​Wow what a great May Lampstand meeting! Julie led our time of worship on the keyboard and did a fantastic job! We are thankful for these times to simply behold and worship the Lord. It is so good to sing about who He is, like from Psalm 46, THE LORD OF HOSTS IS WITH US, WITH US IN THE FIRE, WITH US AS A SHELTER, WITH US IN THE STORM! Whew! What power in declaring Truth!
I (Matthew) shared from Psalm 19, specifically verses 7-11
 
The law of the Lord is perfect,
    reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
    making wise the simple;
8 the precepts of the Lord are right,
    rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
    enlightening the eyes;
9 the fear of the Lord is clean,
    enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
    and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
    even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
    and drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
    in keeping them there is great reward.
               
 
What benefits there are from reading and studying the Lord’s word, His instruction! There is converting (change), restoration, and reviving for our souls! It brings gladness to our heart, makes us wise, and gives insight for living (our eyes enlightened!) If we really believe all this it will change our approach to the word. We see it is more valuable than gold!
 
We then took some time and prayed through this Scripture as a group as we worshiped some more and responded in singing after voicing our petitions!
 
We continue to press out oil by studying His word at these meetings and hopefully encouraging lifestyles of dedication to the word and connection with the Lord.
 
We will be taking time in future meetings to discuss different subjects in the Scriptures that will fuel our hearts, like studies in the beauty of God, our identity as the bride of Christ  and our relationship to the Bridegroom, etc. We are looking forward to receiving the encouragement the Lord has for us the rest of this year. 

Great time of fellowship and connection with the Lord at the April Lampstand!  Here are the highlights of the meeting:
We had a special treat because Sharon Anderson came and led worship!  This was her first time leading and it was truly a blessing!
Julie shared briefly about the battle that we are always in as believers and learning to wield the sword that we’ve been given, which is the word of God!  (Ephesians 6)
The weapon of the word of God is truly powerful for pulling down strongholds and taking captive every thought that is not helping us know God better.
Matthew then shared about the place of the word and worship in spiritual warfare. 
We took time to respond in worship and prayed for people with needs for healing. 
 
I love these times together and how the Lord is faithful to stir among us and encourage us in His presence!