What Story Will We Tell About This Heat?
A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble
“The present is not a time for desperation but for hopeful activity.” — Thomas Berry, The Great Work
July was the hottest month ever recorded in the contiguous United States. The average temperature hit 76.89 degrees Fahrenheit, beating the previous record from the Dust Bowl in 1936. Even more surprising, nighttime temperatures broke their old record by a bigger gap. The hours that used to bring relief from the heat are getting warmer too.1
We could treat this as just another climate statistic. We have gotten used to doing that. A record is set, a wildfire spreads, a glacier retreats and an island is flooded. We read the headline, experience a sudden surge of concern, and then carry on with our day since the groceries have to be bought, meetings have to be attended and the dog needs walking.
People can’t stay in a constant state of emergency. Sooner or later, our minds protect us from it. But we can choose to see this news differently.
We can ask ourselves what story this news is telling. For the majority of history, people have understood themselves in terms of the stories relating to their connection with the living world. The Hebrew scriptures begin with a garden. In indigenous traditions all over the world, humans are seen as relatives in a wider community of life. Buddhism holds that all things are connected and that nothing exists by itself. In Islam the natural world is filled with ayat, or signs of the Divine. Our ancestors when looking at rivers, animals, the seasons, mountains, storms, and stars realized that they were part of a story greater than themselves.
Modern industrial culture had a completely different account. It taught us to view the Earth primarily as a source of raw material. We converted forests into timber, mountains became mineral sources, rivers turned into water rights, animals were included in the inventory, the soil was treated as property, and oil which had been under the ground for millions of years was turned into fuel that could be drawn out and burned almost instantly. And people became consumers.
That story brought about great wealth, medicine, mobility, and technology as well as comfort. At the same time, however, it caused more heat-trapping gases to build up in our atmosphere and resulted in climate change occurring at a rate faster than people have ever before seen.
The heat in July is part of that story. The planet’s temperature isn’t just a scientific number. It also shows the story of our relationship with the Earth. It tells us something about the way we have lived.
Cultural historian, Thomas Berry, spent his life saying that people need a new story that places us back within the living Earth. He wrote, “the human is neither an addendum nor an intrusion into the universe. We are quintessentially integral with the universe.”2
This means climate change isn’t just happening somewhere else or only to something called “the environment.” It is happening to all of us.
The heat that sweeps through our cities also moves through our lungs and blood. Warmer nights reach bedrooms where older people struggle to stay cool. Drought affects grocery prices. Warmer oceans affect fisheries and coral reefs. Climate change touches migration, insurance, farms, forests, hospitals, and families. We are part of this story. Now the question is, what kind of story will come next?
Maybe future generations will talk about a time when people knew what was happening but kept on extracting resources anyway. They might wonder about a civilization that could measure the temperature of faraway planets while upsetting the climate at home.
Or maybe they will tell a different story. Maybe they will talk about a generation that finally remembered it belonged to the Earth community. A generation that changed how it made energy, grew food, built cities, traveled, and measured success. A generation that brought back forests and wetlands, protected watersheds, listened to Indigenous wisdom again, and saw that restraint could be a kind of love. A generation that learned living within limits was not about going without, but about belonging.
Thomas Berry called this change the Great Work: moving from a time when people harmed the Earth to a time when we live in a way that helps both us and the planet’s living systems. He said, “The Great Work now, as we move into a new millennium, is to carry out the transition from a period of human devastation of the Earth to a period when humans would be present to the planet in a mutually beneficial manner.”3
That work has already begun. It happens whenever someone restores a prairie, puts up solar panels, protects a river, redesigns a city for shade, plants trees, changes a law, challenges a fossil-fuel company, teaches a child the names of birds, or simply starts to see the Earth not as scenery but as home.
July was extremely hot. This won’t be the last record we break. Scientists say extreme heat will become more common as greenhouse gases keep warming the planet, and heat waves in the United States have already about doubled since 1980. So our deeper task isn’t to wait until the numbers scare us enough. Fear fades quickly. Love lasts longer.
We need a story big enough to show us how to love the world we live in now: wounded, changing, beautiful, and still able to heal. And then we need to live as if that story is true.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
What story about humanity’s relationship with the Earth did you inherit, and how has that story changed over the course of your life?
Where do you experience yourself most clearly as a participant in the living world rather than as someone standing apart from it?
If future generations told the story of how we responded to this moment, what would you want them to say about the choices we made?
