NEW!! 2/6/05
Personal
Testimony
http://www.chfweb.com/library/headcovering.html
Now, Paul taught that woman are to COVER for prayer and prophesying to
witness to man and to the Angels. It may be hard to do for many - but the
ONLY really hard part is what OTHERS will think. Wonder what they thought
of John the Baptist before he began preaching? Wearing his camels hair and
eating locusts and wild honey , I'm sure many said he was a crazy man,
until he opened his mouth, then they KNEW, this man was sent from God. I
doubt he gave the Lord much battle over why he had to do this and that ,
like I do. :-)
Love,
Lavenia
From another sister . . .
Personally, I am convinced that I am to wear the covering all my waking
hours (I do not wear it at night). Something the Lord showed
me...1Cor11:10 speaks of the woman wearing power on her head because of
the angels. My old KJV has a reference to Gen 35:65??--sorry, Bible not
near me at the moment--where Rebecca is asking the servant who the man is
coming toward them in the field. He tells her it is his master, Isaac, who
she has agreed to marry, sight unseen. The Word says she immediately took
a veil and covered herself. A light went off in my measly brain when I
read this as a reference to 1Cor 11:10! Oh!! She was covering herself to
show she was willing to submit to this man! For whatever reason she had
not been covered before, the Bible does not allude to, but when she saw
the man who was to be her husband, she covered herself! This was not a
worship setting...it was not even in Corinth in the first century AD!!!
This could not be just a Corinthian custom...nor could it be just for
during the assembly! ...I know that some of my best moments of prayer are
when doing dishes, or driving in the car, or feeding the animals, etc...so
it wouldn't be practical to run and grab a cover. These are the reasons I
was convinced long ago that I was to cover all the time. Then, when the
Lord showed me Rebecca veiling herself as she was about to meet Isaac,
that was just the confirmation--I had already known, but that was like the
icing on the cake. . . .
I am almost always covered anymore. I did, however, for the first 2 years
I covered, only cover for worship and prayer, but I started covering
fulltime this year. If I want to witness to ladies outside of my own group
on the importance of the headcovering, how am I going to show those who
are not of my own congregation if I am not wearing a headcovering fulltime
? So, that is why I do it, and I almost always find something to pray
about... when taking a walk, reading, shopping, driving. etc etc. I don't
think, though, that I want to judge anyone for not covering fulltime
because I didn't do that for quite a while. Some ladies' husbands have
told them expressly only to cover during worship and prayer, some ladies
are only at the point in their walk that they are only comfortable or
convicted about covering part-time, and that may well change later. I
think each person has to come to certain conclusions in their own due
time. God knows how much a person can handle and when. Its just like a
plant. You put it in good soil and water it, give it a little bit of
fertilizer, but that's all you do right at first. You may protect it with
netting and mulch, but for the most part, it must first absorb the water,
the nutrients, and establish itself in the ground. A person can't pour
onto that little baby plant all the water it needs in a lifetime, or all
the fertilizer it needs for a full year, or more, you can't crowd it with
too many other plants because its roots haven't established yet. Other
plants could crowd it, and cause it to lose some much needed nourishment,
or even die. A little at a time, and be careful in the way you plant, your
spacing, depth, water, fertilizer, etc etc. If that little plant has too
much at once its just going to collapse and die. We are these plants. God
is the gardener. I am so glad that you cover fulltime, as do I. I wish for
everyone to come to this conclusion, but I don't want to force their hand.
I'm not saying that's what you intend to do. I just thought maybe this
would be a good analogy to use. I love planting perennials, so I think of
each of us as a little rose bush. We start out dormant, we need pruning,
we need special care, and when all is said and done, and we are patient,
we become the most beautiful and abundant of bushes. I guess you could
think of this in terms of fruits and vegetables as well. :)
-- Melissa
Dear Sisters,
I have been wearing a covering for several years for church services,
prayer groups, family devotions. But of late what concerns me is we pray
at meal time, in the car, when a friend calls and asks to pray many of
these times I am one place and my covering in another. It seems it would
be simple to cover all the time. What about during the night when we
awake, andfeel the need to pray? Do we get up and get our covering or pray
withoutit. If it is OK to pray without it, why bother for church or pray
groups. I know I am rambling, but I am trying work this out in my mind. I
would love to hear what others do when they are away from home say in a
resturant when grace is said? I would love your input. Of late the Lord
has been dealing withme on this issue of wearing my covering all the time.
