Music Ministry

You may be wondering why I, Carlee Lashaway, have music ministry as my title. What could that even mean for someone like me? The truth is, I’ve never been the person who dreamed of learning instruments or understood all the technical parts of music. And yet, for as long as I can remember, there has been this tiny fire deep, deep down inside of me—this quiet hunger to learn more, even though I never knew what to do with it.

And honestly? I never did anything with it… until now.

Being in Malaysia, the Lord has completely rocked my world and opened my eyes to the beauty and importance of music ministry. Do I feel fully “called” to it? Not necessarily. But I do feel a longing—a pull to learn, to grow, and to be equipped for whatever opportunities the Lord might place in front of me in the future.

One of the pastors here has been involved in music ministry for over 20 years and has seen incredible fruit through it. Listening to his stories and learning from his wisdom has stirred something in me. It’s inspired me to want to see what the Lord can do through this ministry—not just through others, but maybe even through me.

And where did we start?

Tambourines.

Of all things… tambourines! I mean, really—what could be more fun than learning to play the tambourine in Malaysia? Who would’ve ever thought I’d get the privilege to do tambourine ministry halfway across the world? Yet here we are. Our squad of girls was given the opportunity, and wow… God absolutely wrecked my world through it.

Friday service is the main church service, and on those nights we wear beautiful dresses that the congregation has lovingly provided for us. During worship, the tambourine dancers perform—creating these stunning, intentional movements that praise the Lord. Our squad was invited into this space, into this new and unfamiliar way of worshiping Him.

During our second week, six or seven of us were asked to perform. At first, I thought, This is fun! I was smiling, laughing, and just enjoying the moment. But then we reached the last song—“Our God Reigns.” And something shifted.

Tears filled my eyes out of nowhere. I was overwhelmed—not just by the song, but by the opportunity. Standing there, praising the Lord through movement and music, seeing the congregation worship with their whole hearts—raw, vulnerable, fully surrendered—it was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever witnessed. In that moment, I felt such awe. What could be better than that?

Alongside tambourines, we also began learning four instruments: bass, guitar, drums, and piano. This too was such a blessing in disguise. Not only are we learning practical skills we can carry into future ministry opportunities, but the pastor used these lessons to teach us something even deeper—the beauty of discipleship.

He intentionally chose one person who had absolutely no musical experience and then selected four of us to learn alongside them so that we could eventually teach others who felt just as unqualified. At one point, we asked him, “How are we supposed to teach people if we barely know what we’re doing ourselves?” He smiled and said, “Well… that’s discipleship, is it not?”

And in that moment, it clicked.

Discipleship isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about being willing to follow Jesus, to learn as you go, and to invite others into that journey with you—even when you feel unprepared. God never asked us to be experts; He asked us to be obedient. He asked us to walk with Him, and as we learn, to bring others along.

That’s what this season has shown me. Music ministry isn’t just about instruments or performances—it’s about obedience, humility, and walking hand in hand with others toward Jesus. And if this is just the beginning of what the Lord wants to do… I can’t wait to see what comes next.