The Tambourine Girl

More than a decade ago, an odd thing happened in church one morning. I don't remember what the music was, but I thought, "It would sure sound better with a tambourine." 

That's not my usual response to worship music, so I was a little surprised. I could imagine a tambourine playing along with the song. It sounded so much better in my head. More joyful. More vibrant. More alive.

Then, it started. Every church song was missing one essential item. The sound of a tambourine.

It drove me crazy at first. I thought it was a devil-attack, designed to distract me. The sound was so joyful, though, that I finally played the tambourine in my head and enjoyed the music. It was nice.

You can probably guess what happened next. I wanted to play a real tambourine. I thought about this a good while before I announced it one night over supper. "I'm thinking about getting a tambourine."

My mother, who was living with Ryan and me at the time, stared at me for a moment. "What?" 

"I want a tambourine. I'm thinking about getting one."

Mama rolled her eyes. She was used to my crazy ideas. "You can probably get one at Wal-Mart."

I did an eye-roll of my own. "Mama, I don't want a kid's toy tambourine. I want a musical tambourine. I want a real one."

I probably shouldn't admit this, but in my mind, I had begun to think about having that tambourine in church and playing along with the music. (Still seated in my usual place, of course.)

I mentioned this to one of my older friends at church. "You should join the orchestra."

"Oh, no. I don't want to be up front where everyone can see me. I just want to play my tambourine while I worship."

She gave me a sideways look and shook her head. "Leanna, honey, if you shake that tambourine in your seat, everyone in the building is gonna look at you. That would have to be one of the most distracting things you could do."

My tambourine-playing dream crashed to the floor and shattered.

As Christmas time neared, the desire for a tambourine was still alive. When I announced that the only thing I wanted for Christmas was a nice tambourine, Ryan just shook his head. "I hope you're not planning to play that thing at church. If you do, I'm sitting in the balcony."

My mama agreed with him. "If she does, I'm going with you."

I got my tambourine, but I never did play it in church. Ryan and Mama didn't much care for my tambourine playing around the house, so I hung it on a hook on the wall and used it for a decoration. When I was alone, however, I would take it down, sing to the Lord, and shake the tambourine to the music. I thought it sounded wonderful.

Years after I got my tambourine, the generosity of Toyota provided a park for Blue Springs. We started having Friday Night Jam in the park and area musicians come together and play. 

You probably guessed it. 

One Friday night, I slipped my tambourine off the wall and into my bag. As the musicians played, I could (as usual) hear how great the music would sound with the addition of the tambourine. I pulled it out, gave it a good shake, and nearly wept over the lovely sound.

I've been playing a tambourine ever since. If there's music at my house, you can expect a tambourine accompaniment. It's a joyful sound and, for me, represents the kind of freedom we should have in worshipping God.

In case you're laughing (which I kinda hope you are), let me remind you of two things. First, I like to live with abandon before the God who created me to live this way. Second, the Bible is full of tambourine-playing worship. 

According to the Blue Letter Bible, a tambourine is a membrane-covered wooden circle with bells attached. Mine's a modern-day version, I guess.

The tambourine is mentioned fifteen times in Scripture and, every time, it's in conjunction with joyful worship. Three of the Psalms specifically mention praising Him with the tambourine.

I learned a lot about God through my tambourine. He loves our praise. He especially loves it when we stop holding back because of pride, worried about what the people around us think. He loves it when we're free to worship Him with all our heart. Even when that includes the tambourine.

"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." John 8:36 niv

"Praise Him with tambourine and dance, Praise Him with strings and pipe...

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord." 

Praise Psalm 150:4, 6 esv

Whether the tambourine is your instrument of choice or not, there's a lesson to be learned. Worship is more authentic when it flows from a heart that's free of pride and full of joy. 

Today, stop where you are and sing to the Lord. 

Go outside. Raise your arms to the sky and thank Him, out loud, for all the gifts He's given you. Literally do this, not just in your mind.

Shout to Him in praise. 

You might feel silly at first, but it's the kind of freedom that pleases our Lord, and what could be better than that? 

Sing Hallelujah to the Lord, and do it right out loud.

_____________

Don't forget about my free e-book. It's only free for four more days. (6/3-6/8/16) I still need to give away several hundred more books to meet my goal, but we have a great start, so download it today. Thanks so much! (It's free.) Here's the link: The Clay Papers

In case you missed yesterday's post, here's the link: The Wonder Dogs and the Chicken Feather

#tambourine #praiseHim #singtotheLord #linesfromleanna

A Gift God Doesn't Already Own

My Chronological Bible Study has finally brought me to my favorite Psalm of all time. Psalm 50. It's the "cattle on a thousand hills" psalm and, every time I read it, I find something new. 