Your Sister in Christ
Cindy G
Dear Cindy-
This very question is addressed in one of the tapes from Charity Gospel's
tape ministry. Does God hear our prayers when we pray uncovered? I am 100%
certain that He does. He even answers them! :-) So why cover at all?
because we are asked to and it is a matter of obedience out of LOVE for
Yaweh and His commands. Do I ever pray in the shower? Yes. I'm not covered
then. Do I sometimes wake and pray at night? Yes, and generally I'm not
covered then either, although I do sometimes wear my simple cap pinned to
my head when I go to bed, but it's never on in the morning when I wake up.
I think the most important thing is, "Why are you praying
uncovered?" Is it because of a disrespectful and disobedient heart?
(Pride, envy, wanting to be in control, selfishness, etc.) or is it
because you didn't have anything handy at the moment? I know that many
sisters I love and respect deeply do not cover all the time. I know some
Christian sisters who do not cover at all, or who believe that long hair
is their covering. God still loves them and answers their prayers. But how
much happier is He when we seek out His will in the Bible and strive to
keep and do it? I don't cover to appease an angry God or to ensure my
prayers are heard, but I cover because God asked me to. And because I love
God, I want what He wants for my life (although sometimes I sure put up
the roadblocks and give excuses!!!!!! LOL)
Chris
MY CONVICTION TO COVER ALL DAY
I started covering within the first few months . . . in early 1996. My
conviction is to cover all day. I started out covering all day and then
fell back to just covering for prayer & worship. But something about
my sinful mind just found it too easy to fall into disobedience when I
came home from church and took off my veil, so I started back to wearing
it all the time. I find that it also helps me witness when I go out into
the world. I attend a large non-denominational Bible teaching church. They
don't, however, teach the headcovering as valid for contemporary women, so
I'm the only headcovering lady there except for my lovely sister who wears
a beautiful snood.
My Bible has a wonderful footnote about the cultural implications of the
headcover. It says, "Women should be veiled or covered in the meeting
of the church, and men should not. Paul's reasons were based on theology
(headship v. 3), the order of creation (v.v.7-9), and the presence of
angels in the meeting (v. 10). None of these reasons was based on
contemporary social custom." I was so impressed with this footnote
because it's stating that if it wasn't "culturally" determined
back then it's not "culturally" determined now either! It's a
shame that so many churches have been deceived into thinking it was a
"cultural" thing when in fact, Paul wasn't even talking about
the secular world's customs, but rather the lifestyle indications of the
Believer with regard to headship, creation and angels.
Now I cover for more than the church assembly because it says when I pray
or prophesy, and to prophesy is to speak forth God's Word which I do all
day when I teach or talk to ya'll or a friend or a stranger at the store.
It's just easier to wear it all day than to pull it out of my purse all
the time. Also, we have to remember that the chapter & verse
separations of Scripture were not included in the original writing of
Paul. My own particular study of the section we refer to as Chapter 11 of
1st Corinthians has led me to believe that Paul isn't actually addressing
corporate assembly until verse 18. My Bible has a beautifully added
outline heading that includes the veiling into "public worship"
concerns; but, if you read the text, Paul doesn't actually address the
public assembly until he rebukes them for their communion practices. But
again, these are my own observations and certainly not something I feel
qualified to force on anyone else. Just as God came to my heart personally
with my convictions, He has to enter into each one of your hearts
personally as well. . . . we lean not on our own understanding, but trust
in the Lord with all our hearts, and He acknowledges us and directs our
paths.
Sister Vickie
I agree... no contention. I pass no judgement on others who feel
differently. That said, I am of the belief that Paul was not speaking only
of the gathering together of the saints in the first part of 1 Cor 11.
It is not until vs 17 and 18 that he addresses the coming together. I know
there are arguments both ways. This is how I have been led. Since I am to
pray unceasingly, and I am to cover whenever I pray, AND since my covering
is a symbol of my submission to Chris (dh), AND because of instances in
the old testament (specifically Gen 24:65, a verse which the Holy Spirit
used to bring confirmation for me) that lead me to understand that it was
NOT just a Corinthian custom, and that it was not only for the gathering
of the church, I cover all the time.