A Prayer for the Day
A Prayer For the Story We Are Becoming
Holy Mystery, You have been unfolding this story for billions of years. Before there were words for God, there were stars forming in darkness, oceans gathering upon the Earth, roots reaching into soil, and creatures learning to breathe. And somehow, impossibly, we are here. We confess that we have too often mistaken this gift for possession. We have taken without replenishing, consumed without considering, and lived as though the future belonged only to us. Teach us another way. Help us remember that the Earth is not beneath us, but around us and within us. Its waters move through our bodies. Its breath fills our lungs. Its flourishing and ours are inseparable. Give comfort to those already living with the consequences of a warming world, especially those who contributed least to creating this crisis. Give courage to scientists, activists, Indigenous leaders, farmers, organizers, policymakers, and ordinary people working to protect what can still be protected and restore what can still be restored. And give all of us the imagination to live into another story. May we become good ancestors. May those who come after us inherit evidence of our love. Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Learn the Name of Something
For generations, many of us have been taught to move through the natural world without really knowing it. We know the names of corporations, celebrities, politicians, and products, but we may not know the name of the tree growing outside our window.
So today, learn one name. Find a tree, bird, flower, insect, creek, mountain, or other living presence near your home that you cannot name. Spend a little time discovering what it is. Learn something about how it lives. Where does it come from? What does it need? What other lives depend upon it? What role does it play in the ecosystem you share?
Then go meet it again. This time, approach it by name.
There is a difference between walking past “a tree” and walking past an oak you have begun to know. There is a difference between hearing “a bird” and recognizing the call of a chickadee. Relationship begins with attention, and attention slowly transforms what once appeared to be background into community.
You don’t need to save the planet today. That language may itself reveal something about our old story, as though humanity stands outside the Earth with the power to rescue it.
Instead, practice belonging to it. Learn one name. Pay attention to one life. Allow yourself to become curious about one small corner of the astonishing community that has been holding you all along.
Perhaps this is one way the new story begins: not with humanity heroically saving the Earth, but with humanity finally remembering that we belong here, too, and learning how to behave like good relatives.
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.
August 11 - 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 20, 2026, 7-8:45pm ET - I will be joining Jackie Sussman for an online session on practicing eidetics as a part of our “Reclaiming the Power of Imagination” monthly series. Eidetic Imagery is a powerful tool for pastors, denominational leaders, coaches, and spiritual directors working with others, and for individuals seeking deeper integration and healing in their own lives. Jackie is a psychotherapist, author, and leading expert in Eidetic Image Psychology, and has spent over forty years helping leaders and individuals unlock creativity, uncover hidden strengths, and move through limiting patterns. During this session, she will lead a live Eidetic process shaped by mythic imagery, offering a direct experience of the work. 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.
September 14, 7-8:30pm ET ONLINE EVENT - I’m delighted to share that Dr. Margaret Wheatley is releasing a newly updated edition of her beloved book Perseverance: A Companion for the Journey this October. Written for those committed to serving the world with compassion in difficult times, the book offers daily wisdom and practical guidance for navigating grief, anger, exhaustion, and uncertainty while remaining rooted in love, courage, and presence. Meg and I will be in conversation to explore what perseverance looks like in this moment of history and how we can sustain ourselves for the long work ahead. I hope you’ll join us for what promises to be a deeply meaningful conversation. 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.
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.
My dear friend and Buddhist teacher, Isa Gucciardi PhD, leads this amazing center call The Foundation of the Sacred Stream. On August 13 from 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm Pacific (8:30 pm – 10:00 pm Eastern), they will be hosting an online event called “Compassion for the Modern Heart with Geshe Gedun Samdup.” In a world that moves quickly and often feels fragmented, compassion is not a luxury—it is a vital practice for staying present, connected, and resilient. This class offers a grounded and accessible exploration of compassion through the lens of Tibetan Buddhism’s three distinct forms of compassion: compassion for all beings, compassion for conditioned phenomena, and objectless compassion. Together, these teachings provide a practical and deeply nourishing framework for meeting the complexities of modern life with clarity and care. LEARN MORE HERE.
I’m delighted to celebrate the upcoming release of Wisdom Church: Abundant Life for Aging Congregations by my colleague, Rev. Dr. Anna Hall. Rather than seeing aging congregations as communities in decline, Anna invites us to recognize them as communities rich with wisdom, purpose, and possibility. Her book offers a hopeful vision for moving beyond anxiety about the future and embracing the unique gifts of older adults as beloved children of God. If your congregation is navigating these questions, this is a resource well worth reading. You can preorder the Kindle edition now, with delivery on August 17: https://www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Church-Abundant-Aging-Congregations-ebook/dp/B0HBXGYTWC
Every Monday, 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.
If you are a leader or member of a congregation looking for consulting support in visioning, planning, hiring or staffing, please consider Convergence.
Thomas Berry, “The Earth Story,” in The Great Work: Our Way into the Future (New York: Bell Tower, 1999), p. 32.
Thomas Berry, “The Great Work,” in The Great Work: Our Way into the Future (New York: Bell Tower, 1999), p. 3.