Monday, February 9, 2015

What to Do with Your Hands When the Spirit Moves

This has been around awhile, but it’s still funny. Enjoy!

What to do with your hands when the Spirit moves you in worship …

  • If you’re Lutheran, you don’t show anything, but you move your toes in rhythm with the music lest anyone find out that you really do have a beat.
  • If you’re Reformed Church in America or Christian Reformed Church, you can do anything you want to with your hands with one unbreakable rule: No hands above the waist.
  • If you’re Roman Catholic, you make the sign of the cross.
  • If you’re Episcopalian, you thrust your hands nervously in your pockets and dig, scratch, or scrape.
  • If you’re nondenominational, you clap.
  • If you’re Wesleyan or Evangelical Free, you cry.
  • If you’re Nazarene, you laugh.
  • If you’re Seventh-day Adventist, you sway slightly with eyes shut.
  • If you’re United Methodist, you extend your hands, palms upward, but arms are never raised above the belly-button.
  • If you’re United Church of Christ, you stand erect with arms crossed and face scowled.
  • If you’re Presbyterian, you place one hand under the chin, a la Rodin’s The Thinker.
  • If you’re Unitarian Universalist, you go on and pretend nothing has happened.
  • If you’re Southern Baptist, you hold hands with people across the aisle.
  • If you’re American Baptist, you tap your feet.
  • If you’re United Church of Canada, you clasp your hands behind the back.
  • If you’re Salvation Army, you lift your hearts to God and your hands to whoever’s around you.
  • If you’re Quaker, you get real quiet.
  • If you’re Church of God (Anderson, Indiana), you raise one hand to the heavens as if you’re hailing a bus or waving a hankie.
  • If you’re Pentecostal, you lift both hands high above the head and make the wave. (By the way, do you know how they vote at Pentecostal conventions? They put their hands down.)
  • If you’re postmodern, you've done all of the above at one time or another.

And if you’re more visual, here’s a YouTube video of Tim Hawkins and his take on hand raising: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TK2_ezOBa2A


Regardless of what your preferred style of worship is, God only asks that you worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24)


THINGS YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN ….

FOR CHURCH LEADERS: Southside Summit for Church Revitalization, February 19 - http://www.southsidesummit.org/

FOR CHURCH LEADERS: Baptist Association of Christian Educators (BACE) 2015 Conference, April 9 & 10, 2015, Johnson Ferry Baptist Church/Marietta, “Prescriptions for Spiritual, Family, and Church Health” - http://www.baptisteducators.org/

FOR CHURCH LEADERS: Nine Concerns about Church Members Who Withhold Their Financial Gifts by Dr. Thom Rainer - http://thomrainer.com/2015/02/04/nine-concerns-church-members-withhold-financial-gifts/

FOR CHURCH DEVOTIONALS: DevoHub is Coming! Church devotionals delivered directly to personal devices - http://www.devohub.com/?emid=BL-BSI-DevoHub-20141118

FOR NEW BELIEVERS: The Beginning -http://www.lifeway.com/n/Product-Family/Disciples-Path

FOR BIBLE STUDY LEADERSHIP: 2015-18 Plans for The Gospel Project unveiled – A Chronological Journey for all ages! -http://www.gospelproject.com/2015-2018/

FOR BIBLE STUDY LEADERSHIP: 3 Times When a Leader Should Keep Quiet by Rick Howerton - http://biblestudyinsider.com/2015/01/15/group-leader-skills-3-times-a-leader-should-keep-quiet/#.VNi79S5GR9Y

FOR DISCIPLESHIP/EVANGELISM: Life on Mission: A Simple Way to Share the Gospel - http://www.lifeway.com/Product/life-on-mission-a-simple-way-to-share-the-gospel-leader-kit-P005717346





FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: Virtuosity: A 40 Day Devotional Guide for Guys - http://www.lifeway.com/Product/virtuosity-P005720882

FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: 5 Goals You Should Set for Student Ministry by Ben Trueblood - http://www.lifeway.com/studentministry/2014/11/10/5-goals-you-should-set-in-student-ministry/


FOR KIDS MINISTRY: VBS 2015: Journey Off the Map Preview Events and Resourceshttp://www.lifeway.com/n/Vacation-Bible-School?intcmp=VBSSite-Shop

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: 6 Steps for Taking Your VBS to the Next Level by Jerry Wooley - http://blog.lifeway.com/vbs/2014/12/11/6-tips-for-taking-your-vbs-to-the-next-level/?emid=lcurtis-VBS-newsletter-20150114



FOR MEN’S MINISTRY: The Main Event 2015 will be in THREE locations! - http://www.lifeway.com/n/Product-Family/The-Main-Event?type=events&emid=BL-BSI-MainEvent-20141230



FOR MEN’S MINISTRY: 33 The Series: A Man and His Work - http://www.lifeway.com/Product/33-the-series-a-man-and-his-work-leader-kit-P005558775

Final Blog, addendum

As one final joke among my teammates, I was somehow selected to give the devotional at our final Zoom meeting.  Among the 30 team members, I...