Jean Stockdale...

There's A Fly in My Soup!

A Fly in the Ointment

In Eccessiastes Solomon wrote, Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil stink, so a little foolishness is weightier than wisdom and honor (Ecc. 10:1). That is, when dead flies are discovered floating in a vat of perfumed oil, the whole batch is ruined! Dead flies give, even a vat of concentrated perfumer’s oil, a bad smell! And it only takes one or two flies in the ointment to spoil the sweet fragrance of the perfume and most is worthless. 

Likewise, in the body of Christ, one or two malcontents can spoil the fellowship and stink up the place! In the midst of the sweet aroma of a united fellowship, striving to fulfill the purposes and plans of God, a fly can spoil the ointment! Division among believers spoils intimacy in fellowship, shakes the faith of new converts, damages the cause of Christ to the unbelieving world, and breaks the heart of God. At the church of Philippi, Paul was aware of a fly in the ointment. Epaphroditus brought word to Paul of the conflict between two women in the congregation, Euodia and Syntyche. Paul urged the two women to reconcile their differences and live in harmony in the Lord (Phil. 4:2). 

Can you imagine what it felt like to be one of these two women? In a letter that contained no rebukes, no correction of doctrinal error, or reprimand for moral failure, in a letter that consists of positive encouragement to press on in the Lord, in a letter intended to be read publicly to the congregation, can you imagine? Can you imagine hearing your name announced as one of the two flies in the ointment that was spoiling the fragrance of Christian harmony? Just how much was holding on to that grudge worth to those two women? We do not know the details of the disagreement but I don’t think it was worth what it cost them. Mercifully, the reference to Euodia and Syntyche was brief. Much was left unsaid causing me to fear that the details were well known to the congregation. Paul’s gentle plea for unity is immediately tied to joy. These two women had lost the joy of Jesus. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near! (Phil. 4:4-5). The joy of the Lord produces a gentle spirit. Joy. Gentleness. Fruits of the Holy Spirit. That is the testimony the Christian world should be known for, not bickering and in-fighting!

Until Jesus returns, may we be found faithfully serving Him - refusing to become a fly in the ointment of Christian unity within the body of Christ. Just something to think about! Blessings.

Linked to Spiritual Sunday.

Six Words Saturday

Despite the over abundance of words that I have and in spite of my natural dsire to share them all, I have reduced my life summary of this week to six short words.

My head's spinning. Make it stop. 

Linked to Six Words Sunday.

Sometimes Life Get in the Way

After a busy week with no time to blog, I thought I might put life on pause and dash off a post. I will be speaking in Dalton, Ga. at Grove Level Baptist Church on Friday and Saturday and in Atlanta at Burnt Hickory Baptist Church on Sunday during the Sunday School hours. If you are anywhere near by, please come and join in the big large fun that we are gonna have. Because when God shows up and shows off . . . it is always big fun! I'm just saying.

I am teaching through the book of 2 Timothy. What a rich book! You can study along with us and watch the DVDs of the messages by clicking here.

I am working on a new book on the Old Testament story of Ruth. I dearly love her story. I am thinking of entitling it "All the Single Ladies." Just kidding. Anyways, I love her life message of a God that is sovereignly in control and actively at work in the lives of very common people. Gotta love that. 

We are going to be launching a new website for our ministry, Standing Near the Cross. And whoa baby . . .  it is quite the deal. Technology is a wonderful thing for those who know what they are doing. For the rest of us, it is best if we don't get all up in it - all willy-nilly. The new website will allow us to enlarge our reach and enhance our purpose, which is to encourage and inspire women to follow after Jesus. We need to live this faith thing out-in our humanity-and we need lots of support and encouragement as we go.

So, even as life threatens to overwhelm and overtake me at times, I remain firmly rooted in Christ, my King. Blessings.

The Secret

Shhhhhhhh!!! I've Got a Secret

The SECRET, the real SECRET to living the victorious Christian life is directly connected to studying the Word of God in order to renew the mind. 

• "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the wordof truth." 2 Timothy 2:15

Your unregenerate brain accompanies you after your conversion. You mind was trained in depravity and you take it, with all the sinful habit patterns in tact, into your new life in Christ. The mind is not automatically regenerated-THE HUMAN SPIRIT IS! The Holy Spirit take up residence in the quickened human spirit, but the soul remains trained by the habit patterns developed in your lost condition. It has the potential of being transformed progressively, but that comes through the study of the Word of God and the washing of the Word. When God's truth is then mixed with your obedience and dependence upon the Spirit of God, the life begins to be transformed into the likeness of Christ. Beloved, that is THE SECRET. Pass it on!

