raising our hands in worship
Christians like to sing with their hands raised. I know this because I watch them. In church I am constantly studying the different styles of arm extensions. (Insert a "Worship is about God, not watching other people" judgmental statement right about here.) And in my many, many years between the aisles, here are the five different hand-raising styles I have noticed most often:
The Ninja
You are tricky, sir, truly tricky. The Ninja is testing the waters. He sees ladies fling their arms into the air at the first note of a praise song, but he's not so sure. What if his friends see him? He used to make fun of people who did that. So instead of going all out, he does a fancy little move. He puts his hands by his pants pockets with the palms facing the heavens. From behind, you
can't see that he's doing anything out of the ordinary. From the front it just looks like he's cupping his hands slightly, as if displaying the contents of his pockets.
The Half & Half
This person often wants to sing with both hands raised, but they attend a conservative church and don't want to be known as "that guy." Instead, they hold one in the air, placing the other one in their pocket or on the chair in front of them. It's like half their body is screaming, "YAY, JESUS!" and the other half is whispering, "Nothing to see here, folks. Move it along, please ...
move it along."
The Pound Cake
This is what we in the industry refer to as an "underhand move." Instead of reaching your arms upward, you hold them slightly in front of you, palms turned toward the sky, as if expecting to receive something from someone in front of you. The Pound Cake places your elbows at stomach level, your hands tilted at an angle, as if someone visiting your housewarming party is about to hand you a delicious pound cake. It's not a heavy cake, so you don't have to brace yourself. Instead, you just relax and think, "Hey, cool. Pound cake. Let me take that for you."
The Double High Five
I'm stingy with my high fives. I think the last time I gave one was in the delivery room of my second daughter. The next time I give one will be if this book sells more than nineteen copies. Other than those two situations, I find the high five to be the physical equivalent of using a lot of exclamation marks!!! That's why I rarely do this move. The double high five looks exactly
like it sounds. You act like you've just scored a touchdown and are about to double high five the person in front of you. (Some-people call this move the "Secret Passageway" because it kind of looks like you are feeling along a wall for a hidden button that will open a secret door. But I'm a purist and don't use that term.)
The YMCA
This is my favorite, and probably the most common hand raising technique. It's not complicated and regularly makes cameos in magazine ads for Christian colleges. Much like the famous song, you simply raise your hands above your body and form a big Y. That's all. But it leaves little doubt to the folks around you about what's going on. You're worshiping. It's big, it's
beautiful, it's messy, and it's great. A friend of mine said that when her mom did it, it always looked like she was clearing a runway for God to land.
I tend to be a Ninja guy myself.
The Ninja
You are tricky, sir, truly tricky. The Ninja is testing the waters. He sees ladies fling their arms into the air at the first note of a praise song, but he's not so sure. What if his friends see him? He used to make fun of people who did that. So instead of going all out, he does a fancy little move. He puts his hands by his pants pockets with the palms facing the heavens. From behind, you
can't see that he's doing anything out of the ordinary. From the front it just looks like he's cupping his hands slightly, as if displaying the contents of his pockets.
The Half & Half
This person often wants to sing with both hands raised, but they attend a conservative church and don't want to be known as "that guy." Instead, they hold one in the air, placing the other one in their pocket or on the chair in front of them. It's like half their body is screaming, "YAY, JESUS!" and the other half is whispering, "Nothing to see here, folks. Move it along, please ...
move it along."
The Pound Cake
This is what we in the industry refer to as an "underhand move." Instead of reaching your arms upward, you hold them slightly in front of you, palms turned toward the sky, as if expecting to receive something from someone in front of you. The Pound Cake places your elbows at stomach level, your hands tilted at an angle, as if someone visiting your housewarming party is about to hand you a delicious pound cake. It's not a heavy cake, so you don't have to brace yourself. Instead, you just relax and think, "Hey, cool. Pound cake. Let me take that for you."
The Double High Five
I'm stingy with my high fives. I think the last time I gave one was in the delivery room of my second daughter. The next time I give one will be if this book sells more than nineteen copies. Other than those two situations, I find the high five to be the physical equivalent of using a lot of exclamation marks!!! That's why I rarely do this move. The double high five looks exactly
like it sounds. You act like you've just scored a touchdown and are about to double high five the person in front of you. (Some-people call this move the "Secret Passageway" because it kind of looks like you are feeling along a wall for a hidden button that will open a secret door. But I'm a purist and don't use that term.)
The YMCA
This is my favorite, and probably the most common hand raising technique. It's not complicated and regularly makes cameos in magazine ads for Christian colleges. Much like the famous song, you simply raise your hands above your body and form a big Y. That's all. But it leaves little doubt to the folks around you about what's going on. You're worshiping. It's big, it's
beautiful, it's messy, and it's great. A friend of mine said that when her mom did it, it always looked like she was clearing a runway for God to land.
I tend to be a Ninja guy myself.