When Leadership Fails, Communities Must Rise
A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble
“Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed.” — Isaiah 10:1-2
It’s hard to believe it’s only been a month. In just a few short weeks, we’ve watched the Trump Administration tear through the fabric of democratic governance with reckless speed—mass firings, chaotic rehirings,1 executive orders that bypass Congress, and blatant attacks on vulnerable communities. Now, we are watching the administration abandon the international rules-based order that we fought so hard to establish in WWII by aligning with the interests of Russia.2 We are being told that billions of dollars have been recovered from wasteful spending, though DOGE has offered no solid evidence to prove such claims.3 The lies just keep coming, as if repetition alone could make them true.
I don’t know about you, but it’s exhausting. It’s enraging. It’s heartbreaking. And it’s easy to feel like nothing we do will matter against the scale of dysfunction we’re witnessing.
While I don’t think we have ever seen the level of contempt for democratic values we see now, I do recognize that history is filled with moments when leaders broke the social contract, wielding power like a weapon instead of a responsibility. And every time, the antidote has been the same: ordinary people stepping up, choosing connection over chaos, truth over convenience, and courage over complacency.
The chemist Ilya Prigogine introduced a concept that has stuck with me lately. He studied how complex systems behave under stress and found that when chaos increases, small pockets of order—what he called “islands of coherence”—can stabilize the whole system.4 These islands don’t have to be big or powerful. They just need to hold steady, like anchor points in a storm, until the chaos burns itself out and new patterns can emerge.
That’s what we need now—those pockets of coherence. A congregation organizing a mutual aid fund5 for laid-off workers. Neighbors forming community defense networks.6 Teachers creating safe, honest spaces for students amid book bans and curriculum censorship. Communities protecting their LGBT+ citizens. Even a circle of friends committing to honest, thoughtful conversations in a time of spin and propaganda.
Jesus modeled this kind of leadership long before Prigogine gave it a name. He didn’t overthrow Rome. He gathered a small, resilient community, teaching them how to love fiercely, resist injustice nonviolently, and care for the least among them. That’s how transformation always starts—not from the top down, but from the ground up.
So when the news feels overwhelming, ask yourself: Where can I create an island of coherence today? Where can I show up with love, clarity, and courage?
No single act will fix everything. But every act—every protest, every meal shared, every truth spoken in love—pushes back against the chaos. And if enough of us hold steady, those small islands might just become the foundation of something new.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
Where do you see “islands of coherence” forming in your community right now
How can you contribute—through time, resources, or simply showing up?
What fears hold you back from speaking out, and how might you move through them?
A Prayer for the Day
A Steady Heart in Unsteady Times
God of Truth and Justice,
When the world feels like it’s unraveling,
Steady my heart.
When leaders fail us,
Help me find my people.
When lies abound,
Make me a lover of truth.
Let me be an island of coherence—
A place where love holds,
Justice rises,
And no one stands alone.
Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Build Your Island—Inside and Out
Resist the temptation to isolate in the face of chaos. Reach out. Join a local organizing effort, check in with a neighbor, or start a conversation with someone feeling just as overwhelmed as you are. Small, consistent actions—rooted in love and clarity—are how we build the resilience we’ll need for the long haul. Notice how connection restores your hope and how even the smallest act of solidarity pushes back against despair.
But we also need to attend to our inner practice. Each morning, try this simple embodiment exercise:
Plant Your Feet: Sit or stand with your feet firmly on the ground. Close your eyes if it feels safe to do so.
Breathe with Intention: Take five slow, deep breaths. With each inhale, imagine drawing strength from the earth beneath you. With each exhale, release tension, fear, and overwhelm.
Hold Your Center: As you breathe, repeat quietly to yourself: “I am steady. I am clear. I am not alone.” Let this mantra anchor you, reminding you that resilience begins within.
Envision Your Island: Picture the community you’re building—whether it’s your family, your congregation, or your neighborhood. See it as an island of coherence, a place where compassion thrives and fear loses its grip.
End the day by asking: Where did I create connection today? How did I contribute to clarity instead of confusion? Write down one moment—no matter how small—when you acted as an “island of coherence” in someone else’s life.
