Links on Friday

Here are some excellent articles/blog posts for your weekend reading pleasure:

• A lengthy exposition on 1 Cor. 11, worth the time and attention.
•  Christian Unity offers another Scripture exposition.
• Help this brother out with some brilliant ideas!
• Wow, I actually perpetuated some of these myths…while I need to do some fact-checking to see if the author is correct, I see lots of good points here.
• Does headcovering provide a safe-guard against divorce? Hmmm….
• Mood-Brightener!

Tonight I will post a photo of myself in my work clothes…been meaning to do that, in case you all were interested? Even better, how about I do a “Through the week in modest dress” series?

Covering for Beginners - What

Now that you have decided when to start covering, what do you wear?

If you have clicked through my blog at all, you will see that I have worn just about every type of covering available on the market over the past year. Some are of my own manufacture, some have been gifts to me from other sisters, and most of them I ordered from various vendors. Even after all this time and experimentation, I have not settled into one particular style. One facet of any covering I wear, however, that I have settled on is to have at least 80% of my hair/head covered.

This brings us to the balancing act between the symbolism of a Christian covering and the modesty aspect. If you are comfortable with having a small triangle of lace pinned to your hair everyday to satisfy the symbolism, then that is covered enough. If you are like me, I find that my hair is one of my best features. Men really are attracted to long, healthy hair! Since my hair is a special thing for my husband to see, I cover it up. That simple.

A second consideration is whether or not you desire some denominational identification “tag”. The most common covering associated with a church is the Amish cap. They are practical, especially if you tie them under your chin, no clippies required. But, you have to be prepared for all the questions. If you are not aligned with the Anabaptist/Quaker theological tradition, I suggest staying away from caps.

The next, deeper connotations involved in choosing a covering style is the “hanging veil” versus a cap-like or snood-like covering. The Greek words detailing the NT covering used in 1 Cor. 11 describe something that hangs down or that can be wrapped around. Does this delineate the type of covering, or are the words only what Paul had to use to describe the covering? Lots to think about.

So, onto the fashion gallery of coverings:

• A veiling, as pictured above. These require one’s hair to be pinned up and also require at least two clippies to hold it onto your hair. PrayerCoverings.com offer several versions, including one or two styles that tie under your chin.
• The cap. I like caps, because my theology does line up with the traditional cap-wearing churches. And they do stay put without extra metal secured to my head. This is important for those living on the windy prairie!
• Scarves. This is where your artistic/fashionable sense can shine. I love scarves for the same reason I love caps. Once you can handle tying them in the way you like, they do stay put. Tznius.com and Modest World sell the best, most beautiful scarves. I’ve also sewn some summer scarves of my own out of cotton voile.
• Hijabs. I’ve been known to wrap my scarves into a traditional Muslim style. The look might make you feel uncomfortable in the “religious cross-dressing” category. I find it rather…well, comforting and feminine.
• Snoods offer a variation on the scarf theme. I have not worn snoods, but many ladies are dedicated snood-wearers. Modest World has a nice selection of snoods, as well as She Maketh Herself Coverings.
• You can also find an assortment of covering styles designed for medical hair loss.

There are so many choices out there, that I am sure you will find the right balance between modesty and symbolism. Try out several different coverings at first to see what works for your family and situation. Give away the coverings you don’t use to another sister.

Covering for Beginners - When

You are here, reading this blog, because you’ve been somehow drawn towards the ancient Christian practice of covering one’s head. There are the usual reasons for the conviction, from reading Scripture in a new light to seeing another woman who covers and becoming intrigued. How ever which way you ended up here, it is clear to you that God has spoken and you must obey. But how? I will go through several questions every woman must clarify, especially if she is not a part of a church that actively promotes covering. Let’s start with,

When do I cover?

There are basically two sides to the timing of when a woman should cover her head. First, there are those who think women should cover during all waking hours because we are to “Pray without ceasing.” [1 Thes 5:17] This does not include showering/bathing, of course. Some women even keep a shawl by her bedside so that should she awaken during the night and feel the need to pray, she is ready.

