Deanna Doss Shrodes

Okay...taking a break today from writing about heavy things...like grief, loss, and bawling. Time to write about random stuff today that nobody may be interested in reading. Nevertheless here it is... Stuff I adore that costs little to nothing... Listening to playlists I make on (free) Spotify Drinking out of canning jars Reading books again that I already have on my shelf. Walking and riding my bike. Admiring crepe myrtle trees. Taking a bath in the daytime with the lights off in the room. (Natural light.) Naps. Snuggling with my husband or one of the kids and watching a movie at home. Having all noise turned off when no one is home. (No TV, no music, just silence.) Prayer.

How exactly do books become popular and make the best sellers list?  It's so easy -- much easier than you might think. I want to show you the perfect example of how this works. The following is an example of someone who did this just this morning and is now entered into the JUGGLE job coaching drawing.  Friends read books because friends recommend them. And then, they pass the recommendation on to others. This is how it works!  I need your help to make it possible for JUGGLE to help a lot of people, and in the process you might just win a coaching package!  Thanks for your continued support, helping me to get the word out about 10 principles that, when followed, can greatly change people's lives. Much love,  

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...

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...

Are you more involved in helping people, or in hurting them? I enjoy the Red Elephant in Tampa. So much that I took 20 other people with me in the month that followed my first visit! I introduced these new customers to the place by scheduling lunch meetings and appointments there at various times during the month. All of them liked it and now they're going back too. Since then I've taken about 20 more people. I'm responsible for at least 40  additional Red Elephant customers who are now loving the roasted tomato soup and the chicken grill and the elephant ears as much as I do! Red Elephant customer service is what really sold me on the food because my first time there they brought me little sample cups of all the soup, without me requesting it. They did the same thing with their signature dessert.  I have purchased so many now that I can't even count, plus lots of other things on the menu. It is Red Elephant's custom to give samples and to go the extra mile. I...

This is Steve Martin's business card. It's different. I really love it.  I've been considering what's going to go on my new business cards that I use exclusively for writing. This post yesterday was really timely in helping me to develop my ideas. Different is good. The world has so much of the same. God didn't create you to just blend in. Stop blending in and embrace different.

Today was such a blessed day. The presence of God was  strong as usual at Celebration and we also had special guests with us today ~ missionaries Joe and Ann Trementozzi, and their daughter Beth Ann of Special Touch Ministry . The Trementozzi's are US Missionaries to people with disabilities and their families. they create awareness in the church at large to the need of reaching this population with compassion and giving to them an adequate witness of the gospel of Jesus. The people really responded to their ministry with quite a number of folks making a connection to get involved in their Special Touch Getaway. We're real excited about our people being a part of this. I had the privilege of taking Joe and Ann to lunch. Their daughter had plans with some other friends who had come along, and as for our family it was just me. Dustin and Savanna had fine arts rehearsal and Larry and Jordan were blessed with tickets to the Penguins hockey game today. I took our guests to l...

Last week a pw friend recommended this song to me. It really hit the spot. Serves as a great reminder that He is the I AM. Our everything. I liked it so much I downloaded the entire album from this artist, Laurell Hubick . I've been listening to all the songs while I'm in prayer and meditation on the Word. Just thought I'd pass it along as it's been such a blessing to me.

The winner of this week's book giveaway is Leanne Weber of Duluth, Minnesota!! Congratulations, Leanne!   The book, Autumn Song by Martha Rogers will be in your mailbox shortly.  It will be coming straight from Charisma House , so be on the lookout for it.  Thanks to all who commented on the blog this past week and entered the contest and thanks to Charisma for providing the book. In case you are wondering how the winner is determined, I type all the names into this site and it randomly selects the winner. We will be having more contests in the future, so stay tuned and keep reading -- you never know what we're going to give away next. Have a great Friday, everyone!

