Students Write All Level 2 students will be required to write an essay about each of the main headings during during the school year. The topics, under the main headings are suggestions about which they could write and the actual articles will be listed below the outline, under "Essays". This should prove to be a very informative page. Enjoy the student's writings!
ESSAYS... Where to Purchase Worship Dance Wear - by Renee Gagnon
I have not personally ordered from any of these websites. This is my wish list of websites for myself, as I am just starting to build my wardrobe of praise garments. I am drawn to not only their beautiful garments, the colors, fabrics and styles but also the quality of these custom made garments.
1. Grant Designs Inc., Chicago, IL - http://www.geocities.com/grantdesigns1/kingdomgarments.html This website has many options and varieties of garments. The garments are broken up into collections for the different styles and fabrics and every garment is heavenly named. These garments are custom made to your measurements, from child to plus sizes. My favorite collection is the Let the Rivers Flow Collection. You can also purchase undergarments and palazzo pants, other accessories and instruments of praise such as glory hoops.
There is no return for custom made items, which is most of the products, unless there is a defect, in which case you must return within 14 days for a replacement or to be fixed. The easiest way to order is to email the order, including all the information on their form, in an email. When they receive the order, you will be emailed an invoice and a link to Paypal to make your payment. An alternate way to pay is to print out the order form, fill it out and send it with your payment by mail. Once payment is received, it takes 7 business days per five people to complete and ship out the order.
2. The Masters Touch Creations, Westwego, LA http://www.themasterstouchcreations.com/ These creations include dresses and jumpers, overlays, sets and separates and wraps which can be tied to create 8 different styles. There are many colors to choose from for the garments, particularly the wraps. I will be purchasing the “fire” wrap for my team. The versatility of the wrap is great for a beginning team with little budget. They also sell accessories, instruments of praise and garments inspired by scripture. The creator is also a missionary to Africa and India and 10% of the sales go to support the people and ministries serving in those countries.
There is a sizing chart for girls, boys, men, women and plus. There are no refunds, but they will replace any garment that has been damaged within 10 days. The check out process is through Paypal. The shipping is calculated through that site, and you can check out using your paypal account or without an account using a credit or debit card.
3. Inspire Designs http://stores.garmentsbyinspiredesigns.com/StoreFront.bok The garments from this website are mostly made with silk hand dyed fabrics. There are a few different styles, with many colors to choose from. The colors represent the tribes of Israel in one style of garment. They also sell matching undergarments, worship tools and wings. These garments flow beautifully. I believe that I have seen Pastor Lynn wearing a few of these garments.
There are sizing chart for children’s through plus sizes. No custom measurements. There are no refunds, but they will repair any defects. The checkout is through the website, where you can create your own account. I have found one website that sells worship dance patterns:
This website offers 3 different styles of worship garments. Each style is a full set of garments, including pants, tops, overlay, etc. The prices range from $15-20/pattern. There sizes range from XS-XL.
Through some browsing, I have listed some patterns that can be used and altered to create worship garments. I have not used any of these personally as of yet. I have used one pattern for a tunic and learn some don’ts such as, make sure your fabric has stretch and give so you can move your arms. Make a mock up of the pattern first to make sure that it is not too fitted, and that it is appropriate for worship dance. You can add embellishments to the garments such as trims, sequence, or embroidery. You can also alter the pattern, such as make a tunic longer to cover the bottom or make bell shaped sleeves instead of straight. As for fabric, if you are creating a flow-y garment, silkessence works well and of course chiffon like fabric. Really thin polyester works okay as well, such as for wide legged pants. For overlays, such as an ephod, you can use any of the fancier fabric such as tissue lame, or sparkle-y fabric or a polyester blend. What doesn’t seem to work as well is cotton fabric. There is no stretch or give and can be very clinging. Browse the fashion fabric section of your local fabric store, and see what is available. Don’t be afraid to talk to a store employee. They usually sew themselves, so they may be able to help you choose fabrics.
Palazzo Pants – B4807
Sleeveless Tunic Top – B5646
Tunic Top – B5390
Sleeveless Tunic Top – B5203
Flow-y Jacket – B5759 add a ribbon on either side to keep it closed.
Wide sleeve top – 2852
Long skirt – 2416 This pattern offers a few different styles.
Pull on Draw string pants – 2012 Use a light polyester blend fabric, not cotton or linen.
Jumper – 2129 This looks like an easy pattern and can be customized and embellished. Could also not sew the side seems all the way up for a flare effect.
When choosing your worship garments or fabric for a pattern you have chosen, the next decision to make is the color. There is significance and meaning behind colors, and this can help add to your ministry piece. You first want to consider your music piece you and/or your team will be dancing to. The theme may lead you to what color to choose. Lets look as some examples.
