Deanna Doss Shrodes

Social media is a power tool and quite frankly, some people aren't mature enough for it. Would you allow your two year old to use a chain saw? Surely not. Growth in age and wisdom must come before properly and safely using a power tool.  In the hands of the immature, power tools are dangerous. All maturity does not automatically come with age. It must be cultivated.  Social media is a power tool that some full grown adults are not ready for.  Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, and texting opened a whole new can of worms for those who serve in leadership. The changes have been mostly good. These tools have made my job 100% easier in so many ways, not to mention ripe with unprecedented opportunity. At the same time these wonderful tools have also become platforms for bad behavior and perhaps the worst display of immaturity throughout the annals of history. People say things through e-mail, text, Facebook and Twitter that they would probably never say in person. Sitting beh...

I ponder the subject of success all the time. Probably too much. I'm intrigued by it. Curious about what works and what doesn't. After a lot of observation, I've concluded that initiative is one of the most important ingredients to success. In my book, JUGGLE , I talk about the importance of having an initiative list. I believe successful people are not only clear on their initiatives, they take initiative to get them done. They don't wait around for other people. I've been coaching for a while and it's interesting to me that when I formulate agreements with clients, they will agree to pretty much anything but then look to me for what I'm going to do next.  It's never about what the coach is going to do next. It's about what you're going to do once you and the coach have agreed upon  plan. People that keep waiting for the coach fail. People who take initiative succeed. Initiative is really, really important.

You might be surprised. What do I believe the main ingredient is? [Wait for it...] Have amazing friends. I'm serious. Okay, how?  1) Reach out to people 2) Help them however you can 3) Care (Those are just three ways that have worked for me in developing relationships both on/offline.) In preparation to release JUGGLE , I put together a launch team.  Let it be known...these people are basically the best thing since sliced bread, sliced tomatoes, or well...anything sliced, diced, smothered, covered or chopped. Can you tell I'm hungry? I'm thinking about Waffle House. Seriously, these folks are awesomesauce. JUGGLE is my original work (minus the quotes) yet I wasn't alone while I completed it. I did it with a team of friends. I asked 40 friends from different backgrounds and perspectives to help me with reviewing, editing and launching JUGGLE. I was amazed at the response. “Absolutely!” they said.   “Anything for you...

Do you ever have days where you can’t remember what the name of the thing you use to attach papers together is? (Stapler) Do you draw a blank when you look at your own family members and you try to remember their names…and you aren’t 85 years old, you’re 45? I understand. Maybe it’s time for a change of scenery.     Not a move across the country and nothing earth shattering or major, but a change of scenery even for just a few hours or a few days. I understand.  Larry got us this place for the first few days of our vacation that is honestly not much more than staying in an economy motel room but it’s exquisite! This is the view from our balcony where I’m eating breakfast this morning…   Savanna found herself a special spot to sit and think for a while in a tree…  Sometimes we just need to look at things from a different angle. My good friend Sue Duffield talked about that this week in one of her “drive by devotionals...

Did you know that half of all American workers do not use all of their allotted vacation time? Another recent poll by Hotwire.com reported an even larger number of unused vacation days -- more than a week's worth, with older Americans taking even fewer days off. I realize the fears you may have about putting in a request to take vacation -- time that already belongs to you, at that. Some believe it's just too risky to be off the radar for a week or two in what is an extremely volatile job market. A friend of mine recently remarked that they won't take off right now even with a large amount of time accrued because they don't want to be "out of sight, out of mind" with management. I understand all that. There were a few years, Larry and I took no vacation time. Absolutely zero. It was easy to slide into that mode because times were tough and we thought not taking off was the best solution. It's one of my biggest regrets. If I had it to do over ag...

Breaking free from debilitating work stress takes not only doing things out of the box,but breaking the box, getting rid of the box, and living another world away from the box! We are stressed with our jobs partly because we look at how other people do the same job. And we think that's how we need to operate. This extends to not only watching how others fulfill the items on their job description to their work/life balance. This leads to so much trouble because we pigeonhole ourselves into a paradigm that just doesn't work for us. Take the issue of "ministry" as a vocation. I hear from many people who are so stressed they are  having issues such as heart attacks, yet they feel if they make a change they are "abandoning the call." What constitutes "the call"? Must the call be lived out exactly like your pastor lived it? Or your grandfather? Or your mentor? We have dear friends who are about our age who have been lead pastoring for 10 ye...

I've weathered staff relationships that were so out of sync it took more than prayer to manage the working relationship.  I needed a prescription from the doctor to deal with them until they resigned or were fired. Just keepin' it real. Who you work with is just as important as what you're working on. If you aren't in unity with who you work with, it wears on you. Horribly. It affects your work so much, it can become unrecognizable. Ineffective. Bland. Being out of alignment with those you work with causes you to lose your creative edge like nothing else. I'm not saying you have to think alike on everything, or be carbon copies of one another. That's really boring in itself to think about. You know in your heart of hearts exactly what I'm talking about. There are times you just gel with people in a working relationship or you don't. Money doesn't always define what brings happiness in a work situation. There are times I've be...