Linked to Spiritual Sunday.

A Peach of a Place

On March 7, 2010 I will be at Burnt Hickory Baptist Church near Atlanta, Ga. I will be speaking 2 times, during the Sunday School hours, to the women of the church. Each message will be different. If you live in the area, join us here. Bring the family and make plans to stay for the worship service.

Let me know if you are coming so I can make sure to meet you! Blessings.

Road Trip!

I am headed to Grove Level Baptist Church to speak at their Women's Retreat March 5-6, 2010. I will speaking on the topic "Restoring Your Spiritual Passion." Are you feeling a little rundown in your spiritual life lately? Could you use a good dose of inspiration and encouragement? Would a good ole laughing fit do you some good? Would you like to be surrounded by a group of like-minded women? Do you live anywhere near Dalton? Great. Come on and join us.

For more information or to register click right here. Let me know if you are coming and I will look for you!

If you cannot join us, this "Restoring Your Spiritual Passion" 3-CD set of messages is avaiable here. 

After I speak at Grove Level I am driving to Atlanta and on March 7, 2010 I will be at Burnt Hickory Baptist Church near Atlanta, Ga. I will be speaking 2 times, during the Sunday School hours, to the women of the church. Each message will be different. If you live in the area, join us here. Bring the family and make plans to stay for the worship service. Let me know if you are coming so I can make sure to meet you! Blessings.

.Blessings.

Just You Wait!

In March we are launching a new website for my ministry, Standing Near the Cross Ministries. I am a Christian author, Bible teacher and speaker. My website is used to manage my speaking ministry and the bookstore for my Bible studies and DVDs. I have written 7 Bible studies with accompanying DVDs (and CDs) for personal use, small group discipleship, or church ministries to MOMS.

My current website will remain active until the new one is launched in March. My blog will be incorporated into my website (I can hardly wait!). This Typepad blog will remain active until April 2010 and then will be replaced by the new one. I will post the new blog http as soon as it is available. I hope you will make note of my change of address and continue to connect with me!

The new site will offer some great new options for us to enlarge the reach of our Ministry to Moms all over the world. We will soon be offering e-books on topics such as Biblical discipline, training your child up in the way he should go, Bending the Twig without Breaking the Branch, Teaching Children about God, Becoming a Student of the Word of God, From the Profound to the Practical, Faith-Walking for Moms, Growing Godly Women, How did the Virtuous Women Get So Much Done, What a Girl Wants, and 1000 (more or less) other topics!

We will also be doing short videos to encourage and inspire you to become a godly woman. We will offer down-loadable study notes for our Bible studies and podcasts.

The new site will have a great calendar to let you know when and where I will be traveling and speaking. You will be able to get all the details to come and join us. AND we will have a newsletter. You will be able to register for it and receive a monthly devotional to urge you on in your faith-walk with Jesus Christ. We will also have information on how you can start a Ministry to Moms in your home or in your church.

Our purpose is to strengthen the home by encouraging women in the fine art of Christian mothering. Our new website will allow us to reach more moms with inspiration from the Word of God-taking the profound truth of the Word of God and making it practical for daily living.

To God be the Glory. Great things He has done!

Top Ten Tuesday

Craig and I have raised and released 2 sons into the adult world. Now, married and daddy's to little boys of their own we are joyously wathcing them build their own households of faith.

On the occasion of our youngest son's birthday, I thought I would share about what I loved about getting to raise boys. Here is my Top Ten Tuesday list of things I loved about raising boys. I miss it.

1. I was the only girl in our family and I was treated like a queen.

2. Someone was always around to open a stubborn pickle jar.

3. They thought I was a great cook even if the dish was mediocre.

4. I never had to pump my own gas.

5. Our house was very loud and I like loud!

6. Bear hugs.

7. During their teenage years we spent more on groceries per month than we did on our house note.

8. We went through 7 gallons of milk a week when they were teenagers and countless boxes of Little Debbie's.

9. A lack of drama but never a lack of fun.

10. Little boys are the only thing God uses to grow men. I loved watching them grow into great and godly men.

Jason and Dawson, you were great fun to raise and a delight to know as adult men. We love you and are so proud of both of you. Blessings.

Linked to Top Ten Tuesday.