In times of chaos, it’s easy to feel powerless. But this practice reminds us that strength comes not from control, but from presence. Inner steadiness fuels outer action. Together, they form the foundation for real, lasting change.
Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…
February 27, 2025, 12-1:30pm - Margaret Wheatley and I are offering a 4 or 8-session course called “Are We Made for These Times?” If you know Meg’s work, it’s going to be extraordinary. If you want the deep dive, the 8-session course is for you. You can read about the shorter 4-session course here. Scholarships are available. I sooooo hope you can be a part of this!
March 4, 11, 18, 25 2025, 7-8:30pm - Dr. Matthew Fox and I are scheming a Lenten series that we are calling “From Darkness to Dawn: Spiritual Courage and Political Action in the Age of MAGA.” Modern mystic, Mirabai Starr, will be our guest on March 4! Andrew Harvey on March 11! The amazing Bishop Yvette Flunder on March 18! Father Adam Bucko on March 25! REGISTER HERE!
March 4, 2025, 12pm ET - Rev. Damien Lake and I are collaborating on hosting a cohort for new congregation developers that will meet monthly. Ecumenical. Interfaith. Free. Join us.
April 1, 2025 - Rabbi Benjamin Ross and I are collaborating on a new leadership program called “All Together Now: A Collaborative Cohort for Jewish Congregational Leadership Teams.” You can read about the program here.
July 20-25, 2025 - The Art of Wilding: A 5-Day Expedition in Wyoming for Women Leaders. Click here to learn more. Only one spot left!
August 11, 2025, 2pm ET - Dr. Andrew Root and I will be hosting a 6 part series on Spirituality in the Secular Age based on his research. The dates are August 11, 18, September 8, 15, and October 6, 13. Mark your calendars! More on this soon.
September 4, 4:30pm ET - I will be collaborating with the Anderson Forum for Progressive Theology to host a conversation with Thomas Jay Oord on Open and Relational theology. It’s a FREE event. Register here.
October 15-18, 2025 - Converging 2025: Sing Truth Conference (all musicians invited!) at Northwest Christian Church in Columbus, OH. Register here!
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.
https://apnews.com/article/nuclear-doge-firings-trump-federal-916e6819104f04f44c345b7dde4904d5
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-putin-trump-zelenskyy-f334a0922cecf08b4c78de75aca6d9ea
https://apnews.com/article/trump-downsizing-federal-workers-doge-00683abc4de44a151f26aaa6cb0d0f30
https://www.garrisoninstitute.org/islands-of-coherence/
Here is a great overview of how to get started building mutual aid networks: https://afsc.org/news/how-create-mutual-aid-network. Here is a deeper dive with a very helpful toolkit: http://theselc.org/mutual_aid_toolkit
https://www.powershift.org/sites/default/files/resources/files/CDZ%20Starter%20Guide_ENG%20021017.pdf
Hi Cameron I really appreciate the concept of "islands of coherence" and the questions you ask. My work with the church, my prayers with my colleagues, and my new practice of watercolor painting which is helping me see differently has all provided a "safe shore" for me in chaotic waters. I also recommend to you the work of Debra Rienstrea who has written about the concept of "refugia" in both a biological sense (the pocket of grass and seeds that survives a volcanic explosion and brings life back to the land) and in the spiritual sense (churches that offer respite, new life, hope, safety in explosive times). https://debrarienstra.com/refugia-faith/
Yes to all of this. Your questions for all of us are so important. I am facilitating and/or involved with several sustained caring conversations around living into this rapid, anthropogenic extinction event with love, compassion, purpose, and joy. We are a part of an ongoing creation process. We have been invited to be co-creators even though we have mortally wounded Mother Earth, who is the very living body of God. We are not invited to be in control or to be in charge.
We are invited to co- create with humility and tender empathy for the whole beloved community of life. This is the way.
We must remember that the island of coherence within which we live and move and have our being is the living biosphere of earth, and the larger body of the universe.
If we do not recognize the very body of the risen Christ in every handful of soil, we do not yet know Jesus Christ at all. Let us not continue to crucify humanity and Mother Earth upon the Cross of Iron. Resurrection comes from absolute commitment and absolute vulnerability as we live into this time of great disruption.
Many little arks of sanity in the storm may bring many miracles….