Two high students may take math class for the same amount of time per week, however one takes a class that is more difficult. A weighted GPA is based on the idea that some classes are much harder than others, and these hard classes should carry more weight. In other words, an 'A' in calculus represents a greater accomplishment than an 'A' in remedial basic math. I am also of the belief that our work hours are weighted. This may explain why you may work less hours than you used to, but be under more stress. It may also explain why you might have the same job title in the same location, and be under greater stress this year than last year, depending on your current portfolio. I have served as a pastor for 25 years, the last 18 of which have been with the same exact job title/position. During various seasons I have worked anywhere from 30-90 hours a week on church ministry alone, depending upon current needs. At one point my husband questioned me about why I ...

A few weeks ago we got new neighbors across the street.  Mike and Amy bought the house where the previous neighbors (wonderful people) kept their lawn "just so" with every blade of grass right in it's place. Joe, the previous owner, was so picky about the yard he didn't even allow his wife to help him do anything. So there he was, out there all the time working in that yard. He was retired, and had the time. His yard was the envy of the neighborhood. Joe would often encourage me in my little attempts to do something with our yard. They really were little. I'd weed for a while, mostly in the dark, after I got home from work. I'd do just enough to keep the home owners association off our backs. Joe would come out to take his trash out at night and see me there. He'd remark about different things I could do to improve our grass or our beds.  I'm sure he might have commented to his wife in private, "You know honey, I really wish the Shrodes wou...

Doing the same exact thing day after day (especially without proper rest) can cause any of us to get a case of the fuzzies. I hate fuzzies. This is where I go to write a blog post or a song or a message to preach, and everything in my head just feels fuzzy. Nothing's springing up. Even though I pray. Even though I worship. Even though I read my bible.  For me the cure for fuzzies is to rest, and also to shake things up in some way. There are many things I have to do each day that are routine and other things that are unique. But sometimes it helps to do something different. Today we went tubing with the youth of our church to Rainbow River .  I slept in the car almost all the way there. Having a few hours out there with nothing to do but sit and float downstream was good for me. It was good for me as well to sleep almost all the way back home!  My inbox was full this morning when I left, but ya know what...I left it behind. Some days that's what needs to be on...

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...

"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...

Ever get messages that make you want to reach through your computer and choke someone? For me, this would include occasions where people e-mail me in the morning and by afternoon are sending another e-mail asking why I haven't responded yet. It happens to me all the time, no exaggeration. No one has done it to me today probably because everyone knows I just got back from vacation and am plowing through mail and an assortment of other things. Last week while I was away my friend Melissa Kelly graciously stepped up to handle my blog and Facebook for me. I know you may wonder, "why do you need someone to handle your facebook? Has facebook become so important you need someone to manage it while you are on vacation?" The fact is that blog traffic is very dependent upon facebook updates and I wanted my guest bloggers last week to get the most traffic possible. These ladies had something really important to say and I wanted everyone to be aware of it. So I asked Melissa to ...

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...

Are you a good candidate for teleworking? Would you thrive in your own business, working from home? There are a lot of things to consider, but here are three I believe are most important. 1) Are you a self starter?  I have an office at the church, however I work from home for about 50% of my work week. This actually enables me to get a lot more done than I would otherwise, being that I am extremely self motivated. Nobody is home with me most of the time, except for my dogs. They don't give me instruction to do all the computer or paperwork associated with my job seekers,  to finish the five projects on my plate for church that day, or to prepare a message to preach when I travel this weekend. I am responsible to start those projects, and finish them. If you can't start projects on your own and follow them through without someone prodding you on, working from home is not for you. If you need constant encouragement or feedback from others to keep you motivated, you migh...

Today's post is a guest post by my good friend, Lisa Alexander . One of the reasons I am such a kindred spirit with Lisa is that like me she wears a lot of hats. We understand each other's worlds very well. Lisa is a wife, mom, minister, student, business owner, marketing guru (she wouldn't call herself that, but I'm just speaking truth) and lots more. She creates the WOW factor for her clients and does it like no other. If you need help with web launches, advertising campaigns, social media marketing, book launches and the like, she's your gal! We first met many years ago online but our relationship has transcended to an in person one as well. I've had the privilege of being in her home and meeting her family. She's the real deal, ya'll! Here's what's on her heart to share with us today about half hour lunches and so much more... I am a wife. I am a mom. I am a minister. I am a student. I am a business owner. I am also a few me’s shor...