Suppose you have chosen Nothing But the Blood of Jesus. Red would be an obvious choice to represent the blood of Jesus. Now, maybe your song choice is the Revelation Song. This song could have a few different themes. For example, you may be focusing on God’s glory in the song, so you would want to wear gold to represent the glory of God. Or you may focus on the God being the Almighty, the one who sits on the throne. In this case, purple would also be appropriate, since purple represents royalty, majesty and kingship. OR, you could even focus on the Holy, holy, holy theme in the song and just wear white to represent His holiness and purity. Now don’t feel you can only use one color. God loves color and creativity. You may combine the purple and gold for majesty and glory, or the white and gold. And don’t forget that you can add billow clothes and flags. So in the Holy, holy. holy theme, you may all be wearing white, but add in the gold flag and billows.
You can also choose colors to help convey a character in the song or contrasting themes. In our previous example, the Revelation Song, you could choose to where a blue to represent the angels in heaven. Maybe one person in will be representing Jesus in the dance. “Jesus” could be wearing purple, while the others wear another color. Some dances can also tell a story or be more like a drama. In some dramas there may be a spirit of death and sin (black) against the powers of God (blue for heavenly, gold for glory, etc).
Lastly, you may choose colors based on a holiday or a conference theme. Christmas time could be a combination of reds, golds, whites, and silvers. Easter time could be reds, purples and golds. Or maybe your dance team has been asked to minister at the healing conference at your church in which case you may choose shades of green to represent healing, mercy, forgiveness and new life. Wearing blue and white for a dance ministering about Israel would be appropriate to match the colors of the flag of Israel.
And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. Revelation 4:3
God is surrounded by colors in heaven, so be as creative and as colorful as you feel lead to be.
Garments of Praise - by Tyhisha Paden 2/26/2012 Why do we dress to minister in dance? We dress to minister in dance to represent the King of Kings whom we serve. We are kings and priest in the earth and His royal priesthood. When we prepare to dance before the king, our garments should show forth the beauty of His holiness and His glory. In the bible Aaron and his sons are examples of those that wore holy garments as a priest unto the Lord. In Exodus 28 v 1-4: “Aaron and his sons were chosen from among the children of Israel to minister unto the Lord as priests. They took them and made holy garments for glory and beauty for them. They also chose gifted artisans filled with the spirit of wisdom, to make Aaron’s garments, to consecrate him, that he shall minister to the Lord as priest.” We see in this scripture that it also important to find someone that has the mind of the God and filled with His Holy Spirit to make your garments. We also see in this scripture that the garments were consecrated unto the Lord, which means that they dedicated their garments and themselves for service and worship unto the Lord as we should as dance ministers. Garments should be consecrated onto the Lord. The definition for the word consecration is to “set apart.” Garments that are set apart for service to the Lord should only be used for that purpose. Ezekial 44:19: “When they go out to the outer court, to the outer court to the people, they shall take off their garments in which they have ministerd, leave them in the holy chambers, and put on other garments.” So as we see, our Holy garments are for the Lord’s use. Our garments should be taken off immediately after ministry. They should not be worn to the local buffet restaurant after church. They should be treated as if they are holy onto the Lord and only to be worn for the master’s use. Color has powerful significance in the Word of God. There is also a huge variety of scriptures related to color in the Word. This information can be found in the Processional, Props and Pagentry book, page 91. Some of these colors include: the color red (blood-Is. 1:18); white (holiness, purity, righteousness- Daniel 7:9); blue (heaven, Holy Spirit, angelic, divine- Exodus 26:1); purple (royalty, power, dominion, kingship-Revelation 1:6); gold(honor, glory of God, majesty, purification, refinement-Exodus 37:2,6; green (healing, mercy, forgiveness, abundance, strength- Psalm 92:14); silver ( redemption, divinity, Word of God, wisdom, refinement-Chronicles 28:14). Having revelation and understanding of what colors mean biblically enables us to choose appropriate colors of garments and props to use in our ministry dance pieces. For example if a song your ministering to is about holiness, you may not want to chose a garment to wear that is green which biblically means healing. Choosing a garment that is white or gold/white however, would be a more appropriate choice to wear for ministry. There are also patterns to purchase to make worship garments. Valerie Henry is the founder of Sacred Dance Patterns. Sacred dance patterns have been used successfully for seventeen years by the dance company at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem and by many Christian dance groups worldwide. Each of the patterns offered by Valerie Henry Dance Ministries come in one size. Patterns either have different cutting lines for different sizes or, as in the Feast Dress, there are instructions for altering the pattern pieces to have a customized fit. Patterns to choose from include women and girls patterns, feast dress, circle skirt, angel blouse, culottes, child dress, and men/boys shirt patterns. More information can be found at www.vhdance.org. There are hundreds of websites to choose from to order garments. I have listed three websites that have reasonably priced beautiful garments to enhance your dance ministry. These websites also sell flags, banners, streamers, prayer shawls and other worship tools to enhance your dance ministry presentations.