On the other side of the coin are those who think the covering should be only for public Christian assemblies. For them, the covering is a symbolic act which is necessary for a worship gathering (Mass, Bible Study, etc.).  These ladies may also choose to cover during private prayer and devotions in the home.

As with most anything else in life that is left up to mostly personal interpretation, there is a wide spectrum in between the two extremes. Within my covering practice, I’ve left some room for flexibility. For instance, I take my covering off when at home for my husband. He loves my hair and enjoys seeing it down. For most any other occasion that takes me outside my front door, I cover. The covering, for me, is an act of modesty as well as a spiritual symbol.

Finding the right level of obedience takes some time. I suggest that women try a “training wheels” approach at first. Put on your covering when in private prayer or devotions. Remember to do it every time. Then, when you feel “steady”, try it out at your church gathering. Again, consistency is the key. If your calling is to go full-time, and your husband is hesitant over the issue, grant him a test period of at least a week or two. Pray like the house is on fire the entire time, so that the grace of God will shine through this act! He may be won over to the Lord over this issue because of your attitude.

What if I do not cover my head?

One of my dear readers brought up a great point on my previous post on Being Feisty which I sum up as follows,

“So if I (or my wife or sister or daughter) do not see it as obligatory to cover their heads/hair, are they less or even not a Christian?”

This might seem to be the next logical step of my argument. If I am willing to argue any positive statement at all, must not there be some consequence for not doing (in this case, head covering) that thing? I will refer to 1 Corinthians 11 to see if there is an eternal consequence. The only word I see used is “Dishonor” when referring to a woman who does not cover while praying or prophesying (speaking out for the Truth). This word means to blush at or be ashamed over. I do not see in any other context where a woman who dismisses the head covering injunction receives some eternal reward or punishment.

[Blueletter Bible has a great clickable Greek/Hebrew concordance built into their search records.]

You are no less a Christ-follower if you do not cover your head.

Now that we are clear on that ground rule in the debate, let us turn to this idea of blushing at something one may do or not do. This is a tricky matter, because this idea changes from one context to the next. Aha! you might say, then the HC issue was cultural/contextual! Because we no longer blush at a woman wearing brazenly bouffant hair to church (being facetious here - sort of), then we are “free” of the injunction. Not quite so fast, my friend.

My belief and practice surrounding the head covering stems from the Bible and from Tradition. Yeah, I lost many of my fundamentalist friends with the “T” word. They don’t like doing something because other people have been doing it for 1960 years. They’re different. Oh. Really. We can argue over that at another time. What I see in the Biblical text and from the practice of my Christian ancestors in both the Catholic/Orthodox and Protestant camps is that the veiling of women is a cultural practice born out of a Biblical injunction. It is both. One created the other. We cannot jettison one thing without losing the other.

Wendy Shalit does a much better job (though from a Jewish perspective) illustrating how losing the ability to blush is a consequential series of acts. She wrote Girls Gone Mild.

Is there anything to gain from veiling yourself? Speaking as a lone-coverer, I can list some benefits:

• You can’t hide in your closet from Sunday to Sunday. You must be transparent with everyone about your faith. It is an awesome responsibility. This is a good thing because I learn how to be honest about my faults. People like that.
• Interfaith relations are much easier with Muslims and Observant Jews. They are rather surprised and pleased to meet a Christian woman who not only respects her body by being fully-dressed but that she respects them in the process.
• Door opening and yes ma’ams. Random hugs from other women in Wal-mart. Wow.
• Questions. I get asked daily who/what I am. I tell them. Wearing a Jesus t-shirt usually does not illicit this type of response.
• Prayer is easier for me to remember to do. Not sure if this is strictly an HC thing, but the cloth reminds me that is what I should be doing.
• It makes Jeff happy. He didn’t tell me to do it, but he likes that I am doing it. What is good for him is good for me, too.

Here is a discussion point: What would be one thing that a person could do in your church service that would make you blush? Why?