That's just my perspective. No contention whatsoever in my heart.
love,
bethann
These messages were posted on
Headcoverings Christians Egroup www.egroups.com
Greetings in our Lord! Like many of us, I do not come from a
denomination that practices headcovering as a general rule. Before I
was married, I tried it for a few weeks in a row in Church, but I
recieved comments like "Oh, you look so sweet"or (I'm not
kidding)
"You look like Mother Teresa. " Needless to say, I felt
conspicuous, and
stopped! When I married, my husband and I moved in order for him to
attend seminary. Moving to a new place made it much easier to start
covering for worship because everyone probably assumed it was just
something I always did, and made no comment. So, I have covered for
worship for the past ten years or so (we'll be married 11 years in
June!).
As for covering "full time"...I have always had a love for
things "old
fashioned", a romantic desire to return to days past. Also, I have
always been intrigued by the culture and veiled women of the Middle
East. (When I was a child, I used to go around with long scarves or
baby blankets draped over my head and face, or wear a nightgown, apron,
and sunbonnet!) So when I got this feeling that I should be wearing
some sort of headcovering all the time, I attributed it to these
interests, and didn't think any more of it. A few years ago, I read a
beautiful article "Why I Cover My Head" in a publication called
The
Handmaiden. Not only did the author mention 1 Corithians 11, but she
wrote at length specifically about "because of the ANGELS".
THAT'S what
grabbed me. By wearing "a symbol of authority" on our heads, we
are
choosing to accept our place in the divine order of things, not only
the order of men and women, but in the hierarchy of EVERYTHING created,
including the ranks of angels! Veiling one's head is NOT merely a sign
of sumbission to an earthly man (although that's part of it) it's a
cosmic statement! (Like, wow,man! -just kidding <grin>) Seriously,
there is a whole realm of the cosmos that is unseen, but is very real
all the same- the angels, the Holy Spirit, we don't see them, but they
are there. The veiling of our heads is a sign to the Angels that we are
set apart for God, like when the Israelites, while in Egypt, were
commanded to put the blood of a lamb on their doorposts as a sign to
the angel that the firstborns of their houses were not to be taken.
(A note of interest: I recently read about the Old Testament blood on
the doorposts connection, but I don't remember where - maybe someone
can help me out on that)
So...that's why I am now starting to veil my head "full time". I
don't
always - there's sometimes that little nagging voice asking "What if
you run into so-and-so" or "your sisters-in-law are going to
think
you're pretending to be Amish". But I strongly feel called to this,
and
I am determined to obey.
Hope this helps someone.... thanks for listening (or rather, reading :)
-Sis Sue in PA
Susan Meholick
The question of how often one
should cover is going to have a variety of answers because for the most
part the Bible doesn't spell it out crystal clear. So you will
get different views from sisters on the matter. The same goes
for style of coverings. The Bible didn't have a master pattern
for convience. I personally wear many different types of
coverings. I have a friend who had her coverings made in Kawait and they
are wonderful. As for how often to wear it, there is a mennonite church
that we have visited off and on for the past six months and they wear a
covering constantly (except bathing) even at night they have special night
coverings; not even their husbands see their natural covering. (I'll have
to get the biblical whys from them and get back to you on that) Then there
are other mennonite churches that only cover during the day(we have
visited one like this), some only on Sundays and then alas some that don't
cover at all. Personally, I haven't been consistant. There have
been times when I've covered all the time and other periods in my walk
where I've only covered when go out and on Sundays. I've found
strangers are much more apt to talk to me about spiritual things if I have
a covering on, because they automatically identify me as a christian; they
don't have to guess. Many, many times I've had an opportunity
to pray for someone or speak about the things of God to them or help them
in some small way. It seems the people who are rude seem to be
in the churches that don't cover. (Baptist) The ones I've been in will do
and say terrible discouraging things that will rock your convictions. I've
had several people at a Baptist church tell me covering was wrong and
pridefull... Meaning I was just trying to bring attention to
myself and purposed to only cause trouble there. But the Lord
holds our hands with this and we continue in the light of His truth. If
it wasn't, I couldn't bear it. An observation that I've also made is there
are people who will hold you to a higher standard of christian perfection
than other christian women who don't cover. I remember a woman from a
non-covering church who visited me and I wasn't covered "Oh Me, oh
My, I caught her without her covering whisper whisper I saw her angry one
day and she covers!!!! whisper, whisper." Almost happy that there was
a fault to find. Obviously wearing a covering doesn't make one
perfect just obedient in that area. Wow, I've gone on haven't I? Haven't
answered any questions either. Well, thanks for letting me sound off.