This week brings yet another book here on the blog!  All you have to do to enter is comment anytime today through Thursday on this week's posts here at deannashrodes.net, or on my facebook page when it publishes there.  Each time you comment, your name is added again to the drawing. This week's giveaway is a fiction book, Autumn Song by Martha Rogers.  The book has been provided by Charisma House (www.charismahouse.com). Here's a little about the book and it's author: Why does everyone think a girl’s only lot in life is to find a husband and settle down? Kathleen Muldoon is twenty-three and tired of ranch living. Fiercely independent and determined to become a nurse, she has left her family’s ranch to study medicine under Old Doc Jensen and live in town with her Aunt Mae, who runs a boardinghouse. Daniel Monroe has just arrived in Porterfield to set up his law practice. Sparks fly when he is introduced to Kate at the boardinghouse, but the initial attra...

The winner of this week's book giveaway is Terri Von Wood of Sarasota, Florida! Congratulations, Terri!  The book Tired of Being Sick and Tired by Dr. Michael Berglund will be in your mailbox very soon, so be looking. Thanks to all who commented this past week here on the blog and on facebook when the blog published there.  And thanks to Charisma House for providing the book. On Monday we will feature a new book giveaway here on the blog.  It will be a fiction book, and once again each time you comment your name will be entered in the drawing.  For those who may be wondering how the drawing works, after Thursday at midnight, I type all of the names into this site , (as many times as each person has commented) and then click fruit machine or typewriter which randomly selects the winner. Next week is a brand new opportunity to win!

Are you ready to lose weight, get healthy, and find your energy again? So many people wonder why they constantly deal with a lack of energy. The answer could be a low-functioning thyroid—even when blood tests say otherwise. In Tired of Being Sick and Tired , Dr. Michael Berglund addresses the surprising hidden reasons why you, like so many other people, may be struggling to overcome exhaustion, depression, and weight gain. If your thyroid isn’t working properly, you can eat perfectly, take your vitamins, and still feel sick. What’s worse, the typical blood test to determine low-functioning thyroid doesn’t always give you the whole picture. Dr. Berglund explains the truth that your doctor may not be telling you, including: What tests you should ask for if you suspect your thyroid is the culprit behind your fatigue  How traditional thyroid treatments can lead to the thyroid gland becoming even less productive   How healthy eating and a new approach to nut...

DAWN VISCONTI of Mesa, Arizona is the winner of the book, A Cry for Justice , by Shelly Hundley!   Congratulations Dawn! Be watching your mailbox, Dawn!  You will be receiving the book very soon!  It will come directly from Charisma House . Thank you everyone, for commenting this week.  And thank you, Kimberly Jones and Charisma House , for providing this book.  We will be doing another book giveaway starting this coming Monday. It will be a NEW book, dealing with health.  Can't wait to tell you about it! Just to let you know exactly how I did the drawing ~ I chose this site , and typed in all of the names of people who commented, entering each person's name however many times they made a comment.  Then once all the names were there, I clicked, "Fruit Machine" and it randomly selected the winner.  I thought this announcement deserved it's own post.  I rarely if ever post twice in a day however I will be doing a second post toda...

I said I'm giving something away...for FREE. All you have to do is leave a comment on any post this week including this one  in order to have your name in the drawing which happens at midnight on Thursday.  I will announce the winner Friday morning. Every blog has "lurkers".  I have hundreds on this site!  The majority of people who read here everyday don't comment, you just keep coming back, reading and either silently going, "wow, she's profound," or, "Gosh, that woman is a train wreck.  It's like a bad accident we can't help but watch."  I know you either love me or hate me.  Either way you're thinking one of those two things because if you didn't care either way you'd never click here every day and spend your valuable time reading what I write. I see you, Birmingham!  I see you, Orlando, Pittsburgh, Lakeland, and Beverly Hills!  I see you Brazil, Pompano Beach, Canada, Canton, Columbus, Belgium and all you others w...

Today begins a book giveaway here on the blog!  The more times you comment, the greater chance you have to win! A friend at Charisma House asked if I'd like to review some books and give some away.  What a delightful idea!  We will be giving away several books over the next few weeks.  I do need to let you know that these books have been provided to me free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. So here's how it's gonna work...for every time a reader leaves a comment on any of this week's blog posts today through Thursday, November 3 at midnight, or on the facebook comment thread when the same post publishes there, I will enter your name in the drawing one time.  You can comment more than once a day!  You get your name entered every single time you post.  So, comment away!  Let your voice be heard!    We will draw the winner's name at midnight on Thursday and announce it Friday...