Business, Identity Crisis, and Campus Crusade for Christ

…Or, Last Night’s Dinner.

So I received an invitation from someone connected with the campus to attend an evening event called The Millionaire’s Forum. Since I am technically a student in the Business department, I thought it would be a nice way to meet some nice people and have a good dinner. If you inspect the website, you will find it looks like a legitimate non-profit promoting business leaders connecting with students.

Wrong.

I should have sniffed out what the ulterior motive was when the reminder e-mails were coming from a Campus Crusade for Christ leader from another Oklahoma campus. I thought it odd at the time, but maybe he was just one of their volunteers. [There is no CCC chapter at our campus...yet.] The whole evening was a quasi-evangelistic campaign!

Now here is why I wasn’t happy about it: I was wearing a full-hijab style scarf. Yep, did that screw with their expectations! Oh, I am not a Muslim, just wanted to wear a gorgeous gold-toned scarf I found on sale at Wal-Mart and the only way it would look lovely was to drape and pin it like a hijab.

You can just imagine all the staring and uncomfortableness on their part and a tad bit on my side. I decided to keep them guessing. Through out the evening, between eating and the two guest speakers, we were to ask questions around the table about Faith, Family, Failure and several other catch words I forgot. My answers were vague but honest. But by the end, I couldn’t stand the tension any more, and announced that I was indeed a Christian to my table-mates. They seemed slightly relieved. I think.

When we had closed with a prayer, the leaders of the event asked all the students to gather for a group photo. Guess who got to be in the middle, in front? Yeah, what a catch, a [Not] Muslim girl! Oh my goodness. Sigh.

One of the speakers did come up to me and asked politely if I were a Muslim. When I answered no, he said, “Oh, I wondered! Sometimes students we don’t know too well feel a bit put upon by the whole evening.”

You think!?! I wanted to kick him right there, but restrained my foot from leaving the floor. So, if I am a Christian, and this was a Christian event, why am I so upset? I am upset for others who feel “put upon”. They get lied to about the nature of the event. That isn’t evangelism when you can’t be up front about it!

Which leads to another question: “Why do Christians feel they have to be sneaky with their ‘witness’?”

Do you all have any ideas?

So…the guy who did the emailing and emceed the event will be the new CCC director at our University. Way to Go on the welcome wagon!

[Update: The CCC leader called to follow up last week. I politely but clearly stated my concerns about the Millionaire's Forum. He received my critique graciously. ]

Head Covered: Fourth Day and Feeling Confident!

Today’s Outfit: Trusty cotton/linen pants paired with lightweight pink cotton tunic/blouse with tank top underneath. I am wearing my pink paisley/floral cotton voile scarf. Sturdy brown sandals.

My boss came in this morning and asked almost immediately, “Are you ok? Is there something wrong?” when she saw the scarf.

“Nothing wrong,” I replied, “Just trying something different.”

She had been gone on a long professional leave and brimming with tales to tell, so I thought I’d save the “religious conviction” discussion for tomorrow.

[Update: The Assistant Director asked me what was up with the scarf...did I shave or lose my hair? I explained that it was a religious conviction, a part of Christian practice that I wanted to do. She asked if it were to be a regular thing. Yes, indeed! She seems ok with the idea.]

I’m really, really liking this fuller headscarf covering. My hair is back in a ponytail, no fussing with a bun! It feels more professional than a smaller kerchief. For some reason, I think covering more of one’s hair is actually better received than wearing something “symbolic.” Maybe I can thank my Muslim friends for this publicity. You know the feeling, I’m sure, of stepping out in public fully confident in your skin (clothing!)

My chin is up, I am walking taller, and I am loving this new view from under the covering!

Head Covered: Third Day and Wondering…

…what I have to do to get noticed around here? I’m being completely facetious. Seems like my coworkers are just going to carry on like there was nothing on my head. This is completely fine by me. Wait until the autumn begins and I pull out my full Jewish scarves! Or how about my Amish caps? Maybe that’ll get a rise out of a bunch of librarians. Other folks will ask if I quilt or make those dolls with no faces.

