Deanna Doss Shrodes

THRIVE 2016 is now over and what a time it was! I am trying to be a better leader in the area of what to do AFTER an event that I lead.  For most of my years in leadership and ministry, I would scarcely celebrate or focus at all on what just happened and would go bolting head first into the next event at 500 miles an hour. A few years ago I asked myself why. There was an urgency to get things done and get busy on the next thing. BUT, I realized I was doing myself and my team a disservice by racing into the next thing without celebrating the last thing. This season is particularly challenging because I am leaving in two weeks with members of our team for Africa for 16 days. I feel an urgency to race ahead but I am holding myself back from doing that. Here are five things I've found it's important to do: 1) Celebrate I have observed that Pentecostals in particular seem to be not-so-good at this. I think part of it is the admonition that is banged into all of our h...

These are photos we took before she went to the 8th grade dance last night.  She enjoyed herself very much and went with friends to Applebee's afterwards (well supervised of course). Ahhhhh...milestones.  I can't believe this school year is just days away from coming to a close and the middle school chapter will be closed and she is going on to HIGH SCHOOL.  I was just birthing her yesterday, for crying out loud.  [sigh]  Notice Max in the background...he was hanging around the whole time she was getting ready to leave and had such a sad look on his face as she was leaving.  I think he wanted to go!  Well, I know he wanted to go.  Max ALWAYS wants to go "bye bye's"! We love you, baby girl and you are ALWAYS gunna be the baby no matter hold old you get!

Jordan's party last night got a little insane.  The police showed up (after being called by some neighbors who had their panties in a wad) and literally told Larry that they can put a homeowner in jail for the night if they don't comply with what they ask them to do regarding breaking up a party.  [sigh]  So what happened? Well I knew we had over 100 people on the premises when we ran out of 100 cups in a blink of an eye!  I had to quickly have Irene help me wash some cups.  Cars were lined all the way around down both sides of the street, even the corners.  The entire front yard was filled with kids, the adults took up the back yard, and more people filled the house and even on the side of the house all down the sidewalk.  (We are the corner house.)   So the police came and talked to Larry and then both of us together and first they addressed the car issue.  They were upset at the amount of cars lined up on the ...

These are invite cards that are blitzing the area the next 20 days before launch day.  And, our new website is up!  Find it here.     This past weekend while I was away in Orlando, the foyer was painted as well as the Christian Education hallway and doors, a classroom remodeled, and lots more. Our facilities have been experiencing an extreme makeover the past few months.  Within the next three days our new sign is slated to be up on the front of the property but we will be covering the top of it in preparation for the grand unveiling on launch weekend.  We will leave the bottom part (where you put letters in to do a message) and have the advertisement about our launch weekend there.  Our foyer is getting ready to be tiled in the coming days before the launch as well as lots of other changes.  We're going to be putting huge black and white photos of our Northsiders on  the walls.  Those are going to be the focal p...

The past few days have been good for me. I have been away in Orlando at district women's ministries reps meetings all day Thursday, and following that a "Leading Ladies retreat."  This particular retreat was at the Omni Champions Gate and was just for senior pastor's wives only and it was so refreshing .  I just soaked in the worship -- the leader was Rebecca McGinnis - had never met her before and I was so impressed with her sensitivity .  The teaching was great and I especially took in everything as Darlene Betzer (one of my heroes) spoke as well as another speaker, one I had never heard before - Margaret Register .  Wow.  She's the author of the book  No Place for Plastic Saints , and her specialty is transparency.   She's a woman who just tells amazing stories about the ministry and makes you laugh, cry and change somewhere in there as it all gets blended together.  I just love people who keep it real .  I a...

Dustin had a 20th birthday party on Saturday night with his friends.  It was a costume party and he came as Peter Pan.  A good time was had by all.   

Here's a photo my friend Mike sent from his big 50th birthday weekend a few weeks ago.  We are pictured here on his front lawn ready to leave for the party at the Packard Museum in Dayton, Ohio.  Left to right ~ Andy & Jill Brasfield, Donna and Mike Gibson, and us!  FUN!!!  I miss you guys...somebody  needs to schedule another party so we can boogie oogie oogie til' we just can't boogie no more... 

Savanna Rose with the famous missionary to Calcutta, Huldah Buntain .    Savanna met her at General Council on a day  when I was working otherwise, and wasn't there, and she talked with her.  Savvy talks of being a missionary someday so this was a special meeting for her.  When she came home, she brought me a copy of her book, signed with an inscription personally for me.  I thought she was joking when she (Savanna) gave it to me.  I've been in ministry for 22 years myself but never met Huldah Buntain!  The book is a treasured part of my collection now in my library.  By the way, I believe my daughter will go to the nations someday to bring the message of hope, further than her Momma has ever gone... Our son Jordan at national fine arts a back in August.  He had a leading role in the human video which received a superior with invitation rating. Jordan doing his drum solo at national fine arts this year.  He has...

Snapped this photo of Mike right before the party started. Me ~ I think Larry wants me to dress like this again sometime.  :) I've seen this look a few times before.  Usually it's when I have deleted something off of the Tivo. Andy and Jill Brasfield sharing some snuggle time mid-party     Larry ~ Me ~ Mikey Man of the hour Donna, Mike & Jodie during "story time" about Mike, down through the years... Jodie, Sarah & Rhonda Shake your groove thing, shake your groove thing, yeah yeah....(what we did til at least 11:30 pm...and Gibsons, Shrodes & Brasfield's got to sleep at about 2 am.  Best. Night. Ever.)