Garments of Praise - Annie Dodd Places to purchase dance garments- Son Dance Ministry- For more information about Son Dance Ministry contact:Suzanne Tushar at Suzanne@SonDanceMinistry.comQuestions regarding a placed order:OrdersSDM@SonDanceMinistry.comQuestions about Making His Praise Glorious contact:Patricia Kieffer at patriciajk7@att.net I have not purchased garments from this website but they look like a good reliable site. The lady that I emailed about using the link got back to me quickly and was very polite. I do hope to order something there one day. Shachah Ministries-Phone Number: (972) 230-6519 - (972) 230-6519E-mail: shachah@shachah.orgAddress: Phone: 1-800-767-9523 - 1-800-767-9523 Fax: 707-462-8564 Email: info@watercolourdancewear.com The Watercolour dancewear website has beautiful garments! There site is very nice and professional. It has dancewear for everyone, anywhere from the ballerina to the liturgical dancer. I have a couple of the liturgical outfits that are listed on there site and am very pleased! "Purchasing Garments” Its really important that you pick your websites very carefully when it comes to purchasing worship garments. A few things to look for when wanting to purchase worship wear is, “How well and organized is there website?”, “Is the website easy to access and is there a reliable email address and phone number where you can call and check the status of your order?” and “Is there a review page for how people rate there products?”. You also want to keep in mind of when to purchase your garment, is there plenty of time to receive you garment/garments in time for your Christmas, Easter, Fathers day, Ministry and etc....... presentations? Purchasing worship garments can be very exciting, especially for a new team that is just starting out! I will never forget how wonderful it felt to have my first basic white outfit and overlay. Its especially exciting if God has already given you you a vision for a specific garment that you have chosen. That is why its very important that you choose reliable sites, and that your garments are of quality made and on time. Let us bring to God, nothing but the best! A lovely website for patterns is- Garments for Glory Bellville, Ohio 44818 Telephone: 419.571-0955 or E-mail kbwof@yahoo.com This website has many beautiful patterns. My former dance team leader spoke of them to be a wonderful and reliable site. Garments for Glory is great place to purchase patterns for you worship garments! “Priestly Garments” If you were invited to a royal event hosted by a King, Queen, President, Ambassador or high official, what would you wear? you wouldn’t come dressed in wore out jeans, tattered shirt and rugged tennis shoes that are faded........ instead you would come in your very best. For example...... you would make sure your make-up was just right, hair neatly fixed with not one stitch out of place, your clothing would be to the hilt with fancy lace and shiny beads, there would probably even be a bit of sparkle as every light bounced off every delicate hand sewn sequin and even the very way you carried yourself in posture would surprisingly change. In other words, your wardrobe and countenance would speak of the royalty that you are walking into. More importantly, the same holds true when dancing before our one true God, the most Royal of all! We too must have special garments for when we come into His courts with praise and thanksgiving. It’s of the upmost importance that we present ourselves in modest and holy attire fit for the Masters use. In addition, we must also keep ourselves spiritually ready at all times awaiting His beckoning call to go out and minister Gods heart to the heart of His people. First of all lets take a look at the first Priestly Garments ever made in the Bible and lets see how they compare to our worship garments that we minister in. In Exodus 28, God gave specific instructions for the high priest garment that Aaron was to wear. These garments were made to show his separation to God, and to separate him from everyone else so he could serve God as a priest. This garment was absolutely beautiful and was to lend dignity to his work. The many pieces consisted of a Chestpiece, Ephod, Robe, Embroidered Tunic, Turban and a Sash. These items were made of fine linen cloth and embroidered with gold thread and blue, purple and scarlet yarn. There was also specific orders for Aarons son’s garments also when they served as priest. Other garments that was also made were, the robe of the ephod that was entirely made of blue cloth, attached to the hem of the robe were pomegranates made from blue, purple and scarlet yarn, with gold bells between them. Aaron wore this robe into the Holy Place to minister to the Lord, as Aaron went in and out of the Lords presence the bells would tinkle. As long as he wore this robe, he would not die. Next was a medallion of pure gold, inscribed on it was: SET APART AS HOLY TO THE LORD. the medallion was attached to the front of the turban by means of a blue cord. Aarons patterned tunic and turban were both made from fine linen. there was also an embroidered sash. To complete the garments there was also made linen underclothes for them to wear that would be worn next to there body’s reaching from waist to thigh. These were to be worn when Aaron and his sons entered the Tabernacle or approached the alter in the Holy Place to perform there duties. This way they didn’t incur guilt and die. All of these fine things were made for Aaron and his sons to give them dignity and respect, once they were clothed with these garments they were anointed and ordained and set apart, “Holy” so they could serve God as priest. Wow! Now does any of that