Today’s Outfit: Terracotta linen long-sleeved blouse paired with a brown swirly skirt and plain white kerchief. Peasant Jesus sandals to match, of course. [Can you tell I love linen? And it is easy to find at Goodwill because other people don't like it...]

I’ve been ogling the heavy weight hair nets and white clippies over at Prayer Coverings. I put my hair up in a bun with my kerchiefs but the end result is rather messy. Perhaps the hair net can contain the spikey strands.

The weekend is almost here! Hurray! Dear Husband has given me permission to experiment in sewing up some other head coverings. I’ve got a couple designs in my head, just need to see if I can translate them into fabric.

The Veils I Have Worn: Kerchiefs

The last veils I have to show you from my collection are my kerchiefs. The first one I ordered from She Maketh Herself Coverings a couple of years ago. This is the “Bush Veiling” or Dutch Cap which is a popular style for them to sell. It is made out of ivory eyelet fabric with a small lace trim.

You can’t see much from the front.

From the Back. The kerchief doesn’t come with snaps or anything to hold it underneath my hair. I’ve just been using a small safety pin. My hair is in a ponytail again and two clippies hold the kerchief on my head at the sides. [I will take more photos later to show what the kerchiefs look like laying out flat.]

The following kerchief I traced from the Dutch Cap but made a little longer in the back. I used some leftover soft poly cotton fabric from my stash. I sewed a rolled edge all the way around instead of using lace. This gives a slight ripple effect to the edge of the fabric.

I wear the kerchiefs most often these days because of the heat. Plus, they tend to be less “shocking” to the sensibilities of others. The Cap makes folks drop their coffee or stare in traffic and miss their turn. I’m serious! If I would be lead to adopt the Plain life-path, this wouldn’t deter me but for now, I’d rather just be more low-key.

The Veils I Have Worn: Scarves!

Color, color, color! I love color! Next in the line up for my photo journal tour are headscarves. I purchased them from Tznius.com about four years ago when I was first considering headcovering. The company sells Jewish modest clothing, including some awesome fashionable (and practical) skirts! I am warning you to hide your plastic before visiting their site or else you’ll click-click and buy oodles of lovely stuff.

This is a plain cotton square scarf tied in the Classic style. I like this tie the best. The color is actually a dark lilac but comes across blue on some screens (sorry!) The fabric is satiny smooth and light as a feather.

This is how it looks from the back. My hair is in a ponytail, hanging free underneath the scarf.

I also like to tuck up the length in the back under the main knot. I own another cotton scarf in dark brown.

This rectangular scarf is Jeff’s favorite. It is rayon with small fringes at each end. I tied it in the Crown style.

And from the back. You can see that my hair fits into a pocket. It takes a little fussing to get it to stay.

A little tip if you purchase a scarf from Tznius.com:

Handwash each scarf separately several times. The dyes released heavily from my scarves but was no fading in the fabric. Perhaps they’ve fixed this issue since then. Just in case…

The Veils I Have Worn: Bonnets

First on my photo journal tour of my head covering collection are the caps, also affectionately called “bonnets” by my husband and his uncle. I sewed these following the directions from the ladies at Shepherd’s Hill. The first cap I made out of muslin with grosgrain ribbon for the ties. I followed their pattern exactly.

As you can see, this sits a little ways back on my head.

I decided to manipulate the pattern a tad to add more coverage over the back and widen the brim.

This second cap I made out of pale yellow broadcloth and white twill tape for the ties. I pleated both caps, though you could gather them, too. Pleating makes it easier to iron them. Twill tape or grosgrain ribbon are no-slip and the bows stay tied! I don’t pin the caps to my hair at all.

I love the cap style and find them to be the most practical in terms of wear and no-fussing throughout the day. I still hope to dress in the Plain manner in the future, but I feel that I should wait until I come home from the work-world before I switch to that on a daily basis.