Deanna Doss Shrodes

Driving along on my journey to preach in Wauchula last week, I came upon this sign. As I often do when traveling and I pass something I want to capture, I stopped to take a photo. Mothers set the temperature in the home. We are the thermostat. Whatever our mood, it impacts the whole household like no other person in the house. While we set the tone, I believe we are also the person in the home who faces the most circumstances with the potential to affect our mood. No one cares about the state of the home more than we do. So, when everything falls apart or piles up, it impacts us like no one else.  None of my other family members seem to notice or care when this happens. But I personally experience a cloud of depression so real I can almost touch it when things aren't right at home.  It's even worse when I clean up the night before and after I go to bed someone messes it up.  I have found if I don't start playing worship music and begin to pray and seek the L...

The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Emotionally, the pull is intense to stay home, reflect and practice self-care. She is sad because she tried to become a mom, and still isn't one. She's grieving over the child she lost. Or the mother she lost.  Or the mother who abandoned or abused her, making this day such a painful reminder of all she never had .   Or she has a toxic mom and responded by drawing healthy boundaries that led to them hardly speaking, or maybe never speaking again.   Whatever the case, the spirit wins out when it comes to this lady. No matter how daunting the situation, she doesn’t give in to the overwhelming urge to hide out until Monday.  She wakes up. She shows up. She makes a difference. Who is she? She's a woman in ministry for whom Mother's Day brings painful reminders or complications. Regardless of her own circumstance, she reaches out in genuine love to minister to God’s people. Notwithst...

 H appy women have standards and keep them. Not only does it show that they aren't desperate but they spare themselves a tragic choice by having lowered them.    Happy women reject the lie that finding "the perfect man" will make them happy. Please stop with the Facebook posts about how this new man who is your soul mate has met your every need. I write this not to man bash. I love men, especially the one I'm married to. Although there are great guys on the planet, they don't exist to fulfill our every need. Only God can do that. There are so many lessons we can learn from Eve, and one is that and one is that even with the "perfect man" a woman is still not satisfied.  Men are a blessing in our lives but whenever we become dependent upon them for our happiness we are in for a fall.   Happy women realize that a bad mood or attitude is not going to change anything for the better. Happy women don't try to bring change through negative emotions ...

I am so grateful for the supernatural power of God and His protection. I am equally grateful for the wisdom He gives us. We live in a fallen world where evil abounds, but God has provided wisdom for us. We can pray for His protection, yes. We can also prepare ourselves utilizing knowledge and resources that He provides.  We hosted a Self Defense Demonstration for the women and teen girls of Celebration Church , last night. We are blessed to have Master Willie Cintron, as a member of our church. He is a certified 5th degree black belt in Korean tang soo do martial arts, and a 9th degree black belt in tang soo Jitsu. He is also certified by the American Federation of Martial Arts. Last night he taught us ladies and girls how to defend ourselves against crime. After teaching us a few things he had me demonstrate it for the ladies. I am organized, and creative and have a plethora of other gifts. Physical coordination hasn't been one of those gifts bestowed upon me so it...

I've never written about this before. Photo Credit: fotologic, Flickr My closest friends know, and I have shared it before in one message that I preached. But I've never written about it openly. I was encouraged by a mentor many years ago when it first happened to not make this issue a focal point. Applying my mentor's wisdom, I kept my God-given message the main thing, and prevented this from becoming a needless distraction. Many years have passed now. I can briefly reference this for a purpose, yet not allow it to over-ride my life's mission. If if you are a pastor and you're a woman, Florida is seriously the place to be. It's a mecca of sorts for women preachers. So progressive. I'll never move. This is my eleventh year pastoring here and nobody has ever given me a bit of a problem as far as being a woman in leadership. At the same time, I work very hard at what I do, have steadily proven myself for well over two decades, and don't expect s...

The book, Fifty Shades of Grey has swept the nation, and the world, for that matter.  The series has sold 40 million copies worldwide, with 32 Million sold in the USA and the book rights having been sold in 37 countries, setting the record as the fastest-selling paperback of all time.   Readership is not limited to unchurched women.  Marsha Woolley, our women's director for Pen-Florida District of the Assemblies of God, asked me to address this subject at our state-wide conference today at the World Center Marriott in Orlando. I wanted the women in attendance to be able to focus on the message without having to keep up with taking notes. So I let them know that the manuscript of my message in it's entirety, would be made available here. Whether you were in attendance or not, you can read my entire message, at this link.    Many pastors, writers and speakers have addressed this message and brought excellent points forward. However, I h...