Good Trouble: A Year-End Reflection

For our final episode of the year, we step back from the headlines to focus on the people who've been showing up anyway. Inspired by John Lewis's call to make "good trouble" and Fred Rogers' reminder to look for the helpers, we reflect on the groups and individuals who have resisted harm, protected their communities, and quietly done the work of care in a hard year. We talk about parents, students, clergy, librarians, journalists, judges, organizers, and everyday neighbors who stepped in when systems failed—especially around immigration, free speech, public knowledge, and basic human needs. Along the way, we wrestle with what faithful resistance actually looks like, the limits of persuasion, and why actions matter more than statements. We end by reflecting on faith, courage, and responsibility—what it means to call yourself a Christian in moments that demand more than comfort, and how change often happens slowly, relationally, and out of sight. As we look toward the year ahead, we ask a simple but challenging question: what are the things we can no longer accept, and how are we willing to help change them? Bless your heart—we made it to the end of the year.   SHOW NOTES: Christian Century - When Caesar Gets Demanding Christian Century - Imagining the Grace to Come Christian Century - Auschwitz Absolution poem Matthew's blog posts: The Quotidian and the Reproduction of Hate How Do We Look at Ourselves in the Mirror? Action vs Apathy in Claire Keegan's Small Things Like These