sound familiar? I would say so! To start out, In Exodus 28 we have someone with specific instructions to make the garments for Aaron and his sons. I believe this goes right along with the above paragraph about purchasing your garments from just the right places. God has set in our paths His ordained People that truly understand the meanings and purposes of the garments that they are making for the receiver to minister in them. I know that there are some places that will pray over your garments as they are making them and anoints them when they are finished, setting the garments apart fit for the masters use. some patterns even have the scriptures written on them. How cool is that? What it sounds like to me is that God has made a way that our garments are also made through His best seamstresses and with the finest materials that you can find these days! Next there was specific colors that they were suppose to wear and even the way the colored threads were to be sown and woven in, its also very important that we understand color significance when putting together garments for a particular dance. Matching up the right colors with the right song is powerful and brings an understanding to the viewers eye. In other words you could wear the color blue for water, rivers or heaven or red for love, blood or the redeemed. These are just a couple of examples out of many. And most importantly there was modesty! I believe if it was that important to God for the High Priest to be modest then how much more important is it for us as Gods Royal Priesthood to also be modest? I believe the answer is “Very Important!”. Now I don’t think God is going to strike people dead if there not modest, but what does it really say about you and your testimony if you are drawing attention to other areas and not giving God the glory that He deserves? Talking about Modesty- As we wear our priestly garments its important to remember the scriptural significance and spiritual reverence they represent in our lives. It is of the upmost importance that we dressmodestly and appropriately, in other words we wouldn’t want to dress in any other way that would take any attention from the Lord and put it on ourselves! We must be covered in all areas the best possible way that we can. An example would be, all white undergarments, long sleeve leotard in whichever color that is needed, the leotard must come way up on your chest and nothing inappropriate should be visible. You need white, pink or black footed tights (whichever matches your garments, preferably pink is the best along with pink ballet slippers. Pink also causes a thinner appearance). Next would be Culottes, these are necessary when wearing a half, full or double circle skirt so when leaping, spinning, kicking, twirling or jumping there is no opportunity for anyone's eyes to gaze anywhere inappropriately! Just wearing leggings does not work due to when the skirt goes up you still see the line of the body. Let us worship God in confidence, knowing that we are covered as we dance and minister His heart to the people. “Spiritual Garments” The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 2:9 that we are a Chosen Race, a Royal Priesthood, a Holy Nation, a people for Gods own possession, that you may proclaim the excellences of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light, just as there is a physical garment there is a spiritual one too. In Ephesians 6:11-12, Apostle Paul speaks of our priestly garments in another sense, this time not so festive as a wedding feast or a royal ball but rather he refers to our garments as being heavenly armor! The pieces of our armor are found in verses 15-17, Belt of truth, Breastplate of righteousness, Shoes that spread the Gospel, Shield of faith, Helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit. It is very important that we put on the full armor of God daily whether we are ministering at that moment or not, I have had to pray this prayer many times since coming into the dance ministry and I can tell you from personal experience that this word works and is powerful when you pray it out loud! Let us allow Gods word to come forth in its mighty power and uproot and demolish the enemy and his petty schemes that comes against us as dance ministers!
In ending, we have learned that God requires us to be specific in what we wear when we minister before His throne, we must take the time and pray, asking for Holy Spirits leading of what we should wear. We must remember that we are a “Royal Priesthood” and “A Holy Nation” called to be true worshipers and ministers unto the Most High. Let us dress ourselves as the bible commands and instructs, for in the last days we represent a Holy, True and Pure God. We are a direct representation of Gods kingdom and we should never grieve Holy Spirit by dressing in any way that is disrespectful of His word! If you think about it, We may be the very catalyst that turns some of the hardest hearts back to the Lord that no one else can. I have had so many people come up to me and tell me that they have always thought of dance as the world sees it, but there entire thought pattern was changed after witnessing the glory and love of God shine through the smiles on our faces and not from the inappropriate lines of our body. We have an awesome opportunity to show the world that dancing for the Lord is fun, awesome and powerful, let us allow God to come into our hearts and lives and mature us into lovesick warriors............let us be a Holy dancing generation, fit for the Masters use. Garments of Praise - Monita Wong Dance Fashion Warehouse - www.dfwga.com - they accepted my request. They will add our link and we will add their link.
