Deanna Doss Shrodes

The PF Women Team at our Annual Team Retreat  ~ 2018 Today on Seth Godin's blog, he said: It's tempting to decide to make a profit first, then invest in training, people, facilities, promotion, customer service and most of all, doing important work. In general, though, it goes the other way. Yes, it does. If you are waiting to make a profit before you do these things, in my experience you're  not going to make a profit. So many organizations, ministries and churches are struggling with financial issues. I know your pain. As anyone who follows our story knows, our ministry was in a ton of debt four years ago when I came on as director.  Since that time, we've gotten out of debt and turned a profit every year.  God has done amazing things through out team, for which we give Him the glory! I find that what Seth is saying here is absolutely true, with one disclaimer. For Christian leaders, spiritual disciplines must always be first. Before we started i...

This year at the Stronger Conference, a young minister stopped me as I was walking out of the room at the conclusion of a workshop and she said, "I want to tell you something..." (I was all ears.) She said, "Do you notice how many of the speakers this weekend are saying, "Now, I'm just being transparent when I tell you..." or "I'm just keepin' it real..." I nodded yes. In fact, I mentioned that I was one of those speakers. I think I probably said a few times in both my keynote message and my workshop that I was just "keepin' it real." After I affirmed that yes, I had noticed that -- she said, "Do you know why they have to do that? They do it...and you do it, because so many people don't keep it real. So many in leadership aren't transparent, Deanna. That's why all these people speaking here feel an urge to declare their transparency.." I let her know that usually when I say, "I'm just kee...

Sometimes in leadership, we've gotta put proverbial blinders on. It is so easy to get off track by looking around us. This will almost always slow us down. I'm a detail person and I can get distracted super easy.  Before I know it, I'm behind in my goals because I'm looking at something other than the objective. I often have to remind myself to snap out of looking around and run full steam ahead for the win. It's going to take every ounce of energy you have as a leader to accomplish big things.  We can lose the race by broken focus. Remember when Chad le Clos lost to Michael Phelps after famously turning his head to look in the middle of the race? Oh my lands, what an awful mistake. I think of that a lot in regard to leadership. What are we stopping to look at that we really don't have time to look at if we want to stay on our game? Leader friend...put those blinders on and run toward your goal with all your might!  Run like you are on fire! Run like y...

Are you a leader in need of a lift in your spirit, fresh ideas or a change of pace? Get up and walk outside!  This is so powerful, it's no joke. Getting outdoors changes everything for me. I'm a homebody, which few would guess because I'm on the road so often. My favorite thing is curling up with a book in total silence or perhaps with a bit of light classical or monk music in the background. (Yes, I am serious. I often work or relax to monk music...stuff like this .)  But, as happy as the indoors can make me, there is absolutely nothing that brings a boost like going outside. Fresh air impacts our lives in such a great way. Research shows that spending time in fresh air increases energy in 90% of people. Whenever I'm lacking energy, this is one of my main go-to's. I'm at a place right now where I'm reminding myself that it mustn't be a go-to just in times of severe stress, but it needs to be an every day thing, as regular as brushing my teeth. I ...

 No one would ever guess what happened to me this weekend in Jacksonville, Florida...so I'm going to tell you. :) As I was preaching at the Fearless Tour at New Hope Assembly of God this weekend,  I got choked up, literally. For probably 2-3 minutes I coughed profusely and greatly struggled. Then I drank some water and kept preaching. Everyone was gracious to give me a few moments to get my bearings. If you were there, you'll remember it! What no one realized at the time was that I swallowed a bug that flew right in while I was preaching! So disgusting! I said nothing because I was at a point in the sermon where I was really connecting and I knew if I said, "I swallowed a bug," everyone would either laugh profusely or be really concerned, or start feeling sorry for me.  And at that point whey wouldn't be thinking about the message anymore, but the fact that I had just swallowed a bug. They would then imagine what it would be like, and feel grossed out which...