We're had a few severe hurricanes since we've lived here in Florida.  Thankfully nothing has devastated Tampa though I can't say the same for some close friends in neighboring cities and after that storm we helped in their clean up and restoration process.   One hurricane  kept us indoors for two days without coming out, about 3 years after we moved here.  What it ended up being was a really bad storm and lots of tree limbs down and signs knocked over but fortunately for us nothing tragic.  We use it as a time to spend some quality time together. For those of you who are northeast, riding out Hurricane Irene, here are 3 things to consider: 1)  Do everything NOW that you can do while you still have power!! (Cook, laundry, vacuum, etc.) Charge your cell phones and computers now if they aren't already charged. 2)  Light some candles whether you need to or not.  Not only will this prepare you in case you lose power but you'll remember how ...

Right now I'm reading a book I'm loving called One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.  It was recommended by my friend Pastor Tara Sloan .  Anything Tara tells me to read, I read.  Her recommendations are always right on target. This book is a very different kind of book from my usual -- Voskamp has an unmistakable writing style that is truly remarkable.  You can read her blog to get a little taste of it. I've always been a huge fan of gratefulness...especially when I came back from Africa and never more than now. Ann made her list of 1,000 gifts in her life and it was truly transforming.  I did something similar years ago when I started my "Things I love" journal.  You can read about it here and here where I wrote about it in the past and listed many of the things I'm grateful for. She's inviting people everywhere to start their own list of 1,000.  It's a great idea.  I've decided to start a brand new list of 1,000 gifts in my life in a...

I rarely read fiction. In fact, I can count on one hand the fiction that has interested me, with a few fingers to spare. I devour non-fiction faster than most people - usually a few books a week. When someone recommends a fiction book to me I usually don't read it and even when I do it gets put on my reading list and is generally relegated to the bottom. A book called, "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins has been sitting on my nightstand for three months. Dustin put it there. He and Savanna have been begging me to read it. I thought I'd get by without bringing it on vacation but as we were literally shutting the last car door to pull out of the driveway, Dustin says, "Mom, did you bring that book?". ["Drats!" I'm thinking..."I was so close...".]. "No," I reply. He says, "Hold on, Dad..." runs back into the house and gets the book, comes back and puts it on my lap and we shut the doors and pull out. Oh ...

I promised that today I'd be sharing about keys to leading an effective prayer meeting.  This post is going to be very practical, basically the nuts and bolts of what works for us at CC . It's just what we have found to be effective for us, not what I believe is "the plan of God for every church."  If something here helps you, take it and run with it.  That's why I'm posting it!  At the same time, if there's something you think I would benefit from in your experience, please comment and let me know. I'm ever learning and welcome your suggestions. I've been in church all my life, and pastoring the last 24 years.  One thing I've experienced over the years is that prayer meetings tend to be a whole lot of sharing (sometimes even gossiping) and very little praying.  Sometimes people even come to prayer meeting with the intention of talking to those present, getting things off their chest, or spending time with the leader/pastor present.  I have...

One thing I realized  a while back was that if the climate was going to change in our church in the way of intercession and become healthy, the women were going to have to have a healthy biblical understanding of it. I do believe that while both men and women are powerful in prayer, many women seem to be more drawn to prayer.  In many churches the prayer groups are almost exclusively women.  We work hard at Celebration to involve the men in prayer and I'm so thrilled to say we have GREAT participation on the part of our men.  ( Side note:  if men realized how attractive it is to us when they pray, more of them would do it!  lol  Really, is there anything more smokin' hot than a man who loves God?!  Booyah! )   Still I realized no matter how involved the men are, chances are if I have an issue pop up with someone who is out of line with intercession, it's probably going to be one of the ladies. I lead our Wednesday night Fusion service...