Christian Dance Boutique and More - www.christiandanceboutique.com
Truly Anointed Scarves and Praise Dance Attire - www.trulyanointedscarves.com
Garments of Praise - Kati Wintercorn
As I begin this paper about garments of praise and worship I am excited because my spirit knows how wonderful the fabrics, colors, patterns, and stitching are in each and every piece of clothing that we as priests who dance for Almighty God wear. Clothing is one of the finest distinctions between cultures, classes, and peoples of the entire planet earth. God gave us the colors and materials and then also gave us instructions. HE even talks about our raiment being that of His Son Jesus Christ as our finest clothing. And as I began my research on just what I wanted to talk about I was inundated with wonderful knowledge right out of our scripture. I hope to summarize my findings and excite you as I share just exactly what our Garments of Praise means to me. Why bother considering what to wear when dancing for Almighty God? For those of us called by the name of Jesus Christ we are priests and kings and God’s Word talks about priestly and kingly garments. As with everything in the Bible they speak of characteristics of God and point to His son Jesus Christ. In Exodus chapter 28 God named Aaron as High Priest and gave instructions concerning his garments. God called them holy garments for glory and beauty. Aaron typifies our High Priest, Jesus Christ and glory and beauty belong to Him. They were to give Aaron dignity and grandeur (Exodus 28:2). This was most essential since the appearance of the high priest was to convey the beauty and authority that belonged to God himself. Each piece obviously had, in addition to the decorative purpose, a functional role. The breeches, for example, were for the sake of modesty (Exodus 28:42), and the breastplate served as a pouch to contain the Urim and Thummim which represented light and complete truth or perfection. It is interesting that God gave specific materials and colors for these garments and that there were layers. Each layer had a specific purpose and each color represented something. Linens, pomegranates and bells represented purity, fruitfulness, and testimony. Blue, purple, gold, scarlet and white represent Christ’s divinity, royalty, heavenly seat, sacrificial work, and righteousness. In Ephesians 6 we are called to put on the whole armor of God which not coincidentally seems to match much of the high priests garments. For example the priest was to wear a sash about his loins – the new covenant belt of truth and our breastplate of righteousness is no longer tied to the twelve tribes as was the priests’ breastplate because of what Jesus has done. Garments are talked about numerous times in scripture to include but not limited to putting on the garment of praise for heaviness, the white raiment worn by God himself, the bride’s pure white linen representing the righteousness of the saints thru Christ. One could write a complete dissertation after hours and hours of research on garments, colors, materials and so forth in scripture. As Christians we are priests, as dancers we are priests who minister thru movement. Our garments are a visual representation that must reflect all that God laid out in scripture. In searching for or making my garments I look for materials that flow, are the color representing what the Holy Spirit has given me for the specific dance, and will meet the criteria set forth in scripture and by Pastor Lynn Hayden in her book Team Terrificus. Modesty, purity, and enhancement of God’s glory and honor. I have looked into several sites and recommend them for their understanding of garments, their love of the Lord, and what appears to be the quality and pricing of their products. Some have asked me if I would go into business of making garments but I do not see it as my calling. I bless those that do and ask you to look at their websites.
Garments of Praise - By Lisa Benton God is holy and He calls us to be holy inside and out. To put on a garment of praise we start with clothing ourselves in righteousness. On top of our salvation and under the covering of the blood we daily need to put on the armor of God. For the dancer it means wearing a firm foundation of supportive and reinforcing undergarments, from underwear to dance tights, leotard, unitard, and other dance wear. Taking into account the temperature and lighting of the spaces in which you minister, you will need to add to the supporting foundation accordingly to remain modest. Whenever you’re uncertain about what to wear, err on the side of longer and higher sleeves, leggings and collars since the focus is edifying God and featuring His dance and not his dancer. On top of the firm foundation the garments of praise just as choreography can be divinely inspired and imparted. As you recall the magnificence of heaven with the streets of gold and all the brilliantly colored precious gems that are the buildings, foundations and city gates (Rev 21:18-21) that are the setting for the heavenly theater in which we will be praising God for the rest of our days, or recall watching the unfading brilliance of the last sunset or sunrise of God’s masterpiece of creation, you know that color spectrum in the starter palette that God as our Master painter and illustrator has set before here on earth. Thus, every color is ours to freely use for praise garments. Whether it is the purple to blue end of the spectrum that signifies majesty, royalty, divinity, the Holy Spirit and the breath of Heaven, to the green and yellow-gold colors that convey God’s instructions for growing, living in the mercies and abundance of the new life in Christ, or the powers and the promises of God on the red-orange end of the spectrum that come as we die to sin and come through fire, tests and trials are delivered and refined to reflect the Christ himself, God’s artistry is at work in and through us. Our charge as a God’s paint brushes are to apply each of the colors for dance garments and props to represent, interpret, and manifest the travails and triumphs throughout