Journal of Faith: Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling Philippians 2:12

 There are varying levels of acceptance in churches for shouting (yelling, screaming, dancing, running in response to a word from God or move of God).  I have found that it is a part of how I communicate with God.  Just like doing the wave at basketball games, stomping at football games, or yelling "charge" at baseball games.  Sometimes I just have to shout because it is the only adequate way that I can express who God is to me, what God has said ,or what he has done in that moment for my life.   I mentioned in another post that I once found myself shouting in my son's hospital room.  That was two months ago.  My youngest son was hospitalized for 6 weeks after waking up paralyzed suddenly by a condition called transverse Myelitis.  Nothing that he did or we did caused it.  It just happened, and my bouncing baby boy stopped walking, talking, and even crying because his muscles were too weak.  An MRI showed swelling on his spine....

Put your hands up.  The bible gives us many examples of lifted hands.  In my search for spiritual and social meaning in everyday life, I have found myself thinking about what it means to put my hands up.  People put their hands up at concerts or sporting events; when an officer is about to make an arrest they tell the suspect to put their hands up. There are even songs telling us to put our hands up. Church people put their hands up too.   I even saw my one year old putting his hands up last week while listening to some good preaching online.  Here is why and when I put my hands up.  Worship:  noun reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage, or to any object regarded as sacred. formal or ceremonious rendering of such honor and homage: They attended worship this morning.   (dictionary.com June 24,2020)   Worship requires a recognized, permanent, and direct imbalance of power. One is above and one is below by a defini...