Monday Morning Manna for Moms #16

Dear moms, it is incumbent upon us to live out this thing called faith. Our children need to see what faith-walking looks like. Christ, clothed in our humanity. In the kitchen. In the den. In the midst of crisis. In the monotony of the mundane. In times of joy and walking through the valley of the shadow of death. We need to parent out of the overflow of our devotional life and love for the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

We live on ten acres in a rural part of Fayette County. We own a landscaping business, and Craig uses our property to grow a lot of his nursery stock. He has a metal building on the back corner of our property for his office and shop. Our dear family friend, Renae Terrell, works for us in the office. Our property is bordered on two sides by fields that lay dormant. Each year, several hundred acres around us sprout a healthy crop of what we call broom straw. Broom straw is a tall dry brittle grass that is highly combustible.

Several years ago I had lain across the foot of my bed with a sick headache. It was late afternoon, and I had taken some pain medicine and hoped to sleep off the effects of my throbbing misery. I was somewhere between deep sleep and lapsing into a coma when I become mildly conscious of the fact that my friend Renae was calling my name. Startled, I cracked one eye open to see if I was dreaming or if my friend was, in fact, standing over me. Yes, that was my friend all right. Renae was speaking to me in a very low and strangely controlled tone of voice. She was carefully measuring her words.

“Jean,” she said. “I don’t want to alarm you, but the field is on fire and it is heading this way!” I did not immediately grasp the meaning of the words she spoke, but I could not help but notice that she was now screaming in my ear and hopping from one foot to the other. Even in my heavily medicated state, I could tell that meant trouble!

“What did you say?” I managed to groggily reply as I pulled myself upright into a sitting position. “Fire!” she screamed. Now I was fully awake! We both ran out the kitchen door to the back of our property. The field behind us was engulfed in flames and it was rapidly moving towards our property. We watched in horror as tongues of flames lapped up the broom straw, silently fueling the fire and feeding its fury.

Renae and I could see a fire truck on the far side of the field and our faithful volunteer firefighters feverishly working to limit the damage and contain the fire. Suddenly we were aware of heavy equipment coming up my driveway and rumbling across our property to approach the fire from a different direction. The flames were now only 10 feet from our fence line. In no time, the heavy tractors were unloaded and used to make dirt fire walls, surrounding the fire and cutting it off from its source of fuel. Thankfully, the fire was quickly brought under control and the flames were soon extinguished.

Fire can be very useful. However, fires must be carefully tended. Too much fuel can lead to wildfire. Too little fuel can reduce a flaming fire to a pile of glowing embers.

 

*Excerpt from Run Well, Finish Strongby Jean Stockdale

In 2 Timothy 1:6 Paul wrote, For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.As believers we are in danger of wildfire-that is  falling victim to a counterfeit move of God, fueled by Satan and fraught with doctrinal error. On the other hand, we are in danger of failing to feed our devotional love for the Lord Jesus and reducing our passion for the things of God to smoldering embers. Paul urges us to continually fan the flames and stir the embers through personal Bible study, prayer, Scripture memorization, and other disciplines of the faith.

 

In order to pass the baton of the faith to the next generation we must kindle afresh the gift of God. Blessings.

How To Tempt My Tummy

German Pancakes

 Heat oven 425 degrees.  Melt 2/3 stick butter in 13 x 9 pan.

Mix vigorously with a fork:

1 c flour

1 cup milk

4 eggs

Pour mixture immediately into hot 13 x 9 dish. Bake for 15 minutes. Dust with powder sugar and serve with syrup or honey.

This is a recipe my boys especially loved when they were little. Enjoy.

Linked to Blessed with Grace and Balancing Beauty and Bedlam and All the Small Stuff.

Downline Disicpleship

Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, TN. is hosting a Downline Women's Summit Feb. 19-20 featuring teachers and authors such as Kay Arthur, Dr. Rene Rochester, Carolyn McCulley, Jani Ortlund, Cheri Holcomb, Donna Gaines, & more and special music by Lisa McClendon.

The vision of the 2010 DownLine Women’s Summit is to equip and encourage women in the Body of Christ to more effectively make disciples.  And because you have to be a godly woman in order to build other godly women, the DownLine Summit will also focus on principles of Biblical womanhood such as:

• Discipleship in the home
• The How To's of Discipleship
• Discipleship as a single woman
• Discipleship within an urban context
• Raising girls to be Godly women
• Principles of Godly womanhood
• Understanding and handling God's Word in making disciples

These key note sessions and workshops will be taught by respected teachers and authors such as Kay Arthur, Dr. Rene Rochester, Carolyn McCulley, Jani Ortlund, Cheri Holcomb, Donna Gaines, & more and special music by Lisa McClendon.