scripture. From Genesis when God first clothed Adam and Eve with animal skins to the elders in white robes with gold crown sitting around the throne (Rev 4:4) and the multitude praising wearing white robes waving palm branches (Rev 7:9), the Bible gives guidance and examples for garments of praise. Even though white is the predominant and obvious choice described for garments because it symbolizes the light of creation in Genesis, angels, purity, glory, peace, joy, being His bride, the Lamb, and the Holy Spirit, so many other colors compliment the testimonies of praise in scripture. Beyond David dancing out of his clothes (2Sam 6:14) and the other literal descriptions of garments, by searching scripture for dance in context with the references and studies set forth in Dance, Dance, Dance and Processionals Props and Pageantry, we know that dance is rhythmic stirred-up motion, that occurred in just about every imaginable setting and situation of daily life, so dancing occurred everywhere. By extension, people danced wearing prison clothing and in shackles (Ps 146:7; Isa 58:6), wearing servants, housekeeping garments (Zeph 1:9), in construction gear (Ezra 3:10), in farm clothes (Deut 23:25), in church clothing (Jer 17:26), in garments of mourning, sack clothes and ashes (Ps 30:11, Ecc 3:4), in priestly garments (Ezra 3:10), in school uniforms (Ps 107:8), in clothes and uniforms of public service and government ( Prov 31:31, Prov 11:10, Ps 100:4), in military uniforms (Ps 18:29), in hospital and maternity gowns (Isa 54:1, Isa 26:17, Jer 4:19) and of course at weddings, celebrations (Lk 15:25) and marriage suppers. Ideas garments for praise when you’re growing a ministry can come easily with the assistance of an internet search as long as you leave enough lead time before ministering dances for placing orders and shipping. Discount Dance, Spiritual Expressions and Pia Praise Apparel in North Carolina have a good inventory. Praisedanceclassifieds and Christiandance are helpful websites to search, but use discernment since secular ads and banners are advertised. Also shopping locally at secular dancewear stores and checking vendor tables at dance events and concerts or even bridal shops sometimes yield useful and modest garment accessories. Since these options can be pricey, on occasion where you’re looking for similar-styled but not identical garments, and have been blessed with a seamstress for alterations, chain stores such as Wal Mart, Target, JCP, an outlet or factory store, and even the local consignment and thrift stores may be a clothing source. Shopping in boutique ethnic stores or even flea markets, you can find creative and beautifully made African, Indian, Central American or Hawaiian tops, pants or dresses that can be worn over foundational garments for praise dancing as well as get yards of unique and decoratively patterned raw fabrics such as silks, satins, cotton for sewing and to use as wraps, belts, and sashes. When a seamstress is not available, you can accomplish a lot with a pair of scissors, creative cutting, safety pins, decorative clips, fabric adhesive and a hot iron. Without a commercial pattern or until divine inspiration takes hold for garment ideas, by taking cues from the descriptions of clothing in scripture, you can start with creating trains, robes, veils, ephods, shawls, sashes, tassels, as well as accessories such as belts, helmets, sandals, crowns, and wings to wear. GARMENTS OF PRAISE! - by Carolyn Borba Where does this assignment begin? Dancing has always been in my feet, any music, anywhere, Any time., As a small child I used to dance on the top of persons feet that would allow me to stay long enough to go around the floor at least once. Growing older, larger and heavier the chances of that type of dance were not possible. Not to cause a sad feeling in this story, but important to know, my mother never could afford lessons of any kind so as the other girls were doing tap, ballet, jazz and marching in the band, I was watching them, going home and rehearsing so I would at least know all the moves and steps. Desiring the costumes was the most helpless feeling I remember. In high school I always wanted to Impersonate, Elvis, because I could find clothes that looked enough like him and I did not need to be a pretty dressed girl! Years passed and before I was old enough to enter a tavern I was able to pass through the doors as I always looked older than my age. The world I entered into was full of smoke & drinks ( I did not do either.) but what was there was a dance floor. If I had known the Lord then I believe I still would have said thank you to Him, because finally I could learn and do dances! There would be much more I could say: however enough to know how I love to dance. I really thought all dancing was part of drinking & smoking? I had never seen it done anywhere else. Aglow International came into my life and here was a new experience emerging. Ladies dancing all over the room to awesome music drawing me to the beat of the music, once I started I could hardly stop long enough to sit down for the spoken word of the conference. Some of the ladies, (found out later made dresses just to wear at those conferences.) I never did that it seemed a little over the top to me, That went on for years, whenever I could go to a conference I would, go so I could dance to the music, listen to powerful speakers. The last Aglow International conference held in Louisville, Ky , 2009 was when I began to be to desire to learn how to make flags, (so many people had their own, ) I thought I should have my own. So the quest began, I purchase material, too much to start with, then I could not figure out what kind of “ STICKS “to use,( that could cause a laugh.) But I was trying. I started looking on the internet for help, somebody help me make a flag??? Several web sites did have instructions on the size and shape, but I still am not that great at the sewing game, but I really worked at this challenge. The day I believe changed my life was not only had the flag instruction been found, but, “ The Dancing Feet “ above