Jean Stockdale...

It's a Sale, Ya'll

Mommas in Memphis~Did you know Little Lambs and Ivy is going out of business. They are located at 1227 Ridgeway Road #315, Memphis, TN. 38119. They have been a staple in the up scale market of children's clothing. So if any of you have the notion...swing by and shop yourself silly! Blessings.

Moms Leadership

I thoroughly enjoyed an evening with the leadership team from the Moms Ministry. We met for dinner at Holly Nelson's home. Girls, Holly has 5 boys. That's right. You heard me. She has 5 men in the making. She is a delight and a wonderful momma. She takes her calling as the lone female in a male-dominated household very seriously. She and her husband are raising up quite a brood a fine young men. Thanks Holly for opening your home for our fellowship.

It was such a treat to visit with all the sweet mommas who stand with me in positions of leadership to serve the Lord through the Moms Ministry at Bellevue Baptist. I am privileged beyond comprehension to get to do what I do. And I am blessed beyond words to watch spiritual growth take place in the hearts and lives of moms! This mom rises up and calls all of you BLESSED. Press on, my dearly beloved, sweet moms. Pass down your living faith to your precious children and urge other mommas on in the process. Blessings.

It's Getting Hot In Here

Both air conditioners froze up. Yes, that's right. Both of them. In Memphis, with the humidity and the heat, air conditioning is essential. And mine-well they both quit on me. Thanks to Tim Harreslon (Beth's man) we are back in the cool. He sent one of his techs out on Memorial Day and was able to get us back in the cool. In the meantime, we had a sleepover at the Redmonds. Paul fixed his famous homemade biscuits with his huge breakfast for us. What a treat. And the fun...well we giggled and laughed and carried on late into the night. We are now back home and in the cool. Sadly we will soon be replacing both units. Who cares? We are back in the cool.

Last night I did a q&a with some of the moms and one brave dad (thanks, Kevin, you are a jewel!). The issue of chores and allowances came up. I had read a great post here and encourage you to click over and read it. Shannon also has a chore chart you can download. This is worth the price of admission. Check it out.

Also, our bff sista girlfriend, Beth Moore, is doing a summer on-line Bible study to keep us all from sliding into the pit from lack of Bible study. It is a study she recommends and will have on-line accountability. I highly recommend this if you are of a mind to join in.Click here and read more about it.

I urge you, sweet darling little mommas, to stay in the Word of God. Do not neglect this spiritual discipline. Continue to pursue Jesus with passion. He will not fail you! Blessings.

A Q&A

Tonight I am having a question and answer with the moms at 6:30-7:30 pm at Bellevue Baptist Church. All moms are welcomed, so if you are available, come and join in the fun. I am not great at q&a's because I have way too many words! I am going to deliberately try to limit my words and answer as many questions as possible tonight. I will be posting some responses on-line in the next few weeks.

Esther is at the publisher as we speak. Thank you, Jesus. It was a God-thing that she was birthed and safely delivered. Now I am on the attack again. I am writing the study of Philippians. It is entitled "Joy in the Journey." I will need to have this study to the publisher by the end of August. Since we are planning to teach Pioneer Evangelism in Tanzania in August for 2 weeks, I am thinking I am about to embark on another day and night writing trek! So please lay down fresh prayer cover for me as I work on this new project. Oh, how I love to study the Word of God and write. Now I do dearly love to teach the Word (that is my favorite part), but I also love the study that precedes it! I will keep you posted on the progress.

Our new website is up and running. The ecommerce page is complete so purchases can be made for the materials on-line. We are thrilled with the overall look of the site. We discovered the newsletter will be a bit more challenging than expected and will require some more work. If you have signed up to receive it, please be patient. It is coming but it is going to be delayed. If you have not signed up, please click on www.jeanstockdale.com and sign up for our monthly newsletter. It is coming-I promise. I am just not sure when, but we will get it up and going in short order. In the meantime, pray for me as I meet another deadline for another study of God's Word.Blessings.

Deliver Me!

We, at Standing Near the Cross Ministries, are happy to announce the birth of our latest project-"Esther-How to Live Like a Queen-Reigning in Real Life." She was delivered Wednesday, May 21, 2008 at at 7:35 pm. 

She was conceived on March 10th when I began to write in earnest.The duration of the pregnancy was a little over 10 weeks. The bulk of the study was done. I actually rewrote a study I had done 4 years ago and I assumed it would only take a bit of tweaking to get it ready to be published. Needless to say, that didn't work out so well! I have been writing 5-6 days a week, 8-10 hours a day. I even wrote on this past Sunday to get her to the delivery room. It was a difficult birth-months of study, weeks of waiting, hours of pushing, and a long hard labor.