In His Mercy,
Katherine Biggs
I have "pretty much" been covering full time for about a month. That
is how I started. I say pretty much because yesterday we had to
deal with lice and all my scarves went to be washed and we had tons of
wash and I didn't get the few I had washed ironed so.... I
didn't wear one yesterday. I started doing it because of a gal
my sister knew that had done it because she just felt led to and it
blessed her. That was quite a while ago but it intrigued me
then. Well, somehow I heard covering mentioned again and it got
me thinking again. I read the Scripture on it but that really
wasn't the reason I did it. I wanted to. But I
hesitated at first because like everyone I didn't want to stand out, my dh
wasn't overly supportive on it at first(thought there was more important
issues), and I didn't want to start something then stop doing it. So
at first I only did it at home really off and on. Then,
something popped into my dh's head during a sermon and he whispered to me
that he wanted me to wear a covering. So with his blessing and
the desire in my heart I do. I feel though that even if I don't
happen to have a covering on I can still pray. This doesn't
mean I don't take the Scripture literally but that I don't want to be in
bondage to it. I am not saying either that following or obeying
is bondage, it isn't. Maybe I am not at the point everyone else
is. I do get uncomfortable about what others think, fear of man
or vanity I guess. So I guess I cover from a desire in my
heart, it feels so right. Does that sound funny? This
is why I started wearing dresses. I do believe in modesty and
the Lord has made me more and more aware of it. Not sure what I
feel about short hair/long hair and makeup at this point. I
don't wear makeup now and this started because I kept getting styes, still
do without it. I am growing my hair long to please my dh. I
do believe women should be more modest, especially in how they dress but I
don't force that on anyone. My dearest friend next to my dh
wears pants and doesn't have long hair(isn't super short either). I
don't discuss it much with her but she respects what I do with the dresses
and covering. I have many other friends who don't, matter fact
all of them except for the ones on this list! :) No
one else does in the church I am in now, and I have no idea of the church
I am going to go to in 2 weeks but I doubt any do. So I guess
my decision was a change or desire brought on by the Lord I believe. And
the fact that it seems to line up with the Word is an added blessing. :) Well,I
have run on enough about this but thought I would share my 2 cents. :D
Blessings, Carrie
Covering
the Head in Church and out of church
Greetings
all of my fellow women in Christ, I am going to tell you my
story and a witness of my life being veiled for the Lord at this very
moment. I was a called out child of God and when he called me he
also called me to veil for him. Now allot of christian woman just know about
1 Corinthians 11:1-16, however the Lord also calls people, men and women to veil for a period of time appointed by the Lord himself (Numbers
chap.6). In which the Lord calls certain people to veil for a period
of time, and in this time is total separation, meditation, and submission to the Lord for the person being veiled. Where he changes the person
spiritually and takes them through numerous amounts of deliverance's. My story in simple, I am veiling for the Lord now. And I wear my veil at
all times ( I never take it off). However, I also play division-1 college basketball and I am going threw all kinds of persecution for
wanting to wear my veil on the basketball court. But the Lord
has given me peace about it, and I feel a witness in my spirit to tell my story and if anyone once more information about it to e-mail me at
marquittar@hotmail.com. Because if you are confused and don't know
why you feel in your spirit to wear the veil, your spirit will be enlightened by the biblical text and understanding that the Lord has
given and shown me. Sisters the Lord is raising up his army for the last days and is pouring out his spirit upon all flesh more and more each
day. So be watchful and prayerful, so you don't miss you blessing.
God Bless All my Sisters in Christ!
testimonies from headcovering egroups & direct submissions to SMHC
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