For more info on the Downline Conference click here or to get information about the conference at Bellevue Baptist Church click here.

Six Words Saturday

So, let me sum up my day in six words. 

I am overwhelmed by God's grace.

Blessings. Linked to Six Words Saturday.

Five Things Friday

1. We did not lose power during the recent snow day. For that we are grateful. My heart goes out to all of those struggling to cope with the problems created with the snow storm that is blanketing so much of the country.

2. We did lose our power the week before for 4 days. We managed quite well, heating with our gas logs and sleeping in the den. Craig slept in his chair and I slept on the couch. One morning as I woke up, this is what I saw. And this is by far one of my favorite moments that came out of it.

 

 

We slept in the den under layers of blankets, and evidently a dog.

3. I got to teach some great moms on the impact words can have as we parent children. If you would like to view the DVD click here. And then click on "Run Well. Finish Strong."

4. I made homemade pizza in 10 minutes using Bobali pizza crust. For more information see my post here.

5. My husband brought home a bouquet of roses. What a lovely thing.

Linked to Living to Tell the Story.

Finer Things Friday

 

Deep in thought. Our Baby Grand Declan (2.5 years old)

Linked to Finer Things Friday and My Chaos My Bliss.

A Thousand Words Thursday

 

 

• "Parents rejoice when their children turn out well; wise children become proud parents."

Proverbs 23:24 (The Message)

Linked to A Thousand Words Thursday.

Thankful Thursday

Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."

John 14:4

 Jesus is THE way. He is the one and only way to God the Father. I am so thankful I know Him.

Blessings. Linked to Thankful Thursday.

How to Run Well and Finish Strong

 Are you overtired, overwhelmed, overwrought, and just plain over it? Could you use a dose of encouragement? How 'bout some inspiration? 

Join us on-line at 10:45 CST for a rousing 45-message from the Word of God. I am teaching through the Book of 2 Timothy. I have entitled the series Run Well, Finish Strong. It is  about how to live out this faith thing in real time. The title of the message is "Practice Makes Perfect." If you want to join us click here and then click on the icon for Run Well, Finish Strong. If you cannot join us live, the message will be archived at the same location and posted in short order. We would love to have you tune in and join us. 

Purchase the workbook by clicking here. It is not necessary to join in the study but it would greatly enhance your understanding of the priceless book of 2 Timothy.

Word of God speak . . .

All Things New

We, at Standing Near the Cross Ministries, are exceedingly excited about our soon-to-be-revealed new website. The options it will afford us to engage the internet world and expand our ministry are unbeleivable. Standing Near the Cross Ministires is commited to encouraging and inspiring women, especially moms, with the Word of God through Bible studies, DVDs, CDs, downloadable study notes, and podcasts.

Stay tuned. Some exciting things are coming.

Stuff You Probably Don't Want to Know About Me

1. Are you pleasant when you're ill, or are you a grumpy, fussy patient? I suffer well.
2. When you find out that school is canceled (due to inclement weather) what is your gut reaction? My boys are grown now but I used to love the break in the routine. However, I do not like cold or wet. And cold and wet is out of the question so I would not go out and play.
3. What is one domestic skill you wish you could improve? Clean more efficiently.
4. Do you decorate your home for Valentine's Day? No. I barely get it done for Christmas!
5. What song is on your mind today? "Held" by Natalie Grant

6. Do you prefer contemporary movies or classic? I detest the current trend towards crude humor, graphic violence that is way over the top, and the blatant sexuality and innuendos. 
7. How well do you "compartmentalize" your feelings? As I walk with the Lord and grow in my faith I have learned to cast down vain imaginations and everything that would exalt itself against the knowledge of Christ. I posted a blog on this topic. Click here is you are interested in reading the full post.
8. What is the first thing that attracted you to your spouse? A kind heart and extremely polite manners-to say nothing of the blond hair and blues eyes! We will celebrate 36 years of marriage this month.
9. When was the last time your heart raced? This morning. I flipped on the light in the kitchen and a mouse (a huge one!) scampered across the floor. Oh, it is so on!
10. What are your memories of Valentine's Day at school? Never getting to sit at the cool table.
11. If you were going to receive candy for Valentine's Day, which would you prefer? Honestly, I would prefer shoes or a bag.
12. Red or pink? Red for sure.

Blessings. Linked to Random Dozen.

Word of God Speak . . .

"Come now, and let us reason together," says the Lord, "Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool."

Isaiah 1:18

 

Amazing grace. How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.

Praise the Lord for the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ. 

Linked to Word Filled Wednesday.