Jean Stockdale - Standing Near the Cross Ministries

Who better to write a Bible study on parenting practically perfect progeny than a mother who has not only reared two children but who has been teaching and encouraging moms for more than 17 years? Read More

Jean is a gifted teacher and author who has the ability to take everyday experiences and glean deep spiritual truths from them. She is a master storyteller. She weaves her own life experiences into the instructions of the Lord in the book of Proverbs. From it we receive a modern-day instruction manual for parenting that is infused with the Word and power of God. Jean is very transparent about the joys and challenges of rearing children. You will find yourself laughing, crying, and being encouraged to hang in there, for this stage will not last forever. Each new stage of life brings its own set of discoveries and opportunities for growth. God will bless you and instruct you as you study His Word and begin to apply it to your personal life. Our greatest calling as parents is to pass our faith on to the next generation. Our passion for Christ is better caught than taught. Dear Mom, may the Lord bless you as you turn to Him for wisdom. Do not lean on your own understanding (Pro. 3:5). By the time you finish this study, you will consider Jean a dear friend. And that is what we are—friends and sisters in Christ in this high call of motherhood.
Donna Gaines
Wife of Dr. Steve Gaines,
Pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova, TN
Ephesians 3:20

I’m so excited about Jean Stockdale’s new book, Proverbs and Principles for Parenting Practically Perfect Progeny. I have loved reading this book. It is written in such a delightful, homey and readable style. Read More

Indeed the truths taught have been lived out for many years. I have been so blessed to know Jean for twenty-eight years and have watched her grow in the likeness of Jesus and blossom into one of the most effective Bible study teachers I have ever heard. I highly recommend this book to you.
Mrs. Adrian (Joyce) Rogers
Wife of the late Dr. Adrian Rogers,
Pastor Emeritus of Bellevue Baptist Church,
Cordova, Tn

Through Jean's writing and teaching, I have learned more about my Savior, how much He loves me, how He desperately wants me to spend time with Him through prayer, and how to read and meditate on the Bible. Read More

I've learned that living the victorious Christian life is not automatic. I must discipline myself to set aside time to pray and study God's Word. At a season of my life when time is a precious commodity, Jean gives much needed encouragement and practical advice on how to handle all of the "curve balls" the world throws me.

The endless demands and interruptions created by my two preschoolers can turn to frustration; however, instead of becoming impatient, Jean has taught me the way God would have me respond. Spiritual maturity doesn't happen through passive existence. It is up to me to renew myself daily with God's Word and to trust the Holy Spirit to guide me! I have realized that my children aren't the only ones who whine when they don't get their way or don't obey the first time they're asked to do something! Some days, it's a comfort to know I'm supposed to be tired. I know God loves me and, if I allow Him, He is going to help me be the best mommy I can be!!
Susan Bowen
Memphis, TN

God has raised up Jean Stockdale for such a time as this. Read More

Jean’s timely Bible study and practical encouragement for moms is outstanding! All moms need the wisdom from this study.
Ellen Olford
Director of Women’s Ministries

Central Church, Collierville, TN

Jean has an amazing way of identifying with every mom’s daily struggles and taking the deep truths of God’s Word and applying them practically into our own lives. Read More

Jean teaches with a passion and perspective that encourages all moms to run well our own race so that we may finish strong. As Jean always says, “It’s not how you started that matters, but how well you finish and I intend to finish strong. Come join me.”
Michelle Sumner, Collierville, TN

Jean Stockdale teaches women how to grow in godliness through the study of God’s Word. Her messages will teach you to strive for godliness in all things so that your family will see Jesus accurately represented in you.
Angie Roberts, Jackson, TN

God has used Jean’s no-frills way of presenting His truth to draw me out of the casual Christian life into a joyful, victorious one. The Holy Spirit has empowered her to teach passionately the plain and simple truth of the Gospel. I have been challenged as a wife and mother to run well “in season and out of season.”
Emily Rainey, Cordova, TN

While living in America, where the most predominant message propagated equates value and worth with acquiring things or climbing the ladder of success in the workforce, young mothers easily can lose sight of the greatest call of God has on their lives – to disciple their young and mold the future lives of those children that God has placed in their care.Read More

Jean’s lifelong quest to not only be a godly woman but also a godly mother and her insatiable hunger to study God’s Word has uniquely equipped her to give hope and encouragement to the modern mother. Her love for God’s Word is contagious. She teaches women to make the study of God’s Word a priority in their lives, so that by the transforming power of His Word they, too, will be able to examine their hearts and see the family resemblance to Jesus Christ.