Recently on our family cruise my husband and I were waiting in a long line for the breakfast buffet. I began to get rather frustrated with the people in line. They were moving as slow as molasses. I’ve never tested how fast molasses really moves, but you know….  What   irked me was that this line as long as an anaconda did not have to stay that way!   People moved in slow motion as they reached for a grapefruit or selected a box of cereal. They seemed to be giving serious thought to selecting a sausage. I wanted to scream, “What’s wrong with you people? It’s sausage. This doesn’t require an executive decision. Grab and move! Grab and move!” I quipped to my husband, “For a person who is on the move, this line that is not on the move but could very easily be is rather frustrating.” He gently said back to me, “Babe, you’re not supposed to be on the move this week. This isn’t the week to rush anywhere. Just relax.” I will admit that was hard advice although ...

Selecting a personal word of the year has been my custom for many years. The word is my theme of the year and something for me to focus on, to build my faith and to grow. Each year I look for ways to remind myself of the theme…everything from a decorative sign with the word, to a piece of jewelry. This year my word is resilient.  All my life I have had to be resilient, and some years more than others.   I know it is this way with everyone to a degree. No one is immune to pain or problems. But frankly, some people are more resilient than others.   I have been studying those who are most resilient and trying to learn from them. With 2017 coming to a close,I have things to bounce back from. There are parts of my life I’m absolutely slaying and other parts that are out of my control. If I could control it, I would have already given everything I have to slaying it.   The challenges remaining are out of the realm of me being able to change them asid...

Years ago I was in a place of deep depression. I was reading my Bible, maybe more than ever, because I was in such a desperately low place. I was praying daily. I was seeking God. I was not only seeking Him, I was begging Him to help me, to speak to me, to do something that only He could do. In the midst of this, I was the speaker at a women's conference. I've never stopped working or serving for the past thirty years, even when I've been in a low place. Some people might say, "Well, that's your problem, right there!" I guess one could look at it that way. I just see it that even on my worst days I get up, dress up and show up.  And believe me there were plenty of days I didn't feel like doing any one of those three things. On this particular occasion I was the keynote speaker, but the host of the conference was also speaking in one of the sessions. As I sat there, I experienced something that was common for a women's conference or church servi...

Sightseeing for two days led to a craving to do nothing and everything at the same time, yesterday. Sleeping in. Staying in jammies. Reading. Watching movies. Cuddling. And all that's great about spending a quiet day together. When evening came, Larry said he wanted to try a spot that was featured on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives . It's a place called Sherman's with locations in Palm Springs and Palm Desert. Something hilarious happened soon after we arrived. The server overheard Larry and I having a conversation about the selections on the menu . We were just talking in the same manner that we always do, but she took something more from the conversation. Something we never said!  Larry overheard her tell her co-workers, "These people are food critics!" She thought we were there to scope it out and write a story about the place. We decided to say nothing and let them think what they wanted to. You know what they say about assuming. Staying quiet w...

"You learn something new every day!" I wish I would have coined that phrase but of course I didn't -- it's an old one. Each day I look for opportunities to learn and usually learn more than three things. Yesterday was no exception as Larry and I spent the day at Joshua Tree National Park, taking in the sights. I had no idea what I was in for. I mean, I knew it was a desert, but oh my lands, it's the mother of all deserts! It's a desert on steroids. The first thing anyone needs to do is get yourself a Big Gulp before you go, because it will take you a minimum of two hours to drive through it. Don't let the word PARK fool you. This thing is the size of the state of Rhode Island. No, I'm not kidding. And it will take you two hours only if you don't stop at any of the exhibits along the way, which of course, we did. Speaking of a big gulp, the first thing I learned is this: 1) If you want to know where you should eat or drink, just watch where ...

For sentiment sake, I'm writing a post about my birthday because I'll read it in a few months or years and look back on it fondly. Bloggers love reading our own stuff whether other people do or not. We're actually obsessed with our own words. We love seeing ourselves write as much as some people love hearing themselves talk.  It's the thrill of the post. I woke up and got a cup of coffee and read some of Isaiah as well as I Samuel, and some teaching on leadership by John Maxwell. (In my house I have a painting of Jesus on one wall and John Maxwell on the other.)  While I was reading my husband brought me breakfast in bed. He's awesome like that. I try to reciprocate in ways that make him happy. After savoring the breakfast I didn't have to cook, I began checking out the information from the first day of Revelation Wellness . It's a new program I'm trying at the invitation of my friend, Jodi Garvin. I started doing this partly because I believed ...