Don't Let Them Steal Your Trust

A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble

Jul 17, 2026

“Do not believe that truth and love are destined to lose against lies and hatred.” — Václav Havel

red and blue building illustration — Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

Last night, the US President spoke to the nation. Something unusual happened: several major news organizations decided not to air the speech live. They expected claims about our elections that needed careful fact-checking before being broadcast.

It was a remarkable moment. Journalists have often disagreed with presidents, and disagreement is part of any democracy. But last night stood out because it showed that one of our oldest public institutions no longer assumes others can be trusted with the truth.

We often take trust for granted until it starts to fade. We trust a bridge will hold us, that our tap water is safe, that drivers stop at red lights, that doctors follow evidence, and that judges follow the law. In every healthy democracy, constitutional monarchy, or republic, we trust that elections belong to the people, not just those in power for a time.

This kind of trust is not naïve. It is one of the greatest achievements of civilization.

Today, we see that trust being tested in serious ways. Even before voting begins, we hear claims that the next election cannot be trusted. There are proposals that could make voting harder for many eligible people. Institutions meant to protect election integrity are being weakened, and loyalty is starting to matter more than skill. Each of these changes alone may not decide our future, but together they make us question what kind of society we are becoming.

The Jewish tradition speaks of brit, or covenant. A covenant is not the same as a contract. A contract protects my own interests, but a covenant asks me to care for something bigger than myself. It reminds us that our lives are connected.

Maybe democracy is best seen not just as a political system, but as a civic covenant. It is a shared promise that every voice matters, that no leader owns the future, and that power must answer to the people who give it.

Howard Thurman once wrote, “There is something in every one of you that waits and listens for the sound of the genuine in yourself.”

I wonder if societies also have something like that.

Maybe beneath all the noise and distraction, there is still something real in us that recognizes fairness. We know that excluding others does not create belonging, and that fear is not a good guide for the future.

Recent surveys show that more people are starting to listen to these deeper instincts. It is not about political parties, but about realizing that cruelty eventually harms any society that allows it. There is a wisdom, older than any ideology, that still lives in everyday people.

Our hope is not for one side to finally defeat the other.

Our hope is that enough people remember the covenant.

The future of free societies will not be decided just in courtrooms or at campaign rallies. It will be shaped by millions of everyday acts of honesty. Each time we refuse to repeat something false, check facts before sharing, protect someone’s dignity instead of using their fear, and remember that our neighbor is not our enemy, we help shape that future.

This is how we repair a covenant.

And maybe that has always been sacred work.

We are in this together,

Cameron

Reflection Questions

Where do you see trust being strengthened in your own community? Where do you see it being quietly eroded?
What practices help you distinguish truth from fear, especially when public voices compete for your attention?
How are you being called to become someone others can trust—with your words, your actions, and your presence?

A Prayer for the Day

A Prayer For the Things That Hold Us Together

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Holy One,

You have always woven life through relationship.

You teach rivers to trust the pull of the sea,
trees to trust the turning of the seasons,
and birds to trust the unseen currents of the wind.

Teach us again to trust what gives life.

When fear tempts us to retreat into suspicion,
make us courageous.

When lies promise easy certainty,
make us truthful.

When power seeks to divide neighbor from neighbor,
remind us that our lives are bound together
more deeply than politics,
more deeply than ideology,
more deeply than fear.

May we become people
whose words can be trusted,
whose promises can be believed,
whose lives make room
for justice,
for mercy,
and for one another.

Amen.

Spiritual Practice

Become Someone Others Can Trust

The health of a society is built long before Election Day. Today, choose one simple way to become more trustworthy.

If you discover you’ve shared something inaccurate, correct it.
If you’ve made a promise you’ve neglected, keep it.
If someone confides in you, honor their trust.
If you disagree with someone, refuse to caricature their position.

Practice the quiet disciplines that make community possible.

Then, before you go to bed tonight, ask yourself one question: “Did my presence make trust more possible today?”

Democracies are repaired the same way friendships are repaired.

One honest conversation.
One kept promise.
One courageous act of truth.
One neighbor at a time.

Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…

My team and I launched a new experiment we are calling “The Commons.” It’s an online space centered around communities of practice: groups of people who share a common concern, set of problems, or passion for a topic, and deepen their knowledge and expertise by interacting on an ongoing basis. Join the community here.