Barbara Akins
Emeritus missionary, International Mission Board, Southern Baptist Convention
Presently serving with Pioneer Missions Board, Jackson, TN

Jean is the most exciting speaker any Christian woman might hear. Her writings are equally unique. Her love for the written word and the Lord is obvious in her spoken words and deeds.Read More

With Jean’s talent and God’s anointing, her writing is blessed with a passion that is powerful, a humor that is healing, a sacrifice that is sacred, and a diligence that is devotion. Only in heaven will we know the lives transformed and families fortified because of Jean’s teaching and writing.
Mrs. Phil (Janie) Weatherwax
Bible Teacher, Conference Speaker, Prayer Ministry

Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova, TN

Jean teaches with an enthusiasm that is hard not to catch- she is passionate about the Word of God and about developing Godly characteristics in the lives of young mothers. Read More

Through her studies and teaching, each week I am challenged to raise my children up in the Lord, to love my husband as the Bible teaches, and to create a home full of joy and harmony. She has gone before us in the task of mothering and imparts to us her example with a lot of wisdom and a bit a humor. Even if I fail miserably during the week, she is there with a good dose of encouragement to continue on in the things that I have learned. I have been privileged to know Jean on a personal level as well, and I can say that the passion with which she teaches is the passion by which she lives her life. I have never known a more dedicated Bible teacher and student of the Word of God. Her heart for Jesus and her desire to instruct young moms in righteousness is unmatched. Countless homes, including my own, have been changed through the teaching ministry of Jean Stockdale.
Darlene Stroud, Collierville, TN

Since I was introduced to in-depth Bible study for the first time through Jean's teaching, her influence has been instrumental in my personal walk with the Lord. Read More

Her love and enthusiasm for God's Word has fanned the flame within my own heart to dig into the Scriptures for myself. Coupled with her enthusiasm for mothering and God's plan for the family, Jean challenges women of all walks of life to pursue personal holiness and practical righteousness daily and to live out the reality of the Lord Jesus Christ before her world, however big or small her audience may be. Jean's unique way of incorporating deep spiritual truths into the realities of day-to-day life make the principle of 'iron sharpening iron' alive and well in her ministry.
Stefanie Deck, Hickory Withe, TN

I started studying God's Word with Jean when my son was only 5 months old. He is now 3 1/2 and we are blessed to have a daughter joining our family in a week. Read More

This ministry, which is Jean's heart cry, has changed my life. The practical, Godly and motherly advice she shares has strengthened me as a mom and a wife in so many ways. Most important to me personally, our Lord has used Jean to draw me closer to Him. Through her ministry I have learned to study God's Word, listen to the Holy Spirit and to battle the world, the flesh and the devil as I raise my children for the Lord and strive to be a loving helpmate to my husband. God has called me to this season of my life and I count myself extremely blessed and praise God to have Jean as my spiritual mentor.
Rachael Yearwood, Cordova, TN

Jean’s ministry has encouraged me in my spiritual walk and in everyday life. Read More

As a wife and mother of two young children, I need the fellowship and accountability I receive through her ministry. I am continually reminded that I am doing the most important job-striving to be a godly wife and mother.
Amada Bragg, Cordova, TN

I first was exposed to the teaching ministry of Jean Stockdale when I was six months pregnant with my first child. Read More

Three children and 13 years later, I am still encouraged and spiritually challenged by this training. Jean provides insightful studies designed to focus you on where you are in your walk with the Lord. This in turn affects every aspect of your life. Jean's love for the Lord and her desire to see women seek after Him are at the heart of every study.

As a mom of grown sons, she walks us down the pathway of motherhood. She manages to climb into your life, challenging you, giving you food for thought and speaking to you regarding issues each of us struggle with. Witty, poignant and sometimes down-right hysterical examples of raising children always encourage and connect with where I am...or soon find myself! Mothering situations that can get the best of you are often averted because of a word or story from Jean that helps lead the way. Many times, parenting points she had made years earlier proved to be true as I found myself in that situation.

We are united as Christian women, and accepted among each other as sisters. Women in this type of fellowship under the teaching of Jean are empowered to become the best moms we can be. We do not succeed every time, but see the path and know to persevere. She is able to take us down this path because she has been there and done it well. Her knowledge of the Bible makes her an excellent teacher. Her love for the Lord gives her power. Her mothering experience makes her sympathetic to our lives. Her grown children are living testimonies that she got it right because they rise up and call her blessed. Her mix of personal illustrations and biblical insights make her teachings both enjoyable and helpful.
Brett Ray, Cordova, TN

Jean does a beautiful job of explaining the Scriptures, tying them in practically to life as we all know it, and challenging us to live a “belief that behaves.”Read More

Her insights and humor will bring tears to your eyes….either through laughing so hard or in touching your heart. You will gain a new precious girlfriend and a closer walk with the best friend – Jesus.
Mrs. Steve (Ellie) Marcum
Bible Teacher
Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova, TN