The Evolving Church and coming Paradigm Shift

When I was in the Navy I served as a Chaplain's Lay Leader on two ships, in the Vietnam delta, where I had a small private space for prayer and counseling and led religious worship services for all faiths, Jews, Catholics and Protestant.   Every day often at 2 or 3 am I would set up trappings of a chapel, and gather hundreds of warriors of all ilks and back rounds for volunteer worship with virtually everyone attending, wherein I would read scriptures, lead hymns, and pray with and for each prior to entering battle, some never returned , others were severely injured, and many used the crisis to begin their spiritual journey. Frequently I would meet with those whom wanted someone to listen, encourage and build on what faith God had given them a deposit of. This included warlocks, atheists, Christian, Jewish and of no leaning. (I also had a day job where I was responsible for all shipboard electronics maintenance, cryptographic, radar etc.) It was herein that I began to grow in respect and honor for each person's struggle to gain spiritual footing so as to pursue their path. Over my 69 years I was first introduced to Jesus by a Methodist Sunday Schoolteacher, Mrs. Duplessis at age 5 when she told me with love in her eyes and warmth in her voice  "Jesus loves you Harold" and have since worshiped, hung with and learned from Methodists, Baptists, Mennonites, Amish, Pentecostals, independent groups, Mormons,  Adventists, and more recently Quakers, of whom I have the utmost love and respect for and of all the traditions is the one I identify with today. But some will say that know me haven't you been help lead a movement away from traditional churches and in effect been against Church as it is generally practiced today?" It's easy to see why one might think that, but first let me put some things in context. I see the Church as one connected entity with many tribes forming all of the human race. I choose the Christian "tribe" because it's how I began to know God through the portal of Jesus Christ whom I consider my lord and savior, but that commits me to a radical headlong plunge into the depths of whom Jesus is and how he modeled and taught us to live. And for me from my vantage point the Church he built and is building today is much more inclusive, dynamic and alive then what our traditions allow for. In fact we "Make Void the Word of God" with our traditions. Now these traditions served a transitory generation well and I honor that, share that respect and am glad for their existence. But the Church has always been more of a transitional organism rather then an institution that needs endowments to survive. Life begets life, and as the church is being transformed through the renewal of it's collective mind new thinking, new forms and new paths will have to happen. I am about that company of disciples of truth that is clearing and building new paths for the next generation. And these paths are cleared from the brush and distractions associated with politics, gender discrimination, social issues related to sexual identity, and capitalistic greed and power. The paths we are forging today are pointing towards a culture that Jesus envisioned that consists of no judgement, pure service to helping "the least among us".  Participating in an evolving spirituality that could fulfill Jesus prayer--from John-

21that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.

I love the Church, all shapes all sizes. the historic church, the modern church with various sizes shapes and modalities, but because I am part of this living loving organism I know as we progress through transformation we must see tnew things , forms, ideas develop in order to become more effective then we currently are in bein an incarnational reflection of the Christ Spirit here on earth.   To do less is to just "rest in peace".