Friday’s conversation with you was so fun! I read each and every comment, and enjoyed hearing your thoughts on fashion and what is/isn’t appropriate to wear when you are in front of a group – no matter how big or small.
I guess I should begin “Part 2” today by thanking you – for all of your sweet comments on the outfit I showed you and . . . on my arms. Ha! I LOL when I read that from some of you. I guess I should give those “wasted” years on a gymnastics team in my pre-teen years a bit of the credit for that and any continued toning can be credited to the constant lifting of my two year old all day long. You know how that goes.
In any case, I have so much to learn about what does and what doesn’t work in regards to dress.
Obviously, all of the things we talked about Friday are important and have been aspects of dressing well that others have been teaching me throughout the years but reading your comments (and even getting some text messages about it from some friends on the topic) got me thinking how unique and different one environment can be from another.
While I was raised in a ministry culture where women would have never worn jeans or leggings to a church services, much less on a stage, I have been introduced to many environments where this is not only appropriate, but where it actually better suits the setting than any long skirt or business suit ever would.
I asked my wonderful friend Holly Wagner to send me a couple of pictures of her in action because she exemplifies this to a “T.” Her church, Los Angeles’s Oasis Christian Center, is filled with a youthful audience that thrives on its contemporary and modern outreach to California’s laid-back community. Holly not only leads the ministry to women there, she also travels and speaks all over the globe. A normal “Holly” teaching outfit would look a little something like this:
Isn’t she lovely!
Sure, these options might not work at YOUR church on a Sunday morning, but it sure does work at hers and so many others that I’ve had the opportunity to visit and serve in. I can’t imagine what friendships and partnerships I might have missed if I had discounted someone, or some place, just because they wore something that was different from what I was used to seeing on a platform.
Sure, we need to be sensitive to what we are wearing when we take the stage but we also need to be open-minded when someone else does. If they are modest then no matter how different they are from what you’d prefer, we should welcome them with a smile and an open heart and Bible as we eagerly receive what the Lord will say to us through them. If you’ll keep your ears open, you will probably hear something that is just as unique and stunning as their style is! You never know what incredible insight the Lord might bring through them to you. God forbid we miss out on it over jeans, skirts, bare arms :), opened-toed shoes. . . .oh, you get the point.
So, I’ll admit to you – over the past several years, I’ve enjoyed teaching in skinny jeans, leggings, sequin tops and all sorts of other things that I never grew up seeing in ministry. In the right setting – there’s no better way for me to dress.
So, here’s to freedom – yours and mine! Let’s enjoy it and allow others to enjoy theirs!
Priscilla
PS. . . I neglected to share that no matter what you are wearing, you must never be without the MOTHER of all necessities – SPANX! I ain’t joking, girl! They are a MUST under skirts and pants alike. Buy them. . . in bulk. . .and be blessed!
PPS. . .so many of you asked where I got that skirt I was wearing in the photos from Friday’s post. It’s fromAnthropologie (One of my favorite stores. I go straight to their “sale” room). It’s on sale right now for $45! The belt is on sale there too! I think that the skirt is sold out on line but you can call a local store and see if they can track down the size you need. It’s called the “Downpour Maxi Skirt“.