Here's a brief Leanna Paraphrase to get us to the main point. God is speaking against Israel. He's not arguing with them about the sacrifices they have given. He's saying, "Sacrifice something that I don't have. All those cows and goats are mine already. I'm just letting them live in your pastures."

Everything in this world belongs to God. What He desires from us is not what belongs to Him already. He wants something only we can give. A Sacrifice of Thanksgiving. 

The word translated as "thanksgiving" is towdah and means more than sacrifice, more than saying thank you. The word includes "confession, praise, and thanksgiving". When we offer an acceptable sacrifice of thanksgiving, we confess our sin, praise our God, and thank Him for His great generosity to us.
The same word is used to describe "hymns of praise". 

When young king Hezekiah cleansed the temple, he required the priests to consecrate themselves to the Lord. It was only after their consecration that they were to begin offering sacrifices. (2 Chronicles 29:31) Hezekiah was right. An offering of thanks begins with an acknowledgement of our sin and our need for cleansing. 

Today, let's give God something He doesn't have. Followers with deeply grateful hearts. Begin with confession. Praise Him for Who He is. Thank Him for His generosity toward us. 

Today would be a good day to sing hymns of praise to God. Carry a tune in your heart all day long and share it with the Lord. 

Give God something He doesn't already own.

"Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,

And pay your vows to the Most High;

And call upon Me in the day of trouble;

I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me."

Psalm 50:15 nasb

_________________

In case you missed them, here are a couple of other blog posts on the topic of the sacrifice of thanksgiving:
The Turning Point: A Grateful Heart  
(http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-turning-point-grateful-heart.html)
Being One of the Richest People in the World 
(http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2015/07/being-one-of-richest-people-in-world.html)

Here's yesterday's link: The Way God Met My Need  
(http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-way-god-met-my-need.html)
#sacrificeofthanksgiving #praiseHim #disciple #TuesdayMotivation

The Way God Met My Need

One of my morning Psalms today contained words that spoke to me and reminded me of my grandmother.

"One generation shall praise Thy works to another, 

and shall declare Thy mighty acts. 

Psalm 144:3 nasb

Parents and grandparents are to tell their children and grandchildren about all the sweet things God does for them every day. As we do, we will train them to see God at work around them. That presumes, of course, that we can see God at work around us.

The Psalm continued with these words:

And men shall speak of the power of Thy awesome acts;

And I will tell of Thy greatness. 

Psalm 144:6 nasb

With those words in mind, I'm going to share one of those sweet things God did for me yesterday.

There has been so much going on in my life lately that I have hardly known which way to turn. I won't list it all, but I have a crazy number of projects underway. I've been swamped. And very nearly overwhelmed.

My church is having a four-day Thirst Revival this week. I hate to admit it, but I didn't really want to go to the revival. I was worn out and I needed a break, not another meeting. Or so I thought.

I left church yesterday morning as tired as I went, and wondered if I would get revived or not.

You may not do this, but, last afternoon, I struggled with whether or not to go back to church. The fear that I might miss a mighty move of God was the reason I finally decided I should go. 

I prayed that God would begin His revival with me. "I don't want to pass time in a pew. Do something, Lord."

He did.

Last night, the preacher talked about idols in our lives. He asked us to write down the idol we needed to give up, take it to the altar, and leave it there. 

What was so unusual was that he talked about idols, but I thought he talked about the burdens that were weighing me down. I had some questions for the Lord about a few issues in my life, and the preacher answered every one of them. When he got to the "write down the idol" section, I heard him say to write down my burdens, take them to the altar, and leave them there. 

So I did.

It was only after I got home that I realized I had heard a different sermon than he had preached. It was the very sermon I needed to hear.

Here's what was so surprising. At the very moment (at the exact time) that I was at the altar, giving my concern to the Lord, an email landed in my inbox. When I got home, I found the email and read words that encouraged me to press on. They validated my efforts. "In case you've wondered..." it said. 

Those words were exactly what I needed to hear in regard to the issues I'd taken to the altar, as were the preacher's words. Any one of those things might have happened separately, but only God put all those things together at once.

It reminded me of a verse from Luke. I love the way The Message puts it.

"There was a lot more of this - words that gave strength to the people, words that put heart in them." (Luke 3:18 MSG)

The words I heard last evening gave me strength and put heart in me, and I'm grateful for them. I saw the orchestration of God, in both words and timing, and it, too, strengthened me.

That orchestration of those words yesterday was one of those works of God we are supposed to tell others about. God saw my need and He met it. Exactly as I needed it met. It was like cool refreshment on a hot summer day.

When I share that little incident, I am praising God's works and declaring His mighty acts, telling of His greatness, speaking of the power of His awesome deeds.

We don't serve a God of paper on print, merely a story in a book. We serve a God who is intimately involved in all our days. Let's rejoice in His goodness and share the news with all who will listen.

