by Dr. Deanna Shrodes | Oct 22, 2026 | Authenticity, Transparency, Uncategorized, Writing
There are things I want to write that I don’t know if I can afford to say. I don’t mean I haven’t found the right words. Finding words is what I do. I am referring to the possible consequences of putting them where other people can read them, and those consequences...
by Dr. Deanna Shrodes | Sep 12, 2026 | Adoptees, Friendships, Growth, Uncategorized
A truth-telling friend doesn’t merely affirm where you are. They lovingly remind you who you are and call you toward where God is leading you. They help you to grow. I am thankful to have a growing friendship with Reshma McClintock, a fellow adoptee, and a writer who...
by Dr. Deanna Shrodes | May 29, 2026 | Grief, Loss, Uncategorized
Some losses are so significant they divide your life into before and after. They alter the landscape of your days. They change how you think, how you pray, how you move through the world. Even when life continues, something inside you knows it is not quite the same....
by Dr. Deanna Shrodes | Mar 19, 2026 | Leadership, Uncategorized
There’s a moment every leader faces, sometimes more often than we’d like to admit. An email comes in. A comment is made. Someone asks permission to do something. A situation unfolds that feels urgent, emotional, or even personal. And everything in you wants to...
by Dr. Deanna Shrodes | Sep 30, 2025 | Influence, Leadership, Mentoring, Ministry, Uncategorized
I’ll never forget the morning I opened social media and saw photos of my long-time mentee — not just a poor choice, but something shocking and public. For a moment I wanted to believe her account had been hacked. It wasn’t. It was real. She had gone off the deep end....
by Dr. Deanna Shrodes | Jun 18, 2025 | Anxiety, Burnout, Christian Living, Health, Mental Health, Prayer, Reflection, Rest, Sabbath, Soul Care, Spiritual Disciplines, Stress, Stress Management, Uncategorized
On Saturday I was making a long journey home from the Florida Keys to my house in the Tampa Bay area. I had just completed three days of speaking engagements and was weary to the bone. With a seven hour drive ahead of me before I could finally eat dinner and fall into...