the flags, brought tears, my heart skipped a beat, I was literally filled with Joy! Who is that women? I just clicked on the photo and there was all the info was needed to know how to attend a conference. Why had this information never crossed my path all those years? An email was sent, attached was a heart filled; I want to come! That lady, Pastor Lynn, replied I feel your hearts cry, come join us. Today I am a second year student with Dancing For Him Ministries because the moment I saw the flash video of, “those dancing feet” at the top of her web site, I knew the Holy Spirit was drawing me to himself, The response to Him has been and continues to be an amazing journey! Searching for clothes to wear? What would be proper, perhaps a dancers outfit, my son is a dancer, he wears sweats, but that didn’t seem right. An outfit of white was suggested for the one day. Had that covered, then black, packed and ready to go. Why is all of this important if I am writing about garments? because I did not understand the meaning or of the purpose of the right garments. So the search started by acquiring items from everywhere, any store I entered the eyes were Looking, looking, for, I do not even really know, but the Holy Spirit would guide me to many items I believe would work, so I usually bought two of white & black tops, pants or over shirts. Long skirts & shorter ones to wear as layers, longer one under the shorter ones for fullness. On the top I used bathing suits cover ups same colors as the other items. It worked for a time. The more I study garments used for praise, the more my heart turned to understanding the purpose. So now in the beginning God created, the snake, the man, the woman, she listen to the snake, the man listen to the woman, we ultimately had to use fig leaves. We can live a life of sin that was established in that garden, (where God created man for a relationship with himself.) We choose with every step we take, with each decision we make, what we really believe about our, Creator. Do we worship Him with a pure heart of love, do we dress in a manner pleasing to Him? Why would it matter how we dress, talk, walk or dance? Not because of us, because of those who are watching, searching for a missing piece (peace) in there lives. Do we want the audience of the congregation, to walk away after a performance of worship dance, saying those were beautiful dresses or will they say, I experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit, my heart has been touched by the Truth of the Word spoken and the beauty of Worship!!! I want to know the Jesus you all serve!!!!! A trip through the Old Testament from Genesis to Revelation, we see how God has called us to Himself, He hears us when we call, He leans His ear to hear us pray for help, He collects our tears, He has numbered the hairs on our head, ( more on some than others.) If we do not Worship the rocks will cry out. I really struggled with this assignment and worked on it for several weeks. Not knowing much about such a search, with the pressure of time, (you wanting to be first and not have to keep looking because I was too late) so I not only searched the web, I physically stopped by unknown places as I drove somewhere just checking to see a sign,( I AM A SEAMSTRESS COME IN.) you may be laughing, but it is a true story. I have made a lot of friends by just stopping. A story later. What affects my garment choice more than anything is the Song or music that draws me to dance. I can see the garment before I find it. So my search is because I want to design what is worn, my sewing skills are very privative to say the least. Scripture could be written here showing that I know the Word of God. In the quite of the morning He shows me daily why, Worship is so important to Him. The statement has been said before but it keeps coming back to me. God wants a personal relationship with His children. When I worship Him the Intimacy is so real I feel as though I am touching His Hands, His Feet. I know I cannot see Spirit, but His presence can be so strong I imagine His beauty. That is why being beautifully dressed for Him, I want to be beautiful in His Eyes, I want to be pleasing to Him! The tears will not stop, so I must end this now Faces of Praise for His Glory, That all I want!!! that is still changing my life this very day as I am doing an assignment as a second year student. Garments are mention first in Genesis Chapter 3, 20 Adam & Eve needed to be covered because of sin, Very little regarding clothing is mentioned until, Joseph’s coat of many colors so we know God loves color. In creation the splendor of color was everywhere, color is always been pleasing to His Eye. With Aaron being a high priest, only the most beautiful garments were to be made. Special clothing, anointing oil, embroidered tunic, decorative sash, ( many worshipers are adorned with a sash.) The best of Gold & Silver, the placing the robe of the Ephod, the Ephod itself, attached the Ephod ad the Thummim inside it. The placement of the turban with the gold medallion dressed Aaron as the Lord has commanded him. Preparing for the Worship Dance can be in a small way a copy of the Lords instructions. Prepare yourself for me! In the research for garment sites it was very interesting to be drawn to the designers that produce what would be pleasing to the Lord in our choices. Ladi Di at Church Street Wear, has glorious garments that have beautiful color, designed with overlays of fabric to flow with the movement of dance. CSW.com. Our mission is to be pleasing to the Father, that is how Diane at Fit for the King, feels about the garments she puts her name on. Her gift is also design, simplicity, beauty while being Godly. Her business is the love of her life, she treasures her garments because they are Holy before Him. I am always looking for a person who can and will makeover a garment in order to have use of it with a different look or a smaller size (HA! HA! ) I would for sure call on JoAnn Rush or Frieda Cox, Christian Dance Boutique, here you will find an items pleasing to the eye, amazing colors, fabric, wings