Discovery Volunteer Spotlight: Praise Him With Loud Symbols!
There are a number of Psalms that praise God, but perhaps none is as exuberant as Psalm 150. It is a glorious finale to the book of Psalms as it instructs us to praise God with a variety of instruments, including percussion.
Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord!
Psalm 150:5-6
Every Sunday the skilled musicians on Discovery’s Worship Team lead us in praise and worship. We can barely see the drummer at the back of the stage, but we hear the drums and cymbals as we praise. Every other week the drummer hidden back there is Martha Lentz.
Martha grew up in Waco, Texas with an older brother and a loving extended family. She describes herself as a Tomboy. When she was a little girl, all she wanted to do was to play football. She did play on an intramural football team when she attended Texas A & M.
Unlike many musicians, Martha did not become serious about playing an instrument until her thirties when she took up the guitar. She became interested in the drums when she was playing her son’s Rock Band video game and realized that she could actually play the drum part of the game. She found a teacher and since then has played at several churches and for three classic rock bands. She currently plays with a new band called the Clover Creek Ramblers.
It was our need for a drummer that drew Martha to Discovery last fall. She had been playing drums at a church that dissolved and was happy when she saw an ad on Craig’s List for a drummer at Discovery. She settled into Discovery right away and plans to take the Discovery membership class the next time it is offered.
Martha is a hydrogeologist. She worked for the U.S Geological Survey for 7 years and the E.P.A for 24 years. Her work has taken her to some interesting places, including five years working on Mt. Saint Helens where she was once caught in an avalanche in the crater!
It was while she was working at the E.P.A. that the Lord put her in a carpool with three believers. Her boss was a Christian as well. She describes what happened next as a supernatural transformation.
“I was so obsessed with reading the Bible that I used to go in the bathroom and close myself in and read for an hour. I was probably really obnoxious, as I was constantly asking them questions about Jesus and Biblical theology! I gave my life to HIM!”
She is retired now, but still does some consulting work. Retirement has given her the chance to take care of her two grandkids three days a week, dabble in art projects, and play MMO Final Fantasy XIV online. She also rode a Harley before selling it a few months ago.
Martha has been married to her husband Ray for 19 years. It was Ray who baptized her in 1998. She has two adult children, a son in the Army at Ft. Bragg, and a daughter who lives in Lakewood with her husband and children. Ray also has two grown daughters and grandchildren.
When asked about how she feels about serving, Martha says she is a “doer” rather than a talker, and that she fears she is much the Martha in the Bible. She prefers service where she has something specific to do and can just go to work on it. Most of all, she loves love using her musical talent to worship God.
Even with her high energy and love for music, Martha has a quiet side. Her favorite scripture is Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God.”
Martha is uniquely designed by a loving Creator and is using the gifts He has given her to serve Him. What are the talents and gifts He has given you, and how can you use them to serve?
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To find out more about Discovery’s Hospitality Team and how you can be a part of it contact [email protected].
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