was worth it." We say that whenever something's bringing a low amount of fruit in but we don't know what else to do.  While the, "if just one person is changed/touched/grows" theory is true in some cases, in other situations it's just an excuse to put off the necessary. What is necessary? Often it's making a wise change. In the business world nobody would keep doing the same thing over and over again year after year without some serious return on investment. So why do we do it in Christianity or the church? B...

Here you have it, my list of personal goals for 2012.  Just posting this for anyone who might be curious or need an idea to springboard off of to establish your own goals. If this ** is next to a goal, it means I'm already working toward it at the present time and have a head start. Spiritual Goals Participate in First Forty with Celebration Church .  Organize my weekly personal prayer list   Keep a prayer journal. Make a miracles list for the year.  Lead twice the amount of people to the Lord outside the church this year as I did last year. (People I do not meet at the church, or through the church but totally on my own.) ** Write down each thing the Lord gives me the moment it comes. (No waiting til’ later – I lose some of my best thoughts.) ** Physical Goals Get blood pressure down to normal on a daily basis. Bring my weight  10 pounds below where my doctor says it needs to be at minimum.  (The minimum she asked for is just a starting point -- sh...