and they remake or refresh your old garments! “Happy Shopping Ladies.” When I consider a color of significance, it could be a holiday color for instance, let us take a trip to a fabric store it is Christmas. Do we always choose a red, green & gold? It was the birth of the Christ Child. What do we think about when a child is born? It is Easter in the process of designing a dance should we think pink or the blood of the Lamb? Seasons are by world standards would be summer, fall, winter, spring and the colors that we see in creations come to mind. Gods colors are all the colors of creation, He made all colors not (mother) what’s her name? Let us examine the Rainbow, 7 colors, the strongest longest wave length is Red. Looking at the seasons no real Red, except paint, crayons, roses, yet Red is a primary color from which it takes red plus some other color to make what? Oh! My the way Red is the color of the blood of the animal that was slain to make the garments for those first two you remember Mr Adam & Mrs Eve. Anyway, I always think about color because I love it so much. When I hear a song I see the color of a garment, as God, allows me to feel the music then the dance. So then I am on the hunt for the fabric to make the garment, but first the pattern, off to Jo-Ann’s for those $1 pattern sales, or sometimes they can be found at Hobby Lobby, I like that place those employees are off on Sundays for family worship. I have picked them up at yard sales, some people like me buy them only use the top of one pattern, like an apron top for the beginning of an overlay or one skirt out of another, then the may be .50 or .25. This is such a fun journey we are all on together. “Happy hunting.” Here are some wonderful garment sites that I researched: Fit For the King Sacred Arts Garments: www.freewebs.com/fitforthekinggarments/ Rejoice Dance Ministry: http://www.rejoicedanceministry.org/home.html Grant Designs Inc., Chicago, IL - http://www.geocities.com/grantdesigns1/kingdomgarments.html God Loves Flags - Kati Wintercorn I loved studying the 3rd Pillar of Leadership about Moses and God using what is common in our hand. The first thing that came to my mind was the flag. Part of my dancing background is using silk veils. When I decided not to dance in the world any longer I asked God how I could use the beautiful colored materials I loved so much in my praise to Him. He gave me the idea of sewing material on a wooden dowel. Now I know flags are common and this was not a new idea but it was stupendously new to me. Anyhow, I thought, “How wonderful! I can just raise this stick up with flowing material on it and use it as an extension of my arm in worship of my wonderful God.” I had never taken any kind of flag class so I just stood in front of the mirror and played with the flags I had made for myself. Little did I know that my love for the Lord and lack of knowledge would be just the common thing in my hand that Father God would anoint. So much anointing fell that I would be banished to the back of the room in churches afraid of such things. I still did not understand the Lord’s use for the flags. I just knew my worship of Him was true and pure. Then one day God began to show me and teach me. He brought words of encouragement from strangers, pastors at churches I’d visit, and finally thru Dancing for Him and other sources I discovered that it is part of the anointing on my life. I am always so blessed when people tell me things like, “When you passed over me with that flag I felt the peace of God fall on me so strong.” It is not I but my common thing I laid down and God has restored unto me for His glory. I have always loved color! I remember once years ago I considered becoming Amish. My dearest friend in the world laughed at me saying she understood the idea of a much simpler life being appealing but she knew me too well. She said, “Kati, you will hate living without color.” As I have studied more about flags and banners I have totally enjoyed learning more about color. God loves color! I have known this for as long as I can remember. I used to say just look at His creation if you doubt it. It is so wonderful to find the Biblical support of such a statement. Other than Pastor Lynn’s wonderful book on Processionals, Props, & Pageantry I have found interesting sources for further study and for acquiring flags and banners. Several of the websites I visited have color significance charts with supporting scriptures. Here are just three of them - http://www.itsaboutworship.com/, http://www.wavesofworshipflagministry.com/, & http://silkhand.com/ - I have not purchased anything from any of them so please feel free to check them out. I also know materials are significant from my research for the Garments of Praise paper. For flags it is usually best to stick with fabrics that flow easily and move with the air such as silks, organza, tissue lame’, voile, tulle, pekin or any fabric you like that flows soft and light. Silk is a favorite and is usually easily painted for design. In studying color I also found that people tend to be drawn to certain colors. I also have noticed some people will be drawn to different colors as their life changes. For example, I went thru a phase a few years ago where I just loved almost every shade of yellow. Well yellow represents light, joy, counsel of God, awakening passion, and so forth. As I look back on that time in my life I can see that I was full of joy and seeking God’s awakening in my spirit. Now my favorite colors are still almost any shade of purple and green. They to me are the two perfect colors. As I research their meanings I am not surprised to find greens are healing, abundance, joy, hope, prosperity and purples mean rest, peace, intimacy, power, majesty, kingship, royalty. For I know Father God is bringing me into a place of knowing who I am in His son and that I can stay in peace and rest that all these things will be added unto me. So I will continue to dance for Almighty God, sometimes with flags and sometimes without as He leads me.
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