Deanna Doss Shrodes

Last night was the 27th anniversary of our wedding and I had this thought as Larry and I were driving back to the hotel from dinner... How many married couples would be interested in re-enacting their wedding night? A lot of people do vow renewals, which is sort of along the lines of re-enacting the past. I know people go on"second honeymoons" but are they really honeymoons or just trips? Is it about intimacy or travel? There's a difference. Don't ask me why I had this crazy thought. I just have them, and then sometimes I put them out there on a blog post. Yeah, I know...brave or cray-cray. You decide. Reliving the Past It crossed my mind that there are probably a lot of people who would secretly give anything to re-enact their wedding night. It would be the greatest thing ever. Maybe because it's probably the last time anything really exciting happened in their marriage. Perhaps it's a precious memory of a happier time gone by -- when...

“So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have.” 2 Peter 1:12 My daughter and I were doing some shopping in Grand Turk last week on vacation. As we went from store to store, the owner or salesperson would quickly move to greet us, and point out their inventory for sale. “Necklace! I have many necklaces! Bracelets, for lovely ladies like you…handbags, right here…” they would say. In store after store, we experienced the same thing as is common when you are shopping at different ports. We entered one shop and there was no one there to greet us. I was shocked. I immediately sprang into action, to give “the spiel” we were missing. “Necklace! I have many necklaces! Bracelets, for lovely lady like you…handbags, right here…” I quipped to Savanna.  I got the, “Mom, you’re so silly,” vibe from her.   “Hey, the lady’s not here to give us the same spiel we’ve already heard and point th...

Hard. Difficult Excruciating. Impossible. I've heard forgiveness described as all of these things and more. I don't think I've ever heard even one person describe it as exciting, unless they are speaking of the fact that they are excited that God forgave their own sins. But me? I'm totally, 100%, over-the-moon excited out of my mind about forgiveness!!! I'm excited about receiving it from God, and giving it as well. I haven't always felt this way, by the way. Forgiveness totally changed my life, especially in the last year. This Friday will make one year since something happened to me that has been the hardest thing in my life, to forgive.

As I was walking the streets of Pittsburgh this past summer with my family I looked up and saw this message in a store window. I quickly snapped a photo with my phone. Riding down the road in Tampa a few years ago, I looked up and this message had been written in the clouds: I stopped to take a photo, wanting to preserve the moment. Seeing messages such as this are cool, and even more important, I want to BE a living message. I want people to see what I do, even without words at times, and KNOW that Jesus loves them. I have job descriptions and initiatives and goals and dreams. And yet nothing is more important than this. Truth speaking, yes. Yet -- oozing love, compassion, and kindness.  Oozing: To slowly trickle or seep out of something; flow in a very gradual way. To give a powerful impression of a quality. (i.e. "he oozed charm and poise.") Synonyms: exude, gush, drip, pour forth, emanate, radiate   Yes, I want to ooze Jesus.

If we're not careful, we can go from being our child's advocate to exerting undue interference that renders them unprepared for adult life. Yes...this REALLY happened... Years ago at our church , we had a pastoral staff member in their late twenties whose mother from out of state contacted my husband and me -- TWICE -- to tell us how she thought her son's work issues should be handled. Apparently she didn't agree with some of our decisions. We were absolutely dumbfounded.  Needless to say, the interference on the part of the staffer's mother only made things go from bad to worse. Opportunities for Growth... Giving children opportunity to gain experience in solving problems of all kinds begins not when they turn 18 or 21, but all throughout their growing up years. Living in the era of helicopter parenting , many children and teens miss opportunities to learn problem solving skills. During the course of my children's school years we have had relative...

Succeeding at anything long-term will be a challenge for those addicted to affirmation. Affirmation is a wonderful thing when it happens. I love it. (What human being doesn't?) I try to remember to give it to others, knowing how much it means. I have a collection of affirming communications people have sent me over the course of my life. Such notes are of value and are appreciated.  At the same time, I'm mindful of guarding against the trap of needing any of it to: 1) Do what is right. 2) Fulfill my purpose in the earth. 3) Lead in the way God has called me to. I learn by observing others, more than anything. I notice that affirmation addicts tend to spin their wheels a lot, never gaining serious traction. This is because they have to wait for more affirmations before they can keep going. Or, they go full steam ahead for a while -- perhaps even make major progress -- and then crash when enough affirmations aren't coming in. If affirmation is your fuel and ...

Did you know you can read the right thing at the wrong time? I didn't until recently. The thought never occurred to me to pray about what to read, until this past August. During my time away after my natural mother passed away, I was blessed to spend some time in the home of Kay Zello. Kay is the mother of my dear friend, Bonnie. She's a woman in ministry that I've always looked up to, since the time I was a young girl. I still remember the first time I heard her preach when she came to my home church in Baltimore. I was about twelve years old. I never forgot Kay or her message. I would hear her preach again and again at various events, and her life impacted mine. I never imagined that one day, in what was one of my greatest times of need, I would be waking up in Kay's house. We would sit on her porch in pajamas, eating breakfast and sharing our thoughts.  One morning as she went to refill her coffee, I picked up the book that was beside her bible where she h...