What about you? What have you seen God do in the last few days? 

Don't just soak His goodness up like a sponge. Be a sieve. Allow the goodness of God to pass through you to those around you as you share the news of all He's done.

Praise His holy name.
________________
In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: The Sweetness of Snuggling  (http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-sweetness-of-snuggling.html) 

#PraiseHim #MondayMeditation #faithlife

The Not-So-Secret Password

My morning Bible reading has been in the Psalms this week. Today, I read Psalm 100. I had written a note in the margin that said, "MSG - Password: Thank you." I thought it was a reference to the Message paraphrase, so I looked it up. It says the truth of this Psalm so well that I've decided to reproduce it here for you. (The Message is a paraphrase. It's not a study Bible, but I enjoy the language on occasion.)

"On your feet now - 

applaud God!

Bring a gift of laughter,

sing yourselves into His presence.

Know this: GOD is God,

and God, GOD.

He made us; we didn't make Him.

We're His people, His well-tended sheep.

Enter with the password:

'Thank you!'

Make yourselves at home, 

talking praise.

Thank Him. Worship Him.

For God is sheer beauty,

all generous in love,

loyal always and ever.

Psalm 100:1-5 MSG

My relationship with God wasn't always like this. It's not always like this now. For the most part, however, I frequently laugh in His presence at the amazing, truly funny things He does. At His surprising kindness. At His astounding generosity.

He IS sheer beauty, and I am never more cognizant of that fact than in the spring. I've spent a lot of time writing on my screened porch this week, but there's been a lot of time just reveling in the beauty of His creation, His generosity, His sheer beauty. 

I can't count the times I've walked outside at night, seen the stars, and whispered, "Way to go, God. Awesome display." 

He is good. He is beautiful. He is kind. He is faithful.

When we finally come to understand that truth, how can we respond in any way except deep and overwhelming gratitude?

Today, use the password to enter His presence.

Thank you, God.

Don't say thanks once. Spend your day looking for evidence of God at work and thanking Him every single time you see His fingerprints. You'll be laughing by the end of the day because of all the ways you see Him.

Make yourself at home with our Lord by talking praise. 

_____________

In case you missed yesterday's post, here's the link: When God Listens (http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2016/05/when-god-listens.html) 

#praiseGod #givethanks #Jesus

What Does God Want?

I read Psalm 4:5 this morning. "Offer the sacrifices of righteousness," the psalmist had written. My first question was, "What are the sacrifices of righteousness?" Here's what I found:

God gave detailed instructions about sacrifices in the Mosaic law, but He made one thing clear in His Word. He's not after a bunch of burnt cows and sheep. He wants hearts that are wholly His. Acts of obedience in the burnt offerings demonstrated the bent of people's hearts, but even that became nothing more than a ritual.

What God desires from us is a broken and contrite heart, a broken spirit. (Psalm 51:17) He wants us to see our sin as He does. He wants our sin to break our hearts and for that heartbreak to give us a repentant heart that wants to break free from the hold of sin. Can you see how much breaking is involved?

God wants us to offer Him a sacrifice of thanksgiving (Psalm 50:14). That's not just a listing of blessings. The sacrifice of thanksgiving is a difficult offering, and suggests that we give thanks in all things, even when it's hard. Even when we don't feel like giving thanks. Even when we feel ungrateful. Give thanks. It's not optional. When we offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, we honor God. (Psalm 50:23)

He doesn't want the sacrifice of fasting that's just for show. He wants us to sacrifice with humility and sorrow over our sin. To sacrifice our sin in exchange for His righteousness. To sacrifice our hold on others for His freedom. To sacrifice our riches for generosity of spirit. To sacrifice our comfort to share with those in need. (Isaiah 58)

He wants us to offer a sacrifice of continuous praise (Hebrews 13:15)

A sacrifice of righteousness begins when we choose to sacrifice our will to His, when we praise Him when it's hard, thank Him when we don't feel grateful.

Let's offer a sacrifice of righteousness today. We'll have to begin with hearts broken by our own sin, but we can't stop there. Thanks and praise are integral to the sacrifice God desires.

I thank you, Lord, for ... 

I praise you, Lord, for ...

Let's do it together. I'll start us off. 

I thank You that I don't have to please man, as long as I please You.

I praise You for Your faithfulness and that I can trust You.

Now you try.  Comment below.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here's the link to Friday Night with Friends by Jon Ginn. Golden, Medicinal Words (http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2016/05/golden-medicinal-words.html)

Here's the link to yesterday's post: Good Advice for a Son (http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2016/05/good-advise-for-son.html)

Here's the link to Chapter 2 of the Hosea Bible study  (http://lessonsindiscipleship.blogspot.com/2016/05/hosea-chapter-2-entire-chapter.html)

#whatdoesGodwant #sacrificeofrighteousness #praiseHim