Be.

This morning I went to church with Kevin and Lisa. They're Episcopal. I'd never been to an Episcopal service before, and was quite interested to check it out. I do have a great interest in different religions, and especially in different areas of Christianity. It's amazing to me how many different denominations there are within the Christian faith.

So now I have a lot of Googling to do! So many questions! When did the Episcopals split off from Catholicism? Why did they? How are the two different? I noticed that there were no icons, and I know Episcopals don't see Mary in the same light at the Catholics. I also learned that the Episcopal church in the last year or so put a gay male in a high position of authority, which caused many "believers" to leave the church. I want to look more into that. And I want to learn about the seven sacraments. There was a baptism at this morning's service, so that was interesting to see. Sweet baby!!! His name is Samuel Aiden Barefoot. Sweet, huh?

The priest said one thing that popped out at me. He said, "Don't just do. Be." There are so many times when we just go through the motions. Even in my 21-Day Challenge, I know it's going to be something I'll need focus on. Don't just do this challenge. Be it. Experience it. Don't do it just for the doing. Enjoy life for the enjoyment. Don't just enjoy it in order to say you completed the challenge!

I also noticed that everyone in the south seems to dress up for church still. In Chicago and Effingham, I've seen that it's much more casual these days, the dress for church. But these people are still wearing their "Sunday best". Love it. I see the advantages to making church more comfortable, casual, and part of life. But I do like the way of spending extra time to look nice at church. Makes it more of a special occasion. 6 of one, half dozen of the other, huh? =)