July 28 - September 1, 2026, 12:30-1:30pmET - Book Club in The Commons - FREE - We are reading our next book, “I Eat The Stars” by Sarah Wilson. We will meet each Tuesday for 6 weeks. It’s such great fun. I hope you will be a part. All are welcome! RSVP HERE.

August 6, 2026, 7-8pm ET - FREE EVENT - Join me in conversation with Rev. Natalia Terfa about her new book, “It All Counts: Finding God Beyond the Boundaries.” What if the moments you’ve been taught don’t “count” spiritually are actually where God is waiting to be found? Many of us were handed a version of faith that divided life into sacred and secular, holy and ordinary, faithful and doubtful. But what if those boundaries were never real? Whether you’ve left church, stayed in it, or find yourself somewhere in between, this conversation will offer fresh language for a faith that is expansive, embodied, and deeply human. REGISTER HERE.

September 8, 2026, 7-9pm ET, ONLINE EVENT - I’ll be hosting a powerful online gathering on The Black Madonna: Sacred Wisdom for a World in Crisis with Matthew Fox, Alessandra Belloni, and Christena Cleveland. We will explore the Black Madonna as a symbol of resilience, liberation, sacred feminine wisdom, and healing in a fractured world through conversation, story, music, and spiritual reflection. If you feel drawn toward a deeper encounter with the Divine Feminine and the ancient traditions that continue to nourish movements for justice and wholeness, I hope you’ll join us. Learn more and REGISTER HERE.

October 6, 2026 - 7-8:30pm ET, ONLINE EVENT - Matthew Fox and I are teaming up again to launch a series called Journeying with the Mystics. The mystics have always emerged in times of uncertainty. They appear when old certainties are crumbling, when institutions no longer provide easy answers, and when people find themselves longing for a deeper experience of the Sacred. Join us for an 18-session exploration of the teachings of St. John of the Cross, Thomas Merton, Hildegard of Bingen, Kabir and Rumi, Meister Eckhart and more. This is more than a lecture series. It is an invitation into a living spiritual journey. REGISTRATION COMING SOON!

October 18-21, 2026 - PREACH! 2026 Conference- I’ll be co-hosting PREACH in Minneapolis with Church Anew, a new gathering for preachers, storytellers, worship leaders, and spiritual communicators navigating what it means to speak with clarity, compassion, and courage in a changing world. If you’ve sensed that the preaching moment has changed and are longing for thoughtful community and renewed imagination for this work, I hope you’ll join us.

I drafted a Strategic Framework for Congregations as we move into the coming years of increased authoritarianism around the world. If interested, you can download it here.

Fun Things My Friends Are Up To…

I get to work with such amazing, creative people. This section is my way of celebrating them—no paid promotions, just joy in what they’re creating.

Dr. Timothy Snyder, the author of On Tyranny, has publicly released the first lecture of a ten-lecture course he taught at the University of Toronto this past year. The course is called “Hitler and Stalin Today.” He is offering this as a public resource for students, researchers, and anyone interested in understanding the relationship between history and contemporary democracy. Follow his posts here or watch on YouTube.

July 23, 2026, 2-3:00pm ET, Join Rev. Lisa Bryant for a six-session community of practice called “Imagining God with Julian of Norwich” inspired by Julian of Norwich’s The Showings, in Mirabai Starr’s vivid and accessible translation. Together, we will encounter Julian’s remarkable vision of divine love and explore what her wisdom might awaken in our own lives, spiritual practices, and understanding of God. You can learn more and sign up here.

July 29, 2026, 12pm ET - ONLINE WRITING GROUP - My dear friend, Meryl Marshall-Daniels, is leading a writing group open to all. This is a simple and spacious writing circle for people who want time to listen inwardly and put words on the page without overthinking, performing, or polishing. Meryl offers a prompt designed to invite reflection, imagination, and attunement to what is already alive within you. The practice honors writing as a way of listening, of letting images, memories, questions, and insights surface in their own time. Learn more here.

My friends over at Spiritual Wanderlust have some of the coolest classes. One I am particularly drawn to is their Celtic Spirituality School where you get to learn from people like John Philip Newell, Ilia Delio, Carl McColman, Sharon Blackie, and more. Read more about their program.

If you are a leader or member of a congregation looking for consulting support in visioning, planning, hiring or staffing, please consider Convergence.