The birth was witnessed by the Holy Trinity-Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It was attended by my darling husband-who is matchless in support and encouragement, my sweet son Jason-who pitched in with proofing, my dear son Dawson-who offered to do anything he could to help, my dear friend-Dianne Maybee that did the lion's share of proofing, and my buddy, Ray-who kept the ministry up and going so I could hide away in my office and write (I am not proud of this, but I started eating in my office in order to multi-task-I started to fear I was in danger of becoming some sort of eccentric hermit!), my good friends Rene' Smith and Gwen Hodges-who lunched with me on one of my few outings in the last few months and urged me on in the Lord, and countless others who have prayed Esther into this world.

Deliver me! She is finally here. She measures 8 1/2x11inches and weighed in at a whopping 1.43 pounds. But, oh baby, wait til you see her! She is one beautiful girl! She certainly favors her Father!I She definitely has her Father's eyes. She is exquisite to behold, lovely to look at, full of grace, truth is written all over her, mercy is the name I have given her, and she continually has made me behold the Lord of Glory. God's fingerprints are all over her.I cannot wait to introduce her to you! She are gonna love her.

Last night I Fed-Ex-ed the manuscript to the publisher in order to have it back in hand by August so I can teach it to you adorable moms in September at Bellevue. If you are unable to join us at Bellevue, but are interested in doing the study with us, let us invite you to join in via the Internet. Bellevue does a live video stream of my lectures to the Moms Ministry and then archives the lessons. Order the book (it will be available at the end of August.) at www.jeanstockdale.com(the ecommerce page should be up by tomorrow to allow credit card orders) and tune in on Thursdays at 10:45 (beginning Sept. 11 or watch it archived) and join us. For that matter, if you are interested, the last 4 studies are archived on line and the Bible study workbooks are available on line. My heart's desire is to raise the next generation of godly moms. If that includes you, join us as we study the Word of God together. Oh, and Esther. Well, she cannot wait to meet you! Blessings.

Keep It Up

Since you have been so faithful to pray for me, I wanted to update you. I have spent about 8 hours at the computer today. I am working my way towards the deadline and I think I can make it. I still have one lesson to write. I have written 39 of them so surely I have one more in me. I have been reworking and proofing the study and am over halfway through it. Jason has been helping to proof it and so is Dianne Maybee, who has proofed more than 4 of the studies for me. Trust me, proofing my work is a huge task. I tend to do run-on sentences and I change tenses something awful. Please keep holding the ropes for me. I have a few more days to get the manuscript to the publisher. Then I will have several days of writing the supplemental portions, but I think I can do it in a timely manner. Lisa Harper is writing the foreward. I am so excited about that. She is a wonderful writer and Bible teacher and I am just telling everyone she is my new bbf. Moms, God is a good God. He wants to be BIG in our lives and do glorious works that stun the unbeleiving community. Thanks for staying up in this with me. I love you for it. Blessings.

More Words

Seriously, I am cranking me out some words. Please keep praying for me. We are coming into the home stretch. I have one lesson left to write that is simply not coming together. Other than that the text is written. Supplemental portions like the Teacher's Guide, etc. have to be done and several are proofing for me, so we are not finished. Please hold the ropes as I launch this project! Blessings.

More Please

Thank you, dear prayer warriors, for holding the ropes for me as I attempt to hit my deadline for the book of Esther. I have until Wed. to pull this off. It is going to be close but I believe I can do it~especially if you will pray. I have spent the day (Sat.) at my computer and I am brain-drained. The overall text of the work is done with the exception of one lesson that simply will not come together. I am proofing and reworking at this point. Thanks to Dianne Maybee for proofing for me. Jason is also going to take a look at it for me. Craig will follow him, looking for content and continuity. He knows how I think and can spot when my brain gets all sideways and I go off half-cocked. Anyways, please keep praying. I will work tomorrow after church, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and then send it off to the publisher.

I will need to immediately begin writing on Philippians in order to stay on schedule. I think I have mentioned I am getting a new grand baby on June 28 and I simply must have time to breathe in all his new yumminess! Blessings.

Prayer Request

I am sorry I have been AWOL from the bloggy land. I have been covered up with a writing deadline. My study on Esther must go to the publisher on May 21 in order to be delivered in time to teach it at Bellevue Baptist in September. I have been writing 8-10 hours a day, 5 or 6 days a week. To say my brain is a bit boggy is an understatement! But, praise the Lord, I have the end in sight. If I really push hard, I believe I will make the deadline and get the manuscript off. I will have several additional portions of the book to write, like the leaders guide, dedication, etc. but I am believing I can make it. I am asking you to pray for me as I come into the home stretch. Having raised my sons, I have turned my attention to raising the next generation of godly moms for Christ. I am rather serious about what I do and I want to "run well and finish strong", don't you know. So if you would pray for me...well, I would appreciate it. I will return to my blog soon and regale you with the nutty life that is mine. Until then...may the blessings of God reside upon you in abundance.