Tag: social justice

Civil Disobedience and Conscience: A Modern Reflection

I step out onto my little back porch – the dusk settling over the trees, the hush before voices rise. On this threshold between inside and out, I’m drawn to a stirring in my spirit. I remember a 19th-century man from Concord, MA who dared to question law and power. He did this by refusing to pay unjust taxes. His name was Henry David Thoreau. Henry was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading transcendentalist, he is best known for his book Walden. It is a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings. He is also renowned for his essay “Civil Disobedience,” which argues in favor of citizen disobedience against an unjust state.

Thoreau believed that “that government is best which governs least.” He also thought that “that government which governs not at all” would eventually be true. He argued for the primacy of conscience over blind obedience. He saw that participating in injustice even by compliance has the ability to corrupt the soul. Thus, he refused to pay a poll tax that funded a government complicit in slavery and aggressive war.

Many will gather this year on October 18, 2025 for No Kings Day. This day is a modern echo of Thoreau’s conviction that true freedom requires accountability. The movement asserts that power does not belong to monarchs or unchecked rulers. Power belongs to the people who live by conscience and community.

On my porch, I sense the same quiet courage Thoreau once wrote about. It is the kind that begins not in crowds or slogans. It begins in silence. Resistance often starts with stillness. It is a whispered prayer. It is a question that refuses to be silenced. It is a heart that chooses what is right even when it is not easy.

✦ Then and Now, Side by Side

Aspect	Thoreau’s Time	Our Time
Injustice	Slavery, unjust wars	Civil rights, truth, equality
Conscience	One man in jail for refusing injustice	Many voices rising for justice
Courage	Moral resistance	Peaceful action
Spiritual focus	Integrity and truth before God	Faith and justice intertwined

Sit quietly tonight. Let the air around you settle.
Ask yourself: What authority shapes my choices? Where must I resist?
Pray for courage — not anger, but steady conviction.
Listen for the voice that calls you to act with peace, not pride.
Choose one small act that reflects integrity: a letter, a donation, a conversation, a prayer.

🕊️ A Prayer for Courage and Conscience

O God of justice and mercy,
Let our voices, our breath, our small steps be part of Your work.
Grant us the courage to stand when power grows unjust. Help us to resist with love, not hatred. We will yield our conscience to You alone.
May we walk in freedom, grounded in truth and guided by peace.
Amen.

As we stand for justice and conscience, may we also stand for safety and peace. Civil disobedience, in its truest form, is never about destruction – it’s about devotion to what is right and human. When we act, may we do so with wisdom, empathy, and restraint. We should remember that the little eyes watching us learn from how we respond to the world.

Our children will one day inherit the society we shape today. Let them see that courage can be kind. Let them see that conviction can coexist with compassion.

Porch Question:

How can your quiet courage become the light your children see and remember?

10/16/2025

Finding Peace in Uncertain Times

It’s no secret that life in America feels unsettled right now. The news is heavy, conversations can quickly become divided, and many of us carry quiet worries about the future. It’s hard not to feel the tension.

Even in seasons like this, there are places of steadiness we can return to. These include kindness, listening, and the simple act of being present with one another. These aren’t small things. They are bridges that help us move beyond the noise and back toward our shared humanity.

Scripture reminds us of peace for those who walk in faith. It says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you” (John 14:27). For all of us, peace can become a practice. No matter our background, we can choose calm when everything around us feels uncertain.

The world around us can feel shaky. Slowing down is important. Choosing how we respond can be a quiet act of courage. A kind word, a pause before reacting, or even taking time away from screens to rest – these choices matter. They remind us that while we can’t control everything, we can nurture peace within ourselves and offer it to others.

A Porch Reflection ✨

When was the last time you felt truly steady – even for just a moment? What helped you feel that way, and how might you return to it this week?

End your day by naming one way you showed kindness, however small.

Take a break from headlines today. Step outside, notice the air, the light, the quiet.

Before a conversation that might feel tense, pause and remind yourself: “This person has fears and hopes, just like me.”

Some families and communities find it helpful to have a prayer bowl on the coffee table. They place it in a room where they gather to pray. Whenever someone asks for prayer, they write the request on a little piece of paper. They put the paper in the bowl. When it’s time for morning or evening prayer, each person can take a few slips of paper from the bowl. They read the requests. This is also a good way to remember people we don’t see every day. We can think of children in war zones. We should also consider victims of human trafficking.

We may not solve every challenge in our nation overnight. Together, we can create circles of peace. And when those circles overlap – porch by porch, heart by heart – something steadier begins to grow.

09/29/2025
Hope Amid Chaos: Lessons from Corrie Ten Boom
The world feels heavy these days. The headlines are noisy. Politics are divisive. It can be hard to find hope when fear and anger seem to dominate the landscape. But history reminds us that God’s Spirit has never stopped producing fruit even in the most barren times.

One woman who lived this truth was Corrie Ten Boom. During World War II, she and her family hid Jews in their Dutch home. They risked everything out of obedience to Christ. When discovered, Corrie and her sister Betsie were sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp, a place of unimaginable cruelty. Yet even there, the light of the Holy Spirit shone through Corrie’s life.

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
– Galatians 5:22–23
- Love: She risked her life for strangers, showing Christ’s love in action.
- Joy: She rejoiced over a smuggled Bible and sang hymns in secret, finding joy where none seemed possible.
- Peace: In the face of terror, she clung to God’s promises and became a calm presence for others.
- Patience: She endured long days of hunger and suffering with steadfast trust.
- Kindness: She extended compassion to fellow prisoners, even when she had nothing to give.
- Goodness: She chose what was right, even when it was costly.
- Faithfulness: Her trust in Christ held firm through persecution.
- Gentleness: She cared for the wounded and brokenhearted, reflecting Christ’s tenderness.
- Self-control: After the war, she chose forgiveness over bitterness even toward her captors.
In times like these, when division seems louder than unity, it’s easy to wonder if anything good can take root. Yet Corrie Ten Boom’s life reminds us that the Spirit’s fruit is not limited by the landscape. It often grows brightest in dark soil.

Her life is proof that the Spirit’s work is stronger than the world’s brokenness. If fruit bloom in a concentration camp, it can bloom in today’s troubled times too.

The call for us might not be to get swept up in the world’s chaos. Instead, it is to quietly and faithfully let the Spirit tend our hearts. To bear love where there is hate. Joy where there is despair. Peace where there is unrest.

“Lord, help us to live as Corrie did, with courage, forgiveness, and hope. Cultivate the fruits of Your Spirit within us. In the chaos of today’s world, that others will taste and see that You are good.”

As I write, the sky outside feels unsettled – clouds moving quickly, the air heavy with change. Maybe you’ve felt that way too, watching today’s world unfold. Here on the porch, a cup of tea warms my hands. The birds start their evening song. I am reminded that God still tends His garden. The Spirit is still at work.

May we be like small trees planted by living water, steady and fruitful, no matter what storms rage around us. 🌿🍃
08/29/2025